The clipper ship era; an epitome of famous American and British clipper ships, their owners, builders, commanders, and crews, 1843-1869

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The
Clipper Ship Era

An Epitome of Famous American and British

Clipper Ships, Their Owners, Builders,

Commanders, and Crews

1843-1869

By

Arthur H. Qlark

Late Commander of Ship " Verena," Barque "Agnes,"

Steamships " Manchu," " Suwo Nada," "Venus,"

and "Indiana. (1863-1877)

Author of "The History of Yachting"

With 39 Illustratioas

G. P. Putnam's Sons

New York and London

Zbe Ifcnlcftcrbocker press

1911

Fs

Copyright, 1910

BY

ARTHUR H. CLARK

Published, November, 1910

Reprinted, January, igii ; March, igii (twice)

May, 1911

TTbe Ifmicfierbocliec ipress, mew ^orft

^0

THE MEMORY OF
A FRIEND OF MY BOYHOOD

DONALD McKAY

BUILDER OF SHIPS

PREFACE

THE Clipper Ship Era began in 1.8i3„as a result
of the growing demand for a more rapid de-
livery of tea from China; continued under the
stimulating influence of the discovery of gold in
California and Australia in 1849 and 1851, and
ended with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
These memorable years form one of the most im-
portant and interesting periods of maritime his-
tory. They stand between the centuries during
which man navigated the sea with sail and oar — ^
a slave to unknown winds and currents, helpless
alike in calm and in storm — and the successful
introduction of steam navigation, by which man
has obtained mastery upon the ocean.

After countless generations of evolution, this era
witnessed the highest development of the wooden
sailing ship in construction, speed, and beauty.
Nearly all the clipper ships made records which
were not equalled by the steamships of their day;
and more than a quarter of a century elapsed, de-
voted to discovery and invention in perfecting the
marine engine and boiler, before the best clipper
ship records for speed were broken by steam ves-
sels. During this era, too, important discoveries

VI

Preface

were made in regard to the laws governing the
winds and currents of the ocean; and this know-
ledge, together with improvements in model and
rig, enabled sailing ships to reduce by forty days
the average time formerly required for the outward
and homeward voyage from England and America
to Australia.

In pursuing this narrative we shall see the stately,
frigate-built Indiaman, with her batteries of guns
and the hammocks stowed in nettings, disappear,
and her place taken by the swift China, Califor-
nia, and Australian clippers, which in their turn,
after a long and gallant contest, at last vanish before
the advancing power of steam.

Many of the clipper ships mentioned in this book,
both American and British, were well known to
me; some of the most celebrated of the American
clippers were built near my early home in Boston,
and as a boy I saw a number of them constructed
and launched; later, I sailed as an officer in one
of the most famous of them, and as a young sea-
captain knew many of the men who commanded
them. I do not, however, depend upon memory,
nearly all the facts herein stated being from the
most reliable records that can be obtained. So
far as I am aware, no account of these vessels has
ever been written, beyond a few magazine and news-
paper articles, necessarily incomplete and often far
from accurate; while most of the men who knew
these famous ships have now passed away. It seems
proper, therefore, that some account of this re-
markable era should be recorded by one who has
a personal knowledge of the most exciting portion

Preface vii

of it, and of many of the men and ships that made
it what it was.

Of late years there has been a confusing mixture
of the terms knot and mile as applied to the speed
of vessels. As most persons are aware, there are
three kinds of mile: the geographical, statute, and
sea mile or knot. The geographical mile is based
on a measure upon the surface of the globe, and
is a mathematical calculation which should be used
by experts only. The statute mile, instituted by
the Eomans, is a measure of 5280 feet. The sea
mile or knot is one sixtieth of a degree of latitude;
and while this measurement varies slightly in dif-
ferent latitudes, owing to the elliptical shape of
the globe, for practical purposes the knot may be
taken as 6080 feet.

The word knot is now frequently used to express
long distances at sea. This is an error, as the
term knot should be used only to denote an hourly
rate of speed; for instance, to say that a vessel is
making nine knots means that she is going through
the water at the rate of nine knots an hour, but
it would be incorrect to say that she made thirty-
six knots in four hours ; here the term miles should
be used, meaning sea miles or knots. The term
knot is simply a unit of speed, and is derived from
the knots marked on the old-fashioned log line and
graduated to a twenty-eight-second log glass which
was usually kept in the binnacle. In this book the
word mile means a sea mile and not a geographical
or statute mile.

I wish to make my grateful acknowledgment to
the Hydrographic Office at Washington, the British

viii Preface

Museum, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, the Ameri-
can Bureau of Shipping, the Boston Athenaeum,
and the Astor Library, for much of the data
contained in this book.

A. H. Q

New York, 1910.

CONTENTS

I. American Shipping to the Close of the

War op 1812 1

II. British Shipping after 1815 — The East

India Company 19

III. The North Atlantic Packet Ships,

1815-1850 38

IV. Opium Clippers and Early Clipper Ships,

1838-1848 • . 67

V. Two Early Clipper Ship Commanders . 73

VI. The Repeal of the British Navigation

Laws — The " Oriental " . . . 88

VII. The Rush for California — A Sailing

Day 100

VIII. The Clipper Ship Crews .... 119

IX. California Clippers of 1850 and their
Commanders — Maury's Wind and
Current Charts .... 134

X, California Clippers op 1851 and their
Commanders — A Day on Board the
" Witch op the Wave " . . 151

XI. California Clipper Passages in 1851 . 173

XII. American Competition with Great

Britain in the China Trade . . 195

Contents

CHAPTEK

XIII.

XIV.
XV.

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.
XXII.

California Clippers op 1852 — The " Sov-
ereign OF THE Seas"

California Clippers of 1853 .

The " Great Republic " and the " Dread-
nought"

American Clippers of 1854 and 1855

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856

Last Years of the American Clipper
Ship Era — Summary op California
Passages

The Greatness and the Decline of the
American Merchant Marine .

The Later British Tea Clippers .

The Fate of the Old Clipper Ships .

Appendices

Index

211
224

235
248
260
273

289

308
318
340
349
377

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

The " Flying Cloud "... Frontispiece

East Indiamen, 1720 24

An East Indiaman, 1788 30

The " Marlborough " and " Blenheim " . . 36

The " England " 40

The " Montezuma " . 44

The " Yorkshire " 48

Jacob A. Westervelt 104

Jacob Bell 104

William H. Webb 106

Samuel Hall 106

Robert H. Waterman 112

N. B. Palmer 112

Josiah p. Creipsy 122

H. W. Johnson 122

David S. Babcock 128

George Lane 128

Lauchlan McKay 130

Philip Dumaresq 130

si

xii Illustrations

PAGE

The "Surprise" . 136

The " Stag-Hound " 142

Matthew Fontaine Mauby 148

The " Nightingale " 164

The "Challenge" 186

The " Stornoway " 198

The " Sovereign op the Seas " . . . . 218

The "Comet" 224

The " Young America " 2^2

The " Great Republic " 242

The " Dreadnought " 246

The " Brisk " and " Emanuela " . , . . 252

Donald McKay 256

The " Red Jacket " 272

The "James Baines" 282

The " Schomberg " 286

The " Sweepstakes " 290

The Composite Construction 322

The "Ariel" and "Taeping" Running up

Channel, September 5, 1866 .... 328

The " Lahloo " 33g

The Clipper Ship Era

THE CLIPPER SHIP ERA

CHAPTER I

AMERICAN SHIPPING TO THE CLOSE OF THE
WAE OF 1812

THE deeds that have made the Clipper Ship Era
a glorious memory were wrought by the ship-
bni]f|prs.^,n d. mastfi E-marippT-s nf-thp T7nitp'!^^^i^tpg
and Great Britain, f or the flag of no other nation
was represented in this spirited contest upon the
sea. In order, therefore, to form an intelligent
idea of this era, it is necessary to review the con-
dition of the merchant marine of the two countries
for a considerable period preceding it, as well as
the events that led directly to its development.

Prom the earliest colonial days, ship-building has
been a favorite industry in America. The first
vessel built within the present limits of the United
States was the Virginia, a pinnace of thirty tons,
constructed in 1607 by the Popham colonists who
had arrived during the summer at Stage Island,
near the mouth of the Kennebec Eiver, on board
the ships Gift of God and Mary and John. When
these vessels returned to England, leaving forty-

2 The Clipper Ship Era

five persons to establish a fishing station, and a
severe winter followed, the colonists became dis-
heartened and built the Virginia which carried them
home in safety and which subsequently made
several voyages across the Atlantic.

The Onrust, of sixteen tons, was built at Man-
hattan in 1613-14, by Adrian Block and his com-
panions, to replace the Tiger, which had been
damaged by Are beyond repair. After exploring
the coasts of New England and Delaware Bay,
she sailed for Holland with a cargo of furs. The
Blessing of the Bay, a barque of thirty tons, was
built by order of Governor John Winthrop at Med-
ford, near Boston, and was launched amid solemn
rejoicings by the Puritans on July 4, 1631. This
little vessel was intended to give the New England
colonists a means of communication with their
neighbors at New Amsterdam less difficult than
that through the wilderness. So we see that ship-
building was begun in America under the pressure
of necessity, and it was fostered by the conditions
of life in the new country.

In the year 1668, the ship-building in New Eng-
land, small as it may now seem, had become suffi-
ciently important to attract the attention of Sir
Josiah Child, sometime Chairman of the Court of
Directors of the East India Company, who in his
Discourse on Trade protests with patriotic alarm:
" Of all the American plantations, His Majesty has
none so apt for building of shipping as New Eng-
land, nor any comparably so qualified for the breed-
ing of seamen, not only by reason of the natural
industry of that people, but principally by reason

American Shipping up to 1812 3

of their cod and mackerel fisheries, and, in my
poor opinion, there is nothing more prejudicial, and
in prospect more dangerous, to any mother kingdom,
than the increase in shipping in her colonies, planta-
tions, and provinces."

The apprehension of the worthy Sir Josiah was
well founded, for at that period most of the spars
and much of the timber which went into the con-
struction of the East Indiamen and the fighting
ships of his royal master. King Charles II., had
grown in American soil, and of 1332 vessels regis-
tered as built in New England between 1G74 and
1714, no less than 289 were built for or sold to
merchants abroad. Not that they were better than
foreign built vessels, but on account of the plentiful
supply of timber they could be built more cheaply
in America than in Great Britain and on the
Continent.

The industry was in a promising and healthy
condition, and so continued, until in 1720 the Lon-
don shipwrights informed the Lords of Trade that
the New England shipyards had drawn away so
many men " that there were not enough left to
carry on the work." They therefore prayed that
colonial built ships be excluded from all trade ex-
cept with Great Britain and her colonies, and that
the colonists be forbidden to build ships above a
certain size. The Lords of Trade, though fine
crusty old protectionists, were unable to see their
way to granting any such prayer as this, and so
ship-building continued to flourish in America. In
the year 1769, the colonists along the whole Atlantic
coast launched 389 vessels, of which 113 were square-

4 The Clipper Ship Era

riggers. It should not, however, be imagined that
these vessels were formidable in size. The whole
389 had an aggregate register of 20,001 tons, an
average of slightly over 50 tons each. Of these
vessels 137, of 8013 tons, were built in Massa-
chusetts; 45, of 2452 tons in New Hampshire; 50,
of 1542 tons, in Connecticut; 19, of 955 tons, in
New York; 22, of 1469 tons, in Pennsylvania. It
is probable that few of them exceeded 100 tons
register, and that none was over 200 tons register.

With the advent of the Revolutionary War, the
rivalry on the sea between the older and the younger
country took a more serious turn. Centuries before
clipper ships were ever thought of, England had
claimed, through her repeated and victorious naval
wars against Spain, Holland, France, and lesser
nations, the proud title of Mistress of the Seas, but
in the Revolutionary War with her American colo-
nies and the War of 1812 with the United States,
her battleships and fleets of merchantmen were
sorely harassed by the swift, light-built, and
heavily-armed American frigates and privateers.
While it cannot be said that the naval power of
England upon the ocean was seriously impaired,
yet the speed of the American vessels and the skill
and' gallantry with which they were fought and
handled, made it apparent that the young giant of
the West might some day claim the sceptre of the
sea as his own.

During the latter half of the eighteenth century,
however, the leading nation in the modelling and
construction of ships was France, and during this
period the finest frigates owned in the British Navy

American Shipping up to 1812 5

were those captured from the French. The frigate
was indeed invented in England, the first being the
Constant Warwick, launched in 1647, by Peter Pett,
who caused the fact of his being the inventor of
the frigate to be engraved upon his tomb; but in
the improvement of the type, England had long
been outstripped by her neighbor across the channel.
William James,i the well known historian of the
British Navy, makes mention of the French forty-
gun frigate Heie which was captured by the British
frigate Bainhow in 1782, and records that " this
prize did prove a most valuable acquisition to the
service, there being few British frigates even ol
the present day (1847) which, in size and exterior
form, are not copied from the Hebe." As late as
1821 the Arrow, for many years the fastest yacht
owned in England, was modelled from the lines of
a French lugger, recently wrecked upon the Dorset
coast, which proved to be a well known smuggler
that had for years eluded the vigilance of H. M.
excise cutters, always escaping capture, although
often sighted, through her superior speed.

1 A frigate was a ship designed to be a fast, armed
cruiser and mounted from twenty to fifty guns; when a
naval vessel mounted less than twenty guns she became
a sloop of war, and when she mounted more than fifty
guns she became a line-of-battle ship. The frigate was
always a favorite type of vessel with the officers and men
of the navy, as she was faster and more easily handled
than a line-of-battle ship, and was at the same time a
more powerful fighting and cruising vessel than a sloop
of war. Frigate-built means having the substantial con-
struction, arrangement of the decks, masts, spars, rigging,
and guns of a frigate.

6 The Clipper Ship Era

The United States no less than Great Britain was
indebted to France for improvements in the models
of her ships at this period. During the Eevolu-
tionary War, when a treaty was entered into be-
tween France and the United States in 1T78, a
number of French frigates and luggers appeared in
American waters. The luggers, rating from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred tons and some
even higher, belonged to the type used by the pri-
vateersmen of Brittany, a scourge upon every sea
where the merchant flag of an enemy was to be
found. They were the fastest craft afloat in their
day. When the French frigates and luggers were
dry docked in American ports for cleaning or re-
pairs, their lines were carefully taken off by enter-
prising young shipwrights and were diligently
studied. It was from these vessels that the first
American frigates and privateers originated, and
among the latter were the famous Baltimore ves-
sels which probably during the War of 1812 first
became known as " Baltimore clippers."

Congress ordered four frigates and three sloops
of war to be built in 1778, and almost countless
privateers suddenly sprang into existence at ports
along the Atlantic seaboard, most of them copied
from models of the French vessels. One of the
frigates, the Alliance, named to commemorate the
alliance between France and the United States, was
built at Salisbury, Massachusetts, by William and
John Hatkett. Her length was 151 feet, breadth
36 feet, and depth of hold 12 feet 6 inches, and she
drew when ready for sea 14 feet 8 inches aft and
9 feet forward. She was a favorite with the whole

American Shipping up to 1812 7

navy by reason of her speed and beauty, and on
her first voyage she had the honor of conveying
Lafayette to France, At the close of the war she
was sold by the Government and became a merchant-
man famous in the China and India trade. Sev-
eral of the privateers were built and fitted out at
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Newburyport,
Massachusetts. Those in which Nathaniel Tracy
was interested captured no less than 120 vessels,
amounting to 23,360 tons, which with their cargoes
were condemned and sold for 3,950,000 specie dol-
lars; and with these prizes were taken 2220 prison-
ers of war. Many other instances of this nature
might, of course, be mentioned, but the important
point is the fact that in the latter part of the
eighteenth century and the early part of the nine-
teenth, as well, the fastest vessels owned or built
in the United States and Great Britain were from
French models.^

^ When peace was declared in 1783, the Government of
the United States sold or otherwise disposed of all its
vessels, a fact that was quickly taken advantage of by
the Barbary corsairs. They at once began to prey upon
American merchant shipping in the Mediterranean and
even in the Atlantic, and made slaves of the captured
crews. The French and English, too, in their wars with
each other, by no means respected the neutrality of
American commerce, the former being the worse of-
fenders. It was not, however, until 1794 that Congress
again authorized the formation of a navy, under the
Secretary of War, and in 1798 the oflBce of Secretary of
the Navy was created. Among the vessels built in 1794-
98 was the frigate Constitution, the famous " Old Iron-
sides " which still survives. The separate States had
meanwhile maintained vessels for the protection of their

8 The Clipper Ship Era

The characteristics of the French model were a
beautifully rounded bow, by no means sharp along
the water-line, easy sectional lines developing into
a full, powerful forebody and midship section, and
great dead rise at half floor. The greatest breadth
was well forward of amidships and at the water-
line, with a slight, gracefully rounded tumble home
to the plank-sheer. The after-body was finely
moulded, clean, sharp, and long, with a powerful
transom and quarters. The time-honored cod's
head and mackerel's tail: the figureheads and orna-
mentation of the quarters and stern, were veritable
works of art. By comparing the models of the
British frigates of that day to be seen in the Naval
Museum at Greenwich, and the lines of the Ameri-
can frigates and Baltimore clippers of the same
period, with the models still preserved in the
Louvre, it is easy to trace a family likeness among
them all, the parent being of French origin. The
grandparent also might easily be identified, in the
Italian galleys of Genoa and Venice, though this is
of no importance to our present purpose.

That the American vessels showed a marked su-
periority in point of speed over British men-of-war
and merchant ships during these two wars is the
more remarkable from the fact that frigates had
been built in England for a century and a half, as
we have seen, and, while it is true that two vessels
for the British Government were built at Ports-
mouth previous to the Revolutionary War — the

own coasts, and, of course, there had been no cessation
in the building of merchant ships during the period
preceding the War of 1812.

American Shipping up to 1812 9

FaulJcland, fifty-four guns, in 1690, and the America,
fifty guns, in 1740 — still, at the outbreak of the
Revolution, the shipwrights of America scarcely
knew what a frigate was, and much less had thought
of building one. It had been the policy of Great
Britain to keep her American colonies as much as
possible in ignorance concerning naval affairs,
doubtless from fear of their growing ambition.
They were therefore led to copy the models of
French vessels, not only from choice, on account
of their excellence, but from necessity as well.
Thus it came about that the frigates of Great
Britain and the United States were developed
from the same source.

A sailing ship is an exceedingly complex, sensi-
tive, and capricious creation — quite as much so as
most human beings. Her coquetry and exasperat-
ing deviltry have been the delight and despair of
seamen's hearts, at least since the days when the
wise, though much-married, Solomon declared that
among the things that were too wonderful for him
and which he knew not, was " the way of a ship
in the midst of the sea." While scientific research
has increased since Solomon's time, it has not kept
pace with the elusive character of the ship, for no
man is able to tell exactly what a ship will or will
not do under given conditions. Some men, of
course, know more than others, yet no one has ever
lived who could predict with accuracy the result
of elements in design, construction, and rig. His-
tory abounds in instances of ships built for speed
that have turned out dismal failures, and it has
occasionally happened that ships built with no

lo The Clipper Ship Era

especial expectation of speed have proven fliers. It
would seem, after ages of experience and evolution,
that man should be able at last to build a sailing
ship superior in every respect to every other sailing
ship, but this is exactly what he cannot and never
has been able to accomplish. A true sailor loves a
fine ship and all her foibles; he revels in the hope
that if he takes care of her and treats her fairly,
she will not fail him in the hour of danger, and
he is rarely disappointed.

While all this is true in the abstract, yet it is
not difficult to account for the performance of ships
in retrospect, and in this particular matter, the
superior speed of American frigates during the two
wars with the mother country, it is quite easy to
do so.

In the first place, British men-of-war and mer-
chantmen were at that time built with massive oak
frames, knees, and planking, the timber of which
had lain at dockyards seasoning in salt water for
many years, and was as hard and almost as heavy
as iron, while they were fastened with weighty
through-and-through copper bolts ; so that the ships
themselves became rigid, dead structures — sluggish
in moderate winds, and in gales and a seaway, wal-
lowing brutes^whereas the American frigates and
privateers were built of material barely seasoned
in the sun and wind, and were put together as
lightly as possible consistent with the strength
needed to carry their batteries and to hold on to
their canvas in heavy weather. Also, the British
ships were heavy aloft— spars, rigging, and blocks
— yet their masts and yards were not so long as

American Shipping up to 1812 ii

those of the American ships, nor did they spread
as much sail, although their canvas was heavier
and had the picturesque "belly to hold the wind,"
by which, when close-hauled, the wind held the
vessel.

Then the British men-of-war were commanded by
naval officers who were brave, gallant gentlemen,
no doubt, but whose experience at sea was limited
to the routine of naval rules formulated by other
gentlemen sitting around a table at Whitehall. The
infraction of one of these regulations might cost
the offender his epaulets and perhaps his life. In
this respect the captains of the American Navy
enjoyed a great advantage, for at this early period
the United States authorities had their attention
fully occupied in preserving the government, and
had no time to devote to the manufacture of red
tape with which to bind the hands and tongues of
intelligent seamen. We think, and rightly, too, of
Paul Jones, Murray, Barry, Stewart, Dale, Hull,
Bainbridge, and others, as heroes of the navy, yet
it is well for us sometimes to remember that all of
these splendid seamen were brought up and most
of them had commanded ships in the merchant
marine. They were thus accustomed to self-
reliance, and were filled with resource and expedi-
ent; they had passed through the rough school of
adversity, and their brains and nerves were sea-
soned by salted winds, the ocean's brine mingling
with their blood.

What wonder then that the American frigates,
so built and so commanded, proved superior in
point of speed to the British men-of-war? Less

12 The Clipper Ship Era

wonder still that the American privateers, whose
men in the forecastle had in many instances com-
manded ships, should sweep the seas, until the de-
spairing merchants and ship-owners of Great Bri-
tain, a nation whose flag had for a thousand years
"hraved the battle and the breeze" and which
boasted proudly and justly that her home was upon
the sea, compelled their goTernment to acknowledge
as political equals a people who had proved them-
selves superior upon the ocean.

So in the struggle for a national existence and
rights as a nation, the foundations of the maritime
power of the United States were laid. The ship-
builders and the seamen of the Eevolution and the
War of 1812 were the forefathers of the men who
built and commanded the American clipper ships.

After the Eevolutionary War the merchants of
Salem, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia vied
with each other in sending their ships upon dis-
tant and hazardous voyages. Notwithstanding the
natural difficulties of navigating, what to their
captains were unknown seas, and the unnatural ob-
stacles invented by man in the form of obstructive
laws, the merchant marine of the United States
steadily increased not only in bulk, but what was
of far more importance, in the high standard of
the men and ships engaged in it.

Salem took the lead, with her great merchant,
Elias Hasket Derby, who sent his barque Light
Horse to St. Petersburg in 1784, and soon after sent
the Orand Turk first to the Cape of Good Hope and
then to China. In 1789, the Atlantic, commanded
by his son, Elias Hasket Derby, Jr., was the^first

American Shipping up to 1812 13

ship to hoist the Stars and Stripes at Calcutta and
Bombay, and she was soon followed by the Peggy,
another of the Derby ships, which brought the first
cargo of Bombay cotton into Massachusetts Bay.
Mr. Derby owned a fleet of forty vessels, and hpon
his death in 1799 left an estate valued at more
than $1,000,000, the largest fortune at that time in
America, as well as a name honored for integrity
throughout the mercantile world. William Gray,
another famous Salem merchant, owned in 1807
fifteen ships, seven barques, thirteen brigs, and one
schooner, his fleet representing one quarter of the
total tonnage of Salem at that time. Then there
were Joseph Peabody, Benjamin Pickman, and
Jacob Crowninshield, all ship-owners who contri-
buted to the fame of this beautiful New England
seaport.

Many of the merchants had been sea-captains in
their youth, and it was the captains who really
made Salem famous. These men, from the train-
ing of the New England schoolroom and meeting-
house, went out into the world and gathered there
the fruits of centuries of civilization, which they
brought home to soften the narrow self-righteous-
ness of their fellow-citizens. In later years these
captains carried missionaries to India, China, and
Africa, unconscious that they were themselves the
real missionaries, whose influence had wrought so
desirable a change in New England thought and
character. When Nathaniel Hawthorne served in
the Custom House at Salem, the friends in whom
he most delighted were sea-captains, for it was
through their eyes that he looked out upon the

14 The Clipper Ship Era

great world, and gathered the knowledge of human
nature that enabled him to portray in such grim
reality the hidden springs of human thought and
action. These captains were the sons of gentle-
men, and were as a class the best educated men
of their time in the United States, for they could
do more important and difficult things, and do them
well, than the men of any other profession. The
old East India Museum at Salem is a monument to
their taste and refinement. Nowhere else, perhaps,
can be found another little museum as unique and
beautiful, of treasures brought home one by one
from distant lands and seas by the hands that gave
them.

Boston, too, had her ships and seamen. From
that port were sent out in 1788 the ColumMa, a
ship of two hundred and thirteen tons, and the
sloop Washington, of ninety tons, commanded by
Captains John Kendrick and Robert Gray, who took
them round Cape Horn to the northwest coast of
America, and then after trading for cargoes of
furs, went across to China. The Columbia returned
to Boston by way of the Cape of Good Hope, and
was the first vessel to carry the United States en-
sign round the globe. Subsequently she discovered
the majestic river that bears her name, and so won
the great Northwest for the flag under which she
sailed. The Massachusetts, of six hundred tons, the
largest merchant vessel built in America up to her
time, was launched at Quincy in 1789 and was
owned in Boston. She sailed for Canton and was
sold there to the Danish East India Company for
$65,000.

American Shipping up to 1812 15

Ezra Weston was the most famous of the old
time Boston ship-owners. He began business in
1764, and owned his own shipyard, sail-loft, and
extensive rope-walk at Duxbury, Massachusetts,
where his vessels were built and equipped. In
1798 his son Ezra became a partner, and this firm
continued until the death of the father in 1822.
The son Ezra then went on in his own name until
1842, when his sons Gersham, Alden, and Ezra,
were taken into the firm, and they continued it
until 1858, in all some ninety-three years, the last
place of business being Nos. 37 and 38, Commercial
Wharf. From the year 1800 to 1846 the Westons
owned twenty-one ships, ranging in tonnage from
the Hope, of 880 tons, to the Minerva, of 250 tons ;
one barque, the Pallas, of 209 tons; thirty brigs,
from the Two Friends, of 240 tons, to the Federal
Eagle, of 120 tons; thirty-five schooners, from the
St. Michael, of 132 tons, to the Star, of 20 tons;
and ten sloops, from the Union, of 63 tons, to
the Linnet, of 50 tons. The brig Smyrna, one of the
Weston fleet, built in 1825, of 160 tons, was the
first American vessel to bear the flag of the United
States into the Black Sea after it was opened to
commerce. She arrived at Odessa July 17, 1830.
The Westons were easily the largest ship-owners
of their time in the United States, and not only
built but loaded their own vessels. Their house-
flag was red, white, and blue horizontal stripes.

In the year 1791, Stephen Girard, who was born
near Bordeaux in 1750 and had risen from cabin-
boy to be captain of his own vessel, built four
beautiful ships at Philadelphia for the China and

i6 The Clipper Ship Era

India trade — the Helvetia, Montesquieu, Rousseau,
and Voltaire. These vessels, long the pride of
Philadelphia, greatly enriched their owner.

The sloop Enterprise, of eighty tons, built at
Albany and commanded by Captain Stewart Dean,
was sent from New York to China in 1785. This
was the first vessel to make the direct voyage from
the United States to Canton. She returned during
the following year with her crew of seven men and
two boys all in excellent condition. When she
warped alongside the wharf at New York, Captain
Dean and his crew were in full uniform, and the
scene, which was witnessed by an admiring throng,
was enlivened by " martial music and the boat-
swain's whistle."

Thomas Cheesman was one of the first ship-
builders in New York, and he was succeeded in
business, before the end of the eighteenth century,
by his son Forman, born in 1763. The latter built
the forty-four-gun frigate President, launched in the
year 1800 at Corlear's Hook— by far the largest
vessel built in New York up to that time. Pre-
vious to this, however, he had built the Briganza
and the Draper, each of three hundred tons, and the
Ontario, of five hundred tons. Thomas Vail, Wil-
liam Vincent, and Samuel Ackley also built several
vessels prior to the year 1800. The ships Eugene,
Severn, Manhattan, Sampson, Echo, Hercules, Re-
source, York, and Oliver Ellsworth were launched
from their yards. In 1804 the Oliver Ellsworth,
built by Vail & Vincent and commanded by Cap-
tain Bennett, made the passage from New York to
Liverpool in fourteen days, notwithstanding that

American Shipping up to 1812 17

she carried away her foretopmast, which was
replaced at sea.

All of these shipyards were below Grand Street,
on the East River. Samuel Ackley's yard was at
the foot of Pelham Street, and here the Manhattan,
of six hundred tons, was built for the China and
East India trade. She was regarded as a monster
of the deep, and when she sailed upon her first voy-
age in 1796, it took nearly all the deep water sea-
men in the port to man her. Henry Eckford opened
a shipyard at the foot of Clinton Street in 1802.
From this yard he launched, in 1803, John Jacob
Astor's famous ship Beaver, of four hundred and
twenty-seven tons. It was on board this ship that
Captain Augustus De Peyster made his first voy-
age as a boy before the mast. Subsequently he
commanded her, and upon retiring from the sea
in 1845 he became the Governor of the Sailors'
Snug Harbor at Staten Island. The Beaver once
made the homeward run from Canton to Bermuda
in seventy-five days. Christian Bergh began ship-
building in 1804 with the ship North America, of
four hundred tons, built for the Atlantic trade, and
the brig Gipsey, of three hundred tons, a very sharp
vessel for those days. She was dismasted off the
Cape of Good Hope upon her first voyage to Ba-
tavia, and afterwards foundered in a heavy squall,
all hands being lost. The Trident, of three hundred
and fifty tons, was built by Adam and Noah Brown
in 1805, and the Triton, of three hundred and fifty
tons, by Charles Brown during the same year, both
for the China and India trade. John Floyd began
ship-building in 1807, and launched the Carmelite,

i8 The Clipper Ship Era

a ship of four hundred tons, during that year, but
was soon appointed naval constructor at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Until 1794 ships had been built from skeleton
models composed of pieces that showed the frames,
keel, stem, and stern post, but were of little use
in giving an accurate idea of the form of a vessel,
while it required much time and labor to transfer
the lines of the model to the mould loft. In this
year, however, Orlando Merrill, a young ship-
builder of Newburyport, at that time thirty-one
years old, invented the water-line model, which was
composed of lifts joined together, originally by
dowels and later by screws. These could be taken
apart ancj the sheer, body, and half-breadth plans
easily transferred to paper, from which the working
plans were laid down in the mould loft. This in-
genious though simple invention, for which, by the
way, Mr. Merrill never received any pecuniary re-
ward, revolutionized the science of ship-building.
The original model made by him in 1794 was pre-
sented to the New York Historical Society in
1853. Mr. Merrill died in 1855 at the age of
ninety-two.

