Chapter XIII: Part II: “the Wool Clippers.” (2)

In 1855 Hall, of Aberdeen, built the little _Heather Bell_ for Brown & Co., from whom the Orient Line bought her. Her measurements were:—

Registered tonnage 479 tons.
Length 155 feet.
Beam 28.5 „
Depth 17.5 „

She was not one of the South Australian traders, however, but ran regularly to Sydney and Melbourne. She made herself famous by a wonderful run home from Melbourne under Captain William Harmsworth. She left Port Phillip Heads on 15th October, 1856, with a strong easterly wind and took the route down the West Coast of Tasmania. In spite of five days of easterly gales, she made the passage to the Horn in 26 days. The record for this run was made by the _Lightning_ in 1854, being 19 days. _Heather Bell_ ran from the Horn to the line in 21 days. This was a record, and considered such a remarkable performance that it was pricked off on old South Atlantic charts. And so far as I know, it has only been twice beaten, once by the _Cutty Sark_ and once by the _Thomas Stephens_. _Heather_ _Bell_ made the land at Start Point 20 days from the line, thus making a passage of 67 days. Her best 24-hour run was 330 miles, and her best week’s work was 1885 miles. Of course she had great luck with her winds, but, even so, she proved herself a very speedy little ship.

_Heather Bell_ had a long life of 39 years, and was finally broken up at Balmain, Sydney, in 1894.

The “Murray.”

Another Adelaide passenger ship belonging to Anderson was the _Murray_. She was built by Hall, of Aberdeen, in 1861, being the last Orient liner to be built entirely of wood. Her measurements were:—

Registered tonnage 903 tons.
Length of keel 180 feet.
Beam 33.3 „
Depth 20.8 „

She had a long floor with sharp ends, and, whilst fitted with every convenience for passengers, she carried a very large cargo on a very small draught.

The _Murray_ was considered a fast ship, her best day’s run being 325 miles, but I can best show her capabilities as to speed by recalling a race which she sailed with the well-known Blackwall frigate _Hotspur_.

The two ships, as was usual with passengers on board, had called in at Capetown; and they left Table Bay together. Then with stunsails set alow and aloft they were 11 days in company running down to St. Helena. In 26° N. they again met and were six days in company, finally they made the Channel within a day of each other, the _Hotspur_ leading.

Regarding this race, the late Captain Whall, who was on board the _Hotspur_, says of the run to St. Helena: “The wind was steady, and the two ships seemed so nearly matched that for hours together our bearings did not alter.”

Under the well-known Captain Legoe, the _Murray_ made the following fine passages out from Plymouth:—

1861 Left Plymouth, July 26, arrived Adelaide Oct. 16—82 days out.
1862 Left Plymouth, July 13, arrived Adelaide Sept. 30—79 days out.
1863 Left Plymouth, July 15, arrived Adelaide Sept. 26—73 days out.
(68 days to the Borda).
1864 Left Plymouth, Aug. 5, arrived Adelaide Oct. 21—77 days out.

The Orient Composite Clippers.

It was during the sixties that the Orient Line came to be known in Australia for the remarkable speed of its beautiful little composite clippers, consisting of:—

+------------+-----------+---------+-------------------+
| Date Built | Ship | Tonnage | Builders. |
+------------+-----------+---------+-------------------+
| 1863 | _Coonatto_| 633 | Bilbe, of London |
| 1864 | _Goolwa_ | 717 | Hall, of Aberdeen |
| 1864 | _Borealis_| 920 | Bilbe, of London |
| 1865 | _Darra_ | 999 | Hall, of Aberdeen |
| 1865 | _Yatala_ | 1127 | Bilbe, of London |
| 1866 | _Argonaut_| 1073 | „ „ |
+------------+-----------+---------+-------------------+

The _Coonatto’s_ measurements were—Length 160 ft. 2 in.; beam 29 ft.; depth 18 ft. 7 in. She was an out and out clipper with very fine lines, but like most of Bilbe’s ships—very wet. However this may in part be put down to the hard-driving of her skipper, Begg, a Highlander, who never spared her and made some very smart passages out and home. Her best run to the Semaphore Lightship was 66 days, and she once did a 70-day passage out after broaching to off St. Paul’s Island and losing both helmsmen and the wheel itself overboard. This famous little ship stranded on Beachy Head in 1876.

The _Darra_ also went out to Adelaide in under 70 days, on which occasion her captain wrote home that she “dived off the Cape and came up to blow off the Leeuwin.”

“Yatala.”

Probably the fastest of the six was the fine passenger clipper _Yatala_, which the redoubtable Captain Legoe left the _Murray_ to command. The record from London to Adelaide, pilot to pilot, 65 days, was shared by the _Yatala_ and Devitt & Moore’s clipper _City of Adelaide_ until the famous _Torrens_ beat it.

Unfortunately, _Yatala_ came to an early end, and the following are the times of her outward passages during her short existence:—

+------+----------------+-------------------+-----------+
| Date.| Left Plymouth | Arrived Adelaide. | Days Out |
+------+----------------+-------------------+-----------+
| 1865 | Aug. 4 | Oct. 27 | 84 |
| 1866 | „ 2 | „ 14 | 73 |
| 1867 | „ 10 | „ 15 | 66 |
| 1868 | July 9 | Sept. 24 | 77 |
| 1869 | Aug. 7 | Oct. 23 | 77 |
| 1870 | „ 11 | „ 26 | 76 |
| 1871 | July 6 | „ 2 | 88 |
+------+----------------+-------------------+-----------+

On 18th December, 1871, _Yatala_ left Adelaide in company with the Elder Line clipper, _Beltana_, which she led to the Horn by a day. The _Beltana_ arrived safely after a tedious light weather run from the line, but the _Yatala_ got ashore near Cape Gris-Nez on 27th March, 1872, when almost in sight of home. Her wool cargo was nearly all saved, but the ship herself became a total loss.

