“CIMBA.”Photo lent by F. G. Layton.Larger image(233 kB)
“CIMBA.”
Photo lent by F. G. Layton.
Larger image(233 kB)
The port arrangements in those days allowed ships to go alongside in the order in which they had booked the berth. On this occasionPatriarchhad booked the berth on 18th August,Smyrnaon 20th August,Cairnbulgon 9th September,St. Lawrenceon 13th September,Centurionon 26th September andCimbaon 30th September—the day after she arrived.
OnNinevehsailing,Patriarchshould have hauled alongside, but her captain had been told that as it was Saturday he need not come alongside until Monday. ThePatriarch, being in no particular hurry as a good deal of her wool was still up country, therefore remained where she was. Hearing of this, the enterprising Captain Fimister proceeded to hire a tug and move his ship from Smith’s Wharf where she was lying to the vacant berth at Circular Quay, all ready to load the wool which was waiting for him. He took the precaution, however, to take his shorefasts through the quay rings and aboard again. This defiance of the harbour authorities was allowed to go unnoticed until Monday morning. Then Captain Fimister received an order to remove his ship. Of this he took no notice. His action, as may be supposed, was the talk of the port, especially amongst the captains of the wool clippers. One of these skippers threatened to moor his ship in Sydney Cove, ready to be the next to jump the berth. Others complained in person to the Colonial Secretary.
On Tuesday morning Captain Bell, the harbor-master, went in person to theCimbato order her removal, but the undaunted Captain Fimister triced up his gangway ladder and threatened to throw him overboard if he attempted to gain the deck. By this time all the legal lights of Sydney were puzzling their heads over the legal aspects of the case; Messrs. Dangar, Gedye & Co., the ship’s agents, upholding the captain. Finally the Colonial Treasurer sent the President of the Marine Board an order to remove the ship. So at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Captain Hixson, the assistant harbourmaster, with 20 men and half-a-dozen water police, boarded the ship, only to find that Captain Fimister and his whole crew had flown after first removing every means of weighing the anchor. But a harbourmaster is not easily balked, and Captain Hixson let go the shorefasts, slipped the chain, and with the aid of a tug took theCimbaout and moored her at the man-of-war buoy off Fort Macquarie.
It was now time for Dangar, Gedye & Co. to take action. They immediately enlisted the help of Sir John Robertson, who moved the adjournment of the House in order that an explanation of the harbourmaster’s high-handed proceedings might be given. The House was already divided into two factions over Captain Fimister’s action, but the Colonial Secretary firmly upheld the Marine Board, and in the end Captain Fimister was fined 20 shillings and 5s. costs and ordered to pay £28 4s., the cost of removing theCimbafrom the berth.
All this trouble really arose firstly through thePatriarch’sbeing ahead of her cargo, and secondly owing to Circular Quay being a free berth. This was shortly afterwards rectified, but thePatriarchdid not get away until a month after theCimbafor want of cargo.
In 1889, theCimbamade her best wool passage, as follows:—
October 22—Left Sydney.November 18—Passed Cape Horn27days out.December 11—Crossed the equator50days out.December 25—Passed the Western Isles64days out.January 3 ’90—Signalled in the Channel73days out.January 5—Arrived London75days out.
October 22—Left Sydney.
November 18—Passed Cape Horn
December 11—Crossed the equator
December 25—Passed the Western Isles
January 3 ’90—Signalled in the Channel
January 5—Arrived London
Captain Holmes, who took theCimbain 1895, had had a long experience in clipper ships. He had been third mate of theSalamis, chief mate ofHallowe’enandBlackadder, and commander of theLencadia, a smart ship built for the China trade.
The Aberdeen ships were, however, very clannish, and being a stranger and not a Scot, he had his reputation all to make, the standard set being a very high one. However, he knew how to carry sail, and he managed to keep theCimbamoving, though she was always a tender ship requiring a master hand.
Under him, her best passages were:—
1895Lizard to Sydney82 days.
1895Lizard to Sydney82 days.
Her best week’s work was 1860 miles, and her best 24 hour’s run, made on 6th June in 39° 51′ S., 34° 54′ E., 336 miles in a fresh gale from S.W., during which the second mate was lost overboard.
Other good runs on this passage were:—300, 302, 308 and 312.
1896Sydney to London78 days.
1896Sydney to London78 days.
Cimbaleft Sydney in company withThessalusandArgonauton 17th October. Passed the Horn on 15th November, 29 days out—on 18th November in 51° 31′ S., 55° 47′ W., ran 316 miles, the wind blowing a strong gale from W.S.W. to W.N.W.—crossed the line on 8th December, 23 days from the Horn—passed Fayal, Western Isles, on Xmas Day, and signalled the Lizard at 1 p.m. 31st December, 75 days out.
This was really a splendid performance, for theThessalus, which was really a much faster and more powerful ship, signalled the Start on 31st December at noon, whilstArgonaut, which was certainly quite as fast asCimba, did not arrive until a month later.
1898Sydney to London81 days.
1898Sydney to London81 days.