CHAPTEE II

BRITISH SHIPPING AFTER 1815 THE EAST INDIA

COMPANY

GEEAT BRITAIN and the United States signed
a treaty of peace and good-will at Glient in
1814. During the following year the wars of Eng-
land and France ended on the field of Waterloo.
And so at last the battle flags were furled. The
long-continued wars of England had, through neg-
lect, reduced her merchant marine to a low stand-
ard of efficiency, and both men and ships were in
a deplorable condition. There was no government
supervision over British merchant shipping except
taxatibn, the only check, and that but partially
effective, being the Underwriters at Lloyd's. Un-
scrupulous ship-owners might and often did send
rotten, unseaworthy vessels to sea, poorly provi-
sioned, short of gear and stores, with captains,
mates, and crews picked up from low taverns along
the docks. These vessels were fully covered by
insurance at high rates of premium, with the hope,
frequently realized, that they would never be heard
from again.

The " skippers," " maties," and " jackies " alike
belonged to the lowest stratum of British social
classification, which, according to the chronicles

19

20 The Clipper Ship Era

of those days, was pretty low. They were coarse,
vulgar, ignorant men, full of lurid oaths ; their per-
sons emitted an unpleasant odor of cheap rum and
stale tobacco; they had a jargon of their own and
were so illiterate as to be unable to speak or write
their own language with any degree of correctness.
In a eertain sense the captains were good sailors,
but their knowledge and ambition were limited to
dead reckoning, the tar bucket and marlinspike,
a wife in every port, and plenty of rum and
tobacco with no desire or ability to master the
higher branches of navigation and seamanship.
Mariners that a landsman delights to refer to as
" real old salts," of the Captain Cuttle and Jack
Bunsby species, are amusing enough, perhaps, in
the hands of a skilful novelist, but not at all the
class of men that one would willingly select to
assist in carrying forward the commerce of a great
maritime nation.

Then the stupid and obsolete Tonnage Laws en-
couraged and almost compelled an undesirable type
of vessels, narrow, deep, flat-sided, and full-bottomed
— bad vessels in a seaway, slow, and often requiring
a considerable quantity of ballast, even when loaded,
to keep them from rolling over.

It is, of course, always hazardous to deal in gen-
eralities, but I think that this may be accepted as
a fair description of the merchant marine of Great
Britain up to 1834, when the Underwriters at
Lloyd's and the better class of ship-owners founded
Lloyd's Register of Shipping, to provide for the
proper survey and classification of the merchant
ships of Great Britain. This first important step

British Shipping after 1815 21

in a much needed reform was followed in 1837 by
tlie appointment of a committee by Parliament to
investigate the general condition of shipping en-
gaged in foreign trade. The committee reported as
follows :

" The American ships frequenting the ports of
England are stated by several witnesses to be su-
perior to those of a similar class amongst the ships
of Great Britain, the commanders and officers being
generally considered to be more competent as sea-
men and navigators, and more uniformly persons
of education, than the commanders and officers of
British ships of a similar size and class trading
from England to America, while the seamen of the
United States are considered to be more carefully
selected, and more efficient. American ships sail-
ing from Liverpool to New York have a preference
over English vessels sailing to the same port, both
as to freight and the rate of insurance; and, the
higher wages being given, their whole equipment is
maintained in a higher state of perfection, so that
fewer losses occur; and as the American shipping
having increased of late years in the proportion to
12% fo per annum, while the British shipping have
increased within the same period only 1%% per
annum, the constantly increasing demand for sea-
men by the rapidly growing maritime commerce of
the whole world, the numbers cut off by shipwrecks,
and the temptations offered by the superior wages
of American vessels, cause a large number of Brit-
ish seamen every year to leave the service of their
own country, and to embark in that of the United
States; and these comprising chiefly the most skil-

22 The Clipper Ship Era

ful and competent of our mariners, produce the
double efifect of improving the efficiency of the
American crews, and in the same ratio diminish-
ing the efficiency of the British merchant service."

In 1843 a circular was issued from the Foreign
Office to all British consuls requesting information
on the conduct and character of British shipmasters,
especially with regard to the " incompetence of
British shipmasters to manage their vessels and
crews, whether arising from deficiency of know-
ledge in practical navigation and seamanship, or
of moral character, particularly want of sobriety."
The consular reports revealed a startling condition
of affairs, requiring immediate attention, and led
to the establishment in 1847, of the Marine Depart-
ment of the Board of Trade, with authority to
supervise maritime affairs. From such unpromis-
ing material the formation was begun of the great-
est merchant marine that has ever existed.

Meanwhile, one of the most important branches
of British commerce, the East India trade, had been
following an independent career, for the ships of
the East India Company, although engaged in com-
mercial pursuits, were under the direct patronage
of the government, and cannot be regarded as form-
ing part of the merchant marine of Great Britain.
Yet as this Company had an important bearing upon
the mercantile affairs of the nation, I propose to
review as briefly as possible some of its remarkable
exploits.

" The United Company of Merchant Venturers of
England trading to the East Indies " was familiarly
known as the " John Company,"" and among those

The East India Company 23

endowed with a larger bump of reverence, as the
" Honorable John Company " ; but by whatever
name it may be called, this was the most gigantic
commercial monopoly the world has ever known,
since the days when the merchants of Tyre claimed
the exclusive right to send their ships across certain
waters known by common consent as Tyrian Seas.

The East India Company was founded in the
year 1600, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
The subscribed capital of £72,000 was expended on
the first voyage in five vessels with their cargoes.
This fleet consisted of the Dragon, of 600 tons, her
commander receiving the title of Admiral of the
squadron; the Hector, 300 tons, with a Vice- Ad-
miral in command; two vessels of 200 tons each;
and the Quest, a store ship of 130 tons. Four hun-
dred and eighty men were employed in the expedi-
tion, including twenty merchants as Supercargoes.
The vessels were all heavily armed and were
provided with small arms and an abundance of
ammunition. They cost, with their equipment,
£45,000, and their cargoes £27,000.

Friendly relations were formed with the King of
Achin, in Sumatra, and a station, known in those
days and long afterward as a " factory," was es-
tablished at Bantam, in Java. The fleet returned
to England richly laden with silks and spices
in 1603. In 1609 the Trades Increase, of 1209 tons,
the largest ship launched in England up to that
time, was built, but she was wrecked and became a
total loss on her first voyage. Sir Henry Middle-
ton, her commander, died soon after. This was an
unfortunate expedition and resulted in heavy losses

24 The Clipper Ship Era

to the Company, but in 1611 the Glole cleared 218%,
and in the following year the Gloie, Thomas, and
Hector turned over profits amounting to 340% upon
the capital invested. Other successful voyages fol-
lowed, so that in 1617 the stock of the Company
reached a premium of 203%.

The East India Company had its troubles, to be
sure, which were many and great, yet it increased
in power, wealth, and strength, until at the close
of the eighteenth century it had become possessed
of a large portion of the continent of India, main-
taining its own armies, forts, palaces, Courts of
Directors, Boards of Council, Governors, and Ty-
peans.i Eventually, this Company became the ruler
of more than one hundred million human beings,
not naked savages, but civilized men and women,
many of whose ancestors had been learned scholars
and merchant princes long prior to the invasion of
Britain by the Roman, Dane, and Saxon.

It is not, however, with the political affairs of
this Company that I wish to deal, but rather with
the ships and the men who navigated them. The
princely emoluments known as " indulgences " in
which the captains and officers of these ships parti-
cipated, naturally attracted the attention of parents
and guardians, so that younger sons, otherwise des-
tined for a life of ill-requited repose in the church,
the Army, or the Navy, found lucrative service with
the East India Company. These perquisites, which
were handed out by the Honorable Court of Di-

1 A typean was the head merchant of one of the Com-
pany's "factories" or mercantile houses, such as were
later known in China as " hongs."

B
a

aq

The East India Company 25

rectors, were no doubt intended to be of pleasing
variety and magnitude. The Company adhered
strictly to promotion by seniority as vacancies oc-
curred, from ship to ship when necessary. Captains
were appointed to their ships before launching, in
order that they might superintend their equipment
and get them ready for sea. Midshipmen were ap-
pointed by the Court of Directors, and no youth
of less than thirteen or over eighteen years was
eligible. Second mates were required to be at least
twenty-two, chief mates twenty-three, and com-
manders twenty-flve years of age.

Captains were entitled to fifty-six and one half
tons of space on board the ships commanded by
them, which they might use at their discretion,
either to collect the freight or to carry cargo on
their own account, credit being furnished by the
company for the latter purpose at the usual in-
terest. The rate of freight ranged from £35 to £40
per ton, though in 1796 the Admiral Gardner, a
ship of 813 tons, commanded by John Woolmore,
Esq., was chartered for " six voyages certain "
from London to India and return, at £50 for every
ton of cargo carried. Even at the lowest rate of
£35 per ton, the voyage out and home of about
eighteen months yielded a captain some £3955, and
if he carried goods on his own account, as was
usually the case, he realized a much larger sum.
Captains were also allowed primage, which was a
percentage upon the total gross freight earned by
the ship, and the passage money for passengers car-
ried, except the Company's troops, less the cost of
living. Considering that the passage money to or

26 The Clipper Ship Era

from India or China was for a subaltern £95, and
for a general officer £234, to say nothing of di-
rectors and governors and their families, and that
these ships usually carried from twenty to thirty
passengers, we may conclude that this also was a
considerable source of revenue.

Then captains were permitted to own the dunnage
used for the protection of homeward cargoes, which
they supplied in the form of stone and chinaware,
canes, bamboos, rattans, sapan-wood, horns, nankins,
etc. All of these goods might in those days be
bought at very low prices in India and China, and
under the monopoly of the East India Company,
they sold at very high prices in London. Most of
this " dunnage," however, came to the captains in
the form of presents, known in the fragrant lan-
guage of the Far East as " cumshaws," from ad-
miring Indian and Chinese merchants.

Naturally all of the cargoes were well dunnaged,
so much so, indeed, as finally to attract the- at-
tention of the benevolent Court of Directors, who
deemed it expedient to restrain the zeal of their
captains in this direction by issuing an order that
" as dunnage has been brought home in the Com-
pany's ships far beyond what is necessary for the
protection of the cargo and stores, occupying ton-
nage to the exclusion of goods, or cumbering the
ship, the court have resolved that unless what is
brought home of those articles appears absolutely
and bona fide necessary for and used as dunnage,
the exceeding of such requisite quantity shall be
charged against the tonnage of the commanders and
oflfleers." This dunnage business had been progress-

The East India Company 27

ing favorably for about two centuries when this
mandate was issued, and had enriched many a
deserving mariner. It was estimated that an India-
man's captain received in one way or another from
£6000 to £10,000 per annum, and there is a record
of one ship that made what was known as a double
voyage — that is, from London to India, China, and
return — a twenty-two months' cruise — whose com-
mander made profits amounting to the tidy sum of
£30,000.

The mates and petty officers were also well pro-
vided for, having forty and one half tons of space
allotted among them to do with as they pleased,
and all hands were supplied with wines, spirits, and
beer in quantities which if stated might seem like
an attempt to impose upon the reader's credulity.

A more showy if less substantial honor was con-
ferred by the distinctive dress of the company's
servants. The captains were arrayed in a pic-
turesque uniform consisting of a blue coat with
black velvet lapels, cuffs and collar, bright gold
embroidery, and yellow gilt buttons engraved with
the Company's crest, waistcoat and breeches of
deep buflE, black stock, or neck-cloth, cocked hat and
side-arms. The chief, second, third, and fourth
officers wore uniforms of a similar though less gor-
geous character, and all were particularly requested
"not on any account to appear in boots, black
breeches, and stockings " and " to appear in full
dress when attending the Court of Directors."

The charter of the East India Company provided
that its ships should fly the long coach-whip pen-
nant of the Royal Navy. During the last quarter

28 The Clipper Ship Era

of the eigliteenth and first part of the nineteenth
centuries, the ships were built, rigged, equipped,
armed, manned, and handled like the frigates of
the Royal Navy, though they were beautifully and
luxuriously fitted for passengers, many of whom
were personages of high social and oflQcial rank.
They differed, however, from the frigates in one
important particular. Whereas, the navy con-
structors, as we have seen, profited by the models
of the French frigates, the builders of the Indiamen
kept to the full-bodied, kettle-bottomed model, in
order that these ships might carry large cargoes.
They were of quite as bad a type as the ships of
the more humble merchant marine. I have before
me the particulars of one of the East India Com-
pany's ships that carried four hundred and nineteen
tons of general cargo, and required eighty tons of
iron kentledge to keep her on her legs. They were
nevertheless grand, stately-looking ships, and were
well cared for.

The crews were divided into the usual two
watches, but the officers had three watches, four
hours on and eight hours off. The watches were
divided into messes of eight men each, who had a
space allotted to them between the guns in the
between-decks. Here their hammocks were slung and
their chests, mess-kids, copper pots, kettles, and tin
pannikins were stowed, clean and bright, under the
inspection of the commander and the surgeon, who
were assisted in their duties by wearing white gloves
with which to test the appearance of cleanliness.
The crews slept in hammocks which were stowed in
nettings at seven bells in the morning watch, to

The East India Company 29

the pipe of the boatswain's whistle. The decks were
washed and holystoned in the morning watch, and
at eight bells all hands breakfasted. On Wednes-
days and Saturdays, the between-decks were turned
out, washed, and holystoned. On Sunday morn-
ings the crew was mustered and inspected by the
chief officer, and then assembled for Divine service,
which was read by the commander, as the Court
of Directors required the captains " to keep up the
worship of Almighty God, under a penalty of two
guineas for every omission not satisfactorily ac-
counted for in the log-book."

The crews were drilled at the guns and with cut-
lass, musket, and boarding-pikes, and other small
arms. Courts-martial were held on board and the
rawhide cat-o'-nine-tails was freely used by the
boatswain upon the naked backs and shoulders of
triced-up seamen — one, two, three dozen, perhaps,
with a bucket of salt water to rinse off the blood.
This was not so brutal a form of punishment as
may perhaps appear to landsmen, and was probably
the best method of enforcing proper discipline
among the reckless men who for the most part
formed the crews of ships at that period.

These vessels carried large crews, whose work was
easy and who were well looked after and provided
for. They had plenty of the best food and quite
as much rum as was good for them. In the dog-
watches they were allowed and even encouraged to
enjoy themselves in the manner known on board
ship as " skylarking." Saturdays they had to them-
selves to wash and mend their clothes, and in the
dog-watches of that day they were given an extra

30 The Clipper Ship Era

allowance of grog, with which to drink long life and
happiness to sweethearts and wives, with music,
dance, and song. Seamen who had served eight
years in the Company's ships were entitled to liberal
pensions, as were also the wives and children of
those who had been killed in the service of the
Company, or who had been so maimed or wounded
as to be unable to perform further service. There
can be no question that the directors of the East
India Company took good care of those who served
them faithfully.

The East Indiamen were always fine, strong ships,
built of oak, elm, and teak, copper-fastened through-
out, their cost being £40 per ton ready for sea; but
they were very slow, and their passages were reck-
oned not by days but by months. Every evening,
no matter how fine the weather, royals and all
light sails were taken in and stowed, and the royal
yards sent on, deck. If the weather looked at all ■'•
as if it might become threatening during the night,
the topgallantsails and mainsail were stowed and
a single reef put in the topsails. Safety and com-
fort were the watchwords, with no desire or effort j |i y
for speed. No one ever knew how fast these vessels
really could sail, as they never had any one on
board who tried to get the best speed out of them, f 1 1
but without doubt their passages might have been
considerably shortened with even a moderate
amount of vigilance and energy. All we know is,
how slow they were. Yet these ships were fought
through many a desperate battle upon the sea, with |
foreign men of war, privateers, and other foes, and
the skill and valor of their captains, officers, and

T3

13

4

The East India Company 31

crews shed a new lustre upon the ensign under
which they sailed. Indeed, the maritime records of
the East India Company read more like a naval
history than the annals of ships engaged in com-
mercial pursuits.

In some respects these Indiamen were remarkable
ships, and they should, like men, be judged by the
standards of the times in which they existed. They
were owned by a company which for more than
two centuries held a monopoly of the British China
and East India trade without the spur of competi-
tion urging them to perfect their vessels and to
exact vigorous service from the officers and crews
who sailed them. Under such a system there could
be no marked progress in naval science. It would,
of course, be an exaggeration to say that there had
been no improvement in British shipping from the
reign of Queen Elizabeth to the Victorian era, but
it was so gradual as to be perceptible only when
measured by centuries. Thus we speak of the ships
of th§ sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth cen-
turies, and upon examination are surprised to find
how few and slight were the improvements made
during these three hundred years in the design and
construction of hulls or in spars, rigging, and sails.
The only striking improvement was a modification
of the really beautiful ornamentation which embel-
lished and at the same time lumbered up the lofty
hulls of the earlier ships.

Some of the Indiamen were built in Wigram's
famous yard at Blackwall on the Thames, which
was in existence for more than two centuries. In-
deed, some of the first ships owned by the East

32 The Clipper Ship Era

India Company, the Dragon, Susannah, and Mer-
chants' Hope were launched there. During the
reigns of Elizabeth, James, Charles I., Charles II.,
and the Georges, this yard turned out many of the
ships owned in the Royal Navy, and through all
these years it had in time of need been a faithful
standby of the British Government. Some of the
ships of the Company were, however, built in other
yards and in their own building establishment at
Bombay.

During the years 1819 and 1820 the Company
sent to their different stations in Bengal, Madras,
Bombay, China, Ceylon, and Penang, twenty-three
of their own ships aggregating 26,200 tons, besides
twenty-one chartered vessels measuring 10,948 tons.
Among the Company's ships were the Canning, Duke
of York, Eellie Castle, Lady Melville, Thomas
Coutts, and Waterloo, built by Wigram, and all
from 1325 to 1350 tons, each mounting 26 guns with
a crew of 130 men. The Buckinghamshire, Earl of
Balcarras, Herefordshire, Thomas Granville, Min-
erva, and Charles Grant, all from 923 to 1417 tons,
26 guns, and 130 men with the exception of the
Minerva and Thomas Granville which mounted the
same number of guns but had 115 and 107 men,
respectively, were built by the Company at Bom-
bay. The Asia, Dorsetshire, Duneira, Marquis of
Wellington, Prince Regent, Princess Amelia, and
Windsor, which were all over 1000 tons and mounted
26 guns with crews of from 115 to 130 each, were
built in the Barnard yard, also on the Thames. The
London, Lowther Castle, Marquis of Camden, and
Perseverance, all from 1329 to 1408 tons. 26 guns,

The East India Company 33

and 130 men each, were built in the Pitcher yard
at Northfleet in Kent. The Earl of Balcarras, of
1417 tons, built in 1815 at Bombay, was the largest
ship owned by the Company, She was built of In-
dia teak, copper-fastened throughout, and mounted
batteries on two decks. Her crew of 133 men was
made up as follows: Commander, 6 mates, 2 sur-
geons, 6 midshipmen, purser, gunner, carpenter,
master-at-arms, armour, butcher, baker, poulterer,
caulker, cooper, 2 stewards, 2 cooks, 8 boatswains,
gunner's, carpenter's, caulker's, and cooper's mates,
6 quartermasters, sailmaker, 7 servants for the com-
mander and officers, and 78 seamen before the mast.
These facts illustrate not only the manner in,
which the ships of the East India Company were
officered and manned, but also the extravagant
scale upon which the affairs of the Company were
administered. Of course, a gross monopoly like this,
legalized though it was by Acts of Parliament, could
not continue indefinitely among a free and intelligent
people. For many years mutterings of discontent,
gathering in force and volume, had been heard from
all parts of Great Britain, indicating the disap-
proval of the people concerning the methods of the
Company. At last, in 1832, these mutterings burst
into a storm of indignation from the people through
their representatives in Parliament, which swept
the frigates of the Honorable John Company off the
face of the deep; for in that year commerce to the
Orient was thrown open to all British ships, and
knowing their utter inability to compete success-
fully with free and intelligent personal energy, the
East India Company condemned or sold their

34 The Clipper Ship Era

entire fleet. Sixteen ships were broken np for their
massive copper fastenings and other valuable mate-
rial, while forty-six were sold, and no finer tribute
can be offered to the excellent construction of these
vessels than the figures which they realized at what
may justly be called a forced sale.

Naturally these ships were not all sold at the
some moment, as some of them were on their way
to China and India when the crash came; in fact,
it required about three years to close them all out;
still, it was well known that the Court of Directors
had decreed that they must all be sold, and this
gave bargain hunters a chance to practise their
wiles. At first two or three of the ships were put
up at public auction ; the bids were few and meagre,
indicating an assumed and perhaps preconcerted
apathy. Negotiations of a less public nature en-
sued, which resulted as follows: The Buckingham-
shire, of 1369 tons, then eighteen years old, was sold
to Thacker & Mangels for £10,550. The Canning,
1326 tons, seventeen years old, sold for breaking
up to Joseph Somes at £5750. The Minerva, 976
tons, eighteen years old, ready for sea, to Henry
Templer, at £11,800; this ship, after thirty-seven
years of service in the India trade was wrecked off
the Cape of Good Hope in 1850. The Earl of Bal-
carras, 1417 tons, nineteen years old, to Thomas
A. Shuter for £15,700 ; this ship after fifty-two years'
service, became a receiving hulk on the west coast
of Africa. The Bombay, 1246 tons, twenty-two
years old, sold to Duncan Dunbar for £11,000, was
wrecked after fifty-nine years of service. The
Lowther Castle, 1408 tons, nineteen years old, went

The East India Company 35

to Joseph Somes for £13,950. The Waterloo, 1325
tons, eighteen years old, was sold for breaking up
at £7200. The Thames, 1360 tons, thirteen years
old, went to James Chrystall at £10,700. The re-
maining ships of the fleet brought equally good
prices. Thus ended the maritime exploits of the
" United Company of Merchant Venturers of Eng-
land trading to the East Indies " ; although its
influence upon the merchant marine of Great
Britain continued for many years.

With the opening of the China and India trade
to all British ships, there came the long-wished for
competition — one of the hinges upon which com-
merce swings — and a number of British ship-owners,
hardly known before, now came into prominence.
Among them were Green, Wigram, Dunbar, and
Somes, of London, and the Smiths, of Newcastle.
So strongly was the example of the East India
Company impressed upon their minds that they still
continued to construct frigate-built ships, though
with some slight effort toward economy and speed.
Many of the former captains, officers, and seamen
of the East India Company sailed for the private
firms, and so the personnel of the British merchant
marine was much benefited. The private ships, of
course, were not permitted to fly the naval pennant,
but in other respects the service remained pretty
nearly, the same. Much of the wasteful extrava-
gance was naturally eliminated, and the " indul-
gences " were substantially reduced, but the
time-honored practice of " making snug for the
night" was too ancient and comfortable a custom
to be very speedily abolished.

36 The Clipper Ship Era

Joseph Somes, one of the promoters of Lloyd's
Register, bought a number of the Company's old
ships, as we have seen, and in addition he built
the Maria Somes, Princess Boyal, Sir George Sey-
mour, and Castle Eden. Thomas and William
Smith, of Newcastle, were an old ship-building
firm, who had in 1808, at their yard in St. Peter's,
constructed the frigate Bucephalus, 970 tons, 52
guns, for the Eoyal Navy, while in later years they
built many merchant vessels. The finest of their
new ships were the Marlborough and the Blenheim,
of 1350 tons each, built under special government
survey and granted certificates as frigates equipped
for naval service. This firm also built the Qlori-
ana, 1057 tons, Hotspur, 1142 tons, and St. Law-
rence, 1049 tons, all of the frigate type, though
employed as merchantmen.

Duncan Dunbar owned a number of fine ships and
eventually became the largest ship-owner of his time
in Great Britain. Many of his vessels were built in
India. The Marion, 684 tons, built in Calcutta in
1834, was in active service until 1877, when she
was wrecked on the Newfoundland coast. The
David Malcolm was built in 1839, and the Cressy,
720 tons, and the Hyderabad, 804 tons, in 1843, at
Sunderland.

Eobert Wigram and Richard Green, at one time
partners, built and owned their own ships, known
as the "Blackwall frigates." In 1834-35, they
brought out the Malabar, Monarch, and Windsor
Castle, and subsequently the Carnatic, Prince of
Wales, Agamemnon, Alfred, and others, from 1200
to 1400 tons each. As late as 1849 the Alfred, of

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The East India Company 37

only 1291 tons, commanded by Captain Henning,
carried a crew of eighty men, which included five
mates, three boatswains, two carpenters, four
quartermasters, a number of stewards and cooks,
with sixty men before the mast.

These were the last of the frigate-built ships; for
when the Navigation Laws were, repealed in 1849,
and the carrying trade of Great Britain and her
colonies was thrown open to all nations, the British
merchants and ship-builders found it necessary to
construct a very different type of vessel in order
to compete in the ocean carrying trade.

Farewell, then, to the gallant old Indiaman, with
her hammock nettings, bunt jiggers, rolling tackles,
jeers, gammon lashings, bentinck shrouds, and cat
harpings, dear to sailors' hearts; and good-bye to
her sailors, too, sons of the men who fought in the
victorious fleets of Nelson, fellows who drank gun-
powder in their rum before stripping to battle with
the enemy, who could stand triced up by the thumbs
and take their four-and-twenty of rawhide on the
naked back without wetting an eyelash. And fare-
well to the merry dance and song, the extra dram
of grog in the dog-watch, and jovial toasts to
sweethearts and wives, as the sun sinks beneath
the blue wave and the cool evening trade wind fills
the sails.

OHAPTEE III

THE NORTH ATLANTIC PACKET SHIPS, 1815-1850

WHILE progress in ship-building in the United
States had been constant up to the War
of 1812, American ship-owners and builders had been
much hampered by the interference of both Great
Britain and France, but in 1815, when the smoke
of battle had cleared away and the rights of Ameri-
can ships and seamen had been established upon
the sea, ship-building was taken up with renewed
energy.

The famous New York-Liverpool packets came
out in 1816. The pioneer, Black Ball Line, estab-
lished by Isaac Wright, Francis and Jeremiah
Thompson, Benjamin Marshall, and others, led the
ran for years. The original ships belonging to this
line were the Amity, Courier, Pacific, and James
Monroe, of about 400 tons; they were followed by
the New York, Eagle, Orbit, Nestor, James Cropper,
William Thompson, Albion, Canada, Britannia, and
Columbia, vessels of from 300 to 500 tons register.
For the first ten years the passages of the fleet
averaged 23 days outward and 40 days to the west-
ward. The fastest outward passage was made by the
Canada in 15 days, 18 hours, and her total averages
— 19 days outward and 36 days homeward — were'
the best of that period.

.18

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 39

These ships were all flush deck, with a caboose
or galley and the housed-over long-boat between the
fore- and main-masts. The long-boat, which was, of
course, securely lashed, carried the live stock, —
pens for sheep and pigs in the bottom, ducks and
geese on a deck laid across the gunwales, and on
top of all, hens and chickens. The cow-house was
lashed over the main hatch, and there were also
other small hatch-houses and a companion aft lead-
ing to the comfortable, well-appointed cabins, which
were lighted by deck skylights, candles, and whale-
oil lamps. The steerage passengers lived in the be-
tween-decks amidships, and the crew's forecastle was
in the fore-peak. The stores, spare sails, gear, etc.,
were kept in the lazarette abaft the cabins, with a
small hatch leading to the main-deck. The hulls
were painted black from the water-line up, with
bright scraped bends, which were varnished, and
the inner side of the bulwarks, rails, hatch-houses,
and boats were painted green. It was said that
some of the early Black Ball captains had com-
manded privateers during the War of 1812. At all
events, these little ships, with their full-bodied, able
hulls, and their stout spars, sails, and rigging, were
driven outward and homeward across the Atlantic,
through the fogs and ice of summer and the snow,
sleet, and gales of winter, for all the speed that was
in them. They were in their day the only regular
means of communication between the United States
and Europe. Their captains were the finest men
whose services money could secure, and to their
care were entrusted the lives of eminent men and
women, government despatches, the mails and specie.

40 The Clipper Ship Era

Rain or shine, blow high, blow low, one of the
Black Ball liners sailed from New York for Liver-
pool on the first and sixteenth of each month, and
for many years these were the European mail days
throughout the United States.

In 1821, Thomas Cope of Philadelphia started his
line of packets between that port and Liverpool
with the ships Lancaster, of 290 tons, and Tusca-
rora, of 379 tons, which were soon followed by
larger vessels, among them some of the finest ships
on the Atlantic.

The Red Star Line of Liverpool packets from
New York was also established in 1821 with the
Panther, Meteor, Hercules, and second Manhattan,
and soon after, the Swallow Tail Line of Grinnell,
Minturn & Co., came into existence with the Napo-
leon, Silas Richards, George, and York. Grinnell,
Minturn & Co.'s London Line was established in
1823 with the Brighton, Columbia, Cortes, and
Corinthian, of less than 500 tons each, and during
this year John Griswold's London Line was also
started with the Sovereign, President, Cambria,
Hudson, and the second Ontario.

The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 gave a
great impetus to commerce, causing New York to
become the eastern gateway of the United States, ;
and from that date to 1850 may be counted the '
glorious years of the Atlantic packet ships.

The Dramatic Line to Liverpool was started in
1836 with the Siddons, Shakespeare, Garrick, and
Roscius, under the management of E. K. Collins.
These vessels did not much exceed 700 tons, and
when, in 1837, Isaac Webb & Co. built the Sheridan,

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Packet Ships, 1815-1850 41

of 895 tons for this line, she was regarded as too
large for a Liverpool packet, and after a few voyages
was placed in the China trade.

The first Havre line of packets was founded by
Francis Depaw in 1822 with the Stephania, Mon-
tana, Henry IV., Helen Mar, Louis Philippe, and
Silvia de Grasse. A second line was formed in
1827 with the Baltimore, Charles Carroll, Erie,
France, Oneida, Mercury, Vtica, Rhone, William
Tell, and in 1832 a third line, with the Formosa,
Galia, Albany, Duchesse d'Orleans, Isaac Bell,
Queen Mah, and Don Quixote.

In 1831 the New Orleans Line from New York was
formed with the Nashville, Huntsville, Louisville,
Creole, and Natchez. These were the first packet
ships built with full poop-decks, then quite a new
feature in ship-building. Gradually the flush deck
gave place to house- and poop-deck cabins, then to
the topgallant, forecastle, and house from the fore-
mast to the main hatch. The fashion of painting
also changed, and most if not all the packets carried
painted ports, while the inside green was replaced
by white or light shades of other colors.

After the Black Ball Line passed into the hands
of Captain Charles H. Marshall in 1836, the Colum-
hus, Oxford, Canibridge, New York, England, York-
shire, Fidelia, Isaac Wright, Isaac Welib, the third
Manhattan, Montezuma, Alexander Marshall, Great
Western, and Harvest Queen were gradually added
to the fleet. To meet the competition of the Black
Ball Line, the Swallow Tail Line built the Wash-
ington, Independence, Pennsylvania, Roscoe, Pat-
rick Henry, Ashburton, Hottinger, Queen of the

42 The Clipper Ship Era

West, Liverpool, New World, and Cornelius
Grinnell.

The packet ships slowly increased in tonnage,
but did not much exceed 1000 tons until 1846 when
the New World, of 1404 tons, was built by Donald
McKay, followed by the Guy Mannering, of 1419
tons, and the Albert Gallatin, of 1435 tons, built by
William H. Webb in 1849, these three vessels being
the largest merchant ships afloat at that period.

The Black Ball ships carried a large painted
black ball below the close-reef band in their foretop-
sails, while the Dramatic Line, not to be outdone,
carried a black X which extended diagonally, almost
from clew to earring, across their foretopsails. All
packet ships carried a white light at the bowsprit
cap from sunset to sunrise, but side-lights did not
come into use until some years later. These ships
also carried a flare-up which was kept in the com-
panion ready for immediate use.