Of the other Orient composites, the _Goolwa_ disappeared from the Register in 1880, but _Borealis_ and _Argonaut_ lasted some years longer.

The “Beltana,” and Captain Richard Angel.

The _Beltana_, which raced the _Yatala_ in 1871-2, was a composite clipper, belonging to A. L. Elder & Co., a well-known firm in the Adelaide trade and the agents for the celebrated _Torrens_. Built by Laing, of Sunderland, in 1869, the _Beltana_ measured:—

Registered tonnage 734 tons.
Length 172.5 feet.
Beam 33.6 „
Depth 19.2 „

She was a beautiful little ship, a fine sea boat with a good turn of speed. In 1872, when running her easting down, she did a day’s work of 335 miles under foresail, three lower topsails and fore topmast staysail. She made her reputation as a heeler under Captain Richard Angel, a sail carrier of the most determined character, as the following anecdote will prove.

The _Beltana_ was rounding the Horn, homeward bound and reeling along before a heavy westerly gale under topgallant sails, when a vessel was sighted ahead, head-reaching under three close-reefed topsails, though bound the same way as the _Beltana_. Angel, to show his contempt of such caution, immediately bore down on the stranger, and passing ahead of him, put his helm down and brought his yards on the backstays. As the _Beltana_ came up to the wind, she lay right down until the amazed crew of the stranger could almost see her keel, and momentarily expected to see her capsize or her masts go overboard. But the little ship bore this harsh treatment in the bravest manner, and, though her rail was fathoms deep in the scud to leeward, never stranded a ropeyarn. Having crossed the stranger’s bows, Angel rounded to close under her stern, then squared his yards and raced ahead again. This manœuvre of “sailing round a vessel” was not one that most men would care to attempt in Cape Horn weather.

Indeed, hardly was the _Beltana_ on her course again before Angel’s trembling mate approached his captain with a request to be allowed to shorten sail, only to be met by the scornful order of:—“Get the royals on her; and then, if you can’t find anything else to set, go below and ask Mrs. Angel to lend you her petticoat.” Such an order was worthy of Bully Forbes himself.

Captain Richard Angel lost the command of the _Beltana_ on the voyage that she raced the _Yatala_. On his passage out he ran the _Beltana_ ashore on Kangaroo Island, but got her off and did not report the accident. He loaded wool at Port Augusta, but on getting to sea the ship leaked so much that he had to take her in to Port Adelaide. Here the wool was discharged, and the _Beltana_ hauled up on the slip and repaired, whilst Angel got his dismissal and a Captain Blanch took his place. _Beltana_ caught fire when loading wool in Port Lyttelton, and her end was one of the biggest ship fires in New Zealand.

The Wonderful “Torrens.”

Of other ships managed by Elder & Co., the most noteworthy were the _Glen Osmond_, _Collingrove_ and _Torrens_. Of these the _Torrens_ requires special mention, as she was without doubt one of the most successful ships ever built, besides being one of the fastest, and for many years she was the favourite passenger ship to Adelaide. She was built in 1875 by James Laing, of Sunderland, and launched in October of that year, her chief measurements being:—

Registered tonnage 1276 tons.
Length 222.1 feet.
Beam 38.1 „
Depth 21.5 „

She was composite built with teak planking and was specially designed for carrying passengers, having a poop 80 feet long.

A beautifully modelled ship and a splendid sea boat, she was very heavily sparred and crossed a main skysail yard. She was also one of the last ships to hold on to fore topmast stunsails; indeed for years she was the only ship with stunsail booms aloft in the Australian trade.

Regarding her capabilities as a sea boat, in easting weather she would drive along as dry as a bone, making 300 miles a day without wetting her decks. But it was in light winds that she showed up best, her ghosting powers being quite extraordinary. The flap of her sails sent her along 2 or 3 knots, and in light airs she was accustomed to pass other clippers as if they were at anchor.

Commander Harry Shrubsole, R.N.R., in a letter to the _Nautical Magazine_, gives the following interesting reminiscences of her wonderful speed.

Some items of one of her passages are worth noting. Crossed the
equator in 15 days from Plymouth; arrived off Semaphore, Port
Adelaide, 61 days from Plymouth. The last two days were employed in
beating up the Gulf from the western end of Kangaroo Island, I forget
the name of the point we made, so 59 days could easily be counted as
the passage.

We sighted the _Jennie Harkness_, obviously American, at daylight
right ahead in the S.E. trades; at noon we were alongside her, and
our Foo-Foo band played “Yankee-Doodle” as we passed her. She had
Jimmy Greens and water-sails, flying jib topsails and what not
aloft, and we slid by her as if she was—well—sailing slowly, as
she undoubtedly was, compared to our speed. We passed a large ship
running the easting down. She was under upper topgallant sails,
whilst we were under upper topsails with weather upper and lower
stunsails set. The old ship was never driven; she did not need it,
neither would she stand it. But she sailed rings round anything
sighted. To sight a ship to windward and ahead, on a wind, was to
ensure the tautening of the weather braces, an order to sail a
bit finer and to see her passing ahead and to windward of that
ship by the early afternoon. We did this with a four-master, the
_Amazon_, and I bear a scar on my eyebrow to-day in memory of that
ship—merely a small argument about her name. In the case of the
_Jennie Harkness_, I was the “leadin’ ’and” of the Foo-Foo band and
can picture the incident now in all its features.

