“THESSALUS.”Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney.Larger image(242 kB)
“THESSALUS.”
Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney.
Larger image(242 kB)
Here are a few of her best:—
AUSTRALIAN PASSAGES.1878Start to Melbourne67days.1882London to Sydney79„1884Downs to Sydney77„1887London to Sydney79„1893Cardiff to Sydney (viaCapetown)78„1894London to Sydney (viaCapetown)78„1896Sydney to London75„CALCUTTA PASSAGES.1876Calcutta to London90days.1878Calcutta to Dundee98„1879Penarth Roads to Calcutta98„FRISCO AND W.C.N.A. PASSAGES.1883Frisco to Lizard105days.1885Frisco to Hull125„1888Portland, Ore., to Queenstown98„1889Frisco to Queenstown104„1890Swansea to Frisco113„1890Frisco to Lizard109„1892Frisco to Queenstown101„CROSS PASSAGES.1878Melbourne to Calcutta48days.1880Calcutta to Melbourne49„1882Sydney to Frisco55„1884Sydney to San Pedro66„1884Frisco to Newcastle, N.S.W.45„1886Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco50„
Start to Melbourne
London to Sydney
Downs to Sydney
London to Sydney
Cardiff to Sydney (viaCapetown)
London to Sydney (viaCapetown)
Sydney to London
Calcutta to London
Calcutta to Dundee
Penarth Roads to Calcutta
Frisco to Lizard
Frisco to Hull
Portland, Ore., to Queenstown
Frisco to Queenstown
Swansea to Frisco
Frisco to Lizard
Frisco to Queenstown
Melbourne to Calcutta
Calcutta to Melbourne
Sydney to Frisco
Sydney to San Pedro
Frisco to Newcastle, N.S.W.
Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco
On her third voyage she encountered the cyclone of 31st October, 1876, near the Sandheads. Captain E. C. Bennett, foreseeing the approach of the cyclone, stood over to the east side of the Bay of Bengal, and considered himself lucky to escape with the loss of his topgallant masts.
Lashed on top of his main hatch, he had a large kennel containing a pack of foxhounds for the Calcutta Jackal Club. When the cyclone began, the hounds were let out of the kennel, to give them a chance to save themselves; and shortly afterwards the kennel was washed clean over the lee rail without touching it. The hounds had meanwhile disappeared and everyone thought that they must have gone overboard; but when the weather cleared they all came out, safe and sound, from under the lower foc’s’le bunks, where they had taken refuge.
This cyclone wrought havoc amongst the Calcutta shipping, and cost the underwriters over £100,000.Thessaluswas lucky to get off with a repair bill of £380.
TheThessaluswas lucky with live freight. On her seventh voyage she took horses from Melbourne toCalcutta and landed them all alive and in prime condition. Shortly afterwards theUdstonarrived with only four horses alive. She had had bad weather in the Bay of Bengal, the horses had broken loose and in their fright kicked each other to death. On this voyage,Thessalusreturned to Melbourne with wheat bags, wool packs and camels. The camels also arrived in good condition. At Melbourne she loaded wool for London at a penny per pound.
Her best wool passage was in 1896, when she left Sydney on the 17th October and was only 75 days to the Start, where she signalled on 31st December. She had left Melbourne in company withCimbaandArgonaut.Argonautmade a long passage, butThessalusandCimbawere twice in company, concerning which Captain Holmes ofCimbawrote:—
I left Sydney in company withThessalusandArgonaut. I was twice in company withThessaluson 3rd October in 54° S., 152° W., to 5th October 54° S., 143° W., and on 25th November in 30° S., 34° W. I came up on him in light winds, but when he got the breeze he just romped away from me as if I was at anchor.Thessaluswas a wonderfully fast ship. I think the German five-masterPotosiis the only one I have seen to touch her.
I left Sydney in company withThessalusandArgonaut. I was twice in company withThessaluson 3rd October in 54° S., 152° W., to 5th October 54° S., 143° W., and on 25th November in 30° S., 34° W. I came up on him in light winds, but when he got the breeze he just romped away from me as if I was at anchor.Thessaluswas a wonderfully fast ship. I think the German five-masterPotosiis the only one I have seen to touch her.
This is high praise, for Captain Holmes had a great knowledge of ships, especially in the Australian trade, and he had a very fast ship inCimba, which on this occasion reported at noon at the Lizard whenThessaluswas reporting at Start Point.
After a long and successful careerThessaluswas sold to the Swedes in 1905, when she was still classed 100 A1.
1874wasBen Voirlich’sgreat year. It will be noticed, however, that on her record passage she hadLochs NessandMareeon her heels the whole way.Both Lochs had just changed their commanders, Captain Meiklejohn going to theLoch Nessand Captain Charles Grey succeeding Captain McCallum inLoch Maree.Loch NesschasedBen Voirlichvery closely all the way to the Australian Coast, her best 24-hour run being 321 miles. ButLoch Mareedropped back in the roaring forties through no fault of her own. On 13th and 14th December she experienced a tremendous gale from east working round to S.W. with high confused sea, during which her patent steering gear was completely smashed up; and this prevented her from taking full advantage of the westerlies, as Captain Grey decided it would not be safe to go further than 42° S.
PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1874.ShipDepartureCrossedEquatorCrossedCapeMeridianPassedS.W. CapeTasmaniaArrivedPortJacksonDaysOutCutty SarkStartNov. 21Dec. 11Jan. 1 ’75Jan. 26 ’75Feb. 2 ’7573MermerusStartApl. 14May 8May 29June 24June 2774Hallowe’enStartApril 9Apl. 30May 22June 17June 2274PatriarchWightJune 8July 2July 26Aug. 19Aug. 2477(Otway)JerusalemPlymouthApl. 5Apl. 29May 21June 14June 2278(Otway)PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO MELBOURNE IN 1874.ShipDepartureCrossedEquatorCrossedCapeMeridianPassedCape(Otway)ArrivedHobson’sBayDaysOutThermopylaeLizardDec. 2Dec. 25Jan. 14 ’75Feb. 4 ’7564Ben VoirlichPlymouthNov. 11Dec. 1Dec. 24Jan. 14 ’7564Loch NessTuskarNov. 11Dec. 1Jan. 16 ’75Jan. 18 ’7568Ben VoirlichTuskarJan. 27Feb. 19Mar. 15Apl. 5Apl. 669Thomas StephensLizardNov. 22Dec. 12Jan. 29 ’75Jan. 31 ’7570Ben CruachanCape ClearSept. 4Sept. 29Oct. 20Nov. 13Nov. 1471RomanoffLizardNov. 5Jan. 16 ’7572TheophaneTuskarAug. 16Sept. 12Oct. 3Oct. 3075City of HankowChannelNov. 19Feb. 2 ’7575Loch LomondTuskarNov. 30Feb. 14 ’7575Loch MareeChannelNov. 6Dec. 1Dec. 25Jan. 22 ’75Jan. 23 ’7578
Cutty SarkandThomas Stephensalso had a great race, the famous tea clipper making the best passage of the year to Sydney.
Both ships were off the Lizards on 22nd November, and experienced very baffling winds to the equator, whichCutty Sarkcrossed in 26° W. andThomas Stephensin 29° W. a day later.Cutty Sarkwas 65 days from the Lizards to S.W. Cape, Tasmania, whilstThomas Stephenswas 68 days to the Otway, where she was becalmed for 14 hours.
Thermopylae, with a 64-day passage from the Lizards, her best run being 348 miles, arrived just in time to defend herself, for Captain McPetrie was declaring to all and sundry thatBen Voirlichhad brokenThermopylae’srecord, by making a better run from port to port.
Manyexperts considered theLoch Garryto be the finest sailing ship in the world at the date of her launch. She certainly was an example of the well-known Glasgow type at its best.
A new feature was adopted in the placing of her masts. Her mainmast was stepped right amidships, with the fore and mizen masts at equal distances from it.
Loch Garry, her sister shipLoch Vennachar, Green’sCarlisle Castle, Nicol’sRomanoffand the American shipManuel Lagunawere rigged in a manner peculiar to themselves. They had short topgallant masts with fidded royal and skysail masts, on which they crossed royals and skysails above double topgallant yards. When in port their upper topsail and upper topgallant yards would be half mast-headed, and with the seven yards on each mast, all squared to perfection, they presented a magnificent appearance.Loch Garry’sfirst commander was Captain Andrew Black, a very fine seaman indeed. He commanded her from 1875 to 1882.He was succeeded by Captain John Erskine, who was followed by Captain Horne.
With regard to her merits, the veteran Captain Horne, who commanded her for close on 26 years, wrote to me:—
TheLoch Garryis a front rank ship and always will be so. She is a ship that has got no vices and when properly loaded is as gentle as a lamb. It is quite a pleasure to sail such a ship, which might be described as a 1500-ton yacht. She is not a ship of excessive speed, but with a moderately fresh breeze will maintain a speed of 10 or 11 knots without much exertion.
TheLoch Garryis a front rank ship and always will be so. She is a ship that has got no vices and when properly loaded is as gentle as a lamb. It is quite a pleasure to sail such a ship, which might be described as a 1500-ton yacht. She is not a ship of excessive speed, but with a moderately fresh breeze will maintain a speed of 10 or 11 knots without much exertion.
Loch Garry’sbest run under Captain Horne was on 26th December, 1892, when running her easting down in 40° S. With a N.W. wind and smooth sea she covered 334 miles. It is very possible that she exceeded this in her early days when she carried a stronger crew. She was also a good light weather ship. In 1900 she went from the South Tropic to the North Tropic in 14 days 2 hours.