Throughout the various changes of management
the Black Ball liners carried a crimson swallow-
tail flag with a black ball in the centre; the
Dramatic liners, blue above white with a white L
in blue and a black L in white for the Liverpool
ships, and a red swallowtail with white ball and
black L in the centre for the New Orleans ships;
the Union Line to Havre, a white field with black
U in the centre; John Griswold's London Line, red
swallowtail with black X in centre; the Swallowtail
Line, red before white, swallowtail for the London
ships, and blue before white, swallowtail for the
Liverpool ships; Robert Kermit's Liverpool Line,
blue swallowtail with red star in the centre; Spof-

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 43

ford & Tillotson's Liverpool Line, yellow field, blue
cross with white S. T. in the centre. These flags
disappeared from the sea many years ago.

The packet captain, no matter what his age might
be, was usually spoken of as "the old man," a
title frequently embellished by the crew with vigor-
ous epithets, which seemed to them appropriate, but
which must now, I fear, be left to the imagination
of the reader. Few if any Americans sailed regu-
larly before the mast on board of these vessels, the
crews being largely composed of the most abandoned
scoundrels out of British and continental jails. I
shall have something further to say concerning these
interesting beings in connection with their exploits
on board of the California clipper ships.

Among the famous New York packet captains,
and there were many of them, were Charles H.
Marshall, of the South America, James Cropper, and
Britannia; N. B. Palmer, of the Siddons, Garrick,
Huntsville, and Hihernia, and his brother, Alex-
ander, later of the Oarrick; F. A. De Peyster, of the
Columius and Ontario; John Collins, an uncle of
E. K. Collins, of the Shakespeare; John Eldridge,
of the Liverpool, and his brother Asa, of the Boscius,
and Oliver, another brother, who was mate with
Captain John; Ezra Nye, of the Independence and
Henry Clay; William Skiddy, an older brother of
Francis Skiddy, of the New World; Benjamin Trask,
of the Virginia^ Jamestown, and Saratoga; Joseph
Delano, of the ColumMa and Patrick Henry; John
Britton, of the Constitution, later United States
consul at Southampton; Ira Bursley, of the Hot-
tinger; Philip Woodhouse, of the Queen of the West;

44 The Clipper Ship Era

James A. Wooton, of the Havre; William H. Allen,
of the Virginia, Waterloo, West Point, and Constel--
lation; E. E. Morgan, of the Hudson and Victoria;
John Johnston, of the Rhone and Isaac Bell; and
of a later period, Robert C. Cutting, of the Adelaide;
and Samuel Samuels, of the Dreadnought.

It required an unusual combination of qualities
to command these Western Ocean packet ships suc-
cessfully. Above all things it was necessary that
the captains should be thorough seamen and navi-
gators; also that they should be men of robust
health and great physical endurance, as their duties
often kept them on deck for days and nights to-
gether in storm, cold, and fog. Then there were
frequently desperate characters among the crew and
steerage passengers, who required to be handled
with moral courage and physical force, while the
cabin passengers were usually gentlemen and gentle-
women of good breeding, accustomed to courtesy*
and politeness, which they expected to find in the
captains with whom they sailed. These require-
ments evolved a remarkable type of men, hearty,
bluff, and jovial, without coarseness, who would
never be mistaken for anything but gentlemen.

The packet mates, having no social duties on ship-
board to distract their attention, were able to de-
vote their time and energies to improving the morals
and manners of the crew, and it was on board the
Black Ball liners that "belaying pin soup" and
"handspike hash," so stimulating to honest toil,
were first introduced for the benefit of mutinous or
slothful mariners.

Plenty of sail was carried by the packet ships

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 45

of this period — square lower, topmast and topgallant
studding sails, skysails set on sliding gunter masts
which were struck in the winter time, with three
reefs in the topsails and single reefs in the top-
gallantsails. The racing was fast and furious. In
1837 a match was made between the Black Ball
liner Golumhus, 597 tons, Captain De Peyster, and
the Sheridan, Captain Russell, of the Dramatic Line,
then on her first voyage, for' a stake of $10,000 a
side, from New York to Liverpool, play or pay.
The Sheridan, though only 895 tons, carried a crew
of forty picked men before the mast, with regular
pay of $25 a month, and the promise of a bonus
of |50 each, provided their ship won the race. The
ships sailed together from New York on Thursday,
February 2, 1837, and the Golurnbus won the race
in sixteen days, followed two days later by the
Sheridan. This is the first ocean match across the
Atlantic of which any record has been preserved,
though, of course, there had been many informal
races long before.

The Isaac Bell, commanded by Captain John
Johnston, made three voyages from Havre to New
York in less than eighteen days each, one being in
the month of January, which is about the hardest
month in the twelve for a ship bound to the west-
ward. The Independence, 734 tons, built by Smith
& Dimon in 1834, for a number of years when com-
manded by Captain Ezra Nye, took the President's
message to England, her sailing day being fixed
for the 6th of March for that purpose. She more
than once made the passage from New York to
Liverpool in fourteen days. In November, 1846, the

46 The Clipper Ship Era

TorTcsMre, Captain Bailey, made the passage from
Liverpool to New York in sixteen days. This is
believed to be the fastest passage ever made from
Liverpool to the westward by a packet ship. The
Montezuma, 1070 tons, and the Patrick Henry, 997
tons, the Southampton, 1273 tons, built by Wester-
velt & Mackay, in 1849, also the St. Andrew, Captain
William C. Thompson, of Robert Kermit's Line, all
made the passage from New York to Liverpool in
fifteen days.

It should, however, be remembered that these
packet ships, running regularly across the Atlantic
for many years, necessarily at times encountered
favorable conditions of wind and weather; whereas,
a single ship making the passage occasionally, as
did the clipper ships in later years, might not find
so favorable a slant in a lifetime. None of the
packet ships that made these remarkable passages
could average more than twelve knots for twenty-
four hours, and the utmost limit of their speed
under the most favorable conditions was not more
than fourteen knots, if as much. Most of these
ships, however, made the passage from New York
to Liverpool at one time or another in sixteen days,
and there were few that did not at least once make
the run in seventeen days. The secret of the speed
of these ships was that they were commanded by
men who kept them moving night and day, in all
sorts of weather, and never let up on their ships
or crews from the time they cast off from the wharf
at New York until they ran their lines ashore on
the pier-head at Liverpool. While it is true that
the New York packet ships were by no means clip-

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 47

pers, still, their models and rig were admirably
adapted to the work which they had to perform.
It was a splendid service and a fine prelude to the
clipper ship era.

Of the earlier New York ship-builders, Henry
Eckford, who came from Scotland in 1796, when
twenty years of age, died in New York in 1832;
Christian Bergh, who was born in Wettenburgh,
Ehinebeck precinct, in 1763, died in New York in
1843; and Isaac Webb, born in Stamford, Connecti-
cut, in 1794, the son of Wilsey Webb, died in New
York in 1840. To the memories of these men, the
founders of modern ship-building in the United
States, the highest praise is due for their integrity,
perseverance, and mechanical skill.

Of the next generation of builders, Stephen Smith,
who like Isaac Webb was born in Stamford, formed
with John Dimon the firm of Smith & Dimon, and
prior to 1843 they had built among other vessels
the packet ships Roscoe and Independence, the ship
Mary Howland, the North River steamboats Roch-
ester, James Kent, and Oregon, and the Greek
frigate Liberator. Their building yard was at the
foot of Fourth Street, East Eiver. David Brown
and Jacob Bell formed the firm of Brown & Bell,
and had a yard at the foot of Stanton Street, a
part of which had formerly been the Henry Eckford
yard. Prior to 1843, this firm had built the ships Or-
Mt and William Tell in 1821, the Canada, Calhoun,
Savannah, Pacific, Washington, Great Britain, John
Jay,Britannia,George Canning, Caledonia, Hiiernia,
and Congress from 1821 to 1831; theVictoria, Europe,
Francis Depaw, Silvia de Grasse, Vicksiurg, Em-

48 The Clipper Ship Era

erald, Switzerland, Shakespeare, Garrick, Sheridan,
Siddons, Roscius, and Cornelia from 1831 to 1841;
and the Liverpool, Queen of the West, and Henry
Clay in the period from 1841 to 1843, inclusive.
Besides these, they built fifteen other ships, seven
steamers, eight barques and brigs, thirty-nine
steamboats, six ferry- and tow-boats, nineteen sloops
and schooners, seven pilot boats, and four yachts.

Upon the death of Isaac Webb in 1840, his son
William H. Webb, then only twenty-four years of
age, continued the firm of Webb & Allen which
built during the next ten years the packet ships
Montezuma, Yorkshire, Havre, Fidelia, second
Colunibia, Sir Rohcrt Peel, Splendid, Bavaria,
Isaac Wright, Ivanhoe, Yorktown, London, Cruy
Mannering, Albert Gallatin, Isaac Weih, and Van-
guard. Their yard extended from the foot of Fifth
to Seventh Street, Bast River.

Jacob A. Westervelt, born at Hackensack, New
Jersey, in 1800, was the son of a ship-builder. He
went to sea before the mast and upon his return
served his apprenticeship with Christian Bergh,
subsequently becoming a partner in the firm and
retiring with an ample fortune in 1837. Mr. West-
ervelt then made an extensive trip through Europe,
and after returning built two ships at Williams-
burg. He formed the firm of Westervelt & Mackay
and built a number of London and Havre packet
ships, among which were the Ocean Queen, West
Point,Toronto,Devonshire,andAmericanEagle. The
front door of Mr. Westervelt's house in East Broad-
way was ornamented with a beautiful carved stone
cap representing the stern of a packet ship. In later

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Packet Ships, 1815-1850 49

years, he took his sons Daniel and Aaron into part-
nership, the firm being known as Westervelt & Co.
Jacob A. Westervelt was Mayor of New York in 1854.

George Steers, destined to become famous as the
designer of the Adriatic, the Niagara, and the
yacht America, was born in Washington, D. C, in
the year 1819, and in 1843, after having built a
number of fast sail- and row-boats for racing, en-
tered into partnership with William Hathorne, the
firm being known as Hathorne & Steers. Up to
this time Mr. Steers, though he had shown unusual
ability as a mechanic, cannot be said to have done
anything predicting his future triumphs. Other
firms that were building good vessels at this time
were Thomas and William Collier; Perin, Patter-
son & Stack; Laurence & Folkes, and John Englis,
some of whom we shall hear of again.

The merchants of Boston after the War of 1812,
built or bought most of their vessels at Medford,
Newburyport, Salem, Scituate, and Duxbury, within
the State, and at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and
other ports where timber was more plentiful. It
was not until 1834, when the East Boston Timber
Company was incorporated by James Paige, Francis
Oliver, and Gideon Barstow, that ship-building be-
gan to flourish about Boston. Stephen White was
the moving spirit in this transaction, as in 1833
he had bought on behalf of himself and associates,
eighty thousand feet of land in East Boston, between
Border and Liverpool streets, at three cents per
foot, for the establishment of a timber yard and
dock. Mr. White also purchased Grand Island, in
the Niagara Eiver, which was covered with valuable

50 The Clipper Ship Era

timber. Sawmills were erected on the island, and
a supply of the finest quality of ship timber was
created, and brought by the Erie Canal to tide-
water, thence by coasting vessels to East Boston.
This attracted ship-builders from other towns, and
eventually made Boston a famous ship-building
centre. Stephen White owned the first ship built
in East Boston, the Niagara, of 460 tons, appro-
priately named after the river from which the timber
used in her construction had come. She was built
in 1834, by Brown, Bates & Delano in their yard
at the foot of Central Square, and was launched
amid an uproar of guns, fire-crackers, shouts, and
music, with a bottle of good Medford rum trickling
down her port bow.

The first Boston ferry-boats, the East Boston,
Essex, and Maverick, were built at East Boston in
1834-35, but nothing further was done in ship-
building there until 1839, when Samuel Hall a well-
known builder, of Marshfield and Duxbury, removed
to East Boston and established a yard at the west
end of Maverick Street. Mr. Hall not only con-
tributed to the reputation and welfare of East Bos-
ton by building a large number of splendid vessels
and providing employment for a great number of
men, but he was also active in all municipal afifairs.
In appreciation of his successful efforts for the in-
troduction of Cochituate water into East Boston in
1851, his fellow-citizens presented him with a thou-
sand-dollar service of plate, consisting of eleven
pieces, with the usual inscription, with which most
of us are more or less familiar.

The Briggs Brothers, of South Boston, came from

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 51

an old and celebrated ship-building family of Sci-
tuate, their great-grandfather having been a fship-
builder of note in colonial times, while their grand-
father, James Briggs, was the builder of the famous
ColumMa, in 1773. After his death the yard was con-
tinued by his sons, Henry and Gushing, who built
some of the finest ships sailing out of Boston, be-
sides many of the New Bedford and Nantucket
whalers, during the first half of the last century.
The brothers E. & H. O. Briggs, who established
their yard at South Boston in 1848, were the sons
of Gushing Briggs, and they possessed the skill in
design and thorough knowledge of construction for
which the family had long been famous among the
merchants and underwriters of Boston.

At Medford, on the Mystic, Thatcher Magoun es-
tablished his shipyard in 1802, and there built the
brig Mt. Etna, of 187 tons, in 1803, followed by
other merchant vessels as well as privateers for
the War of 1812. The Avon, the most famous of
these privateers, was launched in twenty-six days
after her keel was laid. In 1822, Mr. Magoun built
the Amethyst, Emerald, Sapphire, and Topaz, ships
of about 350 tons, for the Boston and Liverpool
Packet Company, which ran for a few years be-
tween Boston, Gharleston, S. G., and Liverpool,
and home direct to Boston. One of the novel
features of this line was the arrangement as to
agents, their oflfice being at the end of India Wharf,
but in Liverpool each ship had a separate agent, as
it was imagined that four agents would attract so
many times the more business. It is evident that
the promoters of this line had something to learn

52 The Clipper Ship Era

concerning Liverpool ship-brokers and their system
of working freights, for the enterprise was not
successful.

Another Liverpool Line was started in Boston in
1828, and the ships Boston, Lowell, Liverpool, Ply-
mouth, and Trenton of this line were built by Mr.
Magoun. He also built between 1822 and 1829, the
ships Lucilla, 369 tons, owned by Daniel P. Parker;
Brookline, 376 tons, and Courser, 300 tons, owned
by Henry Oxnard; and the Margaret Forces, 398
tons, owned by Bryant & Sturgis, all sailing out
of Boston. Other Medford ship-builders were
Sprague & James, Isaac Taylor, Hayden & Cud-
worth, J. O. Curtis, Waterman & Elwell, Samuel
Lapham, and Paul Curtis. Their ships were known
all over the world as fine, well-built vessels. In
1845 one quarter of all the shipwrights in Massa-
chusetts were employed in Medford, and 9660 tons
of shipping were launched from its building yards.

The leading ship-builder at Newburyport was John
Currier, Jr., who from 1831 to 1843 built the ships
Brenda, Bepullic, Oierlin, 8t. Clair, Leonore, and
Columlus for the Black Ball Line, and in 1836 the
Talbot, Flavio, Navigator, Huntress, Straho, and
Tirginia, ranging from 339 to 365 tons, as well as
several barques, brigs, and schooners. The firms of
George W. Jackman and Currier & Townsend had
not been formed at this date.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was also noted for
her ships and seamen, the principal builders in
1840 being George Eaynes, Fernald & Pettigrew,
and Toby & Littlefield, while the Shackfords and
Salters had been sea-captains for generations. Mr.

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 53

Raynes was born at York, Maine, in 1799 and in
1835 removed to Portsmouth where he established
a shipyard upon the famous Boyd estate, with its
fine old trees, lawns, and gardens of vegetables,
fruits, and flowers sloping to the clear blue water's
edge. The family residence, erected by Colonel George
Boyd in 1767, was an excellent example of colonial
architecture. In later days it became known as
the Raynes mansion, and for many years was one
of the show places of Portsmouth. The original
beauty of the grounds was preserved so far as pos-
sible, and this was perhaps the most beautiful and
picturesque shipyard of modern times.

The most famous clipper-ship builder of his time,
Donald McKay, was born at Shelburne, Nova
Scotia, in 1810, and was a descendant of that sturdy
Highland chieftain, Donald McKay, who died at
Tain, County Ross, Scotland, in 1395. At about the
age of sixteen, Donald went to New York, where he
worked and learnt his trade in the shipyards of
Isaac Webb, Brown & Bell, and perhaps others.
By his energy and mechanical talents, he soon be-
came a master shipwright, and turned his face
toward the Eastern country again. In 1840 he fin-
ished the ship Delia Walker, of 427 tons, for John
Currier at Newburyport. This vessel was owned
by Dennis Condry, who, when visiting his ship from
time to time, was impressed by Mr. McKay's su-
perior mechanical ability and energetic manner of
handling his men. In 1841, Mr. McKay became a
partner in the firm of Currier & McKay, and the
barque Mary Broughton, 323 tons, was built by
them during this year, followed in 1842 by the ships

54 The Clipper Ship Era

Courier, 380 tons, and AsKburton, 449 tons. The
firm then dissolved, the models and moulds being
equally divided — with a saw.

The little ship Courier was the first vessel de-
signed by Mr. McKay. She was owned by W.
Wolfe & A. Foster, Jr., of New York, who employed
her in the Rio coffee trade. She proved a wonder
for speed, and outsailed everything, big and little,
that she fell in with at sea. No one at that time
believed that such a vessel could be built outside of
New York or Baltimore. She not only made a great
deal of money for her owners, but at once brought
her designer prominently before the maritime public.

In 1843 the firm of McKay & Pickett was formed,
and the New York packet ships St. George, 845 tons,
in 1843, and John B. Skiddy, 930 tons, in 1844, were
built by them at Newburyport. In this year Enoch
Train, a well-known ship-owner and merchant of
Boston, engaged in the South American trade and
who had already sent the ships Cairo, 8t. Patrick,
and Dorchester to England, decided to put on a
regular line of packets between Liverpool and Bos-
ton. While crossing the Atlantic on board one of
the early Cunarders, for the purpose of establishing
his European agencies, it happened that he found
himself a fellow-passenger with Dennis Condry,
owner of the Delia Walker, the gentleman who had
been so much impressed during his visits to New-
buryport, by the energy and skill of Donald McKay.
Mr. Train and Mr. Condry soon became acquainted
and naturally talked a good deal about shipping.
Mr. Train was in doubt as to whom he should en-
trust the building of his ships; he did not like to

Packet Ships, 1815-1850 55

construct them in New York, yet he felt unwilling
to risk failure through employing local talent, how-
ever able, for Boston builders were inexperienced in
building this class of vessel, while the construction
of packet ships had been developed to a high degree
of perfection in New York. His doubts were freely
expressed, but Mr. Condry had a strong conviction
on this subject, and so convincing were his argu-
ments in favor of his young ship-builder friend, that
Mr. Train, before landing at Liverpool, had promised
that he would see Mr. McKay upon his return to
the United States.

The meeting at Newburyport of these two really
great men, Enoch Train and Donald McKay, should
be memorable in the maritime annals of the United
States. It was the swift contact of flint and steel,
for within an hour a contract had been signed for
building the Joshua Bates, the pioneer ship of
Train's famous Liverpool Line, and Mr. Train was
returning to his home in Boston. He visited New-
buryport frequently while his ship was building,
and whether Mr. McKay, during the four years that
had elapsed, had further developed the qualities
which Dennis Condry had so admired, as seems
probable, or whether Mr. Train's perceptive facul-
ties were keener than those of his fellow-passenger,
it is a fact that on the day when the Joshua Bates
was launched and floated safely on the Merrimac
River, Mr. Train grasped Donald McKay by the
hand and said to him : " You must come to Bos-
ton; we need you; if you wish flnancial assistance
to establish a shipyard, let me know the amount and
you shall have it."

56 The Clipper Ship Era

So the young ship-builder had on that day
launched his last ship at Newburyport. He soon
closed the pleasant relations which had existed with
his partner, and at the age of thirty-four opened
'his great shipyard at the foot of Border Street,
East Boston. There he built in rapid succession, be-
tween 1845 and 1850, the packet ships Washington
Irving, Anglo-Saxon, Ocean Monarch, Anglo-Ameri-
can, and Daniel Weister for Train's Liverpool,
Line. These ships carried a black T in their fore-
topsail below the close reef band, and flew the
Enoch Train signal, a red field with whijte diamond.
The ships New, World and Cornelius Grinnell were
built here for Grinnell, Minturn & Co.'s Swallow-
tail Line; the A. Z., L. Z., and Antarctic for Zerega
& Co., New York; the Jenny Lind for Fairb£^nk &
Wheeler, Boston; the Parliament, Plymouth Rock,
Reindeer, and barque Helicon for George B. Upton,
Boston; the Moses Wheeler for Wheeler & King,
Boston ; and the barque Sultana for Edward Lamb &
Co., Boston. These vessels were much admired in
New York, London, Liverpool, and other seaports,
and established the reputation of Donald McKay as
a ship-builder equal to the best.

CHAPTER IV

OPIUM CLIPPERS AND EARLY CLIPPER SHIPS, 1832-1848

I 'X'HE origin of the word clipper is not quite clear,
y 1 though it seems to be derived from the verb
/ clip, which in former times meant, among other
I things, to run or fly swiftly. Dryden uses it to
I describe the flight of a falcon ^ :

" Some falcon stoops at what her eye designed.
And, with her eagerness the quarry missed,
Straight flies at check, and clips it down the wind."

The word survived in the New England slang
expression " to clip it," and " going at a good clip,"
or " a fast clip," are familiar expressions there to
this day. It therefore seems reasonable to suppose
that when vessels of a new model were built, which
were intended, in the language of the times, to
clip over the waves rather than plough through
them, the improved type of craft became known as
clippers because of their speed. It is probable that
the swift privateers built at Baltimore during the
War of 1812 became known as " Baltimore clippers,"
and while the first application of the term in a

^ Annus Mirabilis, stanza 89 (1667).
57

58 The Clipper Ship Era

nautical sense is by no means certain, it seems tb
liave had an American origin.

The first clipper constructed in Great Britain
was the schooner Scottish Maid, one hundred and
fifty tons, built in 1839 by Alexander Hall & Co.,
of Aberdeen, to compete with the paddle steamers
between Aberdeen and London. She proved a very
fast vessel, and saw half a century of service be-
fore she was wrecked on the coast of England.
Three schooners of the same model and tonnage,
the Fairy, Rapid, and Monarch, were built by this
firm in 1842. These four were the first Aberdeen
clippers. The earliest competition between Ameri-
can and British clippers was in the China seas. As
early as 1831 three small English schooners, the
Jamesina, Lord Amherst, and Sylph, were engaged
in the opium trade, which proved exceedingly lucra-
tive. In 1833 the Jamesina sold opium from India
to the value of £330,000 at Poo Chow, Amoy, Ningpo,
and other ports in China. This business increased
and attracted the attention of the American mer-
chants in China. In 1841, the Angola, a schooner
of 90 tons, built by Brown & Bell, of New York,
for Russell & Co., China, was despatched to Hong-
kong. She was followed in 1842 by the schooners
Zephyr, 150 tons, built by Samuel Hall at East
Boston ; Mazeppa, 175 tons, built by Brown & Bell,
and Ariel, 100 tons, built by Sprague & James, Med-
ford, and in 1843 by the brig Antelope, 370 tons,
built by Samuel Hall at East Boston. These vessels,
owned by John M. Forbes and Russell & Co., soon
controlled the opium-ttade and became known as
opium clippers. It was necessary that they should

opium Clippers, 1832-1848 59

be swift in order to contend with the strong tides
and currents on the China coast, and to beat against
the monsoons in the China Sea. The Antelope, un-
der the command of Captain Philip Dumaresq, still
has the reputation of having been the only square-
rigged vessel which could beat through the Formosa
Channel against the northeast monsoon. Moreover/
these vessels required speed to escape from the
heavily manned piratical craft which infested the
China seas, and which were formidable vessels, es-
pecially in light winds and calms, when they were'
propelled by long sweeps.

In 1846, Alexander Hall & Co. built the clipper
schooner Torrington for Jardine, Matheson & Co.,
to compete with the American opium clippers in
China. This schooner, the first British clipper in
the China seas, was followed by the Wanderer,
Qaselle, Rose, the brig Lanark, and others, until
almost every British and American firm in China
owned one or more of these smart vessels. The
competition among them was keen, and the Ameri-
can clippers had decidedly the best of it. The last
of these famous little vessels were the sister schoon-
ers Minna and Brenda, of 300 tons each, built in
1851 by George Raynes at Portsmouth, for John
M. Forbes, of Boston, and others, and the schooner
Wild Dayrell, 253 tons, built in 1855 by the well-
known yacht builders J. White, of Cowes, Isle of
Wight, for Dent & Co., China. These opium clip-
pers, all beautifully modelled and equipped with
long raking masts and plenty of canvas, like yachts
rather than merchant vessels, were heavily armed
and carried large crews. They all made a great

6o The Clipper Ship Era

deal of money for their owners until they were
superseded by steamers.

From the earliest times in maritime history it
had been the custom to build large vessels of a
model suitable for carrying heavy cargoes — " ships
of burden " they were called, — while the vessels de-
signed for speed, — the galley of the Mediterranean,
caravel of Portugal and Spain, lugger of France,
cutter of England, yacht of Holland, schooner and
sloop of America, had been comparatively small.
To the latter class belonged the earlier British and
American clippers of the nineteenth century. The
Baltimore clippers, as we have said, were modelled
after the French luggers which visited American
ports during the Revolutionary War. They gained
a world-wide reputation for speed as privateers dur-
ing the War of 1812, and later also as African
slavers, many of them sailing under the flags of
Portugal and Spain. These vessels were brigs,
brigantines, fore-and-aft or topsail schooners, and
rarely exceeded two hundred tons register.

So far as history records, no one had ever at-
tempted to reproduce the lines of a small, swift
vessel in a large one, until in 1832 Isaac McKim, a
wealthy merchant of Baltimore, commissioned Ken-
nard and Williamson, of Fell's Point, Baltimore, to
build a ship embodying as far as possible the lines
of the famous Baltimore clipper brigs and schoon-
ers. This ship was the Ann McKim, named in honor
of the owner's wife, of 493 tons register, a large
vessel for those days. She measured: Length 143
feet, breadth 31 feet, depth 14 feet, and drew 17
feet aft and 11 feet forward. She possessed many

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 6i

of the striking features of the Baltimore clippers
of that period; namely, great dead-rise at her mid-
ship section, long, easy convex water-lines, low free-
board, and raking stem, stern-post and masts, and
was really an enlarged clipper schooner rigged as a
ship.

The Ann McEim was a remarkably handsome
vessel, built as the pet ship of her owner without
much regard to cost. Her frames were of live oak,
she was copper-fastened throughout and her bottom
was sheathed with red copper imported for this
purpose. The flush deck was fitted with Spanish
mahogany hatch combings, rails, companions, and
skylights. She mounted twelve brass guns, and
was equipped with brass capstan heads, bells, etc.,
and carried three skysail yards and royal studding-
sails. She proved to be very fast, though of small
carrying capacity, and the latter quality together
with her elaborate and expensive fittings caused
the older merchants to regard her unfavorably; so
that for some years they still adhered to their full-
bodied ships. The Ann McEim sailed in the China
trade for a number of years, and upon the death
of Mr. McKim in 1837, she was purchased by How-
land & Aspinwall, of New York, and was com-
manded by Captain Perry. Eventually she was sold
at Valparaiso in 1847, and ended her days under
the Chilian flag.

Although the Ann McEim was the first clipper
ship ever constructed, it cannot be said that she
founded the clipper ship era, or even that she di-
rectly influenced ship-builders, since no other ship
was built like her; but she may have suggested the

62 The Clipper Ship Era

clipper design in vessels of ship rig, and owing to
the fact that she fell into the hands of Howland &
Aspinwall, she without doubt hastened the opening
of that era, as the first really extreme clipper ship,
the Rainbow, was owned by that firm.

It is difficult at this distance of time to determine
exactly what influence the Ann McKim exercised
upon the science of ship-buildingj though from the
fact that no ship had ever been built like her, it
is probable that she was an object of considerable
interest in the maritime world, and it is certain
that during the years following her appearance a
more determined effort was made in the United
States to improve the model and sailing qualities
of ships. Among the most notable of these attempts
were the Courier, already mentioned, built by
Donald McKay in 1842, and the Aklar, a ship of
six hundred arid fifty tons, built by Samuel Hall
at East Boston in 1839, for John M. Forbes, and
others, who employed her in the China trade. On
her first voyage the Akiar made the passage from
New York to Canton in one hundred and nine days,
beating up the China Sea against the northeast
monsoon. On this voyage she was commanded by
Captain James Watkins, in after years commodore
of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Later she was
commanded by Captain Philip Dumaresq, who made
a number of rapid passages in her to and from
China. Then came the Helena, of 650 tons, built
by William H. Webb in 1841. This ship was owned
by N. L. and G. Griswold, and also sailed in the
China trade under the command of Captain Ben-
jamin, who made some fine passages. The Paul

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 63

Jones, of 620 tons, built by Waterman & Elwell at
Medford in 1842, was owned by John M. Forbes and
Eussell & Co., of China. She was commanded by
Captain N. B. Palmer and on her first voyage in
1843 she sailed from Boston for Hong-kong, Janu-
ary 15th, crossed the equator 26 days out, was 54
days to the Cape of Good Hope, 88 days to Java
Head, and arrived at Hong-kong 111 days from
Boston. In 1848, this ship made the run from Java
Head to Kew York in 76 days.

In 1844, A. A. Low & Brother, of New York, con-
tracted with Brown & Bell to build the Eouqua, of
706 tons, constructed for Captain N. B. Palmer.
She made a number of very fast passages. On her
first voyage she made the passage from New York
to Java Head in 72 days, thence to Hong-kong in 12
days, total 84 days. Her best records from China
were as follows: From Hong-kong, December 9,
1844, passed Java Head 15 days out, was 70 days
to the Equator in the Atlantic, thence 20 days to
New York, total 90 days — distance by log, 14,272
miles. December 9, 1845, sailed from Hong-kong,
passed Java Head 16 days out, arrived at New
York, March 10, 1846, 91 days' passage. Under the
command of Captain McKanzie, in 1850, she made
the passage from Shanghai to New York in 88 days,
the shortest passage up to that time. This ship
was named in honor of Houqua, the well-known
Canton merchant who was beloved and respected
by American and English residents in China, no
less for his integrity than for his great kindness
and his business ability.

In 1844 also William H. Webb built the Montauh,

64 The Clipper Ship Era

540 tons, for A. A. Low & Brother, and the Panama,
670 tons, for N. L. & G. Griswold, both vessels for
the China trade, and Samuel Hall, of East Boston,
built the barque Coquette, 420 tons, commanded by
Captain Oliver Eldridge. The Coquette sailed from
Boston, June 29, 1844, was 76 days to Java Head,
and 99 days to Canton. She was owned by Russell
& Co., of China, and made several fast passages be-
tween Calcutta and ports in China. Young James
H. Perkins made a voyage to China as a passenger
on board this vessel, and his famous schooner yacht
Coquette, which defeated the sloop Maria in a match
off Sandy Hook in 1846, was named for the clipper
barque.

These were among the first clipper ships built in
the United States, and while by no means extreme
clippers, they were sharper and finer models than
any vessels which had been constructed up to that
time, and clearly indicated the dawn of a new epoch
in naval architecture.