Captain H. R. Angel, who had previously commanded the _Glen Osmond_ and _Collingrove_, was the chief owner of the _Torrens_, and had a great say in her design; and after overlooking her building he took her from the stocks and commanded her for 15 voyages. Under him she was a wonderfully lucky ship and a great deal of the credit for her success undoubtedly belonged to Captain Angel.

Her biggest run in the 24 hours was 336 miles; and her fastest speed through the water by the log was 14 knots. Her average for 15 outward passages under Captain Angel was 74 days from Plymouth to the Semaphore, Port Adelaide. Captain Angel always brought her into the St. Vincent’s Gulf _via_ the Backstairs Passage, east of Kangaroo Island, instead of through Investigators’ Straits. On the homeward passage he always took the Cape route, for the benefit of his passengers, calling in at Capetown, St. Helena and Ascension.

To show the extraordinary way in which luck clung to the _Torrens_ as long as Captain H. R. Angel commanded her, I will give the following instance, given me by Captain Angel himself.

On a certain homeward passage, the lamp oil ran short or was lost through some mismanagement. This caused Captain Angel to grow very anxious as the _Torrens_ approached the mouth of the English Channel, in whose narrow crowded waters lights are naturally of the utmost importance. But before soundings were reached a barrel was passed, floating on the water. Angel at once hove his ship to and lowered a boat, picked the barrel up and took it aboard—and, on being opened, it was found to contain oil.

As commodore of the Elder Line, Captain Angel flew a white flag with red crescent and stars at the masthead of the _Torrens_, instead of the ordinary house-flag with red ground, white crescent and stars.

In the autumn of 1890 Captain Angel retired from the sea and handed over the _Torrens_ to Captain Cope. With the change of captain, the _Torrens_ luck deserted her. On her first passage out under her new commander the _Torrens_ lost her foremast and main topmast in 6° N., 27° W., and put into Pernambuco to refit; and before she was refitted she caught fire. However, the fire was put out, she was remasted and she eventually reached Adelaide 179 days out.

Whilst Captain Cope had her, the _Torrens_ had the honour of having Joseph Conrad as mate for a voyage. This was in 1893, and Conrad made two important literary friendships whilst on the _Torrens_, for W. H. Jacques made the voyage in her and Galsworthy was a passenger from Adelaide to Capetown.

In 1896 Captain F. Angel, the son of Captain H. R. Angel, took over the command of the _Torrens_, and again the Goddess of Fortune objected to the change. On his third voyage, young Angel ran foul of an iceberg in the Southern Ocean; and with her bow stove in and partially dismasted, the _Torrens_ managed to struggle into Adelaide, for the second time in her career over 100 days out.

Her last passage, also, under the British flag was a disastrous one. She left Adelaide on 23rd April, 1903, and before she was clear of Kangaroo island a storm burst on her and she had difficulty in clawing off the land. Then when she got down to the Cape latitudes another heavy gale forced her back towards Mauritius. However, at last she got into Table Bay. She had little cargo from Adelaide on board, and as no cargo was offering at Capetown, she went on to St. Helena, and took in a load of explosives for the British Government—ammunition, etc., returning from the Boer war. But even when the Thames tug had got her hawser, the dangers of this passage were not over, for whilst the _Torrens_ was in tow a vessel tried to pass ahead of her, between her and the tug, and was cut down and sunk by the sharp forefoot of the famous clipper. When the collision was seen to be unavoidable there was almost a panic on the _Torrens_, owing to her cargo of explosives. However nothing happened, the _Torrens_ was uninjured and Captain Angel was not held to blame.

But old Captain Angel had had enough of it—her cost for repairs since he had given her up had come to more than her original cost to build; and he sold her to the Italians.

“Torrens’” Outward Passages.

When inspecting _Torrens’_ wonderful times, two things in her favour must be remembered, firstly that she sailed from England at the most favourable time in the year, and secondly that, carrying passengers, she was always in perfect trim. On the other hand, everything was done to make the passengers comfortable, especially as many of them were invalids or consumptives going for the benefit of the voyage, thus she was never driven as she might have been.

With the change of ownership as with the change of skippers, evil luck again struck the celebrated old ship, for the Italians soon ran her ashore and after getting her off again sent her to Genoa to be broken up. But when the Genoese shipbreakers saw the beauty of her model and construction, they went to the expense of repairing her, only to again bump her on the rocks. This time she was towed back to Genoa for good and all, and was broken up in 1910.