The following passages of recent date will show that Captain Horne kept theLoch Garrymoving in spite of the lack of a good crew of sailormen:—
1892Tuskar to Cape Otway71dy.1894Downs to Melbourne77„1895Lizard to Melbourne77„1896Melbourne to Prawle Pt.80„1900Melbourne to Prawle Pt.85„1901Adelaide to C. Otway48hr.1903Port Philip Heads to Lizard74dy.1904Melbourne to Dover77„1906Tuskar to Cape Borda73„1905Equator to Leeuwin36„(Average 240 knots)
The following account of Captain Horne’s care of his boats and system for provisioning them should be a lesson for younger masters. It is taken from theMelbourne Herald:—
A feature ofLoch Garry’sequipment, in which Captain Home takes a justifiable pride, is the system for provisioning the lifeboats, should it ever be necessary to abandon the vessel. In two minutes the apprentices can place enough provisions in the boats to last all hands 14 days. The lifeboats are on the after skids and the falls are always kept rove. In each boat are two 15-gallon breakers, which are kept full of fresh water, charged about once a month. Then in a strong wooden box, fitted with beckets, is stowed a good supply of biscuits, in protected tins, whilst in another box a number of tins of meat are packed together withthe necessary opening knife. A third box contains miscellaneous articles, such as medical comforts, clothing, tobacco, a hatchet, knives and a compass. The three boxes are always kept handy in the lazarette, the provisions they contain being changed each voyage, so that the biscuits and meat are always fresh. One man can easily lift either of the boxes and the equipment is completed by the lifeboats’ sails and all necessary gear being kept in a canvas bag close by. The system is simplicity itself, and Captain Horne says that he would like to see some such plan made compulsory by the B.O.T. in all ships.
A feature ofLoch Garry’sequipment, in which Captain Home takes a justifiable pride, is the system for provisioning the lifeboats, should it ever be necessary to abandon the vessel. In two minutes the apprentices can place enough provisions in the boats to last all hands 14 days. The lifeboats are on the after skids and the falls are always kept rove. In each boat are two 15-gallon breakers, which are kept full of fresh water, charged about once a month. Then in a strong wooden box, fitted with beckets, is stowed a good supply of biscuits, in protected tins, whilst in another box a number of tins of meat are packed together withthe necessary opening knife. A third box contains miscellaneous articles, such as medical comforts, clothing, tobacco, a hatchet, knives and a compass. The three boxes are always kept handy in the lazarette, the provisions they contain being changed each voyage, so that the biscuits and meat are always fresh. One man can easily lift either of the boxes and the equipment is completed by the lifeboats’ sails and all necessary gear being kept in a canvas bag close by. The system is simplicity itself, and Captain Horne says that he would like to see some such plan made compulsory by the B.O.T. in all ships.
The career of Captain Horne, who was the veteran skipper of the Loch Line, is worth recording. He was born in 1834, apprenticed to the sea at 15 years of age, and only retired in 1911, after 62 years at sea and 47 years in command without experiencing shipwreck, fire or collision. The motto of his life, which he always emblazoned on the cabin bulkhead, was:—“Never underrate the strength of the enemy.” Like many another old seaman, he was not pleased with the changes brought about by steam and cut-throat competition.
Just as Captain Horne’s apprenticeship finished the Crimean war broke out, and, volunteering for active service, he was appointed to the three-decker H.M.S.Royal Albert, the largest ship afloat. He was rated as A.B., but soon promoted to be second captain of the maintop. Sir George Tryon was a junior lieutenant on this ship. TheRoyal Albertwas in the engagement against the Kinburn Forts on the north shore of the Black Sea. At the close of the war Captain Horne received the Crimean and Turkish medals and was paid off on theVictory. He then returned to the Merchant Service and served in 1859 as second mate of the tea clipperFalconunder Captain Maxton. Subsequently he was attached to Lord Elgin’s embassy and placed in charge of a lorcha by Lindsay & Co., of Shanghai. As a member of Lord Elgin’s staff, he was present at the taking of the Taku Forts and was on the house-boatwhich was towed to Tientsin by one of the gunboats; and he remained there until the treaty was signed.
After this he was 13½ years in the employ of John Allan & Sons. In 1877 he joined the Loch Line and took command of theLoch Sloy, leaving her to take charge of theLoch Garryin 1885.
TheLoch Garryonly had two severe mishaps in her long life. In August, 1880, when running under topgallant sails off the Crozets in a heavy beam sea, the weather forebrace carried away, the fore topmast went above the eyes of the rigging and took main topgallant mast with it—andLoch Garrywas a month getting to Melbourne under jury rig. She was rigged in Geelong with Kauri pine topmasts and long topgallant masts, as shewn in theillustration. In August, 1889, she was dismasted in a furious gale to the south’ard of the Cape. To save the ship Captain Horne was obliged to jettison some 100 tons of cargo in the shape of gunpowder, hardware, whisky, bottled beer, paper, etc. The main and mizen masts carried away close to the deck, but Captain Horne succeeded in sailing his vessel 2600 miles to Mauritius, under foresail and fore lower topsail. Here theLoch Garrywas delayed some months whilst new spars were sent out from England, and she eventually reached Melbourne on 14th February, 1890, eight months out from Glasgow. After 36 years of good service, she was sold in March, 1911, to the Italians for the scrap iron price of £1800.
Oneof the finest and fastest of the Lochs, as well as one of the most unfortunate, was theLoch Vennachar, launched from Thomson’s yard in August, 1875.
She was usually one of the first wool clippers to get away from Melbourne, and for many years, sailing inOctober, she made very regular passages home, her average under Captain Bennett being 86 days for 12 passages.