I have now brought this narrative to the opening
of the clipper ship era, and have endeavored to
sketch the development of the merchant marine of
Great Britain and the United States from the com-
mon starting point — where the ship-builders of both
countries derived their best knowledge of ship
nfodels and construction from the French — as they
advanced along diverging lines under different
climatic, social, and political conditions, , until we
now find them at points widely distant from each
other— Great Britain with her stately, frigate-built
Indiaman, embodying the glories of the past; the
United States with her wild packet ship scending

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 65

into a long, sweeping head sea, and flinging a rain-
bow of flying spray across her weather-bow, in
which was imaged the promise of a glorious future.

In 1841, John W. Griflfeths, of New York, pro-
posed several improvements in marine architecture,
which were embodied in the model of a clipper ship
exhibited at the American Institute, in February
of that year. Later he delivered a series of lectures
on the science of ship-building, which were the first
discourses upon this subject in the United States.
Mr. GrifEeths advocated carrying the stem forward
in a curved line, thereby lengthening the bow above
water; he also introduced long, hollow water-lines
and a general drawing out and sharpening of the
forward body, bringing the greatest breadth further
aft. Another improvement which he proposed was
to fine out the after body by rounding up the ends
of the main transom, thus relieving the quarters
and making the stern much lighter and handsomer
above the water-line.

This proposed departure from old methods nat-
urally met with much opposition, but in 1843 the
firm of Howland & Aspinwall commissioned Smith
& Dimon, of New York, in whose employ Mr. Grif-
feths had spent several years as draughtsman, to
embody these experimental ideas in a ship of
750 tons named the Rainbow. This vessel, tiie
first extreme clipper ship ever built, was there-
fore, the direct result of Mr. Griffeths's efforts for
improvement. Her bow with its concave water-
lines and the greatest breadth at a point consider-
ably further aft than had hitherto been regarded as
practicable, was a radical departure, differing not

66 The Clipper Ship Era

merely in degree but in kind from any ship that
preceded her. One critical observer declared that
her bow had been turned " outside in/' and that her
whole form was contrary to the laws of nature.
The Rainbow was designed and built with great
care and was not launched until January, 1845.

Mr. Griflfeths relates a good story about the mast-
ing of this vessel. It appears that Mr. Aspinwall,
who had an excellent idea of what a ship ought to
be, had come to the conclusion that the masting of
vessels was a question of no small moment in ship-
building, and determined that his new ship should
have the benefit of foreign aid in placing the masts.
Accordingly, he informed the builders that he would
obtain assistance from abroad, for their benefit as
well as his own. The builders naturally paid little
attention to this information. The port-captain,
who was appointed to superintend the construction,
was directed by Mr. Aspinwall to select the best
authorities in Europe on masting ships. The Euro-
pean experts were written to in reference to this
important matter, and after they had duly consid-
ered the principal dimensions of the vessel, the trade
in which she was to be employed, etc., a spar draft
and elaborate calculations were prepared and for-
warded to New York.

In the meantime, the constructiah of the Rainbow
had progressed steadily. The clalirips being ready,
the deck beams were'placed according to the original
drawings, the framing of the decks completed,
hatches and mast partners framed, channels and
mast-steps secured; the masts and yards were also
made and the ship planked and caulked by the time

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 67

the important despatches arrived. They were ex-
amined by the port-captain, Mr. Aspinwall was in-
formed that they were all right, and the port-
captain was requested to give the information to
the builders, which, of course, was done. The ship,
however, was finished without the slightest altera-
tion from the original plans. Mr. Aspinwall, who
never doubted that his pet project had been care-
fully carried out, attributed much of the success
of this vessel to the placing of her masts % foreign
rules.

The sharp model of the Rainbow gave rise to a
great deal of discussion while she was on the stocks
in course of construction. It was generally ad-
mitted by the recognized shipping authorities of
South Street, that she was a handsome vessel, but
whether she could be made to sail was a question
on which there were varieties of opinion. She proved
an excellent ship in every way and exceedingly fast.
Her second voyage to China out and home, was made
in six months and fourteen days, including two
weeks in port discharging and loading cargo. She
went out to China against the northeast monsoon in
ninety-two and home in eighty-eight days, bringing
the news of her own arrival at Canton. Captain John
Land, her able and enthusiastic commander, declared
that she was the fastest ship in the world, and this
was undeniably true; finding no one to differ from
him, he further gave it as his opinion that no ship
could be built to outsail the Rainbow, and it is also
true that very few vessels have ever broken her
record. She was lost on her fifth voyage while
bound from New York for Valparaiso in 1848 under

68 The Clipper Ship Era

command of Captain Hayes, and it was supposed
that she foundered off Cape Horn.

The Ariel, 572 tons, was built by John Currier at
Newburyport in 1846, for Minot & Hooper, of Bos-
ton. This ship became celebrated in the China trade
and was bought by N. L. & G. Grisw'old, and has
a record of 90 days from Canton to New York.

In 1846, Howland & Aspinwall, for whom Cap'
tain Robert H. Waterman had been making some
remarkably fast voyages in the old packet ship
Natchez, had a clipper ship built especially for him,
entrusting the design and construction to Smith
& Dimon, the builders of the Rainbow, though all
the details of spars, sails, and rigging were carried
out under the supervision of Captain Waterman,
This ship was the famous Sea Witch, of 890 tons,
length 170 feet, breadth 33 feet 11 inches, and depth
19 feet. She carried a cloud of canvas ; three stand-
ing skysail yards, royal studding sails, large square
lower studding sails with swinging booms, ringtail,
and water sails.

When loaded the Sea Witch lay low on the water;
her hull was painted black and her masts had a
considerable rake; her figurehead was an aggressive-
looking dragon, beautifully carved and gilded. She
had the reputation at that time of being the hand-
somest ship sailing out of New York, and her officers
and crew were picked men, several of whom had
sailed with Captain Waterman on his voyages in
the Natchez. She sailed on her first voyage, bound
for China, December 23, 1846, went to sea in a
strong northwest gale, and made a remarkable fine
run southward, arriving off the harbor of Rio

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 69

Janeiro in twenty-five days, where she exchanged
signals with the shore and sent letters and New
York newspapers by a vessel inward bound. She
made the passage from New York to Hong-kong in
104 days, and arrived at New York from Canton
July 25, 1847, in 81 days, making the run from
Anjer Point to Sandy Hook in 62 days. On her
second voyage she arrived at New York from Hong-
kong, November 7, 1847, in 105 days, and arrived
from Canton at New York, March 16, 1848, in 77
days. On this passage she made the run from St.
Helena to Sandy Hook in 32 days. Her next voy-
age was from New York to Valparaiso, where she
arrived July 5, 1848, in 69 days, thence to Hong-
kong, where she arrived December 7, 1848, in 52
days. She arrived at New York March 25, 1849, 79
days from Canton. She next sailed from New York
for Canton via Valparaiso and arrived at Canton
July 23, 1849, 118 sailing days from New York.
She arrived at New York March 7, 1850, from Can-
ton in 85 days, making the run from Java Head
in 73 days.

This is a most remarkable series of passages, es-
pecially considering the seasons of the year during
which most of her China voyages were made. Her
best twenty-four hours' run was 358 miles, a speed
far in excess of any ocean steamship of that period.
The Sea Witch during the first three years of her
career, was without doubt the swiftest ship that
sailed the seas, and she continued to distinguish
herself later on, in her passages from New York
to San Francisco under the command of Captain
George Fraser.

70 The Clipper Ship Era

In 1847, A. A. Low & Bro. brought out the Samuel
Russell, of 940 tons, built by Brown & Bell and
commanded by Captain N. B. Palmer, formerly of
the Houqua. Her first voyage from New York to
Hong-kong was made by the eastern passages in
114 days. On a voyage from Canton in 1851 she
sailed 6780 miles in 30 days, an average of 226
miles per day, her greatest twenty-four hours' run
being 328 miles. This ship was named for the emi-
nent New York merchant, founder of the house of
Russell & Co., of China, with whom the brothers
Low began their career as merchants and ship-
owners. She was a beautiful vessel, heavily sparred,
with plenty of light canvas for moderate weather,
and every inch a clipper.

The Architect, 520 tons, was also built in 1847,
at Baltimore, for Nye, Parkin & Co., American mer-
chants in China, and was commanded by Captain
George Potter.

The Memnon, 1068 tons, owned by Warren Delano,
was built by Smith & Dimon in 1848, and on her
first voyage to China was commanded by Captain
Oliver Eldridge.

These were the most celebrated of the clipper ships
built in the United States prior to the discovery
of gold in California in 1848, though there were, of
course, many other flue vessels engaged in the China
trade, which had for years brought home cargoes
of tea, silk, and spices. During the twelve months
from June 30, 1845 to July 1, 1846, forty-one vessels
arrived at New York from China, and probably as
many more at other Atlantic ports, chiefly Boston
and Salem. Besides these vessels ther^ were the

Early Clipper Ships, 1832-1848 71

South American, African, and East India fleets, as
well as the lines of splendid packet ships sailing
from New York, Boston, and Philadelphia to Euro-
pean ports. In 1847, the ships owned in the United
States and engaged in foreign commerce registered
1,241,313 tons.

The American clippers were decidedly the fastest
ships built up to that time, yet much of their speed
was due to the skill and energy of their command-
ers. The manner in which American vessels were
handled at this period will be seen by extracts from
the log-book of the ship Great Britain, 524 tons,
Captain Philip Dumaresq, on her homeward voy-
age from China in 1849-50. She left Java Head
December 22, 1849, and by January 14, 1850, had
passed seven vessels bound the same way. The log
from this date reads in part as follows :

" Squally, under double reefed topsails, passed a
ship laying-to under a close reefed maintopsail. . . .
January 24th, a southwest gale, close reefed top-
sails, split courses ; before doing this we were going
seven and one half knots close-hauled, within six
points of the wind under double-reefed topsails and
courses; January 25th, split all three topsails and
had to heave-to; five vessels in sight, one a Dutch
frigate, all hove-to; January 27th, seven vessels in
sight and we outsail all of them; January 29th
passed the Cape of Good Hope and anchored in
Table Bay, parted both chains and split nearly all
the sails; hove-to outside, blowing a gale offshore;
January 30th, at 6 a.m. bore up for St. Helena;
February 1st, fresh trades, passed a ship under
double reefs, we with our royals and studdingsails

72 The Clipper Ship Era

set; February 8th, anchored at St. Helena with a
stream anchor backed by remainder of one of the
chains; February 10th, having procured anchors
and water, left St. Helena; February 21st, crossed
the line in longitude 31; March 12th, under double-
reefed topsails, passed several vessels laying-to;
March 17th, took pilot off Sandy Hook, 84 days
from Java Head, including detentions."

Probably few if any of the vessels which Captain
Dumaresq passed hove-to or under short canvas were
sailing under the American flag. It is worthy of
note that the Great Britain was at that time twenty-
six years old, having been built by Brown & Bell
for the New York and Liverpool packet service in
1824, and of course, was by no means a clipper.

CHAPTER V

TWO EARLY CLIPPER SHIP COMMANDERS

CAPTAIN EGBERT H. WATERMAN, the first
commander of the Sea Witch, had been known
for some years among the shipping community of
New York as an exceptionally skilful seaman and
navigator, but he first began to attract public at-
tention about 1844 by some remarkably fast voyages
in the ship Natchez. Captain Waterman was born
in the city of New York, March 4, 1808, and at
the age of twelve shipped on board of a vessel bound
for China. After working through the grades of
ordinary and able seaman, and third, second, and
chief mate on board of various vessels, he sailed
for a number of voyages as mate with Captain
Charles H. Marshall in the Black Ball packet ship
Britannia between New York and Liverpool. At
that time he was counted one of the smartest mates
sailing out of New York, and was noted for keep-
ing the Britannia in fine shape, as well as for his
ability in maintaining proper order and discipline
among the steerage passengers and crew, who were
always a source of anxiety and trouble to packet-
ship captains. When his vessel was bound to the
westward in 1831, one of the sailors fell overboard
from aloft during a heavy gale, and Mr. Waterman

73

74 The Clipper Ship Era

saved the man's life at the risk of his own. The
cabin passengers of the Britannia presented him
with a substantial testimonial in appreciation of
his humane and gallant conduct. At this time he
was twenty-three years old. Two years later he was
promoted to captain, and in this capacity he made
five voyages round the globe.

In 1843 he took command of the Natchez. This
ship, as we have seen in Chapter III., was one of
the full-pooped New Orleans packets, and was built
by Isaac Webb in 1831. Captain Waterman took
her around Cape Horn to the west coast of South
America, thence across the Pacific to Canton,
where he loaded a cargo of tea for New York, and
made the passage home in 94 days and the voyage
round the globe in 9 months and 26 days. In 1844
Captain Waterman sailed again in the Natchez from
New York for Valparaiso and made the passage in
71 days, thence to Callao in 8 days, and to Hong-
kong in 54 days. She again loaded tea for New
York and sailed from Canton January 15, 1845,
passed Java Head on the 26th, and 39 days out
was off the Cape of Good Hope, crossed the equator
61 days out, arriving in New York April 3d, 78
days from Canton, a total distance of 13,955 miles.
Her run from the equator to New York in 17 days,
and indeed, this whole passage, was most remark-
able, as the Natchez during her packet days had
established the reputation of being an uncommonly
slow ship. Captain Waterman received a grand
ovation in New York upon this record passage from
China, and it was suggested that he had brought
the old hooker home by some route unknown to

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 75

other navigators. In 1845-46 Captain Waterman
made one more voyage to China in the Natchez,
from New York direct to Hong-kong in 104 days,
and returned to New York in 83 days.

A seires of voyages such as these, by a ship of
the type and character of the Natchez, would prob-
ably have established the reputation of any one
commanding her, and when we consider that " Bob "
Waterman, for so he was known, was at this time
a young captain of an unusually attractive person-
ality, it is not difficult to understand the pride and
admiration with which he was regarded by his
friends, of whom he had many, both in New York
and in the various foreign ports to which he had
sailed. The owners of the Natchez, Howland &
Aspinwall, were so favorably impressed not only
by his ability as a seaman and navigator, but by
his loyalty to their interests, that, as we have
seen, they built the clipper ship Sea Witch for
him in 1846. While she was building, Captain
Waterman married Cordelia, a daughter of David
Sterling, of Bridgeport, and Mrs. Waterman
was present as a bride when the ship was
launched.

In 1849, Captain Waterman resigned from the
Sea Witch to take the Pacific Mail steamship North-
erner from New York to San Francisco. During
the three years that he had commanded the Sea
Witch, she had made a large amount of money for
her owners, and Captain Waterman had added to
his reputation, — so much so, indeed, that certain
good people began to say unpleasant things of him.
It was alleged that Captain Waterman carried sail

76 The Clipper Ship Era

too hard, that he exceeded the bounds of prudence
in this respect, and kept padlocks on the topsail
sheets and packings on the topsail halliards fore
and aft; also that he maintained a standard of
discipline far more severe than was necessary.

It is probable that Captain Waterman did carry
sail rather hard — most American captains who
wanted to get anywhere in those days usually did
— and as to the padlocks and packings, more than
one captain used these precautions to prevent vil-
lainous or cowardly sailors from letting go sheets
and halliards by the run, when according to their
ideas the ship had too much canvas on her. The
fact, however, remains that in the eighteen years
during which Captain Waterman commanded vari-
ous ships, he never lost a spar or carried away
rigging of any importance, and never called on un-
derwriters for one dollar of loss or damage. The
record shows that six of the men before the mast
sailed with him upon all his voyages in the Natchez
and the Sea Witch, a rare occurrence at that period,
or at any other time of which we have Knowledge,
and creditable alike to the sailors, the ships, and
their commander.

The truth is that Captain Waterman was a hu-
mane, conscientious, high-minded man, who never
spared himself nor any one else when a duty was
to be performed. There are, and always have been,
lazy, incompetent, mutinous sailors, a type of men
that Captain Waterman detested. They found no
comfort in sailing with him, and were glad when
the voyage was ended, so that they might scramble
ashore and relate their woes to the sympathetic

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 77

legal " gents " who were usually to be found hang-
ing about Pier 9, East River, when the Sea Witch
was reported coming up the bay. We shall hear
more of Captain Waterman and. his crew on board
of the Challenge in a later chapter.

The celebrated clipper-ship captain, Nathaniel
Brown Palmer, the first commander of the Paul
Jones, Houqua, Samuel Russell, and Oriental, was
born in the pretty town of Stonington, on Long
Island Sound in 1799, and came from distinguished
colonial ancestry. His grandfather's only brother
fell mortally wounded at the battle of Groton
Heights in 1771, while his father was an eminent
lawyer and a man of marked ability.

At the age of fourteen or just as the War of
1812 was fairly under way, Nathaniel shipped on
board of a coasting vessel which ran to ports be-
tween Maine and New York, and continued in this
service until he was eighteen, when he was appointed
second mate of the brig Hersilia, bound down some-
where about Cape Horn on a sealing voyage.

These sealing expeditions were also at that period
more or less voyages of discovery. For years there
had been rumors of a mythical island called Au-
roras, embellished with romance and mystery by
the whalers of Nantucket, New Bedford, and New
London, and described as lying away to the east-
ward of the Horn, concerning which no forecastle
yarn was too extravagant for belief. Whaling cap-
tains by the score had spent days and weeks in
unprofitable search for it. On this voyage Captain
J. P. Sheffield, of the Hersilia, landed at one of the
Falkland Islands, where he left his second mate

78 The Clipper Ship Era

and one sailor to kill bullocks for provisions, and
then sailed away in search of the fabled island.

Young Nat Palmer proceeded to capture and slay
bullocks, and when, after a few days, a ship hove
in sight, he piloted her into a safe anchorage, and
supplied her with fresh meat. This vessel proved
to be the Espirito Santo, from Buenos Ayres, and
the captain informed Nat that he was bound to a
place where there were thousands of seals, and
where a cargo could be secured with little effort,
but he declined to disclose its position. The mind
of the young sailor naturally turned to the magic
isle of Auroras, where, according to the saga pre-
served beside the camp-fires of corner grocery stores
in New England whaling towns, silver, gold, and
precious gems lay scattered along the beach in glit-
tering profusion, the treasure of some huge galleon,
wrecked and broken up centuries ago, when Spain
was powerful upon the sea.

There must have been something about the whale
fishery highly inspiring to the imagination, though
to see one of the greasy old Nantucket or New
Bedford blubber hunters wallowing about in the
South Pacific, one would hardly have suspected it,
yet among the spinners 'of good, tough tarry sea
yarns, some of the authors of narratives relating to
the pursuit and capture of the whale are easily
entitled to wear champion belts as masters of pure
fiction. Whaling is one of the least hazardous, the
most commonplace, and, taken altogether about the
laziest occupation that human beings have ever been
engaged in upon the sea. Sailors aboard the clip-
pers fifty years ago used to refer to whale ships as

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 79

"butcher shops adrift," and on account of the
slovenly condition of their hulls, spars, sails, and
rigging, a " spouter " was generally regarded among
seamen as one of the biggest jokes afloat. As a
matter of fact the whale is about as stupid and in-
offensive a creature as exists, and when occasion-
. ally he does some harm — smashing up a boat, for
instance — it is usually in a flurry of fright, with
no malice or intent to kill. If a whale possessed
the instinct of self-defence he could never be cap-
tured with a harpoon, but he has evidently been
created as he is for the benefit of mankind, and
incidentally as a temptation to scribes, from the
days of the indigestible Jonah even to the piscatory
romancers of our own times.

Well, the captain of the Espirito Santo, after fill-
ing his water-casks, laying in a stock of provisions,
and giving his crew a run ashore sheeted home his
topsails, hove up anchor, and departed. Young Nat
took such a lively interest in the welfare of this
craft that he carefully watched her progress until
the last shred of her canvas faded upon the horizon.
He judged by the sun, for he had no compass, that
her course was about south.

Three days after the departure of the Espirito
Santo, the Hersilia appeared. Captain Sheflaeld had
found nothing and seen nothing, except the cold, gray
sky, and the long, ceaseless heaving of the South-
ern Ocean's mighty breast, a few stray, hungry,
screeching albatross, and once in a while, for a
moment, a whale, with smooth, glistening back,
spouting jets of feathery spray high in the keen,
misty air, then sounding among the caverns of the

8o The Clipper Ship Era

deep. He had returned, like so many other credu-
lous mariners, empty-handed, but he found his
young second mate in a white heat of enthusiasm
as he reported to his commander what he had
learned, and finally, with the hopefulness of youth,
declared his belief that " we can follow that Espirito
Santo, and find her, too." And they did, for in a few
days she was discovered lying at anchor in a bay off
the South Shetlands, islands at that time unknown
in North America, though soon to become famous
as the home of seals. The officers and crew of the
Espirito Santo greeted them with surprise, while
their admiration took the substantial form of assist-
ing to load the Hersilia with ten thousand of the
finest sealskins, with which she returned to
Stonington.

This exploit spread like wildfire through New
England whaling ports, and secured Captain Palmer
at the age of twenty, command of the Stonington
sloop Hero, " but little rising forty tons," on board
of which he sailed again for the Antarctic seas, as
tender to the Hersilia, in 1819. Upon this voyage,
after calling at the Falkland Islands for water
and provisions, they again steered for the South
Shetlands, and the Hersilia and Hero returned to
Stonington with full cargoes of sealskins.

In 1821, Captain Palmer again sailed in the Hero
upon an expedition to the South Shetlands, com-
posed of six vessels commanded by Captain William
Penning of the brig Alaiama Packet. By this
time, however, the seals had been nearly exter-
minated, and Captain Palmer sailed farther south
in search of new sealing-groimds, until he sighted

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 8i

land not laid down on any chart. He cruised along
the coast for some days and satisfied himself that
it was not an island, and after anchoring in several
bays without finding any seals, although the high
cliffs and rocks were covered by multitudes of
penguin, he steered away to the northward with
light winds and fog.

One night the Hero lay becalmed in a dense fog,
the cold, penetrating mist drenching her sails and
dripping from the main boom along her narrow
deck. At midnight Captain Palmer relieved his
mate and took the deck for the middle watch.
When the man at the helm struck one bell, the
captain was somewhat startled to hear the sound
repeated twice at short intervals, for he knew, or
thought he knew, that the only living things within
many leagues were whales, albatross, penguin, and
the like, nor did he recall ever hearing that these
harmless creatures carried bells with them. The
men of the watch on deck were really alarmed, for
in those days superstition had not by any means
departed from the ocean. The crew had heard of
the fierce Kraken of northern seas, and suddenly
remembered all about the doomed and unforgiven
Vanderdecken, to say nothing of mythical local
celebrities, renowned in all the barrooms of coast
towns between Cornfield Point and Siasconset
Head, nor were their fears assuaged when at two
bells the same thing happened again, and so on
through the watch.

Captain Palmer, however, concluded that, strange
as it seemed, he must be in company with other
vessels, and so at four o'clock he left the mate in

82 The Clipper Ship Era

charge of the deck with orders to call him if the
fog lifted, and turned in for his morning watch
below. At seven bells the mate reported that the
fog had cleared a little and a light breeze was
springing up, and by the time Captain Palmer got
on deck two large men-of-war were in sight not
more than a mile distant — a frigate on the port
bow and a sloop of war on the starboard quarter,
both showing Russian colors. Soon the United
States ensign was run up at the main peak of the
Eero and floated gaily in the morning breeze. The
three vessels were now hove to, and a twelve-oared
launch was seen approaching from the frigate, her
crew and officer in the stern sheets in uniform.
As she swept round the stern of the Eero the crew
tossed oars and the coxswain shot her alongside.
She really looked almost as large as the little sloop ;
at all events the Russian officer stepped from her
gunwale to the deck of the Eero. The officer spoke
English fluently, and presented the compliments of
Commander Bellingshausen, who invited the cap-
tain of the American sloop to come on board his
ship.

Captain Palmer was all his life a man of pur-
pose rather than of ceremony, though by no means
deficient in dignity and self-respect. He accepted
the invitation, and giving an order or two to his
mate, stepped into the launch just as he stood,
in sea boots, sealskin-coat, and sou'wester. They
were soon alongside the frigate, and Captain Palmer
was ushered into the commander's spacious and
luxurious cabin. The scene was impressive; the
venerable, white-haired commander surrounded by

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 83

his officers in uniform, and the stalwart young
American captain standing, with respectful dig-
nity, his rough weather-worn sea-dress contrasting
with his fresh, intelligent, handsome face. Com-
mander Bellingshausen smiled pleasantly, and tak-
ing his guest by the hand, said kindly, " You are
welcome, young man; be seated."

After questioning Captain Palmer about him-
self, his vessel, and the land he had discovered, and
incidentally remarking that he himself had been
two years upon a voyage of discovery, the com-
mander asked to see Captain Palmer's chart and
log-book. These were sent for on board the Hero
while an elaborate luncheon was being served, and
were afterwards carefully examined. The com-
mander then rose from his seat and placing his
hand in a parental manner upon the young cap-
tain's head, delivered quite an oration : " I name
the land you have discovered ' Palmer Land * in
your honor; but what will my august master say,
and what will he think of my cruising for two
years in search of land that has been discovered
by a boy, in a sloop but little larger than the launch
of my frigate?" Captain Palmer was unable to
offer any information on this point, but he thanked
his host for the honor conferred upon him, and
for his kindness and hospitality, remaining some-
what non-committal in his opinion as to the old
gentleman's qualifications as an explorer.

It may be mentioned that upon all charts this
portion of the Antarctic Continent is laid down
as " Palmer Land," also that some twenty years
elapsed before it was rediscovered by the British

84 The Clipper Ship Era

explorer, Sir James Eoss, in command of the
famous Erelus and Terror expedition.

Captain Palmer next took command of the
schooner Cadet, owned by Borrows & Spooner, of
New York, on board of which he made a number
of voyages to the Spanish Main. In 1826 he took
the brig Tampico to Carthagena, and upon his re-
turn he married a daughter of Major Paul Babcock
and sister of Captain David S. Babcock, afterwards
famous as commander of the clipper ships Sword-
Fish and Young America, and subsequently Presi-
dent of the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. Captain
Palmer then took the brig Francis on several voy-
ages to Europe, and in 1829 was in command of the
brig Anawan, exploring new sealing-grounds among
the islands about Cape Horn. In 1833 he took
command of the New Orleans packet ship Hunts-
ville, and then of the Eibernia, Garrick, and Sid-
dons. In 1842 and the years following, as we have
seen, he commanded the clippers Paul Jones,
Houqua, Samuel Russell, and Oriental, and in 1850
retired from the sea.

At this time he was well known, not only among
his neighbors and friends at Stonington, but in the
great seaports of Europe and China as " Captain
Nat," and many of those who talked about what he
had said and what he had done were apparently un-
aware that he possessed any other name. It is
pleasant to reflect that the neighboring seaport of
Bristol has perpetuated the title in one who is
respected and beloved, not more for his genius than
for his modesty and reserve.

It was, of course, impossible for a man of Cap-

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 85

tain Palmer's earnest temperament and varied ac-
tivities to lead a life of pleasure and idleness, so
one of the first things that he did upon his re-
tirement was to take the auxiliary steamship
United States from New York to Bremen
where she was sold. When some of his friends
rallied him, asking whether he considered this giv-
ing up the sea. Captain Palmer replied, " Well, I
really don't know how you can call a trip like this
going to sea."

For many years Captain Palmer was the confi-
dential adviser of A. A. Low & Brother in all
matters relating to their ships, which occupied a con-
siderable portion of his time, and while he was a
seaman par excellence, he also possessed other accom-
plishments. He had much knowledge of the design
and construction of ships, and many of his sugges-
tions were embodied in the Eouqua, Samuel Russell,
Oriental, and other ships subsequently owned by
the Lows. He was also a fine all-round sportsman,
being a skilful yachtsman, excellent shot, and
truthful fisherman. Altogether, he owned some fif-
teen yachts, and he was one of the earliest members
of the New York Yacht Club, joining on June 7,
1845. The beautiful schooner Juliet, of seventy
tons, designed by himself, was the last yacht owned
by him. On board of her he sailed, summer after
summer, upon the pleasant waters of the New Eng-
land coast that he had known from boyhood and
loved so well.

Captain Palmer stood fully six feet, and was a
man of great physical strength and endurance. He
was an active member of the Currituck Club, and at

86 The Clipper Ship Era

the age of seventy-six, on his annual cruise to the
Thimble Islands for duck shooting, few of the party
of much younger men held so steady a gun, or
could endure the fatigue and exposure for which
he seemed to care nothing. Though rugged in ap-
pearance, his roughness was all on the outside; his
heart was filled with kindness and sympathy for
the joys and sorrows of others. His brother. Captain
Alexander Palmer, a seaman only less famous than
himself, once said : " My home is here in Stonington,
but Nat's home is the world." Captain Palmer was
deeply though not vainly religious, and was long a
warden of Calvary Episcopal Church at Stonington.
In 1876 he accompanied his nephew, Nathaniel B.
Palmer, his brother Alexander's eldest son, who was
in feeble health, to Santa Barbara, but as the in-
valid derived no benefit there, they went for the
sea voyage to China on board the clipper ship Mary
Whitridge. At Hong-kong, Captain Palmer received
an ovation, for, while few of his old friends there
were still alive, those who were left had good mem-
ories. On the return voyage to San Francisco on
the steamship City of Pehin, Captain Palmer's
nephew died when the vessel was but one day out.
This was a terrible blow to Captain Palmer, from
which he never recovered. On arriving at San
Francisco he was confined to his bed, and although
he received every care, he died there on June 21,
1877, in his seventy-eighth year. At the close of a
glorious summer day, the remains of the devoted
uncle and nephew were laid at rest in the church-
yard at Stonington, by the hands of those who had
known and loved them well.

Early Clipper Ship Commanders 87

Captain Palmer was a fine type of the American
merchant seaman of that period, and I have thought
it worth while to trace the leading events of his
life, because he always seemed to me to be the
father of American clipper-ship captains. Prob-
ably no one ever brought up so many young men
who afterward became successful shipmasters, while
his character and example were an inspiration to
many who never sailed with him. It is indicative
of the broad and far-reaching sympathies of Captain
Palmer's life, that not only a part of the Antarctic
Continent bears his name — an enduring monument to
his memory — but that A. A. Low & Brother named
one of their finest clipper ships, the N. B. Palmer,
and the famous schooner-yacht Palmer, owned for
many years by Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, was also
named for him. Few men in private life have had
part of a continent, a clipper ship, and yacht named
for them.

CHAPTER VI

THE REPEAL OP THE BRITISH NAVIGATION LAWS — THE
" ORIENTAL "

THE repeal of the British Navigation Laws in
1849, after violent opposition in Parliament
and the House of Lords, and from almost every
British ship-builder and ship-owner, gave a new im-
petus to the building of clipper ships, as the British
merchant marine was then for the first time brought
into direct competition with the vessels of other
nationalities, especially those of the United States.

During the years that had elapsed since the clos-
ing up of the East India Company in 1832, some
effort had been made to improve the model and
construction of British merchant ships, and as we
have seen, clipper schooners had been built for the
Aberdeen service and for the opium trade in China,
but no attempt had been made in Great Britain to
build clipper ships. British ship-owners still felt
secure under the Navigation Laws, in the possession
of their carrying trade with the Far East, and paid
little attention to the improvements in naval archi-
tecture which had been effected in the United States.