+-----------+----------------+---------------+----------------+-----+
| Captain. | Date Left | Date Left | Date Arrived | Days|
| | London. | Plymouth. | Adelaide. | Out.|
+-----------+----------------+---------------+----------------+-----+
|H. R. Angel| Dec. 8, 1875 | Dec. 12, 1875 | Mar. 7, 1876 | 85 |
| „ | Oct. 26, 1876 | Oct. 29, 1876 | Jan. 18, 1877 | 81 |
| „ | „ 27, 1877 | Nov. 4, 1877 | „ 11, 1878 | 68 |
| „ | „ 26, 1878 | „ 2, 1878 | „ 18, 1879 | 77 |
| „ | „ 26, 1879 | Oct. 30, 1879 | „ 8, 1880 | 70 |
| „ | „ 28, 1880 | Nov. 2, 1880 | „ 6, 1881 | 65 |
| „ | „ 27, 1881 | Oct. 29, 1881 | „ 8, 1882 | 71 |
| „ | „ 26, 1882 | „ 29, 1882 | „ 16, 1883 | 79 |
| „ | „ 27, 1883 | „ 29, 1883 | „ 7, 1884 | 70 |
| „ | „ 26, 1884 | Nov. 2, 1884 | „ 25, 1885 | 84 |
| „ | „ 27, 1885 | „ 1, 1885 | „ 8, 1886 | 68 |
| „ | „ 28, 1886 | „ 2, 1886 | „ 15, 1887 | 74 |
| „ | „ 27, 1887 | „ 8, 1887 | „ 14, 1888 | 67 |
| „ | „ 27, 1888 | „ 1, 1888 | „ 14, 1889 | 74 |
| „ | „ 30, 1889 | „ 7, 1889 | „ 26, 1890 | 80 |
|W. H. Cope | „ 29, 1890 | Dismasted | April 26, 1891 | 179 |
| „ | — | Nov. 25, 1891 | Feb. 28, 1892 | 95 |
| „ | Oct. 25, 1892 | — | Jan. 30, 1893 | 97 |
| „ | Nov. 3, 1893 | — | „ 26, 1894 | 84 |
| „ | Oct. 14, 1894 | — | „ 13, 1895 | 91 |
| „ | Sept. 18, 1895 | — | Dec. 6, 1895 | 79 |
|F. Angel | Oct. 26, 1896 | Left Downs | Jan. 11, 1897 | 75 |
| | | Oct. 28 | | |
| „ | „ 30, 1897 | — | „ 15, 1898 | 77 |
| „ | „ 25, 1898 |Struck Iceberg | Feb. 5, 1899 | 103 |
| „ | „ 31, 1899 | — | Feb. 5, 1900 | 97 |
| „ | „ 27, 1900 | Left Downs | Jan. 20, 1901 | 82 |
| | | Oct. 30 | | |
| „ | „ 24, 1901 | — | Feb. 2, 1902 | 101 |
| „ | „ 26, 1902 | — | Jan. 17, 1903 | 83 |
+-----------+----------------+---------------+----------------+-----+

The _Torrens_, with the exception of the Lochs, was the last sailing ship to carry passengers. As a composite ship, built specially for passengers, she had no rival except Devitt & Moore’s celebrated _Sobraon_.

The Great “Sobraon.”

The _Sobraon_ was built by Messrs. Hall, of Aberdeen, to the order of Lowther, Maxton & Co., the tea clipper owners, and launched in November, 1866. She was the largest composite ship ever built, being constructed of solid teak with iron beams and frames; she was copper fastened and classed 16 years A1.

Her measurements were:—

Registered tonnage 2131 tons.
Burthen 3500 „
Length over all 317 feet.
Length between perpendiculars 272 „
Beam 40 „
Depth of hold 27 „

Her lower masts were of wrought iron, and her topmasts and lower yards on each mast of steel. On her first two voyages she carried skysails, but these were found to make her rather crank and so were done away with. In the eighties she followed the fashion and was fitted with double topgallant yards on her fore and main masts. With all sail set, she had a spread of just 2 acres of canvas.

Mr. A. G. Elmslie, who served in her for 11 years under his father, from apprentice to chief officer, gave me the following account of her sailing qualities:—

A glance at the perfect lines of the ship in dry dock would be quite
sufficient to show there was nothing to stop her going through the
water, and I can honestly say that during my 11 years I never saw any
other sailing ship pass her in a breeze either on a wind or before
it. The fact of the _Sobraon_ being first intended for an auxiliary
steamer and having the two stern posts, the space between which was
filled up with solid timber, gave her a perfect run, and her bows
were as fine as any yacht’s. Runs of over 300 knots when running
down the easting were frequent. On one occasion over 1000 knots were
covered in three days and over 2000 in a week. 340 knots in the 24
hours was the best run made. I have seen over 16 knots reeled off by
the log. This was with the wind some 2 or 3 points on the quarter,
which was her best sailing point. On a wind and sailing within 5½
points, she could do her 7 to 8 knots good.

On her first five voyages from 1866 to 1871, _Sobraon_ sailed to Sydney, and after that, from 1872 to 1891, to Melbourne, always returning _via_ the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Horn.

Her fastest trip to Sydney was 73 days and to Melbourne 68 days. On the latter passage she sighted Cape Otway on the morning of the 60th day out, but then had light variable winds, which spoilt what promised to be a 61-day passage.

Most of her outward passages were between 70 and 80 days, but it must be remembered that she was never driven hard out of consideration for her passengers, or there is little doubt that she would have gone near to lowering the golden cock at _Thermopylae’s_ masthead. On her first voyage to Sydney in 1866-7, she went out in 75 days and came home in 78.

Lowther & Maxton only owned her for a few years, and from the first she loaded as one of Devitt & Moore’s monthly line of packets to Australia, the latter firm buying her outright about 1870.

On her maiden voyage the _Sobraon_ was commanded by Captain Kyle. In 1867 he was succeeded by Lieut. J. A. Elmslie, R.N.R., who had her for the rest of her active career, from 1867 to 1891, a period of 24 years.

Captain Elmslie commenced his career in 1842 and for several years traded out to India and China and later to Australia in the well-known London ships _La Hogue_ and _Parramatta_. Prior to taking the _Sobraon_, he commanded the ill-fated _Cospatrick_, from 1863 to 1867, his brother, who was afterwards lost in her in 1873, succeeding him in the command of that ship.

Captain Elmslie’s name was so closely and for so long associated with that of the _Sobraon_, that passengers were no doubt as much attracted by the one as by the other. In fact there were many instances in which they booked their passages solely on account of the name of the commander. Whilst being a strict disciplinarian and respected by all who sailed under him, he was, at the same time, kindness itself and laid himself out on every occasion to study the interests of his passengers. The fact that the _Sobraon_ never had anything approaching a serious loss of spars or sails may be safely put down to his never ceasing attention to the ship and the weather. He was always about, and his keen sense of watchfulness and duty readily imparted itself to his officers and crew.