Passed the Horn on 2nd November, 25 days out, having run 3422 miles in 14 days—crossed the line on 29th November, 27 days from the Horn—passed the Western Isles on 20th December, Lizard light abeam at 8 a.m. on 26th December, 79 days out.
In 1899Cimbawent out to Rockhampton and loaded home from Brisbane. In 1901 she went out to Sydney in 85 days, her best run being 310 miles.
By this time sailing ship freights were in a very bad way, and a profitable charter in Sydney grew more and more difficult to obtain, thus in 1905 we find her making the record passage between Callao and Iquique for a sailing ship. As this may be of interest, I give her abstract log below:—
ABSTRACT LOG OFCIMBAFROM CALLAO TO IQUIQUERECORD SAILING SHIP PASSAGE.July 2-7 p.m. got underweigh.Lat.Long.Course.Dist.Wind.July312° 48′S79° 24′WS50° W.80mls.S.S.E.„414° 30′80° 15′S46°150„„„516° 47′81° 49′S34°165„„„619° 20′82° 54′S22°165„S.E. by E.„721° 48′84° 17′S28°168„S.Easterly„823° 52′85° 52′S35°152„„„925° 32′86° 34′S21° W.160„„„1023° 57′84° 41′N47° E.141„S.E. by S.„1123° 8′82° 24′N69°135„South, S.W.„1223° 10′81° 35′S87°46„N.W. Westerly„1323° 53′78° 00′S78°202„W’ly to S.S.W.„1422° 42′75°7′N66°175„S. Easterly„1521° 38′71° 00′N75°246„„„1620° 57′70° 48′N15°43„„„1720° 31′70° 22′S11°31„„(2080 miles in 14 days.)
July 2-7 p.m. got underweigh.
This wasCimba’slast voyage under the British flag; she came home from Caleta Buena to Falmouth in 85 days, and was then sold (March, 1906) to the Norwegians owing to the death of her owner.
Under the Norwegians she made a remarkable passage from Dublin to the St. Lawrence in 14 days; lumberwas now her chief cargo and she used often to be seen discharging firewood from the Baltic in the Aberdeen Bay, East India Dock, where she had so often loaded general for Sydney.
PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1878.ShipDepartureCrossedEquatorCrossedCapeMeridianPassedS.W. CapeTasmaniaArrivedDaysOutLoch EtiveScilliesJan.17Feb.6Mar.4Mar28Apl.376Thomas StephensPlymouthJune.15July18Aug.1Aug.21Aug.3177PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1878.ShipDepartureCrossedEquatorCrossedCapeMeridianPassedCape(Otway)ArrivedDaysOutThessalusLizardMar.7Mar.28Apl.20May1468ParthenopeTuskarJuly7July31Aug.20Sept.1671AristidesStartJuly3July27Aug.18Sept.1574MiltiadesStartMay31June30July21Aug.13Aug.1475Loch VennacharSmallsJuly10Aug.4Aug.29Sept.2375Old KensingtonLizardJune5July2July24Aug.19Aug.2076AviemoreStartJune29July27Aug.18Sept.15Sept.1679
Thessaluswas the heroine of the year, though on her arrival in Melbourne critics declared that she was too deeply loaded for safety.
Miltiadeshad a bad time running her easting down; on more than one occasion her decks were badly swept, and once Captain Perrett was washed off the poop on to the main deck and had his head badly cut about.
Loch Vennachar, owing to the death of Captain Robertson, had a new skipper in Captain J. S. Ozanne, her late chief officer. He proved that he could carry sail by two 24-hour runs of 325 and 311 miles.
Captain Stuart made a very good maiden passage out to Sydney, butLoch Etivenever had anything like the speed of his old ship theTweed.
Parthenopehad the veteran Captain Grey in command this year, and he certainly made her travel. Of the other crack shipsSalamiswas 83 andSamuel Plimsoll86 days to Sydney; whilst of the Melbourne clippersLoch Garrywas 80,Loch Maree82,Mermerus,Ben CruachanandRomanoff83,Sir Walter Raleigh84 andBen Voirlich87 days. Neither of the two tea clippers,Cutty SarkandThermopylae, sailed for the Colonies in 1878.
TheSophocleswas a pretty little ship, though, following the trend of the times, she was given a fuller body than Thompson’s earlier ships, as she was meant to be an economical carrier rather than a record breaker.
I believe she is still afloat rigged as a barque under Italian colours.
Ihave had considerable difficulty in finding any good passages to Melbourne or Sydney in 1879. It was a time of depressed freights and ships found themselves seeking cargoes in other than their regular trades. Thus we find the tea clipperTitaniaon the Melbourne run instead of going out to China. TheThomas Stephenstried a voyage to Otago.Salamiswas still in the East seeking a tea cargo.Thessaluswent to Calcutta from Penarth, whilst the poor littleCutty Sarkhad many strange and unpleasant adventures before she resumed her place in the Australian trade, which was not until 1883.
Of the other cracksPatriarchwith 90 days,Miltiadeswith 88,Ben Voirlichwith 87,Loch Mareewith 94,Old Kensingtonwith 96,Cimbawith 91 andThermopylaewith 86 days all made poor passages.