This was not from ignorance of what had been
accomplished there, for the fast American packet

Repeal of Navigation Laws 89

ships had long been seen lying in the London and
Liverpool docks. In 1848, Lord William Lennox,
in an article entitled A Fortnight in Cheshire, men-
tions seeing them. He says: "Here (Lirerpool)
are some splendid American liners. I went on
board the Henry Clay of New York, and received
the greatest attention from her commander. Cap-
tain Ezra Nye. Nothing can exceed the beauty of
this ship; she is quite a model for a frigate. Her
accommodations are superior to any sailing vessel
I ever saw." There were also the Independence,
Yorkshire, Montezuma, Margaret Evans, New
World, and scores of other fast American packet
ships which had been sailing in and out of Liver-
pool and London for years. The arrivals and de-
partures of these vessels created no deep impression
upon the minds of British ship-owners, because they
were not at that time competing with sailing vessels
for the North Atlantic trade to the United States.

The same lack of enterprise was apparent in
the men who handled their vessels, as we may see
from the following amusing description in De
Tocqueville's Democracy in America, published in
18351;

" The European sailor navigates with prudence ;
he only sets sail when the weather is favorable ; if an
unfortunate accident befalls him, he puts into port;
at night he furls a p<^rtion of his canvas ; and when
the whitening billows intimate the vicinity of land,
he checks his way and takes an observation of the
sun. But the American neglects these precautions

1 Second American edition, translated by H. Reeve,
pp. 403-4.

90 The Clipper Ship Era

and braves these dangers. He weighs anchor in
the midst of tempestuous gales; by night and day
he spreads his sheets to the winds; he repairs as
he goes along such damage as his vessel may have
sustained from the storm; and when he at last
approaches the term of his voyage, he darts onward
to the shore as if he already descried a port. The
Americans are often shipwrecked, but no trader
crosses the seas so rapidly. And as they perform
the same distance in shorter time, they can perform
it at a cheaper rate.

" The European touches several times at different
ports in the course of a long voyage; he loses a
good deal of precious time in making harbor, or in
waiting for a favorable wind to leave it; and pays
daily dues to be allowed to remain there. The
American starts from Boston to purchase tea in
China ; he arrives at Canton, stays there a few days,
and then returns. In less than two years he has
sailed as far as the entire circumference of the globe,
and he has seen land but once. It is true that during
a voyage of eight or ten months he has drunk brack-
ish water, and lived upon salt meat; that he has
been in a continual contest with the sea, with dis-
ease, and with a tedious existence; but, upon his
return, he can sell a pound of tea for a half-penny
less than the English merchant, and his purpose is
accomplished.

" I cannot better explain my meaning than by
saying that the Americans affect a sort of heroism
in their manner of trading. But the European
merchant will always find it very difficult to imitate
his American competitor, who, in adopting the sys-

Repeal of Navigation Laws 91

tem I have just described, follows not only a
calculation of Ms gain, but an impulse of his
nature."

At that time there were several American ships
that could have transported De Tocqueville from
Boston to Canton and back in considerably less
than two years, and doubtless their captains would
have supplied him with something much better than
brackish water to drink, besides convincing him
that what he regarded as recklessness was in reality
fine seamanship, and that he had been in no greater
danger of shipwreck than on board a vessel of any
other nationality, besides being a great deal more
comfortable.

Some time before 1849, British sea-captains must
have seen the American clipper ships in the ports
of China; or perhaps an Indiaman in the lone
southern ocean may have been lying almost be-
calmed on the long heaving swell, lurching and slat-
ting the wind out of her baggy hemp sails, while
her oflBcers and crew watched an American clipper
as she swept past, under a cloud of canvas, curling
the foam along her keen, slender bow. But when
these mariners returned home and related what
they had seen, their yarns were doubtless greeted
with a jolly, good-humored smile of British incredu-
lity. With the Navigation Laws to protect them,
British ship-owners cared little about American
ships and their exploits.

These Navigation Laws, first enacted in 1651 by
the Parliament of Cromwell, and affirmed by
Charles II. soon after his restoration to the throne,
were intended to check the increasing power of

92 The Clipper Ship Era

Holland upon the sea, but they had quite the con-
trary effect. With a few slight changes, however,
they were passed along from generation to genera-
tion, until Adam Smith exposed the fallacy of
Protection in his Wealth of Nations, which appeared
in 1776. From that time on, British statesmen,
few in number at first, adopted his teachings, and
under the pressure of popular clamor some conces-
sions were made, especially in the way of reciprocity
treaties, but it was nearly three quarters of a
century before these barbaric old laws, a legacy
from the thieving barons, were finally swept
away.

It may be well briefly to enumerate these laws
as they stood previous to their repeal, for it is
seldom that one comes across so much ingenious
stupidity in so compact a form ; also mainly because
through their repeal the ships of Great Britain
eventually became the greatest ocean carriers of the
world.

(I.) Certain enumerated articles of European pro-
duce could only be imported to the United Kingdom
for consumption, in British ships or in ships of
the country of which the goods were the produce,
or in ships of that country from which they were
usually imported.

(II.) No produce of Asia, Africa, or America
could be imported for consumption in the United
Kingdom from Europe in any ships; and such pro-
duce could only be imported from any other place
in British ships or in ships of the country of which
they were the produce.

(III.) No goods could be carried coastwise from

Repeal of Navigation Laws 93

one part of the United Kingdom to another in any
but British ships.

(IV.) No goods could be exported from the United
Kingdom to any of the British possessions in Asia,
Africa, or America (with some exceptions in regard
to India) in any but British ships.

(V.) No goods could be carried from one British
possession in Asia, Africa, or America to another,
nor from one part of such possession to another
part of the same, in any but British ships.

(VI.) No goods could be imported into any Brit-
ish possessions in Asia, Africa, or America, in any
but British ships, or ships of the country of which
the goods were the produce; provided also, in such
case, that such ships brought the goods from that
country.

(VII.) No foreign ships were allowed to trade
with any of the British possessions unless they had
been specially authorized to do so by orders in
Council.

(VIII.) Powers were given to the sovereign in
Council to impose differential duties on the ships
of any country which did the same with reference
to British ships; and also to place restrictions on
importations from any foreign countries which
placed restrictions on British importations into
such countries.

Furthermore, by an act passed in 1786, British
subjects were prohibited from owning foreign-built
vessels. This act was regarded as one of the Navi-
gation Laws, and was repealed with them.

One of the objects of the repeal of the Navigation
Laws was to enable British ship-owners to become

94 The Clipper Ship Era

the ocean carriers of the world, and to remove
every restraint as to where they should build or
buy their ships. This step was a natural sequence
to the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, and the
glorious dawn of Free Trade, by which every Brit-
ish subject was permitted to purchase whatever he
required in the best and cheapest market, and so
was able to work at a moderate wage, and to have
continuous employment. Thus Great Britain, with
few natural advantages, became the great workshop
of the world and controlled every market upon the
globe in which her manufactures were not excluded
by the barrier of Protection. Even from these
countries she reaped a decided benefit, for they
were so hampered by Protection, which increased
the expense of living, created high rates of wages
for labor but with uncertain employment, and
brought about increased cost of production, whether
of ships or merchandise, that it became impossible
for them to compete in the open markets of the
world, and these avenues of trade were left open
for Great Britain to exploit at her pleasure.

Such was the belief of the great leader, Richard
Cobden, and his brilliant colleagues. They were
convinced that if British merchants were to carry
on the commerce of Great Britain they must do so
untrammelled as to where they bought or built
their ships; they realized the fact that cheaper and
better wooden sailing vessels — then the ocean cargo
carriers of the world — were being built in the United
States than could be constructed in Great Britain.
(Indeed, as we shall presently see, the finest, larg-
est, and fastest ships owned or chartered in Great

Repeal of Navigation Laws 95

Britain between the years 1850 and 1857, came from
the shipyards of the United States.) They fully
recognized the importance of the home ship-building
industry, and did everything possible to encourage
it, but they also perceived that ship-owning is of
vastly more importance to a nation than ship-
building, and that fleets of ships are not commerce
but only the instruments with which commerce per-
forms its work; likewise, that the nation owning
the best and cheapest ships, no matter where or
by whom built, must and will, other things being
equal, do not only most of its own carrying trade,
but also a considerable portion of that of other
nations. These men were not willing any longer
to sacrifice the carrying trade of their country in
order that a few comparatively unimportant ship-
builders, grown incompetent through long years of
monopoly, might continue to thrive at the expense
of the nation.

No people excel the English in courage and re-
source in times of national trouble, and they had
long before this fought battles for freedom — free-
dom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of the
press, freedom of the slave, freedom to worship God,
— and now the final contest for freedom, the
freedom of trade, had been bravely fought and won.
The result, of course, was not immediate, as it re-
quired several years to recover from the evil effects
of two centuries of Protection. The fruits of vic-
tories for freedom rarely ripen quickly, and in this
instance the records show that the increase of Brit-
ish shipping for the year before the repeal of the
Navigation Laws had been 393,955 tons, while dur-

96 The Clipper Ship Era

ing the year following there had been a decrease of
180,576 tons; also that foreign yessels arriving from
foreign ports increased from 75,278 tons to 364,587
tons in these years. It was therefore natural that
there should be a feeling of despondency through-
out Great Britain among those who had opposed
the repeal, for they thought that their fears were
being realized, and that the over-sea carrying trade,
which they had regarded as their own, was being
taken from them. In this hour of gloom the stout-
hearted ship-owners of London and Liverpool re-
solved that England should again become Mistress
of the Sea, and so competition, the stimulus needed
to rouse their latent abilities, was the instrument
of their salvation.

The first American ship to carry a cargo of tea
from Chiaa ^ to Efl LslaB^- after the rq)eal (St t h «-
non Laws was the clipper Oriental, of 1003
tons, built for A. A. Low & Brother in 1849, by
Jacob Bell, who continued in the ship-building
business after the firm of Brown & Bell was dis-
solved in 1848. This ship's length was 185 feet,
breadth 36 feet, depth 21 feet. She sailed from
New York on her first voyage, commanded by Cap-
tain N. B. Palmer, September 14, 1849, and arrived
at Hong-kong by the Eastern passages in 109 days.
She discharged, took on board a full cargo of tea for
New York, sailed January 30, 1850, and arrived April
21st, 81 days' passage. This was Captain Palmer's
last command, though he lived many years, as we
have seen, to enjoy the fruits of his toil upon the sea.

The Oriental sailed on her second voyage from
New York for China, May 19, 1850, under the com-

The "Oriental" 97

mand of Captain Theodore Palmer, a younger
brother of Captain Nat, and was 25 days to the
equator; she passed the meridian of the Cape of
Good Hope 45 days out, Java Head 71 days out,
and arrived at Hong-kong, August 8th, 81 days from
New York. She was at once chartered through
Russell & Co. to load a cargo of tea for London
at £6 per ton of 40 cubic feet, while British ships
were waiting for cargoes for London at £3 :10 per ton
of 50 cubic feet. She sailed August 28th, and beat
down the China Sea against a strong southwest
monsoon in 21 days to Anjer, arrived off the Lizard
in 91 days, and was moored in the West India Docks,
London, 97 days from Hong-kong — a passage from
China never before equalled in point of speed, es-
pecially against the southwest monsoon, and rarely
surpassed since. She delivered 1600 tons of tea,
and her freight from Hong-kong amounted to
£9600, or some |48,000. Her first cost ready for
sea was $70,000. From the date of her first sail-
ing from New York, September 14, 1849, to arrival
at London, December 3, 1850, the Oriental had
sailed a distance of 67,000 miles, and had during
that time been at sea 367 days, an average in all
weathers of 183 miles per day.

Throngs of people visited the West India Docks
to look at the Oriental. They certainly saw a
beautiful ship; every line of her long, black hull
indicated power and speed; her tall raking masts
and skysail-yards towered above the spars of the
shipping in the docks; her white cotton sails were
neatly furled under bunt, quarter, and yardarm gas-
kets ; while her topmast, topgallant, and royal stud-

98 The Clipper Ship Era

dingsail booms and long, heavy, lower studdingsail
booms swung in along her rails, gave an idea of
the enormous spread of canvas held in reserve for
light and moderate leading winds; her blocks,
standing and running rigging were neatly fitted
to stand great stress and strain, but with no un-
necessary top-hamper, or weight aloft. On deck
everything was for use; the spare spars, scraped
bright and varnished, were neatly lashed along the
waterways ; the inner side of the bulwarks, the rails
and the deck-houses were painted pure white; the
hatch combings, skylights, pin-rails, and compan-
ions were of Spanish mahogany; the narrow planks
of her clear pine deck, with the gratings and lad-
ders, were scrubbed and holystoned to the whiteness
of cream; the brass capstan heads, bells, belaying
pins, gangway stanchions, and brasswork about the
wheel, binnacle, and skylights were of glittering
brightness. Throughout she was a triumph of the
shipwright's and seaman's toil and skill.

No ship like the Oriental had even been seen in
England, and the ship-owners of London were con-
strained to admit that they had nothing to compare
with her in speed, beauty of model, rig, or construc-
tion. It is not too much to say that the arrival
of this vessel in London with her cargo of tea in
this crisis in 1850, aroused almost as much appre-
hension and excitement in Great Britain as was
created by the memorable Tea Party held in Boston
harbor in 1773. The Admiralty obtained permis-
sion to take off her lines in dry dock; the Illus-
trated London Wews published her portrait, not a
very good one by the way; and the Times honored

The "Oriental"

99

her arrival by a leader, which, ended with these
brave, wise words :

" The rapid increase of population in the United
States, augmented by an annual immigration of
nearly three hundred thousand from these isles, is
a fact that forces itself on the notice and interest
of the most unobservant and uncurious. All these
promise to develop the resources of the United
States to such an extent as to compel us to a
competition as diflflcult as it is unavoidable. We
must run a race with our gigantic and unshackled
rival. We must set our long-practised skill, our
steady industry, and our dogged determination,
against his youth, ingenuity, and ardor. It is a
father who runs a race with his son. A fell neces-
sity constrains us and we must not be beat. Let
our ship-builders and employers take warning in
time. There will always be an abundant supply
of vessels, good enough and fast enough for short
voyages. The coal-trade can take care of itself, for
it will always be a refuge for the destitute. But
we want fast vessels for the long voyages, which
otherwise will fall into American hands. It is for-
tunate that the Navigation Laws have been repealed
in time to destroy these false and unreasonable
expectations, which might have lulled the ardor of
British competition. We now all start together
with a fair field and no favor. The American cap-
tain can call at London, and the British captain
can pursue his voyage to New York. Who can com-
plain? Not we. We trust that our countrymen
will not be beaten ; but if they should be, we shall
know that they deserve it."

CHAPTER VII

THE EUSH FOE CALIFOENIA — A SAILING DAY

THE world has seldom witnessed so gigantic a
migration of human beings, by land and sea,
fr om eYer x_jjpiaEt er of th e globe, as that which
PQuredin to Califor nia-j^-^.g48_and the years fol-
lowing. Sa n Fran cisco, from a d rowSyy-Mexican
trading station, composed of a clusteFoFsome fifty
mud huts, adobe dwellings, and hide houses, sit-
uated upon a magnificent bay with lofty moun-
tains in the distance, occasionally enlivened by the
visit of a New Bedford or Nantucket whale ship in
need of wood and water, or a Boston hide droger
which took away tallow, hides, and horns, suddenly
became one of the great seaports of the world.

From April^l, 1847, to the same date in 1848,
two ships, one barque and one brig arrived at San
Francisco from Atlantic ports, and in the course
of this year nine American whalers called in there.
In 1849, 775 vessels cleared from Atlantic ports
for San Francisco ; 242 ships, 218 barques, 170 brigs,
132 schooners, and 12 steamers. New York sent
214 vessels, Boston 151, New Bedford 42, Baltimore
38, New Orleans 32, Philadelphia 31, Salem 23,
Bath 19, Bangor 18, New London 17, Providence
11, Eastport 10, and Nantucket 8. Almost every

100

The Rush for California loi

seaport aJong the Atlantic coast, sent one or more
vessels, and they all carried passengers. The
schooner Eureka sailed from Cleveland, Ohio, for
San Francisco via the River St. Lawrence, Sep-
tember 28, 1849, and carried fifty-three passengers,
among whom were two families from Cleveland.
Many of these vessels never reached California;
some of them put into ports of refuge disabled and
in distress; while others were never heard from.
Most of the ships that did arrive at San Francisco
made long, weary voyages, their passengers and
crews suffering sore hardships and privations.

In the year 1849, 91,405 passengers landed at San
Fr'Sliclsco trohi Vtiriuus ports of the world, of al-
mosz every nliUuualitj' uuder-therfeun and represent-
ing some of the -best and some of the worst types
of men and women. The officers and crews, with
hardly an exception, hurried to the mines, leaving
their ships to take care of themselves; in some
instances the crews did not even wait long enough
to stow the sails and be paid off, so keen were they
to join the wild race for gold. Many of these
vessels never left the harbor; over one hundred
were turned into store ships, while others were con-
verted into hotels, hospitals, and prisons, or grad-
ually perished by decay.

The first vessel, and one of the few of the Cali-
fornia fleet of 1849, which escaped from San
Francisco, was the ship South Carolina. This ves-
sel sailed from New York, January 24, 1849, and
returned via Valparaiso with a cargo of copper to
Boston, where she arrived February 20, 1850, after
a voyage out and home of some thirteen months.

I02 The Clipper Ship Era

A letter from San Francisco to the New York
Herald, dated February 28, 1850, states that wages
for seamen were then from $125 to $200 per month.
There used to be a humorous yarn spun among sea-
men to the effect that during the " flush times," as
those glorious days of the gold fever were called,
sailors required a captain to produce a recommenda-
tion from his last crew before they would ship
with him or sign articles. However this may be,
it is a fact that as late as 1854, it was so diflflcult
to induce crews to leave San Francisco that cap-
tains were frequently obliged to ship men out of
jail, whether they were sailors or not, in order to
get their ships to sea.

The gold mines exerted an irresistible attraction,
and for a time the town was almost deserted, except
for those passing through on their way to and from
the mines. By degrees, however, it became appar-
ent to some that more gold-dust was to be collected
at San Francisco in business than by digging among
the mountains, and with admirable energy they
set about transforming this lawless camp into a
prosperous trading city.

Prior to 1848, California had been for all prac-
tical purposes almost uninhabited, and now was
utterly unable to provide for the needs of her vastly
increased population. The newcomers produced
plenty of gold, but nothing else, and they frequently
found themselves on the brink of starvation. They
were too busy with pick and shovel to contribute
anything in the form of manufactures or supplies,
so that the most ordinary articles of every-day use,
to say nothing of comforts and luxuries, had to be

The Rush for California 103

brought from places thousands of miles distant.
This precarious means of supply, together with the
enormous and reckless purchasing power developed
by the rapid production of gold from the mines,
naturally created a speculative and artificial stand-
ard of values, and goods of every description sold
for fabulous amounts: Beef, pork, and flour
brought from $40 to |60 per barrel ; tea, cofifee, and
sugar, |4 a pound; spirits, flO to $40 a quart;
playing-cards, |5 a pack; cowhide boots, $45 a
pair ; picks and shovels from $5 to $15 each ; wooden
and tin bowls from $2.50 to $7.50 each; laudanum,
$1 a drop, and so on. These were by no means
high prices for stevedores and laborers receiving
from $20 to $30 a day, and miners who were making
anywhere from $100 to $1000 a day washing dirt at
the mines.

An idea of the amount of gold produced may be
gained from the fact that the Pacific Mail Com-
pany, whose first steamship, the California, arrived
at San Francisco via the Straits of Magellan, Feb-
ruary 28, 1849, had by the end of 1852 shipped
gold from that city to the value of $121,766,425.

The speculators and shippers of merchandise in
the Eastern States were as deeply interested in the
output of the mines of California as the gold diggers
themselves. No one could predict how long this
state of affairs would continue; with them speed
meant everything; a week or even a day's delay
might result in heavy losses, or what was to them
the same thing, failure to reap large profits. They
could not send their goods across the continent,
and the Pacific Mail Company had all that it could

104 The Clipper Ship Era

attend to in conveying passengers and the mails
across the Isthmus; so that the only means of
transportation from the Atlantic States to San
Francisco was round Cape Horn. Under these cir-
cumstances one can easily understand how the rates
of freight advanced to extravagant figures, and

created a demand under Hiifih tlie__CaIifornia^

clippers came into existence.

^fe"--tbese_dajs__of-4hrifty transportation by sea,
when coal shovels have superseded watch-tackles,
and ship-owners are expected to look cheerful with
steamship rates at |14.00 a ton from New York to
San Francisco, and $12.00 a ton from New York to
Melbourne or Hong-kong, the rates of freight that
the clipper ships earned from. New York to San
Francisco seem almost incredible. In 1850 the
Samuel Russell received fl.5.0 per cubic foot, or
$60 per ton of 40 cubic feet. She registered 940
tons, and being a very sharp ship i would probably
carry not more than 1200 tons of California, cargo.
But even so, her freight would amount to |72,000,
or a little more than her first cost ready for sea.
The other clippers at first received the same rate,
but by degrees, as they increased in tonnage and in
number, the rates of freight declined to $50 per
ton, and then to $40 where they remained for a
considerable time.

The California clipper period covers the years
I 1850-1860,/ during the first four of which nearly
all of these famous ships, numbering o ne hua dfgif^
and s ixty, were built. (See Appendix I.) Most of
them'^ErB'tauTrdred- at or near New York and Bos-
ton, though some were built elsewhere, Richmond,

o

3

eq
a.

The Rush for California 105

Baltimore, Mystic, Medford, Newburyport, Ports-
mouth, Portland, Rockland, Batli, and other ports^
contributing to the fleet. These splendid ships — (
the swiftest sailing vessels that the world has even /
seen or is likely ever to see — sailed their great (
ocean matches for the stake of commercial su- \
premacy and the championship of the seas, over y
courses encircling the globe, and their records,
made more than half a century ago, still stand
unsurpassed.

After carrying their cargoes to California at the
enormous rates we have given, these ships would
return round Cape Horn in ballast for another
cargo at the same rate, as they could well afford
to do, or would cross the Pacific in ballast and
load tea for London or New York. Many of them
more than cleared their original cost in less than
one year, during a voyage round the globe, after
deducting all expenses.

The central points about which the great ship-
owning interests collected were New York and Bos-
ton. Here, too, were the most famous shipyards.
All along the harbor front at East Boston and the
water-front of the East River from Pike Street to
the foot of Tenth Street, New York, were to be seen
splendid clipper ships in every stage of construc-
tion ; and beside the ship-building yards, there were
. rigging-lofts, sail-lofts, the shops of boat-builders,
block- and pump-makers, painters, carvers, and
gilders, iron, brass, and copper workers, mast- and
spar-makers, and ship stores of all kinds, where
everything required on shipboard, from a palm and
needle, a marlinspike or a ball of spun yarn, to

io6 The Clipper Ship Era

anchors and chains, was to be found. The ship-
yards were great thriving hives of industry, where
hundreds of sledge-hammers, top mauls, and caulk-
ing mallets, swung by the arms of skilful American
mechanics, rung out a mighty chorus, and the fresh
odor of rough-hewn timber, seething Carolina pitch,
and Stockholm tar filled the air with healthful
fragrance. They were unique and interesting lo-
calities, the like of which have never existed else-
where — now long passed away and all but forgotten.

The principal shipping merchants in New York
were William T. Coleman & Co., Wells & Emanuel,
Sutton & Co., John I. Earl, and James Smith & Son,
all of whom managed San Francisco lines and usu-
ally had one or more clippers on the berth, loading
night and day for California. The old Piers 8, 9,
and 10, along the East River, were scenes of great
activity, and throngs of people visited them to see
these ships. At all the seaports along the Atlantic
coast, almost every one knew something and most
persons knew a good deal about ships. They were
a matter of great importance to the community,
for as late as 1860, nearly all the large fortunes in
the United States had been made in shipping.

The captains and officers of the California clip-
pers were as a class men of integrity, energy, and
skill, nearly all of them being of the best Pilgrim
and Puritan stock of New England, and trained to
the sea from boyhood. Many of them were the sons
of merchants and professional men, well known and
respected in the communities in which they lived.
Their ships carried large crews, besides being fitted
with every appliance for saving labor: fly-wheel

C3

"a

s

3

p.

o

The Rush for California 107

pumps, gypsy winches, gun-metal roller bushes in
the sheaves of the brace, reef tackle and halliard
blocks, geared capstans, and plenty of the best
stores and provisions, with spare spars, sails,
blocks, and rigging in abundance. The owners
fitted out their vessels with rational economy and
looked to their captains, whom they rewarded lib-
erally, to see that nothing was wasted and that
the ships performed their voyages quickly and well.
There was no allowance of food, as on British
ships, on board the American clippers; a barrel of
beef, pork, bread, or flour was supposed to last
about so many days, according to the ship's com-
pany; a little more or less did not matter. The
water was in charge of the carpenter, and was
usually carried in an iron tank which rested on
the keelson abaft the mainmast and came up to
the main deck. This tank was in the form of a
cylinder, and held from three to four thousand
gallons ; some of the larger ships carried their water
in two of these tanks. Each morning at sea, water
equal to one gallon for every person on board was
pumped out of the tank and placed in a scuttle-
butt on deck; the carpenter then made a report
of the number of gallons remaining in the tank to
the chief officer, who entered it in the log-book.
During the day the crew took the water they needed
from the scuttle-butt, the cook and steward what
they required for the galley and aft ; and while there
was no stint, woe to the man who wasted fresh
water at sea in those days, for if he managed to
escape the just wrath of the officers, his shipmates
were pretty sure to take care of him. The salt

io8 The Clipper Ship Era

beef and pork were kept in a harness cask abafi
the mainmast, and when a fresh barrel of provi-
sions was to be opened, the harness cask was
scrubbed and scalded out with boiling water, and so
was always sweet and clean. The cooks and stew-
ards were almost inyariably negroes, and it is to
be regretted that there are not more like them at
the present time — especially the cooks. " Plenty of
work, plenty to eat, and good pay," is what sailor-
men used to say of American clippers, the sort of
ships on board of which good seamen liked to sail.

The forecastle on board the old type of vessels
was in the forepeak, below the main deck, a damp,
ill-ventilated hole, but in the California clippers it
was in a large house on deck between the fore- and
main-masts, divided fore and aft amidships by a
bulkhead, so that each watch had a separate fore-
castle, well ventilated and with plenty of light.
There was nothing to prevent a crew from being
comfortable enough; it depended entirely upon
themselves. Indeed, there were no ships afloat at
that period where the crews were so well paid and
cared for as on board the American clippers. Sea-
men who knew their duties and were willing to
perform them fared far better than on board the
ships of any other nationality.

Perhaps, the most marked difference between
American merchant ships and those of other nations
was in regard to the use of wine and spirits. On
board British ships grog was served out regularly
to the men before the mast, and the captain and
officers were allowed wine money. Nothing of this
sort was permitted on American vessels. Robert

A Sailing Day 109

Minturn, of the firm of Grinnell, Minturn & Co., in
his evidence before a parliamentary committee in
1848, stated that teetotalism not only was encour-
aged by American ship-owners, but actually earned a
bonus from underwriters, who offered a return of ten
per cent of the insurance premium upon voyages
performed without the consumption of spirits. On
board the packet ships and other vessels which car-
ried passengers, there was always wine on the cap-
tain's table, but the captain and officers rarely made
use of it. The sailors were allowed plenty of hot
coffee, night or day, in heavy weather, but grog was
unknown on board American merchant ships.

In those days, after a New York clipper had
finished loading, it was the custom for her to drop
down the East River and anchor off Battery Park,
then a fashionable resort, where she would remain
for a few hours to take her crew on board and
usually to ship from five to ten tons of gunpowder,
a part of her cargo that was stowed in the main
hatch, to be easily handled in case of fire. Tow-
boats were not as plentiful in New York harbor
as at present, and unless the wind was ahead or
calm, the clippers seldom made use of them, for
with a leading breeze these ships would sail to
and from Sandy Hook much faster than they could
be towed. One of the clippers getting under way
off Battery Park was a beautiful sight, and an event
in which a large part of the community was
interested.

The people who gathered at Battery Park to see
a clipper ship get under way, came partly to hear
the sailors sing their sea songs, or chanties, which

no The Clipper Ship Era

were an important part of sea life in those days,
giving a zest and cheeriness on shipboard, which
nothing else could supply. It used to be said that
a good chanty man was worth four men in a watch,
and this was true, for when a crew knocked off
chantying, there was something wrong — the ship
seemed lifeless. These songs originated early in the
nineteenth century, witli the negro stevedores at
Mobile and New Orleans, who sung them while
screwing cotton bales into the holds of the Ameri-
can packet ships '; this was where the packet sailors
learned them. The words had a certain uncouth,
fantastic meaning, evidently the product of unde-
veloped intelligence, but there was a wild, inspiring
ring in the melodies, and, after a number of years,
they became unconsciously influenced by the pun-
gent, briny odor and surging roar and rhythm of
the ocean, and howling gales at sea. Landsmen
have tried in vain to imitate them ; the result being
no more like genuine sea songs than skimmed milk
is like Jamaica rum.

There were a great many Whitehall boats kept at
the lower end of the Park, and the Battery boatmen
were fine oarsmen. Bill Decker, Tom Daw, Steve
Roberts, and Andy Fay being famous scullers.
There were some smart four- and six-oared crews
among them which used to swoop down and pick
up the valuable prizes offered by the Boston city
fathers for competition each Fourth of July on the
Charles River, but the convivial life which the gay
Battery boatmen led did not improve their rowing,
and in 1856 they were defeated by the famous
Neptune crew, of St. John, N. B., in a match rowed

A Sailing Day iii

on the Charles River for the stake of $5000, and
later were quite eclipsed by the even more famous
Ward crew of Newburgh.

The time when these men really had to work, was
on the sailing day of a California clipper. A busy
scene it was, as they piit the crew and their dun-
nage on board, one or two lots at a time, accom-
panied by a boarding-house runner, the sailormen
being in various stages of exalted inebriation. The
helpless in body and mind are hauled over the side in
bowlines and stowed away in their berths to regain
the use of their limbs and senses. These men have
been drugged and robbed of their three months'
advance wages and most of their clothing. In a
few hours they will come to, and find themselves at
sea on board of a ship whose name they never
heard, with no idea to what part of the globe they
are bound. A receipt is given for each man by the
mate, who considers himself fortunate if he can
muster two thirds of his crew able to stand up and
heave on a capstan bar or pull on a rope. The
probable condition of the crew is so well known
and expected that a gang of longshoremen is on
board to lend a hand in getting the ship under way.
The more provident of the seamen bring well-stocked
sea chests; the less thoughtful find moderate-sized
canvas bags quite large enough to hold their pos-
sessions ; one mariner carries his outfit for the Cape
Horn voyage tied up in a nice bandanna handker-
chief, the parting gift of a Cherry Street damsel
— ^who keeps the change. Jack is in a jovial, tipsy
humor, and appears to be well satisfied with his
investment.