Captain Elmslie was elected a Younger Brother of the Trinity House on 1st September, 1868, and he would have been elected an Elder Brother many years before his death had he been eligible, but the fact of his never having served in steam barred him.

No greater proof of the popularity of the _Sobraon_ and her captain can be given than the length of time both officers and men stayed in her. James Cameron, who was foreman shipwright at the building of the _Sobraon_, served as carpenter on her during the whole time that the ship was afloat—service 1866-1891.

Thomas Willoughby, formerly with Captain Elmslie in _Cospatrick_, from 1864 to 1867, transferred with his captain to the _Sobraon_ and served throughout, first as butcher and later as chief steward—service 1866-1891.

James Farrance served 16 years as A.B. and boatswain. Thomas Routledge served 10 years as sailmaker.

This length of service on the part of her petty officers is, I should think, easily a record.

And amongst well-known seamen who learnt their craft in the _Sobraon_ were—

Captain R. Hoare, apprentice to chief officer, 1872-1882 (a commander in the Orient Line and Elder Brother of Trinity House).

Captain F. Northey, apprentice to chief officer, 1867-1869, and 1874-1882 (afterwards commanded the _John Rennie_).

Captain A. E. Baker, apprentice to chief officer, 1887 (afterwards commander in the P. & O.)

Captain Elmslie also had his first and second sons with him. C. T. Elmslie, the eldest, as apprentice before going into the P. & O. and Captain A. G. Elmslie from apprentice to chief officer, 11 years from 1880 to 1891.

The _Sobraon’s_ crew usually consisted of captain, 4 officers, 8 apprentices, carpenter, sailmaker, boatswain, engineer, 2 boatswain’s mates, 26 A.B.’s, 4 O.S.’s, 2 boys, 16 stewards and 2 stewardesses—total all told = 69.

Only one voyage was made in each year, the sailing date from London always being the latter end of September and from Australia early in February.

From her immense carrying capacity, the cargo was invariably a good source of revenue. Owing to her regular sailings there was never any difficulty in getting a full hold, and this applied especially to the homeward run, when her cargo consisted chiefly of wool and wheat. It was, however, as a crack passenger ship to Australia that the _Sobraon_ was most celebrated as she never formed one of the fleet which raced home to be in time for the February wool sales. Indeed, on the homeward run she usually touched at Capetown and always at St. Helena, these breaks in the passage being very popular with passengers.

At St. Helena the ship made a regular stay of about three days, and this visit was as much looked forward to by the inhabitants of the island as by the _Sobraon’s_ passengers. As a rule about 100 tons of cargo, consisting of flour, corn, preserved meat, etc., were landed there and occasionally a few bullocks were taken there from Capetown. Whilst the _Sobraon_ lay at St. Helena, the passengers roamed the Island, climbed the 699 steps to the barracks, visited Longwood and Napoleon’s tomb and generally enjoyed themselves. Captain Elmslie also made a habit of giving a fancy dress ball on board before leaving, to which all the _elite_ of the Island were asked.

_Sobraon’s_ passenger accommodation was unequalled for a sailing ship. She only had a short poop, but her first class saloon reached from right aft to within 20 feet of the foremast, and was 200 feet in length. The second class saloon took up the remaining space in the ’tween decks, with the exception of 20 feet in the eyes of the ship, which was bulkheaded off as a store room and sail locker.

The number of first class passengers on the outward trip averaged close on 90, with 40 in the second saloon. There were generally a few less coming home. Owing to the good accommodation and to the fact that the voyages were timed for the finest climatic conditions, there were always a fair number of invalids booked and a good many of them made the round voyage. And there were many instances, also, of marvellous cures aboard the _Sobraon_.

In her early days she took many notable people out to Australia. Lord and Lady Belmore and their suite went out in her, the former to take up the Governorship of New South Wales. It was on this voyage that the Duke of Edinburgh was in Sydney whilst the _Sobraon_ lay there; and it was at his request that she was made the flagship at the Sydney Regatta. Captain Elmslie had the honour of entertaining and being entertained by the Duke on several occasions, and on his return passage brought home numerous cases of curios collected by the Duke whilst in the East.

On the next voyage the _Sobraon_ took out Mr. Ducane, the new Governor of Tasmania, and his suite.

Fresh food was obviously a necessity for the class of passenger carried, and the following live-stock were carried on each passage—3 bullocks, 90 sheep, 50 pigs, 3 cows for milking and over 300 geese, fowls and ducks. Fresh water and plenty of it was always procurable—a large condenser running every alternate day; there was an ice chamber, also, in which several tons of ice were stored.

The _Sobraon_ came through her 25 years’ active service with singularly little damage at the hands of the elements.

On making the African coast on the homeward run, she had the usual narrow shaves from being dismasted, which are experienced by all west-bound ships in that locality. The wind shifts from N.W. to S.W. in squalls accompanied by the most terrific thunder and lightning at this dreaded spot, and it is almost impossible for a close-hauled ship to avoid getting caught aback.