112 The Clipper Ship Era

This is an anxious day for the mate, for, while
he receives his instructions from the captain in a
general way, yet every detail of getting the ship
to sea is in his hands; and though he seems care-
less and unconcerned, his nerves are on edge and
every sense alert; his eyes are all over the ship.
He is sizing up each man in his crew and getting
his gauge; when he strikes a chord of sympathy, he
strikes hard, and when his keen instinct detects a
note of discord, he strikes still harder, lifting his
men along with a curse here, a joke there, and ever
tightening his firm but not unkindly grasp of author-
ity. The mate is not hunting for trouble — all that
he wants is for his men to do their work and show
him enough respect so that it will not become his un-
pleasant duty to hammer them into shape. He
knows that this is his day, and that it is the decisive
day of the voyage, for before the ship passes out
by Sandy Hook his moral victory will be lost or
won, with no appeal to Admiralty Boards or Courts
of Justice. He knows, too, that a score of other
mates and their captains are looking on with keen
interest to see how he handles his crew, and their
opinion is of far greater value to him than the
decrees of Senates; so he intends to lay himself
out and give them something worth looking at.

There is a crisp northeasterly breeze, and the blue
waters of the bay dance and frolic in the sweet
June sunshine. The crew are all on board, with
the captain and pilot in consultation on the quarter-
deck ; it is nearly high water, and the tide will soon
run ebb. The mate takes charge of the topgallant
forecastle, with the third mate and the boatswain

I

p.
o

p.

o

a

A Sailing Day 113

to assist him, while the second mate, with the
fourth mate and boatswain's mate work the main
deck and stand by to look after the chain as it
comes in over the windlass.

As the crew muster on the forecastle they appear
to be a motley gang, mostly British and Scandina-
vian, with a sprinkling of Spaniards, Portuguese, and
Italians, and one or two Americans. Some wear
thick, coarse, red, blue, or gray flannel shirts, others
blue dungaree jumpers, or cotton shirts of various
colors; their trousers are in a variety of drabs,
blues, grays, and browns, supported by leather belts
or braces ; they wear stiff or soft felt hats or woollen
caps of many colors. But no clothes that were ever
iuvented could disguise these men; their bronzed,
weather-beaten faces and sun-baked, tattooed arms,
with every swing of their bodies, betray them as
sailormen, and good ones too, above the average
even in those days. They would no more submit to
being put into uniforms or to the cut-and-dried dis-
cipline of a man-of-war, than they would think of
eating their food at a table with knives and forks.

They are all pretty full of alcohol, but the sailor
instinct is so strong in them that they do their
work as well, some of them perhaps better, than if
they were sober. There is no romance about them
or about any part of their lives; they are simply
common, every-day sailors, and will never be any-
thing else, unless they happen to encounter some
inspired writer of fiction; then it is difficult to say
what may become of them. Some of them have
much good in their natures, others are saturated
with evil, and all need to be handled with tact and

114 The Clipper Ship Era

judgment, for too much severity, or on the other
hand any want of firmness, may lead to trouble,
which means the free use of knives, belaying pins,
and knuckle-dusters.

Now the flood-tide begins to slacken, and as the
ship swings to the wind, the order is passed along
from aft to man the windlass and heave short. We
hear the mate sing out in a pleasant, cheery voice:
" Now, then, boys, heave away on the windlass
breaks ; strike a light, it 's duller than an old grave-
yard." And the chantyman, in an advanced stage
of hilarious intoxication, gay as a skylark, sails
into song:

" In eighteen hundred and forty-six,
I found myself in the hell of a fix,
A-working on the railway, the railway, the railway.
Oh, poor Paddy works on the railway.

" In eighteen hundred and forty-seven.
When Dan O'Connolly went to heaven.
He worked upon the railway, the railway, the

railway.
Poor Paddy works on the railway, the railway.

" In eighteen hundred and forty-eight,
I found myself bound for the Golden Gate,
A-working on the railway, the railway.
Oh, poor Paddy works on the railway, the railway.

" In eighteen hundred and forty-nine,
I passed my time in the Black Ball Line,
A-working on the railway, the railway,
I weary on the railway,
Poor Paddy works on the railway, the railway."

A Sailing Day 115

And so on to the end of the century, or till the
mate sings out, " Vast heaving," lifts his hand, and
reports to the captain : " The anchor 's apeak, sir."
"Very good, sir, loose sails fore and aft." "Aye,
aye, sir." "Aloft there some of you and loose
sails. One hand stop in the tops and crosstrees to
overhaul the gear." " Aye, aye, sir. Royals and sky-
sails ? " " Yes, royals and skysails ; leave the stay-
sails fast." " Lay out there, four or five of you, and
loose the head sails." "Here, you fellow in the
green-spotted shirt, lay down out of that; there's
men enough up there now to eat those sails." " Mr.
Sampson, take some of your men aft and look after
the main and mizzen; put a hand at the wheel; as
he goes along let him clear the ensign halliards;
while you 're waiting lay that accommodation
ladder in on deck ; leave the spanker fast." " On
the foretopsail yard, there, if you cut that gasket,
I '11 split your damned skull ; cast it adrift, you
lubber." " Boatswain, get your watch tackles along
to the topsail sheets." "Aye, aye, sir." "Here, some
of you gentlemen's sons in disguise, get that fish-
davit out ; hook on the pendant ; overhaul the tackle
down ready for hooking on." " Mainskysail yard
there, don't make those gaskets up, my boy; fetch
them in along the yard, and make fast to the tye."
By this time the sails are loose and the gaskets
made up; courses, topsails, topgallantsails, royals,
and skysails flutter in their gear, and the clipper
feels the breath of life. " Sheet home the topsails."
" Aye, aye, sir." " Boatswain, look out for those
clew-lines at the main; ease down handsomely as
the sheets come home." " Foretop there, overhaul

ii6 The Clipper Ship Era

your buntlines, look alive ! " " Belay your port
maintopsail sheet; clap a watch tackle on the star-
board sheet and rouse her home." " Maintop
there, lay down on the main-yard and light the foot
of that sail over the stay." " That 's well, belay
starboard." " Well the mizzentopsail sheets, be-
lay." " Now then, my bullies, lead out your top-
sail halliards fore and aft and masthead her."
" Aye, aye, sir." By this time the mate has put
some ginger into the crew and longshoremen, and
they walk away with the three topsail halliards :

" Away, way, way, yar.
We'll kill Paddy Doyle for his boots."

" Now then, long pulls, my sons." " Here, you
chantyman, haul off your boots, jump on that main-
deck capstan and strike a light; the best in your
locker." " Aye, aye, sir." And the three topsail-
yards go aloft with a ringing chanty that can be
heard up in Beaver Street:

" Then up aloft that yard must go,
Whiskey for my Johnny.
Oh, whiskey is the life of man,
Whiskey, Johnny.
I thought I heard the old man say,
Whiskey for my Johnny.
We are bound away this very day,
Whiskey, Johnny.

A dollar a day is a white man's pay,
Whiskey for my Johnny.

A Sailing Day 117

Oh, whiskey killed my sister Sue,

Whiskey, Johnny,

And whiskey killed the old man, too,

Whiskey for my Johnny.

Whiskey 's gone, what shall I do ?

Whiskey, Johnny,

Oh, whiskey 's gone, and I '11 go too,

Whiskey for my Johnny,"

" Belay your maintopsail halliards." " Aye, aye,
sir." And so the canvas is set fore and aft, top-
sails, topgallantsails, royals, and skysails, flat as
boards, the inner and outer jibs are run up and
the sheets hauled to windward ; the main- and after-
yards are braced sharp to the wind, the foretopsail
is laid to the mast, and the clipper looks like some
great seabird ready for flight. The anchor is hove
up to:

" I wish I was in Slewer's Hall,
Lowlands, lowlands, hurra, my boys,
A-drinking luck to the old Black Ball,
My dollar and a half a day."

And while some of the hands bring the anchor to
the rail with cat and flsh tackle, and:

" A Yankee sloop came down the river,
Hah, hah, rolling John,

Oh, what do you think that sloop had in her?
Hah, hah, rolling John,
Monkey's hide and bullock's liver,
Hah, hah, rolling John,"

ii8 The Clipper Ship Era

the rest of the crew fill away the foreyard, draw
away the head sheets, and check in the after yards.
As the ship pays off, and gathers way in the slack
water, the longshoremen and runners tumble over
the side into the Whitehall boats, the crowd at
Battery Park gives three parting cheers, the ensign
is dipped, and the clipper is on her way to Cape
Horn.

CHAPTER VIII

THE CLIPPBE SHIP CREWS

THE history of men before the mast on board
American merchant ships is not a history of
American sailors, for strictly speaking there have
never been any American merchant sailors as a
class; that is, no American merchant ship of con-
siderable tonnage was ever manned by native-born
Americans in the sense that French, British, Dutch,
Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, or Danish ships are
manned by men born in the country under whose
flag they sail. Neither have Americans ever fol-
lowed the sea all their lives before the mast, as
do men of the nations named. Some of the small
Salem ships and perhaps a few of the Nantucket
whalers of a century ago may possibly have carried
entirely American crews, but if so, the men did
not remain long in the forecastle.

The ship George, 328 tons, built at Salem in
1812 and owned by Joseph Peabody, is a case
in point. She was known as the " Salem frigate,"
and made many successful voyages to Calcutta.
Of this ship's sailors, during her long and pros-
perous career, forty-five became captains, twenty
chief mates, and six second mates. One of her
Salem crew, Thomas M. Saunders, served as boy,

120 The Clipper Ship Era

ordinary seaman, able seaman, third, second, and
chief mate on board of her, and finally, after
twelve East India voyages, became her captain.
This ship was a fair sample of many American ves-
sels of that period, but probably no ship of similar
or greater tonnage in the merchant service of any
other nation can show such a brilliant record for
her men before the mast.

The demand for crews for the California clippers
brought together a miscellaneous lot of men, some
good and some bad, some accustomed to deep-water
voyages to India and China, and some only to Euro-
pean ports, while others were not sailors at all,
and only shipped as such for the sake of getting
to California. The majority were of course from
the general merchant service of the time.

During the first half of the nineteenth century,
American ships trading upon long voyages to China
and India carried crews composed chiefly of Scandi-
navians — splendid sailormen who could do any kind
of rigging work or sail-making required on board
of a ship at sea and took pride in doing it well,
and who also had sufficient sense to know that
discipline is necessary on shipboard. These Scandi-
navians, who were as a rule fine seamen, clean, will-
ing, and obedient, were the first and best class
among the men of whom the clipper ship crews were
composed. A vessel with a whole crew of these
strong, honest sailors was a little heaven afloat.

Then there were the packet sailors, a different
class altogether, mostly " Liverpool Irishmen," a
species of wild men, strong, coarse-built, thick-set;
their hairy bodies and limbs tattooed with gro-

The Clipper Ship Crews 121

tesque and often obscene devices in red and blue
India ink ; men wallowing in the slush of depravity,
who could be ruled only with a hand of iron.
Among themselves they had a rough-and-ready code
of ethics, which deprived them of the pleasure of
stealing from each other, though it permitted them
to rob and plunder shipmates of other nationalities,
or the ship and passengers. So, too, they might
not draw knives on each other, being obliged to
settle disputes with their fists, but to cut and stab
an officer or shipmate not of their own gang was
regarded as an heroic exploit.

With all their moral rottenness, these rascals
were splendid fellows to make or shorten sail in
heavy weather on the Western Ocean, and to go
aloft in a coat or monkey jacket in any kind of
weather was regarded by them with derision and
contempt. But making and taking in sail was about
all that they could do, being useless for the hun-
dred and one things on shipboard which a deep-
water sailor was supposed to know, such as rigging
work, sail-making, scraping, painting, and keeping
a vessel clean and shipshape. The packets had all
this work done in port, and never looked so well
as when hauling out of dock outward bound;
whereas, the China and California clippers looked
their best after a long voyage, coming in from sea
with every ratline and seizing square, the sheer
poles coach-whipped, brass caps on the rigging ends
and lanyard knots, and the man-ropes marvels of
cross pointing, Turks' heads, and double rose knots.

The packet sailors showed up at their best when
laying out on a topsail yardarm, passing a weather

122 The Clipper Ship Era

reef-earing, with their Black Ball caps, red shirts,
and trousers stowed in the legs of their sea boots
along with their cotton hooks and sheath knives, a
snow squall whistling about their ears, the rigging
a mass of ice, and the old packet jumping into the
big Atlantic seas up to her knightheads. These
ruffians did not much care for India and China
voyages, but preferred to navigate between the
dance-halls of Cherry Street and the grog-shops of
Waterloo Road and Ratcliflfe Highway. As has
often been said, they worked like horses at sea and
spent their money like asses ashore.

When the California clippers came out, these
packet rats, as they came to be called aboard the
deep-water ships — men who had never before had
the slightest idea of crossing the equator if they
could help it,---were suddenly possessed with the
desire to get to the California gold mines. They,
with other adventurers and blacklegs of the vilest
sort, who were not sailors but who shipped as able
seamen for the same reason, partly composed the
crews of the clipper ships. The packet rats were
tough, roustabout sailormen and difficult to handle,
so that it was sometimes a toss-up whether they or the
captain and officers would have charge of the ship;
yet to see these fellows laying out on an eighty-foot
main-yard in a whistling gale off Cape Horn, fist-
ing hold of a big No. 1 Colt's cotton canvas main-
sail, heavy and stifif with sleet and snow, bellying,
slatting, and thundering in the gear, and then to
hear the wild, cheery shouts of these rugged, brawny
sailormen, amid the fury of the storm, as inch by
inch they fought on till the last double gasket was

c

c
c
c

p.
o

o

o

The Clipper Ship Crews 123

fast, made it easy to forget their sins in admiration
of their splendid courage.

Then there were Spaniards, Portuguese, China-
men, Frenchmen, Africans, Russians, and Italians
from the general merchant service, many of whom
were excellent seamen and some of whom were
not; and lastly came the men of various nation-
alities who were not sailors at all nor the stuff
out of which sailors could be made, and who had
no business to be before the mast on board of a
ship. Many of these men had served their time in
the penitentiary and some should have remained
there. These impostors increased the labor of able
seamen who were compelled to do their work, and
endangered the safety of the ship so unfortunate as
to have them among her crew.

With such barbarians the New England captains
from the yellow sands of Cape Cod and the little
seaports along the Sound, and from the rocky head-
lands of Cape Ann and the coast of Maine, were
often called upon to handle the clipper ships. There
were, as has been said, a large number of respect-
able, hard-working, Scandinavian sailors, some of
whom became captains and mates, as well as from
four to eight smart American boys aboard each
ship who looked forward to becoming officers and
captains.

The clipper ship captains had the reputation of
being severe men with their crews, but consider-
ing the kind of human beings with whom they had
to deal, it is difficult to see how they could have
been anything else, and still retain command of
their ships. Taken as a class, American sea-

124 The Clipper Ship Era

captains and mates half a century ago were per-
haps the finest body of real sailors that the world
has ever seen, and by this is meant captains and
officers who had themselves sailed before the mast.
They enforced their authority by sheer power of
character and will against overwhelming odds of
brute force, often among cut-throats and despera-
does. They were the first to establish discipline
in the merchant service, and their ships were the
envy and despair of merchants and captains of
other nations. Intrepid and self-reliant sailors,
they are justly entitled to the gratitude of mankind.
No doubt there were instances of unnecessary
severity on board the American clipper ships; they
were exceptional, and the provocation was great;
but it would be difficult to cite a case of a sailor
being ill-used who knew and performed the duties
for which he had shipped, for captains and officers
appreciated the value of good seamen, and took the
best care of them.

The abuses from which sailors in those days suf-
fered, were not when at sea or on board ship. It
was the harpies of the land who lay in wait like
vultures, to pollute and destroy their bodies and
souls — male and female land-sharks, who would
plunder and rob a sailor of his pay and his three
months' advance, and then turn him adrift with-
out money or clothes. It made no difference to
these brazen-hearted thieves — and the women, if
possible, were worse than the men — whether a
sailor was bound round the Horn in midwinter or
to the East Indies in midsummer; they saw to it
that he took nothing away with him but the ragged

The Clipper Ship Crews 125

clothes he stood in, and perhaps a ramshackle old
sea chest with a shabby suit of oilskins, a pair of
leaky sea boots, a bottle or two of Jersey lightning,
and two or three plugs of tobacco chucked into it.
These vice-hardened men and women of various
nationalities were permitted to work their abomin-
able trade unmolested, almost within the shadow of
church spires and Courts of Justice in the chief
seaports of the United States. The destitute con-
dition in which men were put on board of American
ships became so common that clothing and other
necessaries were provided for them in what was
known as the slop chest, in charge of the steward,
with which all ships bound upon distant voyages
were supplied, and from which the crew received
whatever they required at about one half the cost
extorted by the slop shops on shore. This arrange-
ment was necessary, as otherwise, in many instances,
the men would not have had suiBcient clothing to
stand a watch in cold or stormy weather.

American sea-captains were often compelled to
take these outcasts as they found them, because
they could get no other men. They provided them
with better food than they had ever seen or heard
of on board vessels of their own countries, sup-
plied them with clothes, sea boots, sou'westers, oil-
skins, and tobacco, restored them to health, paid
them money which many of them never earned,
and for the time being, at least, did their utmost
to make men of them. If any one imagines that
this class of sailors ever felt or expressed the least
gratitude toward their benefactors, he is much mis-
taken. Let him picture to himself these creatures in

126 The Clipper Ship Era

their watch below, laying off in their frowzy berths
or sitting around their dirty, unkempt forecastle
on their chests — those who happen to own them —
smoking their filthy clay pipes, amid clouds of foul
tobacco smoke, reeking in the stench of musty un-
derclothing, mouldy sea boots, and rancid oilskins,
rank enough to turn the stomach of a camel, or any
other animal than man. The noxious air is too
much for the sooty slush lamp that swings un-
easily against the grimy bulkhead ; it burns a sickly
blue flame with a halo of fetid vapor; while the
big fat-witted samples of humanity in the bunks
and on the sea chests cheerfully curse their captain
up-hill and down dale as their natural enemy, but
are never tired of yarning about their " shore
friends." They recall the attractive qualities of
such characters as Dutch Pete, One-thumbed Jerry,
and Limerick Mike — sleek, smooth-tongued board-
ing-house runners who have practised upon the
vices of these same men, robbed them of their ad-
vance wages, drugged and shanghaied them without
clothing or tobacco. Then these stupid fellows will
yarn about the enticing charms of such " real
ladies " as Big Moll, Swivel-eyed Sue, or French
Kate, and the comfort and hospitality of the estab-
lishments over which these hussies preside. But
let the boatswain come along and knock three times
on the forecastle door with his brawny fist, and
sing out, "Now then, get out here and put the
stun'sails on her," and these bulky brutes will
tumble over each other to get on deck, for they
know that they will be beaten and booted if there
is any hanging back.

The Clipper Ship Crews 127

Unfortunately, this was the only way to deal
with this type of men on shipboard. They were
amenable to discipline only in the form of force in
heavy and frequent doses, the theories of those who
have never commanded ships or had experience in
handling degenerates at sea to the contrary not-
withstanding. To talk about the exercise of kind-
ness or moral suasion with such men, would be the
limit of foolishness; one might as well propose a
kindergarten for baby coyotes or young rattlesnakes.

One does not like to dwell upon these depressing
phases of human nature in connection with the
graceful, yacht-like clipper, perhaps the most beauti-
ful and life-like thing ever fashioned by the hand
of man. It is therefore pleasant to record that
there were many American clipper ships with crews
that were for the most part decent, self-respecting
men, who kept themselves, their clothes, and their
forecastles clean and sweet. Of course, these men
would have their grog and sweethearts on shore,
and their quiet growl at sea — ^the birthright of all
good sailormen ; but they required no urging beyond
a word of encouragement to do their work on deck
and aloft quickly and well. Such a crew would
not live with men who were unclean in their speech
and habits, and would compel such human nuisances
to pick up their traps and take themselves out
under the topgallant forecastle to get along as best
they might ; but it was a great hardship when good
seamen found themselves among a crew composed
chiefly of these poor enough sailors but proficient
blackguards and bullies.

In those days there was a class of persons who

128 The Clipper Ship Era

did their utmost to degrade an honorable profession
by calling themselves lawyers. The ports of New
York and San Francisco were the scenes of their
most lucrative exploits. When a ship arrived, these
fellows would waylay the sailors and follow them
to dance-halls, gin-mills, and other low resorts,
worming their way into the confidence of the too
easy mariners by fairy tales and glittering prospects
of large sums of money to be recovered as damages
from their late captains, until they succeeded in
extracting a narrative of the last voyage, including
alleged grievances. They would then libel the ship
and commence legal proceedings against the captain
and officers. These cases would be tried before
juries of landsmen who, having no practical know-
ledge of sailors or of the usages of the sea, frequently
awarded damages, though in many cases the captain
and officers were able to disprove false complaints
or to justify their actions upon the ground of neces-
sity in maintaining proper discipline. It is per-
haps needless to say that of the damages recovered
not one penny was ever handled by the aggrieved
sailor, for the guiding principle of the sea lawyer's
career being the resolve never to part with his
client's money, these fellows literally made their
clients' interests their own. Sailors themselves
used to laugh and joke about the bare-faced yarns
which they had spun under oath in court and got
greenhorn juries to listen to and believe; but they
did not laugh and joke about their lawyers, whom
they regarded with contempt. One of the most
insulting epithets which a sailor could apply to
another was to call him a " sea lawyer," and there

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The Clipper Ship Crews 129

was a particularly ravenous species of shark which
used also to be known as the " sea lawyer."

At one time this abuse of the law became such a
powerful instrument of extortion that captains and
officers, innocent of any wrong, unless the protection
of life and property be regarded as wrong, were
compelled to leave their ships in the harbor of New
York before they hauled alongside the wharf, in
order to escape prosecution, and were made to ap-
pear like criminals fleeing from justice. This can-
not be considered a very cheerful welcome home
after a voyage round the globe. Yet it compares
not unfavorably with the reception sometimes ac-
corded the returning traveller nowadays — at the
hands of officers of the law empowered to collect
" protective " duties on personal effects.

After a while this nefarious trade, by which ship-
owners, captains, officers, and crews were alike de-
frauded, perished by its own rapacity; but the
attitude of the United States Government of half
a century ago in permitting her splendid American
merchant captains and officers to be subjected to
gross indignities, and the foreign seamen sailing
under her flag to be robbed and shipped away with-
out their knowledge or consent, must ever remain
a blot upon the page of American maritime history.

Those well-intentioned philanthropists who had
an idea that sailors were being ill-treated on board
American ships, and who wasted sympathy upon a
class of men most of whom required severe discipline,
might have been better employed had they exerted
their energies toward purging the seaports of the
country of the dens of vice and gangs of robbers

130 The Clipper Ship Era

that infested them, though this might not have been
so romantic as a sentimental interest in the welfare
of the sailor when encountering the supposed terrors
of the deep. As a matter of fact, the lives, limbs,
and morals of sailors at that period were very much
safer at sea than they were on land.

It is refreshing to turn to one man, at least, who
knew and understood sailors, and who in early life
had himself been a sailor. This was the Rev. Ed-
ward Thompson Taylor, known upon every sea with
respect and affection as " Father Taylor." In 1833
the Seaman's Bethel was erected in North Square,
Boston, and there Father Taylor presided for some
forty years. During that time he did an enormous
amount of good, both among sailors themselves, to
whom he spoke in language which they could un-
derstand and feel, and by drawing the attention of
influential men and women to the lamentable con-
dition of the life of sailors when on shore, not only
in Boston, but in all the great seaports of the
United States. For many years the Seaman's Bethel
was one of the most interesting sights of Boston,
and all classes were attracted there by the novel
and picturesque earnestness and eloquence of Father
Taylor. Distinguished visitors were usually taken
there or went of their own accord, to listen to the
words of this inspired seaman, and many of them
have recorded their impressions. Harriet Marti-
neau, J. S. fiuckingham, M. P., Charles Dickens,
Frederika Bremer, John Ross Dix, Mrs. Jameson,
Catherine Sedgwick, and Walt Whitman all testi-
fied to the wonderful power of this homely, self-
educated Baptist preacher.

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The Clipper Ship Crews 131

Father Taylor had little to say about the treat-
ment of sailors on shipboard, for he knew that they
were treated with humanity and according to their
deserts, but he did have a great deal to say about
their life and vile associations on shore; he once
prayed with unconscious humor, " that Bacchus and
Venus might be driven to the ends of the earth and
off it." He possessed a marvellous power of de-
scription, and perhaps no poet or painter has more
vividly portrayed the ever-changing moods of the
ocean. He used these superb sea pictures as meta-
phors and illustrations. I have a clear remem-
brance of some of them and recall them with grati-
tude, but no words of mine can convey an adequate
impression of their beauty and grandeur; his was
a genius that eludes description.

It was once said of Father Taylor that he hated
the devil more than he loved God, but I think who-
ever said this could not have understood him, for
the affection, tenderness, and substantial help which
Father Taylor lavished upon God's children, afflicted
in body and mind, knew no bounds. At the same
time he knew the men whom it was his mission to
rescue, and often when denouncing their follies and
vices his words fell hot as burning coals. He de-
tested shams in any form, and was swift to detect
them in sailors as well as in others.

In those days there was far too much ignorant
sentimentality bestowed upon seamen and their
affairs, too much

" Poor child of danger, nursling of the storm,
Sad are the woes that wreck thy manly form."

132 The Clipper Ship Era

Sad enough, no doubt, to the captain of a clipper
ship bound round Cape Horn, compelled to stand
by and see his canvas slatting to pieces in the first
bit of a blow outside Sandy Hook, because he was
cursed with a crew unable or unwilling to handle
it. But this seldom happened more than once
aboard of an American clipper in the fifties, for
such a crew was taken in hand and soon knocked
into shape by the mates, carpenter, sailmaker, cook,
steward, and boatswain. Belaying pins, capstan-
bars, and heavers began to fly about the deck, and
when the next gale came along the crew found
that they could get aloft and make some kind of
show at stowing sails, and by the time the ship
got down to the line, they were usually pretty smart
at handling canvas. As the clipper winged her way
southward, and the days grew shorter, and the
nights colder, belaying pins, capstan bars, and
heavers were all back in their places, for system,
order, and discipline had been established. When
the snow-squalls began to gather on the horizon,
and the old-time clipper lifted her forefoot to the
first long, gray Cape Horn roller, with albatross
and Cape pigeons wheeling and screaming in her
wake, the mate, as he stood at the break of the
quarter-deck in his long pilot-cloth watch-coat,
woollen mittens, sea boots, and sou'wester, and sung
out to the boatswain to get his men along for a
pull on the weather braces, felt with pride that he
had something under him that the " old man "
could handle in almost any kind of weather — a
well-manned ship.

In those days of carrying canvas as long and

The Clipper Ship Crews 133

sometimes longer than spars and rigging would
stand, with only brawn, capstans and watch tackles
to handle it, the crew was a far more important
factor on board a sailing ship than in the present
era of steel spars, wire rigging, double topsail,
and topgallant yards, donkey engines and steam
winches. Indeed, all the conditions were quite
different from anything known at the present time
and required a type of men, both forward and aft,
that do not sail upon the ocean to-day.

CHAPTER IX

CALIPOKNIA CLIPPERS OF 1850 AND THEIR COMMANDERS
— MAURT's wind AND CURRENT CHARTS

AT the time of the discovery of gold in California,
American ship-builders were well prepared for
the work that lay before them. The clippers al-
ready built furnished valuable experience, for they
had attracted much attention, and their models and
construction were almost as well known to ship-
builders throughout the country as to those from
whose yards they had been launched. It was found
that the clippers were much easier in a sea-way
than the old type of vessel; they labored and
strained less, and in consequence delivered their
cargoes in better condition. When driven into a
heavy head sea, they would bury their long, sharp
bows in a smother of foam and drench the decks
fore and aft with flying spray; but at a speed that
would have swamped the full-bodied, wall-sided
ships and made them groan in every knee, timber,
and beam.

The superiority of the clippers in speed was even
more marked in the average length and regularity
of their voyages than in their record passages ; they
could be depended on not to make long passages;
with their sharp lines and lofty canvas they were

134

California Clippers of 1850 135

able to cross belts of calm and light winds much
more quickly than the low rigged, full-bodied ships,
while in strong head winds there was no compari-
son, as the sharper ships would work out to wind-
ward in weather that held the old type of vessels
like a barrier, until the wind hauled fair or mod-
erated. In a word, the clippers could go and find
strong or favorable winds while the full-bodied
ships were compelled to wait for them.

It must be admitted that some remarkably fast
passages were made by the old full-built American
vessels. We have seen Captain Waterman's record
with the Natchem, and other cases of this kind might
be cited; but they prove nothing beyond the fact
that with a fair wind and enough of it, other things
being equal, a well-handled, full-modelled ship is
about as fast as a clipper; also that single pas-
sages except as between vessels sailing together,
are not the most reliable tests of speed. A number
of passages by the same vessel, or a record of
best days' runs, afford a more accurate means of
arriving at a just estimate of speed.

The first California clippers, thirteen in number,
were launched during the year 1850, the Celestial,
SCO tons, built by William H. Webb and owned by
Bucklin & Crane, of New York, being the first to
leave the ways. She was soon followed by the
Mandarin, 776 tons, built by Smith & Dimon for
Goodhue & Co., of New York, and the Surprise,
1361 tons, owned by A, A. Low & Brother; Oame-
Cock, 1392 tons, owned by Daniel C. Bacon, Boston,
and the barque Race Horse, 512 tons, owned by God-
dard & Co., Boston, all built by Samuel Hall at

136 The Clipper Ship Era

East Boston. The Witchcraft, 1310 tons, was built
at Chelsea by Paul Curtis, for S. Rogers & W. D.
Pickman, of Salem; the John Bertram, 1080 tons,
by R. E. Jackson at East Boston, for Glidden &
Williams, of Boston; the Governor Morton, 1318
tons, by James M. Hood at Somerset, for Handy
& Everett, of New York ; the 8ea Serpent, 1337 tons,
by George Raynes at Portsmouth, New Hampshire,
for Grinnell, Minturn & Co., of New York; the
Eclipse, 1223 tons, by J. Williams & Son at
Williamsburg, for T. Wardle & Co., of New York;
the Seaman, 546 tons, by Bell & Co., at Baltimore,
for Funck & Meincke, of New York ; the White Squall,
1118 tons, by Jacob Bell, for W. Piatt & Son, of
Philadelphia, and the Stag-Hound, 1535 tons, by
Donald McKay at East Boston, for Sampson &
Tappan and George B. Upton, of Boston.

The Celestial was a remarkably good-looking ship
and much sharper than any vessel built by Mr.
Webb up to that time. She carried long, slender
spars, with plenty of canvas, and proved a very
fast and able ship.

The Mandarin, also a fine-looking ship, was in-
tended by her builders to be an improved Sea Witch,
and although she made some excellent passages,
she never came up to the older vessel in point of
speed; the Sea Witch was her builders' master-
piece, and they, like many others, found her a
difficult ship to improve upon.

The Surprise was one of the most successful clip-
per ships ever constructed, and proved a mine of
wealth for her owners. She was fully rigged on
the stocks, with all her gear rove off, and was

California Clippers of 1850 137

launched with her three skysail yards across and
colors flying, which attracted a multitude of people.
They rather expected to see her capsize, and were
no doubt highly delighted to find that nothing un-
usual happened as she glided swiftly down the ways,
or at that critical instant when her hull was still
partly supported on the land and partly on the
waves, or when she swung to her anchors on even
keel, with the beautiful skyline of Boston of half a
century ago outlined in the distance.

Mr. Hall was a master ship-builder and had fig-
ured the weights, displacement, and stability of his
ship with the same exactness with which an astron-
omer foretells the transit of a planet; yet with
all the anxiety incident to experiments of this
kind, he had found time for plans of a less serious
nature. He had a pavilion erected in order that
the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters of the
men who had built this beautiful ship might look
with comfort upon the crowning scene of their kins-
men's labors, and after the ship was safely afloat,
all were invited to a luxurious lunch served upon
long tables in the mould loft, which was gaily dec-
orated with flags. There the master foreman of
the yard presided, while Mr. Hall entertained per-
sonal friends, whom he had asked to see the launch,
at his own hospitable home.

The Surprise measured: length 190 feet, breadth
39 feet, depth 22 feet with 30 inches dead-rise at
half floor. Her main-yard was 78 feet long from
boom-iron to boom-iron, and her mainmast was 84
feet from heel to cap, with other spars in propor-
tion. She was beautifully fitted throughout, was

138 The Clipper Ship Era

painted black from the water-line up, and carried
a finely carved and gilded flying eagle for a figure-
head, while her stern was ornamented with the
arms of New York. She was manned by a crew
of 30 able seamen, 6 ordinary seamen, 4 boys, 2 boat-
swains, a carpenter, a sailmaker, 2 cooks, a steward,
and 4 mates, and was commanded by Captain Philip
Dumaresq, who had gained a high reputation while
in command of the Antelope, Akbar, and Great
Britain.

Captain Dumaresq was born at Swan Island, near
Richmond, on the Kennebec River. His father had
settled there on an estate which came to him
through his mother, who before her marriage was
the beautiful Rebecca Gardiner, of Gardiner, Maine,
and a daughter of the Rev. John Sylvester Gardiner,
the first rector of Trinity Church, Boston. Unlike
most American boys, who used to go to sea, young
Dumaresq had no special desire for a life upon the
ocean, but was sent on a voyage to China by his
parents, under the advice of a physician, on account
of his delicate health. He soon grew robust, and
at the age of twenty-two took command of a vessel,
afterwards becoming one of the most celebrated
and widely known of all the American clipper ship
captains.

When the Surprise arrived at New York to load
for San Francisco, the New York Herald declared
that she was the handsomest ship ever seen in the
port, and a large number of persons gathered to see
her placed at her loading berth by the steamer
B. B. Fortes, which had towed her round from
Boston,

California Clippers of 1850 139

The R. B. Forbes at that time, so to speak, was
a well-known character about Massachusetts Bay,
and no marine function seemed quite complete
without her presence. She was generally on hand
at launches, regattas, and Fourth of July celebra-
tions, with a jolly party of Boston underwriters
and their friends on board, accompanied by a band
of music and well-filled hampers of refreshments.
Her hull was painted a brilliant red up to the
bulwarks, which were black, while the deck fittings,
houses, and the inside of the bulwarks were a bright
green. Altogether, with a rainbow of bunting over
her mastheads, the brass band in full blast, and
champagne corks flying about her deck, she con-
tributed liberally to the gayety of many festive
occasions. She was also usually the first to intro-
duce a new-born ship to the end of a manila hawser,
and for several years she towed most of the eastern-
built clippers to their loading berths at Boston or
New York.

But these were only the odd jobs at which she
put in her time when not engaged in her more
serious work of salvage operations, for she was the
best equipped and most powerful wrecking steamer
on the Atlantic coast, and saved much valuable
property abandoned to the Boston Underwriters,
for whom she was built by Otis Tafts at East
Boston in 1845. She was 300 tons register, and
was one of the few vessels at that date constructed
of iron and fitted with a screw propeller, her
engines and boilers being designed by the re-
nowned Ericsson. Her commander. Captain Mor-
ris, not only was a very able wreck master, but

140 The Clipper Ship Era

did a great deal by expei'iment and observation to
solve the intricate problems relating to the devia-
tion of the magnetic needle on board of iron vessels,
and was one of the few reliable authorities of his
day upon this important subject. At the outbreak
of the Civil War in 1861, the R. B. Forles was
purchased by the United States Government, but
before the end of the war she was wrecked and
became a total loss near Hatteras Inlet. It is hardly
necessary to mention that this vessel was named
in honor of that noble seaman. Captain Robert
Bennett Forbes, whose acts of kindness and hu-
manity were so many that a book might well be
devoted to a record of them.

The Witchcraft was a very beautiful ship, and
was commanded by Captain William C. Rogers, a
son of one of the owners, for whom she was built.
Captain Rogers was born at Salem in 1823 and
had made several voyages as supercargo on board
of different ships to Calcutta and Canton. He was
a man of unusual ability, and although he never
sailed before the mast, or as officer of a ship, he
had acquired a knowledge of seamanship and navi-
gation which enabled him to become one of the
most famous among the younger clipper ship cap-
tains. He was a rare example of a gentleman who
went to sea for the pure love of it, who enjoyed
dealing with the useful realities of life, and liked
a real ship with real sailors on board of her, and
a real voyage of commerce profitable to mankind,
in preference to an aimless life of luxury and
pleasure.

During the Civil War Captain Rogers was one

California Clippers of 1850 141

of the twelve naval commanders appointed by Act
of Congress, and he commanded the U. S. clipper
barque William G. Anderson, which mounted six
thirty-two pounders and a long rifled gun amid-
ships, and carried a crew of one hundred and ten
men. While in command of this vessel, Captain
Rogers captured the Confederate privateer Beaure-
gard, Captain Gilbert Hays, one hundred miles east-
northeast of Abaco in the Bahamas, November 12,
1861. He also commanded the U. S. gunboat luka,
and in her rendered valuable service to his country
during the remainder of the war. He subsequently
married a granddaughter of Nathaniel Bowditch,
the illustrious navigator.

The John Bertram was an extremely sharp ship,
and was the pioneer of Glidden & Williams's line
of San Francisco clippers. She was named for
Captain Bertram, one of Salem's most famous sea-
men and merchants, and was for several years
commanded by Captain Landholm.

The Sea Serpent was the first clipper ship built
by Mr. Raynes, and was a slender, rakish, handsome-
looking craft, comparing favorably with the New
York and Boston clippers of that year. She was
commanded by Captain Williams Howland, a sea-
man of experience and ability, who was born at
New Bedford in 1804. In 1833 he took command
of the Horatio, then a new ship and afterwards
famous, on her first voyage from New York to China,
and remained in her for about ten years. He sub-
sequently commanded the packet ships AsKburton,
Henry Clay, Cornelius Grinnell, and the Constan-
tine. Captain Howland was a gentleman of much

142 The Clipper Ship Era

dignity, who usually wore kid gloves when he came
on deck and seldom gave his orders to any one but
the officer of the watch. He had the reputation of
being an Al seaman and navigator.

The White Squall was another handsome clipper,
very similar in construction and design to the
Samuel Russell and Oriental from the same yard.
Although but little more than eleven hundred tons
register, this ship cost when ready for sea with
one year's stores and provisions on board the sum
of $90,000, and her freight from New York to San
Francisco on her first voyage amounted to |70,000.
She was commanded by Captain Lockwood, and her
measurements were : length 190 feet, breadth 35 feet
6 inches, and depth 21 feet.

The Stag-Hound, at the time of her launch was
the largest merchant ship ever built, though during
the nine years that the Cunard Company had been
running mail steamers across the Atlantic, the ton-
nage of American packet ships had steadily in-
creased. In 1846, as we have seen, Donald McKay
had built the Wew World of 1404 tons, and in 1849
William H. Webb launched the Albert Gallatin of
1435 tons, so that the Stag-Hound, 1535 tons, was
not a very much larger vessel ; but she was of a de-
cidedly dififerent design, having less beam and seven-
teen feet more length than either of these packets.
She attracted much attention and many persons
came to see her while she was building. A throng
estimated at from twelve to fifteen thousand gath-
ered about the shipyard at noon on December 7,
1850, to witness her launch. The weather was bit-
terly cold, with drift ice in the harbor and snow:

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California Clippers of 1850 143

lying deep on the ground. It was feared that the
launch might have to be postponed on account of
the tallow freezing on the ways, but when she had
settled in her cradle and everything was ready, a
gang of men came from the forge bearing cans
filled with boiling whale oil, which they poured
upon the ways. When the word was given to knock
away the dog shores, the vessel moved rapidly down
the smoking ways and plunged into the gray, icy
waters of the harbor, amid shouts and cheers from
a shivering crowd, while the bells of Boston rang
out mellow and clear, on the calm, frosty air, in
welcome to the largest merchant ship afloat.

Launches were not then regarded as social func-
tions, although some of the most prominent families
in New York and Boston, who were interested in
shipping, attended them, and a pavilion was usually
erected where they might picnic comfortably and
enjoy themselves. It was also not customary in
those days for women to name ships, but the cere-
mony, which was simple and effective, was usually
performed by the foreman of the yard from which
the ship was launched. On this occasion, when
ihe Stag-Hound began to move along the ways, the
foreman had a black bottle of Medford rum some-
where about, which he seized by the neck and
smashed across her forefoot, at the same time, in
the excitement of the moment, shouting out, " Stag-
Hound, your name's Stag-Hound!" and thus
brought the ceremony to a close. This vessel meas-
ured : length 215 feet, breadth 40 feet, depth 21 feet,
with 40 inches dead-rise at half floor. Her main-
yard was 86 feet and her mainmast "88 feet in

144 The Clipper Ship Era

length. She was commanded on her first voyage
by Captain Josiah Richardson, and carried a crew
of 36 able seamen, 6 ordinary seamen, and 4 boys.
When she arrived at New York in tow of the R. B.
Forhes, to load for San Francisco, the ship fanciers
of South Street were for once in their lives of
one mind, and their opinion seems to have been
that the Stag-Hound came pretty near being the
perfection of the clipper ship type.

Each one of the clippers of 1850 proved a credit
to the yard from which she was launched, and
nearly all of them made the passage from New
York or Boston to San Francisco in less than one
hundred and ten days. This is an exceedingly good
record, although the passage from New York has
been made by two vessels, the Flying Cloud and the
Andrew Jackson, in a few hours less than ninety
days. In Appendix II. will be found the names of
ships that made this passage in one hundred and
ten days or less, with the dates of their arrivals
at San Francisco, for the years 1850-1860. While
this list includes almost all of the extreme clippers,
still there were a number of ships that gave proof
by their other records of being fast and ably com-
manded, and yet failed to come within the limit
of one hundred and ten days.

As most persons are aware, foreign vesselfe have
never been allowed to engage in the United States
coasting trade, also that the voyage between At-
lantic and Pacific ports of the United States, has
always been regarded as a coasting voyage. The
California clippers therefore had no foreign com-
petitors to sail against, but the racing among them-

California Clippers of 1850 145

selves was sufficiently keen to satisfy the most
enthusiastic lover of sport, while China and Aus-
tralia voyages afforded opportunities for inter-
national rivalry.

The only clipper ship to make the voyage to
San Francisco prior to 1850 was the Memnon, under
Captain George Gordon, which arrived there July
28, 1849, after a record passage of one hundred and
twenty days from New York. The first contest of
clippers round Cape Horn took place in 1850, be-
tween the Houqua, Sea Witch, Samuel Russell, and
Memnon, old rivals on China voyages, and the new
clippers Celestial, Mandarin, and Race Horse. All
of these vessels had their friends, and large sums
of money were wagered on the result, the four older
ships, especially the Sea Witch, having established
high reputations for speed. The Samuel Russell
was commanded by Captain Charles Low, previously
of the Houqua, while the Houqua was now com-
manded by Captain McKenzie; Captain Gordon was
again in the Memnon, and Captain George Fraser,
who had sailed with Captain Waterman as chief
mate, commanded the Sea Witch.

The Samuel Russell arrived at San Francisco
May 6, 1850, after a passage of 109 days from New
York, thus knocking 11 days off the record, and her
friends*, and backers felt confident that this pas-
sage could not be surpassed, at all events not by
any of the clippers of that year. This opinion was
in a measure confirmed when the Houqua arrived
on July 23d, 120 days from New York, but on the
following day the Sea Witch came romping up the
bay, 97 days from Sandy Hook, reducing the record

146 The Clipper Ship Era

by another 12 days. This passage astonished every
one, even her warmest admirers, and well it might,
for it has never been equalled by a ship of her
tonnage and not often excelled even by larger ves-
sels. This performance of the Sea Witch was the
more remarkable as she had rounded Cape Horn
during the Antarctic midwinter.

The remainder of the fleet arrived in the follow-
ing order: Memnon, September 27th, 123 days;
Celestial, November 1st, 104 days ; Race Horse, from
Boston, November 24th, 109 days; and the Man-
darin, November 29th, 126 days from New York.
These were all fine passages, especially when we
consider that none of the vessels was over 1100 tons
register. The records show that from June 26 to
July 28, 1850, seventeen vessels from New York
and sixteen from Boston arrived at San Francisco,
whose average passages were 159 days, so that even
the Mandarin's passage of 126 days was very fast
by comparison. We must remember also that none
of these vessels had the advantage of using Maury's
Wind and Current Charts, as at that time sufficient
material had not been collected to perfect them.

Navigators of all nationalities are deeply in-
debted to Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury,
U. S. N., for it was his mind that first conceived
the idea of exploring the winds and currents of
the ocean. Lieutenant Maury was a Virginian by
birth, and in 1825 at the age of nineteen, entered
the United State Navy as a midshipman on board
the frigate Brandywine. In 1830 he was appointed
sailing master of the sloop of war Falmouth, and
ordered to the Pacific station. At this time, being

Maury's Wind and Current Charts 147

anxious to make a rapid passage round Cape Horn,
he searched in vain for information relating to the
winds and currents. His attention was thus di-
rected to this subject, and it was upon this voyage
that he conceived the design of his celebrated Wind
and Current Charts. He also began at this time
to write papers for the American Journal of Science
which attracted much attention, and on his return
he published a Treatise on Navigation which was
made a text-book for the pupils of the Naval
Academy at Annapolis.

In 1842 Lieutenant Maury was placed in charge
of the Depot of Charts and Instruments at Wash-
ington, which afterwards became the National Ob-
servatory and Hydrographic Office. Here he de-
voted his attention to collecting and converting into
systematic tables the valuable data contained in
the old log-books of the United States warships,
which he found stowed away as so much rubbish,
and which had narrowly escaped being sold for
junk. At the same time he presented a paper to
the National Institute, recommending that all mer-
chant ships be provided with charts of sailing direc-
tions, " on which should be daily registered all
observable facts relating to the winds, currents, and
other phenomena of importance and interest, for
the foundation of a true theory of the winds."

A general use of these charts would have con-
stituted one of the greatest exploring expeditions
ever devised, but for a time it met with much
opposition. Lieutenant Maury's first convert was
Captain Jackson of the Baltimore ship D. G. Wright,
trading to Rio Janeiro, who made rapid voyages

148 The Clipper Ship Era

with the aid of the Wind and Current Charts fur-
nished by Lieutenant Maury. Soon there were many
followers among American sea-captains, who gave
their earnest co-operation and received great bene-
fits in return, since all who kept Maury's Log, as it
was called, were entitled to a copy of the Sailing
Directions.

In 1856 the captains and officers of a fleet of no
less than a thousand merchant ships, sailing under
the United States flag upon every sea and ocean,
were recording daily and almost hourly observa-
tions of the winds and currents. Under the British
flag were to be counted the whole Navy of Great
Britain and over one hundred merchantmen; under
the flag of Holland, two hundred and twenty-five
merchant ships and those of the Royal Navy. Be-
sides these there were the ships of France, Spain,
Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Prussia, Denmark, Swe-
den, Norway, Russia, Chili, Bremen, and Hamburg,
all co-operating and assisting this great scientist
in his noble work.

Maury's Physical Geography of the Sea (1853),
the first work of the kind which appeared, ran
through twenty editions and was translated into
French, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, and Italian. This
book treats of the clouds, winds, and currents of the
ocean in a scientific yet attractive manner, dispel-
ling the last of the sea myths which for ages had been
the delight of poets and the terror of sailors, and in
their stead relating a story of scientific discovery
of greater wonder and beauty than any fable.

Maury's researches had, however, a very practical
side to them. Hunt's Merchants' Magazine for

vx I;

Matthew Fontaine Maury

Maury's Wind and Current Charts 149

May, 1854, states that on the outward passages
alone from New York to California, Australia, and
Eio Janeiro, American ships, through the use of
Maury's Sailing Directions, were saving in time
the sum of |2,250,000 per annum, and it is probable
that could an estimate have been made of the sav-
ing in time to all of the ships using the Sailing
Directions, the total amount must have consider-
ably exceeded $10,000,000 per annum.

It should be remembered that this result had
been accomplished without expenditure of monev,
beyond the moderate salaries of Maury and his staff
of assistants, and the insignificant cost of printing
the blank log-books, charts, and sailing directions.

Sea-captains of all nations regarded Lieutenant
Maury as a wise counsellor and faithful friend, while
France, Holland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Russia,
Prussia, Austria, Portugal, and Sardinia, all either
conferred upon him orders of knighthood or struck
medals in his honor.

In 1861, Lieutenant Maury resigned the oflflce of
Chief Superintendent of the National Observatory
and Hydrographic Office, deeming it his duty as a
Virginian to take the side of his State at the out-
break of the Civil War. Upon this occasion he re-
ceived letters of invitation from the Grand Duke
Constantine offering him residence in Russia and
every facility for continuing his scientific re-
searches. A similar offer was made by Prince
Napoleon on behalf of France, and also by the
Archduke Maximilian of Austria. In 1866 a pecu-
niary testimonial was presented to Lieutenant
Maury at Willis's Rooms, London, where he was

150 The Clipper Ship Era

entertained by English naval officers and scientific
men of the highest distinction, Sir John Parkington
being chairman. England, France, Russia, and
Holland contributed 3000 guineas, a substantial
token of their esteem and gratitude for his labors
in the service of mankind.

On one occasion Secretary of the Navy, Graham,
wrote to Lieutenant Maury as follows:

" Indeed, I doubt whether the triumphs of navi-
gation and the knowledge of the sea, achieved under
your superintendence of the Observatory, will not
contribute as much to an effective Naval Service
and to the national fame as the brilliant trophies
of our arms."

Maury died in 1873, in his sixty -seventh year, an
American scientist whose life was devoted to dis-
covering the secrets of the sea, and to the welfare
of seamen, irrespective of rank or nationality. In
h;menting his death, the Senate of Virginia closed
its resolutions with this eulogy:

" An honor to Virginia, an honor to America, and
an honor to civilization, and in gratefully recogniz-
ing this we do but honor ourselves."

CHAPTER X

CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1851 AND THEIR COMMAND-
ERS — A DAY ON BOARD THE " WITCH OF THE WAVE "

A LITTLE more than sixty thousand tons of
shipping had been launched from the ship-
yards in and near New York during the year 1850,
and over thirty thousand tons were still under
construction there when the year closed, while the
total tonnage of vessels built in the United States
that year was 306,034 tons.

At this period the California clippers increased
rapidly in size. Ships of a new type from 1500 to
2000 tons register, of which the Stag-Hound was the
pioneer, were now being built, and ship-builders
were called upon to deal with the problem of fit-
ting wooden spars and hemp rigging that would
stand the stress and strain of the enormous amount
of canvas that these powerful vessels were expected
to carry. The rigging and handling of this new
type of long-limbed clipper, with her unexplored
peculiarities, gave ship-builders and sea-captains
some serious thinking and the ship lovers of South
Street' something to talk about and argue over.

Thirty-one California clippers were launched dur-
ing the year 1851, and almost all the large ship-

iSi

152 The Clipper Ship Era

yards along the Atlantic seaboard were represented
by one or more. Donald McKay built the Flying
Cloud, Flying Fish, and Staffordshire; William H.
Webb, the Challenge, Invincihle, Comet, Gazelle, and
Sword-Fish; Fernald and Pettigrew, of Portsmouth,
the Typhoon; Jacob A. Westervelt & Sons, the Hor-
net and N. B. Palmer; George Raynes, the Wild
Pigeon and Witch of the Wave; Smith & Co., of
Hoboken, the Hurricane; Perrin, Patterson & Stack,
of Williamsburg, the Ino; Briggs Bros., of South
Boston, the Northern Light and Southern Gross;
Hood & Co., of Somerset, the Raven; J. 0. Curtis,
of Medford, the Shooting Star; J. Williams, the
Tornado, Isaac Taylor, of Medford, the Syren;
Trufant & Drummond, of Bath, the Monsoon, and
Jacob Bell, the Trade-Wind.

It would be impossible to name the handsomest
of these ships, for while they were all of the same
general design, each possessed her special type of
beauty; and beauty, as we all know, is elusive, de-
pending largely on fashion and individual taste.
In order to attract the favorable attention of ship-
pers and to secure the highest rates of freight, it
was necessary that these ships should be handsome
as well as swift. Ship-owners were content to spend
large sums of money, not only upon refined decora-
tion, which was but a small portion of the ex-
pense, but also in carefully selected woods, such as
India teak and Spanish mahogany for deck fittings,
and in the finest shipwright's and joiner's work
about the decks, which were marvels of neatness
and finish.

Ship-builders certainly had every incentive to ex-

California Clippers of 1851 153

ercise their best skill upon these vessels; they re-
ceived pretty much their own prices for building
them, and each ship, as she sailed out upon the
ocean, held in her keeping the reputation of her
builder, to whom a quick passage meant fame and
fortune. Six of the clipper ships launched in
1851, the Flying Cloud, Comet, Sword-Fish, Witch
of the Wave, Ino, and Northern Light, established
speed records that have not yet been broken, and
as time rolls on, the probability that they ever will
be, becomes less and less.

The Flying Cloud was originally contracted for
by Enoch Train, the good friend of Donald McKay,
but while on the stocks she was sold to Grinnell,
Minturn & Co., under whose flag she sailed for a
number of years. Mr. Train used to say that there
were few things in his life that he regretted more
than parting with this ship. She was 1783 tons
register, and measured: length 225 feet, breadth
40 feet 8 inches, depth 21 feet 6 inches, with 20
inches dead-rise at half floor. Her main-yard was
82 feet and her mainmast 88 feet in length, and
like all the large clippers of her day, she carried
three standing skysail yards; royal, topgallant and
topmast studdingsails at the fore and main, square
lower studdingsails with swinging booms at the
fore; single topsail yards, with four reef bands in
the topsails; single reefs in the topgallant sails,
and topsail and topgallant bowlines.

She was commanded by Captain Josiah Perkins
jCjee^sy, who was born at Marblehead in 1814. Like
ihost boys who were brought up along the coast of
Massachusetts Bay, he began his career by being

154 The Clipper Ship Era

skipper and all hands of a borrowed thirteen-foot
dory, with the usual leg-o'-mutton sail, and steered
by an oar over her lee gunwale. In these dories
water was carried in a strong earthen jug with a
stout handle to which a tin drinking-cup was usu-
ally attached, while a wooden dinner-pail, such as
the Gloucester fishermen used in those days, con-
tained provisions. When the rode line was coiled
down clear with the killick stowed away forward,
and the dinner-pail, wooden bailer, and water jug
had been made fast with a lanyard to the becket
in the stern sheets, the famous Cape Ann dory was
about ready for sea.

Joe Creesy was a genuine boy, large and strong

for his age, freckled, good-tempered, and fond of

rowing, sailing, and fishing. When he got to be

thirteen or fourteen years old, he used to get some

one to lend him a dory, and in this, during his

summer vacation, he would make short cruises to

Beverly and sometimes to the neighboring port of

Salem. Here he would loiter about the wharves,

watching an Indiaman discharge her fragrant cargo,

or perhaps some ship fitting out for another voyage

to India or China; and he would gaze up in wonder

and admiration at the long tapering masts, with

their lofty yards and studdingsail booms, and what

appeared to him to be a labyrinth of blocks and

slender threads. The ships' figureheads, especially

those representing warriors and wild animals,

pleased Joe mightily, and the spare spars, gratings,

capstans, boats, guns, and shining brass work, all

delighted his heart. Occasionally he would behold

a sea-captain who had really sailed to Calcutta and

California Clippers of 1851 155

Canton, and the bronzed mariner was to him a being
quite apart from other mortals.

At that time Salem retained much of the spicy,
maritime flavor of the olden days, and these pleas-
ant summer cruises to the old seaport naturally
captivated the boy's imagination, until he yearned
for the time when he, too, might stand upon the
quarter-deck in command of a noble ship. It would,
of course, have been sinful to keep a boy like this
on land, so he was permitted to follow his inclina-
tion and ship before the mast on board of a vessel
bound for the East Indies. He advanced steadily
through all the grades on shipboard, and became a
captain at twenty-three.

When Captain Creesy was appointed to command
the Flying Cloud, he was well known in New York,
as he had commanded the ship Oneida, for a number
of years in the China and East India trade, and
bore a high reputation among ship-owners and un-
derwriters, many of whom were his personal friends
and associates.

TheFlyingFish was owned by Sampson & Tappan,
who, with George B. Upton, were the leading Bos-
ton ship-owners of their day, and between them
owned the largest and finest clipper ships belonging
to that port. These firms were composed of men
in the prime of life, who enjoyed owning fast and
handsome vessels. They cared for nothing but the
best in design, construction, and equipment, and
fitted out their ships with spare gear, stores, and
provisions upon a most generous scale. The Flying
Fish was 1505 tons register and measured: length
198 feet 6 inches, breadth 38 feet 2 inches, depth

156 The Clipper Ship Era

22 feet, with 25 inches dead-rise at half floor. Her
commander, Captain Edward Nickels, had sailed
out of Boston for a number of years in command
of the ship Jolin Quincy Adams, and was a fine sea-
man and navigator. He was fond of entertaining
his friends while in home and foreign ports, and his
jolly little lunches and dinners were regarded as
models of refined hospitality on shipboard. Com-
mander John A. H. Nickels, U. S. N., is a son of
Captain Edward Nickels.

Mr. Webb's Challenge, a still larger merchantman
than had yet been constructed, was regarded with
pride by the shipping men of New York. The
Challenge registered 2006 tons, and measured:
length 230 feet 6 inches, breadth 43 feet 6 inches,
depth 27 feet 6 inches, with 42 inches dead-rise at
half floor. Her mainmast was 97 feet and main-
yard 90 feet in length, and the lower studdingsail
booms were 60 feet long; with square yards and
lower studdingsails set, the distance from boom
end to boom end was 100 feet. She carried 12,780
running yards of cotton canvas, which was woven
especially for her by the Colt Manufacturing Com-
pany. Her mainsail measured : 80 feet on the head,
100 feet on the foot, with a drop of 47 feet 3 inches,
and 49 feet 6 inches on the leach. She had four
reefs in her topsails, and single reefs in her top-
gallant sails, and carried skysails, studdingsails,
and ringtail. She was owned by N. L. & G. Gris-
wold, of New York, and was commanded by Captain
Robert H. Waterman, late of the Sea Witch.

The InvinciMe, owned by J. W. Phillips and
others, of New York, was 1767 tons register, and

California Clippers of 1851 157

measured : length 221 feet, breadth 41 feet 6 inches,
depth 24 feet 10 inches. She was commanded by
Captain H. W. Johnson, a gentleman who possessed
a merry wit and a vivid imagination. Some of his
experiences by land and sea, as related by himself,
were certainly startling, and he told them with a
minuteness of detail and an earnestness of manner
that carried conviction equal to the most realistic
illusions of the drama. There was one story about
a mutiny on board the British brig Diadem, of
which vessel Johnson said he was second mate.
This craft carried a Lascar crew, and was in the
Bay of Bengal, bound from Calcutta to Hong-kong
with a cargo of opium, when a mutiny broke out
in which all hands took part with such ferocious
valor that the second mate and the serang, both
badly wounded, were the only survivors.

The listeners are shown the dead bodies of Euro-
peans and Asiatics, lying about the blood-stained
deck under the fierce rays of the southern sun, and
we breathe the tainted air, while chattering cor-
morants and screeching fishhawks tear the thin
clothing of the corpses into shreds and fight with
claw and beak over the decaying flesh. Johnson
and the serang, so widely separated by blood, lan-
guage, and religion, now united by a bond of com-
mon suffering, help each other to crawl into the
caboose for shelter from the heat and from the
birds of prey. Now we hear the gentle chafing of
the gear aloft, and the lazy slatting of the sails,
as the brig rolls upon the long, glassy swell; we
see the sun sink beyond the ocean's rim in a glory
of gold and purple that illumines the zenith and

158 The Clipper Ship Era

turns the sea into a lake of fire; and we feel the
benediction of the cool twilight and whispering
breeze.

In the silence of the night, the two men, weak
from loss of blood, drag themselves aft to the de-
serted cabin ; Johnson lowers himself down the
companion and gropes his way to the pantry, where
he finds food to share with his companion. In the
captain's cabin he finds a decanter of brandy and
a tumbler in the rack at the foot of the berth;
he fills the glass and pours the spirit down his
parched throat to brace his shattered nerves, then
fills the glass again and takes it to the serang, but
the faithful follower of Mahomet refuses to lift it
to his burning lips. We live with them as they
work their little vessel back to the muddy waters
of the Hooghly and sight a pilot brig lying at
anchor on her station, and their joy is ours when
the pilot, with his leadsman, servant, and boat's
crew, comes on board. Again these unfortunate
men, haggard and still sufifering from their wounds,
are being tried in an Anglo-Indian Court of Justice
under a charge of murder on the high seas, and we
hear the judge pronounce their solemn sentence of
death.

The scenes to which I have referred were so real
that it seemed as if Johnson, while describing them,
must have believed this story himself, and it was
interesting to note the efifect upon those who heard
it for the first time, when, after giving a circum-
stantial account of the miraculous escape of the
serang and himself from the Calcutta prison during
the night before they were to be hanged, he would

California Clippers of 1851 159

cheerfully remark, " Well, now, I call that a pretty
good yarn to spin out of nothing." Then some one,
perhaps a lady, might say, "Why, Captain John-
son, is it not true?" and he would smile pleasantly
and reply, "True? Why bless your soul, I never
heard of a brig called the Diadem, and never was
in Calcutta in my life." He had a number of these
stories, and in China we never tired of listening
to them.

Captain Johnson was an uncommonly able man
and a most agreeable companion. He remained in
command of the Invincible for several years, and
in the early sixties he took in succession three frail
wooden side-wheel river steamboats, the Fire Dart,
Fire Cracker, and Fire Queen, from New York
round the Cape of Good Hope to China, with no
accident or mishap — a remarkable achievement. In
1866, Captain Johnson was the navigator, but
not in command, of the yacht Testa in her race
with the Henrietta and Fleetwing across the
Atlantic.

The Comet was 1836 tons register, and measured :
length 229 feet, breadth 42 feet, depth 22 feet 8
inches. She was owned by Bucklin & Crane, of
New York, and was commanded by Captain E. C.
Gardner, late of the Celestial, in whose hands she
gained a high reputation for speed.

The Sword-Fish was owned by Barclay & Living-
ston, of New York, and was 1036 tons register;
length 169 feet 6 inches, breadth 36 feet 6 inches,
depth 20 feet. Although not so extremely sharp as
the larger ships built by Mr. Webb during that
year, she was quite as handsome, and while com-

i6o The Clipper Ship Era

manded by Captain Babcock she eclipsed them all
in speed.

Captain David Sherman Babcock, brother-in-law
of Captain N. B. Palmer, was born at Stonington
in 1822, and came of a distinguished family, his
father being Major Paul Babcock and his grand-
father Colonel Harry Babcock of Revolutionary
fame. He received the usual New England school
education of those days, which appears to have
been a sufficient equipment for some of the most
useful men that the United States has yet produced.