The most serious storm experienced by the _Sobraon_ was in 1889, when running her easting down. She was a little to the north of the Crozets, and it began to breeze up on a Sunday morning. The glass gave every indication of a real snorter, and by 4 p.m. had tumbled down to 27.75. By that time the _Sobraon_ had been shortened down to foresail, lower fore topsail, upper fore topsail reefed, main lower topsail and fore topmast staysail. The shift from N.W. to S.W. came at 5 o’clock, and the yards were hardly round before the foresail went and in a few moments there was nothing left of it. The sea was running in mountainous ridges, and with the foresail gone threatened every moment to poop her badly. It was too late to heave to and the ship was kept away before it. After four hours’ battling and over 30 men aloft a brand new foresail was bent and set reefed. This was hardly done before the fore upper topsail blew away. However, with the foresail reefed and two lower topsails the _Sobraon_ fled before the blast like a startled deer. The squalls every few minutes were terrific and in spite of such short canvas the _Sobraon_ was making over 14 knots an hour.

The sea was all the time running higher and higher and breaking aboard in the most alarming fashion. During the night the greater portion of the bulwarks on the port side was carried away; a boat in davits, hanging 22 feet above the water, was filled by a sea and disappeared, the davits breaking short off: the main skylight over the saloon was washed away and tons of water found its way below before the open space could be covered over. The amount of water in the saloon at this time can be imagined when passengers were actually being washed off their feet. On deck there were many narrow escapes of men being washed overboard, the broken bulwarks being a great source of danger. The mate and three of the men were washed from the main fiferail to the break of the poop, and, after being dashed up against the heavy boarding which had been put up to protect the fore end of the poop, managed to save themselves by the life-lines which had been stretched across. The forward deck house which held the galley and engine room was almost demolished and everything moveable in it was washed over the side.

The storm continued at its height from the Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning. The passengers, who had been battened down for three days, were in a sorry plight owing to the quantities of water that had got below and the catering for them under such conditions proved very difficult. As is usually the case after such a storm, the wind subsided very much quicker than the sea, and for a few hours on the Wednesday night, the wind having dropped completely and the ship losing way, the rolling was terrific. Fortunately everything held aloft in spite of the great strain on the masts during these few hours.

On two occasions the _Sobraon_ had narrow escapes of getting ashore when making the Channel in thick weather. On her first voyage, after several days without sights and when it was calculated that the ship was in the chops of the Channel, several fishing boats were met, and, on asking his position, the captain found that he was heading up the Bristol Channel. Several of the passengers availed themselves of the opportunity of going ashore in the fishing boats, and, landing on the Devonshire coast, reached London several days before the ship.

On the homeward passage in 1888 it came on very thick after Land’s End had been sighted. The _Sobraon_ stood on for some 24 hours and then suddenly the fog lifted and disclosed the land inside Portland Bill dead ahead and under a mile distant. The wind was easterly and light, and the _Sobraon_ close-hauled on the starboard tack; however, she came round in time and stood off, thus escaping destruction by the narrowest margin.

The _Sobraon_ had two escapes from being burnt at sea. The first was on the outward passage in 1884. A little water had been making in the vicinity of the main hatch and the carpenter went below one morning to try to discover where it was coming in. Amongst the cargo in the square of the hatch and around it were several crates of bottles packed in straw. In climbing over these the carpenter dropped the light he was carrying and inside of a minute the straw was alight and the flames darting out in every direction. Luckily the ship carried a quantity of fire extinguishers, and with these and the hoses from two pumps the fire was got under in about 20 minutes. Had there been the slightest delay the fire must have spread to the other cargo, and there being no means of getting at it nothing could have saved the ship.

The second instance occurred in the tropics when outward bound in 1888. A quantity of oil and some 90 tons of coal were down in the fore peak, which was only separated from the cargo in the fore hold by a wooden bulkhead. By spontaneous combustion apparently the coal caught alight, and one morning smoke was discovered coming out of the hatch. All hands were at once started getting the coal up, but as the hatch was only 4 feet by 3 feet this proved an extremely slow job. After 20 tons had been got on deck, the smoke had become so thick and the heat so intense that the hose had to be resorted to. However, this conquered the fire in about half an hour. Luckily the burning part of the coal had been well away from the bulkhead or the consequences must have been more serious.

There was only one person lost overboard off the _Sobraon_ in her whole career, but this was a particularly distressing case. The following account of it was given to me by Captain A. G. Elmslie:—

“In about latitude 35° S. and longitude 5° W., one Sunday evening early in November, 1883, we were bowling along at a good 13 knots with the wind on the starboard quarter and royals set, being outward bound to Australia. I was third mate and keeping the first watch. Four bells had just been struck when I noticed a lady passenger come up on the poop and walk aft, sitting down on the weather side of the wheel box and close to the man at the wheel. About five minutes later the quartermaster cried out:—‘My God! she’s overboard!’

“I rushed aft, and with the quartermaster tried to get hold of the girl, who was then hanging on to the lower rail outside, but before we could get her she let go and dropped into the water. Although only a few seconds had elapsed since the quartermaster had let the wheel go, the ship was up in the wind and nearly aback.

“After telling the midshipman to throw some lifebuoys over and the fourth officer to get the boat ready, I sang out:—‘Man overboard! Let go your royal and topgallant halliards!’

“Fortunately the men were handy and the yards came down before we were flat aback. By this time the captain and other officers and all hands were on deck. Owing to the pace the ship was still going through the water, together with the strong wind blowing, it was necessary to let the topsails come down also.

“With the courses and lower topsails alone set, she soon lost way sufficiently to allow the boat being lowered, which by that time had been manned. Only four minutes elapsed between the girl going over the side and the boat being in the water, but in this short space of time the ship had travelled a good half mile and quite far enough to make the search a most difficult one, especially seeing that the night was intensely dark and a heavy sea running. The search was kept up for some four hours and only abandoned then through the danger of keeping the boat in the water, for she was several times nearly swamped. Needless to say, on such a night, and the probabilities being that the girl was drowned at once, no sign was seen of her. Two of the life-buoys were afterwards picked up by another ship. The reason of the suicide, for such it undoubtedly was, remained a mystery. The girl had no relations with her and no one on board could throw any light on the matter.”

On another occasion the ship was going some 5 knots in the tropics when an apprentice fell overboard during the forenoon watch. It was quite 20 minutes before the boat reached him, but he was found swimming along quite composed, having unlaced and taken his heavy boots off and slung them round his neck, as their weight was less felt there and he did not want to lose them.

Another of _Sobraon’s_ apprentices was even still more cool-headed. This one fell off the footrope of the mainyard, being one of 30 hands aloft stowing the mainsail. Luckily he was well in to the quarter of the yard and so fell on the deck. If he had gone overboard there would have been little chance of picking him up. The fall was one of 58 feet and he fell within 3 feet of the second mate. The latter naturally expected to find him dead, but he recovered consciousness within an hour, and was about again a month later quite recovered. He declared that as soon as he felt himself falling he made himself as rigid as possible, brought his head and legs together and protected the former with his arms; and he landed in that position on his side. He was a big fellow, being over 6 feet in height and weighing 14 stones.

Another marvellous escape from aloft was that of a man who was helping to stow the main upper topsail. This man suddenly lost his hold and came down spread-eagle fashion. He dropped on to the main rigging and carried away 7 ratlins of 27 thread stuff, then landed on the rail without breaking a bone. This was in 1886, and the _Sobraon_ was just making Plymouth. The man was taken to hospital and recovered in a few days. As soon as he came out of hospital, he claimed damages from the ship, declaring that a grummet on the jackstay had given away; but it was easily proved that nothing went and the man had simply lost his hold.

But all falls from aloft on the _Sobraon_ were not so fortunate as these two. A young ordinary seaman once fell from the mizen topgallant rigging with fatal consequences. The crossjack had just been hauled up and the mizen topgallant sail clewed up, and the hands were sent aloft to make the sails fast. This man, with three others, being first aloft, went up to stow the topgallant sail. Suddenly the men on the cross jack footropes heard an agonising cry and a form whizzed past them, struck the spanker gaff and then fell on the deckhouse. The poor fellow broke his spine amongst other injuries and died almost immediately.

On still another occasion, when the _Sobraon_ was again coming into Plymouth, a man working in the main futtock rigging lost his hold and fell on deck right in the midst of a crowd of passengers. There were close on 100 people standing about at the time and it was extraordinary that he fell on no one—he just touched a lady on the shoulder and bruised her a little—but was of course horribly smashed up himself and killed instantly. The shock to the crowd of passengers standing round may easily be imagined.

There were two curious cases of somnambulism amongst the passengers of the _Sobraon_. The first was a Church of England clergyman and he was most methodical in his movements. He invariably appeared on deck about midnight and would first of all go up on the poop and peer into the compass; and then, after strolling the deck for a few minutes, would go below to the small saloon aft where prayers were held by him on that voyage. Here he would go over the service to an imaginary congregation, after which he would return to his berth and turn in. In the early days of the voyage he was spoken to about his sleep walking, and, at his own request, was locked into his cabin one night. The result was that when he found that he could not get out for his sleep walk, he worked himself into a fury of rage and began smashing things in his cabin. At last the door had to be opened for fear that he would do himself some damage and after a great deal of coaxing he was got back to bed. For some days after this, however, he was in a pretty bad way and no further attempt was made to stop him walking in his sleep.

The second case was of a young man who generally appeared on deck for about an hour each night. On one occasion the officer of the watch, thinking that he was too close to the side of the ship and fearing that he might get on the rail or fall overboard, touched him with a view to getting him away. The somnambulist at once grappled with the mate and was only mastered after over a quarter of an hour’s desperate struggle. As on an ordinary occasion the mate in question could probably have accounted for three men of the somnambulist’s build and physique, the incident goes to prove that sleep walkers, if interfered with, are possessed temporarily of a madman’s strength.

On her last trip the _Sobraon_ arrived at Melbourne about mid-December, 1891, and after discharging took in sufficient ballast to take her round to Sydney. Here she was sold to the New South Wales Government, who turned her into a reformatory ship, and for the next twenty years she lay moored in Sydney harbour. In 1911 she was handed over to the Federal Government to be converted into a training ship for boys entering the Australian Navy. On being put into dry dock for survey, it was found that, in spite of her age, she was as sound as a bell.

Messrs. Devitt & Moore.

In _Sobraon_ Messrs. Devitt & Moore undoubtedly had possessed one of the finest passenger sailing ships ever launched; this firm, indeed, possessed a very keen eye where ships were concerned. The two partners started as shipbrokers, and loaded ships for the Australian trade as far back as 1836. They always loaded on commission, and I believe the first ships for which they did business belonged to Robert Brooks, afterwards the well-known M.P. for Weymouth. But the most famous shipowner who gave Devitt & Moore his ships to load was Duncan Dunbar. And on the death of Dunbar in 1862 Devitt & Moore acquired an interest in several of his best ships, notably the wonderful old _La Hogue_, one of the favourite passenger ships to Sydney in her day and celebrated for her huge figure-head and single mizen topsail.

Shortly before his death Duncan Dunbar had commissioned Laing, of Sunderland, to build him a 1000-ton frigate-built passenger ship, to be called the _Dunbar Castle_. This ship, afterwards known as the “Last of the Dunbars” was launched in 1866, and sailed regularly in Devitt & Moore’s list of passenger ships to Australia.

The _La Hogue_, by the way, was built by Pile, of Sunderland, and measured 1331 tons, being one of the largest frigate-built ships ever launched.

Devitt & Moore kept her in the Sydney trade, and so popular was she with the Australians that they would wait weeks and often months on purpose to sail in her.

In 1866, Laing, of Sunderland, launched the equally well-known and popular frigate-built liner _Parramatta_, of 1521 tons, for Devitt & Moore’s Sydney passenger trade. These two ships do not properly come within the scope of this book and I shall give a more detailed account of them in the next book of this series, which will deal specially with these frigate-built Blackwallers.

Few shipowners can escape scot-free from disaster, and the firm’s greatest loss was when their new ship, the _Queen of the Thames_, considered by many to be the finest ship that ever left the London River, was lost off the Cape on her first homeward bound passage from Melbourne.

With _La Hogue_ and _Parramatta_ in the Sydney trade and _Sobraon_ in the Melbourne trade, the house-flag was well known throughout Victoria and New South Wales. Nor was it less well known in South Australia; indeed Devitt & Moore’s ships were amongst the pioneers in the passenger and wool trade of Adelaide.

“City of Adelaide” and “South Australian.”

In the Adelaide trade, the beautiful little composite ships of Devitt & Moore rivalled those of the Orient and Elder Lines. Of these little clippers the best known passenger ships were the _City of Adelaide_ and _South Australian_.

The _City of Adelaide_ was launched in 1864 from Pile’s yard, her measurements being:—

Registered tonnage 791 tons.
Length 176.8 feet.
Breadth 33.2 „
Depth 18.8 „

She was a very fast little ship with a 65-day run from London to Adelaide to her credit.

The _South Australian_ came out in 1868, also from Pile’s yard, and measured:—

Registered tonnage 1040 tons.
Length 201 feet.
Breadth 36 „
Depth 20.1 „

She had a poop 80 ft. long, and was classed 17 years A1. Though not as fast a ship as the smaller _City of Adelaide_, she was a very fine sea boat with very comfortable accommodation for first and second class passengers.

She was commanded by Captain David Bruce, who with his three sons was very well known in the Adelaide trade. Old David Bruce was one of the good old breed of sea dog—a sturdy, weather-beaten, grey-whiskered Scot. He always dressed in black broadcloth, topped by a straw hat and puggaree. He possessed a merry wit—also a lame leg, which had been crushed by a run-away cask during a storm. His three sons served their time under him, and the commands of the _City of Adelaide_ and _South Australian_ seem to have been taken in turn by each member of the Bruce family.

David Bruce, Commander.

_From an old lithograph._]

_From an old lithograph._]

_South Australian_ was occasionally seen in Melbourne, but the _City of Adelaide_ was always in the South Australian trade, and usually loaded wool at Port Augusta. Both ships were still running in the late eighties.

The Speedy Little “St. Vincent.”

Messrs. Devitt & Moore always considered that the little _St. Vincent_, launched in 1865 by Pile, of Sunderland, was the fastest ship they ever owned. Her measurements were:—

Registered tonnage 892 tons.
Length 190 feet.
Breadth 35 „
Depth 18.9 „

She was also composite built, with a 68-ft. poop and 36-ft. foc’s’le. With hard driving skippers, like J. Bissit and J. Barrett, she had as bad a reputation amongst foremast hands as the Orient flyers in the matter of wetness. However, she was such a beautifully modelled ship that she came to no harm in spite of generally travelling through the water instead of over it. But no hard driven ship comes through the westerlies year after year without a scratch, and one occasionally comes across such entries as the following in her log books:—

27th October, 1878.—Struck by a heavy squall, sustained severe damage
to spars, losing bowsprit, headgear, etc.

She was not often over the 80 days going out, and her times coming home would have been as good, if she had not come _via_ the Cape and St. Helena like most South Australian traders; nevertheless she was usually home in under 90 days. In spite of being hard driven for most of her life the _St. Vincent_ was still afloat in 1905 as a Norwegian barque under the name of _Axel_.

“Pekina” and “Hawkesbury.”

Messrs. Devitt & Moore owned two other well-known clippers, built of wood. These were _Pekina_, 770 tons, built by Smith, of Aberdeen, in 1865; _Hawkesbury_, 1120 tons, built by Pile, of Sunderland, in 1868.

The _Pekina_ was in the South Australian trade, but the _Hawkesbury_ always ran to Sydney. Though she had many fine passages to her credit, the _Hawkesbury’s_ chief claim to fame was her reputation for being the wettest ship in the wool trade. She was composite built, but the _Pekina_ was all wood.

Messrs. Devitt & Moore sold the _Pekina_ in 1880, but the _Hawkesbury_ was still in the Sydney trade in the late eighties.

Mr. T. B. Walker.

Messrs. Devitt & Moore, as shipbrokers, had many fine ships figuring in their books, notably _Mermerus_ and _Thessalus_, and at odd times others of Carmichael’s fleet. They were also brokers for Mr. T. B. Walker’s speedy little barques in the Tasmanian and Brisbane trades. These sailed under the Devitt & Moore house-flag, and Mr. Walker occupied a room and his clerk a desk in their office.

Mr. T. B. Walker was a very prominent man amongst London shipowners and for many years was chairman of Lloyd’s Register. He was a shipmaster of the old school and took a great pride in his ships, and kept them up in most liberal fashion. One of his customs was to keep officers and apprentices on board whilst the ships were at home, an old pensioned cook going into the galley and acting as shipkeeper. Thus the Walker apprentices had a most valuable training in docking and undocking, shifting ship, refitting rigging, bending and unbending sail, etc., and a further result of this custom was that these pretty little barques were kept in such good order whilst at home that they came to be known as the West India Dock yachts.