As a boy David developed a strong desire for a
seafaring life, which cannot be wondered at, as at
that period Stonington and the neighboring town of
Mystic were flourishing seaports, whose ships sailed
to every quarter of the globe, and whose jovial
mariners kept the social atmosphere well charged
with shadowy visions of strange lands, ancient tem-
ples, pagodas, palms, and coral isles lying in dis-
tant tropical seas. The departure of a ship with
colors flying, the crisp, incisive orders of her cap-
tain and mates, and the clomp, clomp, clomp, of the
windlass pawl, the songs of the sailors heaving up
anchor, the hum of the running gear as it rendered
through the blocks, and the music of their straining
sheaves to the last long pulls on sheets and hall-
iards, were a more potent means of recruiting
bright, young boys, soon to become mates and cap-
tains of American ships, than all the press-gangs
that were ever heard of.

So it came about that young Babcock, at the age
of sixteen, was allowed to ship as boy before the
mast with Captain Nat Palmer on board the Hiler-

California Clippers of 1851 i6i

nia, and later he sailed again with Captain Palmer
as an officer on board the Qarrick. After making
voyages to India and China on board of various
ships, he was appointed at the age of twenty-five
to command the ship Gharlestown on a voyage to
Callao and Lima. In 1850, Captain Babcock mar-
ried Charlotte, the youngest daughter of Joseph
Noyes, of Stonington, and W. I. Babcock, the well-
known naval architect and engineer, who first in-
troduced the scientific construction of steel vessels
on the Great Lakes, is their son.

The Typhoon was owned by D. & A. Kingsland,
of New York, and was commanded by Captain
Charles H. Salter, who was born at Portsmouth in
1824, and an ancestor of his. Captain John Salter,
commanded a vessel in the European trade during
Colonial times, and for generations the Salters had
sailed out of Portsmouth in command of ships. Cap-
tain Charles Salter went to sea at an early age,
and at twenty-two commanded the ship Venice and
later the Samuel Badger.

The Typhoon was 1610 tons register, and meas-
ured : length 225 feet, breadth 41 feet 6 inches, depth
23 feet. She was fully rigged on the stocks and
was launched with skysail-yards aloft and colors
flying. Before loading for San Francisco she was
sent by her owners to Liverpool and made the pas-
sage from Portsmouth during the month of March
in 13 days, 10 hours from wharf to dock. She fre-
quently ran 15% knots by the log on this passage,
her best day's run being 346 miles. At Liverpool
she attracted much attention, as she was not only
the first American clipper, but also the largest

1 62 The Clipper Ship Era

merchant ship that had ever been seen at that
port.

The N. B. Palmer was 1490 tons register, and
measured: length 214 feet, breadth 39 feet, depth
22 feet. She was owned by A. A. Low & Brother,
and was commanded by another brother, Captain
Charles Porter Low. He was born at Salem in
1824, and when a child removed with his parents
to Brooklyn. At any early age he manifested a
decided liking for ships and the society of sailors,
and much against the wishes of his parents, he de-
termined to go to sea. In 1842 he shipped as boy
before the mast on board of the Horatio, with Cap-
tain Howland and made the round voyage to China.
He made a voyage to Liverpool with Captain Gris-
wold in the Toronto as ordinary seaman, and was
an able seaman on board the Courier to Eio Janeiro.
He then sailed as third, second, and chief mate of
the Houqiia, with the brothers. Captain Nat, Alex-
ander, and Theodore Palmer, and at the age of
twenty-three took command of that ship. As we
have seen, he also commanded the Samuel Russell
on her first voyage to San Francisco.

The 2V. B. Palmer was perhaps the most famous
ship built in the Westervelt yard. In China she
was known as " the Yacht," and with her nettings
in the tops, brass guns, gold stripe, and her lavish
entertainments on the Fourth of July and Washing-
ton's Birthday, she well deserved the title. Her
captain was a princely host, as well as a thorough
seaman, and a fine navigator. A full-rigged model
of the N. B. Palmer was exhibited at the Crystal
Palace, London, in 1851, and attracted much at-

California Clippers of 1851 163

tention as a fine example of the American clipper-
ship type.

The Hurricane was owned by C. W. & H. Thomas,
of New York, and registered 1607 tons. She had
the reputation of being the sharpest ship ever built
at or near New York, and she carried plenty of
canvas, with Cunningham's rolling topsails, being
one of the first American vessels so fitted. Across
the . lower part of her foretopsail she carried her
name painted in large black letters that could be
read much further than any signals and looked very
smart and shipshape. Her commander. Captain
Samuel Very, was born at Salem in 1815, and was
a son of John Crowninshield Very, a mariner who
had sailed on many a brave Salem ship. Among
other experiences, he was one of the survivors of
a shipwreck in mid-ocean during the year 1810,
when he was picked up by a passing vessel after
twenty-three days in an open boat. Admiral Samuel
W. Very, U. S. N., is a son of Captain Samuel Very,
and was born at Liverpool while the Hurricane lay
in the Mersey.

The Northern' Light, of 1021 tons register, meas-
ured: length 180 feet, breadth 36 feet, depth 21
feet 6 inches. She was a very sharp ship below
the water-line, with 40 inches dead-rise at half floor,
and full, powerful lines above water and on deck.
She was built by the Briggs Brothers at South
Boston, and owned by James Huckins of Boston.
Mr. Huckins was a jolly, kind-hearted gentleman
whom every one liked. His house-flag was a white
field, swallowtail, with a blue star in the centre,
and when he took his two sons into partnership,

164 The Clipper Ship Era

he placed two exceedingly small blue stars in the
upper and lower luff of the flag, as he remarked,
" to rejpresent their interest in the business."
This, however, was his joke, as he was most liberal
in every way. After this ship had made her cele-
brated record passage from San Francisco to Bos-
ton, Mr. Huckins usually closed his discussions upon
the speed of clipper ships by saying, " Well, anyway,
none of them can beat my Northern Light."

The Trade Wind measured: length 248 feet,
breadth 40 feet, depth 25 feet, and was 2030 tons
register, being 24 tons larger than the Challenge.
Those two ships were the largest clippers that were
ever built at or about New York, and with the ex-
ception of the Ocean Monarch, a packet ship of
2145 tons register, built by William H. Webb in
1856, were the largest sailing ships ever constructed
at that port. The Trade Wind was an exceedingly
sharp and handsome ship, and attracted a great
deal of attention. It was estimated that more than
thirty thousand persons gathered about Jacob Bell's
shipyard at the foot of Houston Street, East River,
one bright morning in August of that year to see
her launched. She was owned by W. Piatt & Son,
of Philadelphia, and was commanded by Captain
W. H. Osgood, late of the ship Valparaiso.

The Nightingale, one of the most beautiful clip-
pers launched in 1851, was not built for the Cali-
fornia trade, but was originally intended for a
yacht. This ship was constructed by Samuel Hans-
corn, at Portsmouth, with the intention of carrying
passengers to the World's Pair, held in London
during that year, and was fitted with extensive and

o
ho

a
be

^

California Clippers of 1851 165

luxurious accommodations for that purpose, her
between-decks being given up to large saloons and
staterooms. It was proposed, after her arrival at
London, to exhibit her in the Thames as a model
American clipper ship, and no expense or skill was
spared to make her a worthy representative. She
was 1066 tons register, length 178 feet, breadth 36
feet, depth 20 feet, with 36 inches dead-rise at half
floor.

Unfortunately, when the Nightingale was nearly
completed, and ready for launching, her owners fell
short of money. Mr. Hanscom, however, carried
out his contract, and the ship was finished and
then put into the hands of Governor Goodwin, of
Portsmouth, to dispose of, each sub-contractor
agreeing to accept his pro rata share of the pro-
ceeds. She was taken to Boston and there attracted
the attention of Sampson & Tappen, who were so
well pleased with the ship that they gladly paid
the sum of |75,000 for her. This left the sub-
contractors, such as sparmakers, sailmakers, riggers,
and blockmakers, an additional profit beyond their
contract, and Mr. Hanscom also realized a larger
amount than he would have received under the
original contract. So great was the excitement
over the news from California, and so keen the
demand for clippers at this time, that almost
any of them could have been sold for a substan-
tial advance upon their contract price. Those were
the palmy days of the ocean carrying trade,
and at no period before, or since, have ships
yielded such golden harvests to their builders and
owners.

1 66 The Clipper Ship Era

The Witch of the Wave registered 1494 tons, and
measured: length 202 feet, breadth 40 feet, depth
21 feet, with 40 inches dead-rise at half floor. Her
mainmast was 90 feet and her mainyard 81 feet in
length. Though built at Portsmouth, she was owned
by Captain John Bertram and Alfred Peabody, of
Salem, and was the pride of that ancient seaport.
It was usual in those days for owners to entertain
on board their ships when favorable opportunity
offered, so the trip of the Witch of the Wave from
Portsmouth to Salem to obtain her register was
made an occasion of festivity.

The first of May was the day selected, but lower-
ing clouds and squalls of wind and rain decided
Captain Bertram to postpone the cruise until more
favorable weather, and those of his guests who had
appeared upon the scene were rewarded by an op-
portunity to examine the ship at their leisure. They
found her a very handsome vessel, with grace and
beauty in every line and curve of her hull. Her
decks were remarkably clear, with plenty of room
for working ship, and the between -decks had more
than ample head room and were well ventilated.
Her figurehead represented a young woman par-
tially clad in gossamer drapery of white and gold,
with one shapely arm extended and her small bare
feet lightly stepping upon the crest of a wave, while
the stern was ornamented with a seashell in which
a child was being drawn by dolphins. These de-
signs were executed by John W. Mason, of Boston,
and were of decided artistic merit. The cabins and
staterooms were finished in the most luxurious man-
ner, the wainscot of the main cabin being of rose-

California Clippers of 1851 167

wood, birdseye maple, satin and zebra wood,
exquisitely polished, with cornices and mouldings
of white and gold.

After an inspection of the ship lunch was served,
and Ephraim F. Miller, Collector of the Port of
Salem, proposed the following toast : " Success to
the newest and youngest of the Salem Witches.
She perhaps includes in her composition an equal
amount of craft with her unfortunate predecessors.
Had they possessed a proportional share of her
beauty, we are confident that the sternest tribunal
before which any of them were arraigned, would
never have had the heart to subject a single one
to the trial to which their successor is designed —
the Trial by Water." This sentiment was received
with applause by the company, who then separated,
some returning to Salem by train, while others
remained over night, to be ready for the next day
in case the weather improved. In the evening
the Raynes Mansion was the scene of generous
hospitality.

During the night the sky cleared, the sun came
up warm and bright with a pleasant northwesterly
breeze, and the early morning found Portsmouth in
a state of bustle and excitement. Wagons laden
with hampers, bags, and boxes of good things, with
plenty of ice to keep them cool, were unloaded
alongside the ship, and presently the B. B. Fories
appeared steaming up the river with a big bone
in her teeth, the embodiment of energy and strength.
The morning train came in, bringing a large number
of men and women, from Boston, Salem, and New-
buryport, who, with the Portsmouth guests, made

1 68 The Clipper Ship Era

a distinguished company of more than two hundred
persons.

At about eleven o'clock, everything being ready,
the Witch of the Wave, with colors flying and the
Boston Cadet Band on board playing " The Star-
Spangled Banner," was towed out into the stream
amid the shouts and cheers of a multitude of
people, who thronged the wharves and shipyards
along the river. After passing through the Narrows
and rounding New Castle Point, the B. B. Forltes,
which had been towing alongside, took her hawser
out ahead and shaped a course for Cape Ann, which
brought the wind well over the starboard quarter.
The breeze had freshened, though the sea was still
quite smooth, and this, with the clear, blue sky and
bright sunshine, made a day altogether too fine to
be spent on shore.

Many of those on board were interested to see
what effect some canvas would have on the new
clipper, so Mr. Raynes said to/ Captain Bertram
that he thought it might perhaps be a good plan
to set some sail, " just to assist the tow-boat a
little." Captain Bertram, with a twinkle in his eye,
said he thought so, too, and gave orders to loose
the topsails, jib, and foretopmast staysail. The
Witch of the Wave had a crew of Portsmouth
riggers, shipped by the run to Boston, and it did
not take them long to put the topsails on her. As
soon as the yards were braced, she began to dart
through the water like a fish, and soon ranged up
on the weather beam of the B. B. Forhes, the hawser
towing between them with the bight skipping along
among the blue waves in showers of sparkling spray.

On the "Witch of the Wave" 169

On board the B. B. Forles the safety valve was
lifting, with steam at thirty pounds pressure mur-
muring in protest to the breeze. There was great
joy on board the Witch of the Wave, with clapping
of hands and waving of handkerchiefs, while the
band struck up " A Life on the Ocean Wave." The
log was hove, and she took nine and one half knots
off the reel. The topsail yards were then lowered
on the caps, and the reef tackles hauled out, yet
with only this small canvas, the B. B. Forces did
not have much towing to do.

After rounding Thacher's Island, a banquet was
served on tables in the between-decks, which were
decorated with the ensigns of all nations, and at
the close of the entertainment speeches were made
by E. H. Derby, a grandson of Salem's great mer-
chant of that name, Charles H. Parker, Henry N.
Hooper, and the Hon. Charles W. Upham; then the
following resolution was adopted with hearty
cheers :

" Ship Witch of the Wave,
" OfiE Salem Light, May 2, 1851.
" At a meeting of invited guests, held this after-
noon, it was unanimously

" Besolved — That the ladies and gentlemen here
assembled gratefully acknowledge the courtesy, kind-
ness, and generous hospitality of Captain John
Bertram and the other owners of the Witch of the
Wave, on this festive day, and tender their best
wishes for the success of this noble vessel.

" E. H. Derby, Chairman.
" Charles H. Parker, Secretary."

lyo The Clipper Ship Era

After this, Jonathan Nicholas, of Salem, recited
the following impromptu lines :

" I wonder what 's the dreadful row
They 're kicking up in Portsmouth now !
The people running up and down
Crying ' All Salem 's come to town ! '

Clear the track, the ship is starting!
Clear the track, the ship is starting!
Clear the track, the ship is starting!
And Portsmouth hearts are sad at parting.

" They say a man came down to-day
To carry the Witch of the Wave away;
And the people think he ought n't oughter
Just because he 's been and brought her.

" They called it rainy yesterday,
But I know better, anyway ;
'T was only Portsmouth people crying
To see the good ship's colors flying!

" But Captain B. said, ' Hang the sorrow !
The sun is bound to shine to-morrow.'
And when he speaks it 's no use talking —
So the clouds and the blues, they took to walk-
ing.

" And so to-day the sun shines bright,
And Salem sends her heart's delight;
And the good ship flies, and the wind blows free.
As she leaps to her lover's arms — the sea!

On the "Witch of the Wave" 171

" They have crowded her deck with the witty and
wise,
The saltest wisdom and merriest eyes ;
And manned her yards with a gallant crew
That it tickles her staunch old ribs to view.

" They say she 's bound to sail so fast
That a man on deck can't catch the mast !
And a porpoise trying to keep ahead,
Will get run over and killed stone dead.

" Then here 's a health to the hands that wrought

her,
And three times three to the mind that thought

her
For thought 's the impulse, work 's the way
That brings all Salem here to-day.

" Clear the track, the ship is starting !
Clear the track, the ship is starting!
Clear the track, the ship is starting!
And Portsmouth hearts are sad at parting."

Repeated rounds of applause greeted this efiEusion,
and the company went on deck, where music called
the dancers to their feet. The wind had died out,
and as the sun began to set in the west, the Witch
of the Wave anchored in Salem harbor. The day's
pleasure was brought to a close by a portion of
the company singing these lines of Whittier's that
had been set to music for the occasion :

172 The Clipper Ship Era

" God bless her wheresoe'er the breeze
Her snowy wings shall fan,
Beside the frozen Hebrides
Or sultry Hindostan !

" Where'er, in mart or on the main,
With peaceful flag unfurled.
She helps to wind the silken chain
Of commerce round the world.

" Her pathway on the open main
May blessings follow free,
And glad hearts welcome back again
Her white sails from the sea ! "

The guests were landed in boats at Phillips's
wharf, in time to reach their homes by the early
evening trains, and on the following day the R. B.
Forbes towed the Witch of the Wave to Boston,
where she loaded in Glidden & Williams's Line for
San Francisco, under the command of Captain J.
Hardy Millett.

CHAPTER XI

CALIFORNIA CLIPPER PASSAGES OF 1851

EACH of the clippers had her devoted admirers,
who gave tangible proof of loyalty by invest-
ing money liberally in support of their belief in
her speed. At that period the merchants and ship-
owners of Boston used to meet " on 'change " in
front of the old Merchants' Exchange in State
Street, and before going home to their comfortable
two o'clock dinners, these old-time gentlemen would
lay many a quiet wager upon the Northern Light,
Flying Fish, Witch of the Wave, Raven, John Bert-
ram, Shooting Star, or Game Cock as to their rela-
tive speed and the length of their passages from
Boston to San Francisco.

In New York the Astor House was the meeting-
place of merchants, ship-builders, and sea-captains,
who carried on endless arguments concerning the
merits of the clipper ships, their builders, owners,
and captains, and discussed the latest shipping news
with untiring earnestness. These men knew whereof
they spoke, for almost any evening there was suffi-
cient capital represented by ship-owners to pay for
half a dozen clippers, and the men were there also
who could build and navigate them. Occasionally
an argument would reach a point of animation

173

174 The Clipper Ship Era

where something had to be done, and one might
hear a remark very much like this : " No, no,
Henry, I can't do that, but I will lay five dol-
lars at one to three on the Challenge against
the fleet, bar one, or the same even on the Flying
Cloud against the N. B. Palmer." These were
pleasant evenings, gay with the clink of mugs
and glasses and the murmur of small talk and
laughter rippling among wreaths of smoke from
fragrant Havanas, until, at a little before ten,
Michael, the venerable barkeeper would announce,
" Gentlemen, I will take the last orders of the
evening; we close in ten minutes."

The interest in clippers was not confined to sea-
men and capitalists, for when the mail steamer
from Aspinwall was reported toiling up the bay,
there would be a large number of persons patiently
waiting on the wharf, who were not expecting
friends among the passengers or crew, but who
had come to hear the latest news, then five or six
weeks old, of arrivals of clipper ships at San
Francisco.

The first clipper to arrive at San Francisco from
New York in 1851 in less than 110 days was the
Heaman, a smart little Baltimore ship of 546 tons.
She made a flue passage of 107 days, arriving on
March 11th.

The second to arrive was the Surprise. A mer-
chant of San Francisco wagered heavily on her
beating the passage of the Sea Witch— ^1 days—
of the year before, and as the time limit grew near
he began to feel rather nervous. On the morning
of her ninety-sixth day out, March 19th, he thought

California Clipper Passages of 1851 175

if the Surprise was going to win his money for
him it was about time for her to do it, so he
mounted his horse and rode over to the North
Beach to get a glimpse of her if she was in sight.
He found the weather thick outside and so returned,
but he had not reached his counting-room before
the Surprise had passed the Golden Gate. And by
noon, Captain Dumaresq was with his friends on
shore, 96 days from New York. The Surprise had
sailed 16,308 miles since leaving Sandy Hook, and
had reefed topsails but twice. It should not, how-
ever, be supposed that she had not had plenty of
wind, for it was usually blowing hard when Cap-
tain Dumaresq began to think of taking in his
topgallantsails, to say nothing of reefing topsails.
A list of her cargo on this voyage filled a manifest
twenty-five feet long, and her freight amounted to
the sum of |78,000.

The Sea Serpent arrived on May 17th, after putting
into Valparaiso for repairs, as she had lost spars
and sails off Cape Horn. She had made the pas-
sage in 115 days, deducting her delay at Valparaiso.
This was the first of a series of disasters which be-
fell the clippers that year, and which proved pretty
clearly that their power of carrying canvas had
been underestimated. It became quite evident that
these ships could stand stouter spars and rigging,
and indeed required them.

The Eclipse, Captain Hamilton, also went into
Valparaiso with the loss of some of her spars and
sails, and allowing for her loss of time in port,
made the passage from New York to San Francisco
in 112 days, arriving May 20th, with the remarkable

176 The Clipper Ship Era

run of 63 days from New York to Valparaiso to
her credit. Captain Hamilton was not only an ac-
complished mariner, but a most delightful compan-
ion, and he had many friends in San Francisco,
some of whom gave a dinner at the Niantic Hotel
in honor of his arrival on this occasion. When the
proper moment came, one of the party proposed
the health of Captain Hamilton, and this is the way
he did it:

" Gentlemen ! I give you the shipper-clips — the
clippy — sh — the, gentlemen, I give you the — ^the
slipper." Here he paused, steadied himself by
the table edge, bowed with great dignity, and began
again very slowly : " Gentlemen ! — I — give — ^you —
the — ship — E — clipse, and her gallant cap'n Hamil-
ton," and then with an at-peace-with-all-the-world
grin, this disciple of Silenus subsided.

The Niantic had a curious history, even for a
San Francisco hotel. This refuge for the traveller,
or rather a portion of it, had originally been the
British ship Niantic which arrived at Valparaiso
from Liverpool just as the California gold fever
was at its height. She was bought by a Chilean
merchant and started for Panama, where she loaded
a cargo of tropical fruits and two hundred and
forty-eight passengers, and arrived at San Fran-
cisco, July 5, 1849. Most of the fruit had either
been devoured by the passengers or become so de-
cayed that it was thrown overboard, and as soon
as the anchor was down, the captain and all hands
cleared out for the mines, leaving the ship to take
care of herself.

After some months of neglect, she was bought

California Clipper Passages of 1851 177

by a real estate speculator, who hauled her broad-
side to on the beach, at what was then the foot of
Clay Street, and turned her into a warehouse. By
degrees the old craft found herself embedded in
some ten or twelve feet of sand and mud at a con-
siderable distance from the water-front, but she
made more money for her owner here than at any
.other time in her career, until one of the periodical
fires swept away her top sides. The rest of her
hull, which being below ground had escaped de-
struction, became the cellar of the Niantic Hotel,
erected over her remains, and had the reputation
of being the only tight and dry cellar in the
neighborhood.

In the course of time the Niantic Hotel was torn
down to make room for a more substantial building,
and upon clearing away the d§bris to secure a more
solid foundation, thirty-five baskets of champagne
were discovered hidden away among the floor tim-
bers of the old hull, where they had remained un-
molested for some twenty-one years. So faithfully
had the wine been bottled and so dry had been its
resting-place, that there was not a speck of rust
on the wires securing the corks, and the labels were
as fresh as the day they were put on, while the
wine was found to have retained much of its ori-
ginal sparkle and bouquet. It was the then cele-
brated Jacquesson Fils brand, which at the time
of its arrival might easily have been sold for |25
a bottle. I am not sure that it did not sell at nearly
its former value, for almost every one in San Fran-
cisco in 1870 needed at least one bottle with which
to celebrate the anniversary of his arrival " in the

178 The Clipper Ship Era

fall of Forty-nine or the spring of Fifty," and thirty-
five baskets would seem a small allowance for that
vast and increasing multitude.

The Stag-Hound arrived May 26th. She sailed
from New York in January, and when six days out
in a heavy southeast gale, her maintopmast and
three topgallantmasts came down by the run. She
was without a maintopsail for nine days and with-,
out topgallantsails for twelve days; nevertheless,
she crossed the equator 21 days from Sandy Hook,
arrived at Valparaiso in 66 days under jury rig,
and, allowing for her detention there, reached San
Francisco 107 days from New York. Captain
Richardson reported that she was a very fast ship
in moderate breezes, while in strong winds she fre-
quently logged sixteen and seventeen knots, although
her best day's run was only 358 miles.

The Witchcraft arrived August 11th. She, too,
had suffered aloft and put into Valparaiso for spars
and repairs, and, allowing for this delay, she had
made the passage from New York in 103 days. The
N. B. Palmer arrived August 21st in 108 days, and
the Flying Cloud on August 31st in 89 days — a pas-
sage never surpassed and only twice equalled — once
three years later by the Flying Cloud herself, and
once in 1860 by the Andrew Jackson,

The Flying Cloud's abstract log on this passage
is as follows:

Sandy Hook to the equator 21 days.

Equator to 50° S 25

50° S, in the Atlantic to 50° S. in Pacific. 7

50° S. to the equator 17

Equator to San Francisco 19

Total _^

California Clipper Passages of 1851 179

It was during this passage that the Flying Cloud
made her famous run of 374 miles, while steering to
the northward and westward under topgallantsails,
after rounding Cape Horn. This was the fastest
day's run, under steam or sail, that had ever been
made up to that time, and exceeded by 42 miles the
best day's run that had ever been made by a mail
steamship on the Atlantic. A few extracts from
her log will, I think, be of interest:

" June 6th (three days out from New York). Lost
main and mizen topgallantmasts, and maintopsail
yard. — June 7th. Sent up main and mizen topgal-
lantmasts and yards. — June 8th. Sent up main-
topsail yard. — June 14th. Discovered mainmast
badly sprung about a foot from the hounds,
and fished it. — July 11th. Very severe thunder
and lightning, double reefed topsails, split fore and
maintopmast stay sails. At 1 p.m. discovered main-
mast had sprung, sent down royal and topgallant
yards and studding sail booms oflE lower and topsail
yards to relieve strain. — July 13th. Let men out
of irons in consequence of wanting their services,
with the understanding that they would be taken
care of on arriving at San Francisco. At 6 p.m.,
carried away the maintopsail tye and band round
mainmast. — July 23d. Cape Horn north five miles.
The whole coast covered with snow. — July 31st.
Fresh breezes, fine weather, all sail set. At 2 p.m.
wind southeast. At 6 squally; in lower and top-
gallant studding sails; 7, in royals; at 2 a.m. in
foretopmast studding sail. Latter part, strong
gales and high sea running. Ship very wet fore
and aft. Distance run this day by observation is

i8o The Clipper Ship Era

374 miles. During the squalls 18 knots of line was
not suflQcient to measure the rate of speed. Top-
gallantsails set. — August 3d. At 3 p.m. suspended
first officer from duty, in consequence of his arro-
gating to himself the privilege of cutting up rig-
ging, contrary to my orders, and long-continued
neglect of duty. — August 25th. Spoke barque
Amelia Packet, 180 days from London for San
Francisco.— August 29th. Lost foretopgallant mast.
— August 30th. Sent up foretopgallant mast.
Night strong and squally. Six a.m. made South
Farallones bearing northeast i/^ east; took a pilot
at 7; anchored in San Francisco harbor at 11:30
A.M. after a passage of 89 days, 21 hours."

An analysis of this remarkable log shows that
during twenty-six consecutive days the Flying Cloud
had sailed a distance of 5912 miles, an average oi
227 miles a day, or within a fraction of 91/^ knots,
and for four consecutive days 284, 374, 334, 264 — a
total of 1256, or 314 miles per day, an average speed
of 13^2 knots. This splendid passage of the Flyinff
Cloud reduced by one quarter the clipper-ship record
of 120 days made by the Memnon two years before,
and established a new record that stands to-day.

This grand ocean exploit was celebrated in San
Francisco with rejoicing, as every American in the
town felt, now that the voyage round Cape Horn
had been made in three months, that he was nearer
to his old home in the East; while in the Atlantic
seaports the news was received with enthusiasm,
and was regarded by the press not only as a per-
sonal victory for the owners, builder, and captain

California Clipper Passages of 1851 i8i

of the Flying Cloud, but as a triumph of the United
States upon the sea. One of the New York papers *
in the course of an editorial remarked : " Such a
passage as this is more than a local triumph, and
inures to the reputation not alone of the builder
of the ship and her enterprising owners, but of the
United States. It is truly a national triumph, and
points clearly and unmistakably to the pre-
eminence upon the ocean which awaits the United
States of America. The log of the Flying Cloud
is now before us. It is the most wonderful
record that pen ever indited, for rapid as was the
passage, it was performed under circumstances by
no means the most favorable."

The Challenge arrived October 29th, 108 days
from New York — a fine passage, certainly, but not
what her friends had hoped or expected. She had
on this voyage a large but very poor crew — incom-
petent and mutinous — indeed, some of them were
among the most desperate characters that ever
sailed out of the port of New York. It was only after
the ship had passed Sandy Hook and the pilot had
been discharged that Captain Waterman began
fully to realize what a gang of ruffians he had to
deal with. He seriously considered taking the ship
back to New York for another crew, and a less reso-
lute man probably would have done so; but he
realized that it would mean a heavy expense to
the owners, as each of the crew had received three
month's advance wages, which would have to be
paid over again to another crew, besides other ex-
penses and loss of time and disappointment to the

^New York Commercial, October 8, 1851.

1 82 The Clipper Ship Era

shippers of cargo, so he decided to protect every
one but himself and kept the ship on her course.

The crew of the Challenge consisted of 56 men
before the mast, supposed to be able seamen, and
8 boys. Of the men in the forecastle only two were
Americans, the remainder representing most of the
maritime countries of Europe. So soon as Captain
Waterman decided to continue the voyage, he made
his plans quickly. After giving some orders to Mr.
Douglas, his chief officer, he called all hands aft
and manufactured a speech in which, among other
things he said that the men would find that they
were on board of a good comfortable ship, with
plenty to eat and very little work to do; but when
the officers gave them orders they must obey will-
ingly and quickly; that he hoped none of them had
brought spirits or weapons on board, as such things
were apt to make trouble at sea. This camp-meeting
discourse occupied perhaps fifteen or twenty min-
utes, during which the mates, carpenter, sailmaker,
and boatswain were employed in the forecastle
breaking open chests and boxes, emptying bags, and
gathering up bottles of rum, knuckle-dusters, sling-
shots, bowie-knives, and pistols which they threw
over the side. After the watches were chosen, each
man was made to lay his knife on the main hatch,
where the carpenter broke the point of the blade
off square.

It was found that only six men among the crew
could steer the ship properly; these were made
quartermasters and did nothing else during the
passage except to lend a hand making and taking
in sail. Fully one half of the crew who had shipped

California Clipper Passages of 1851 183

as able seamen were not sailormen at all, but black-
legs of the vilest type, who had taken this means
of getting to the California gold mines. It also
developed that many of the men had contracted a
loathsome disease, most difficult to cure at sea, and
at one time seventeen of the crew were laid up and
ofif duty. Captain Waterman had the sailroom
turned into a sick bay, but although these men
received every care, five of them died, and eight
were still in their berths when the Challenge arrived
at San Francisco.

For some time after sailing from New York, Cap-
tain Waterman and his officers were always armed
when they came on deck, but after a while the crew
appeared to be in such good shape that this pre-
caution gradually became neglected, until, one morn-
ing off Rio Janeiro, while Captain Waterman was
taking his sights, he heard shouts for help from
the main deck. He at once laid down his sextant
and hurried forward to find the mate, Mr. Douglas,
with his back to the port bulwark just abaft the
main rigging, defending himself with bare fists
from four of the crew armed with knives, who were
attacking him. As Captain Waterman ran along
the main deck he pulled a heavy iron belaying pin
out of the rail, and using this with both hands as
a club, he dealt a terrific blow on the skull of each
of the would-be assassins, which laid them out on
deck — two of them dead. Mr. Douglas had ■ re-
ceived no less than twelve wounds, some of them of
a serious nature ; indeed, he barely escaped with his
life. From that time the officers always carried arms,
and there was no further trouble with the crew.

184 The Clipper Ship Era

Off Cape Horn three men fell from aloft, one of
whom was drowned while two struck the deck and
were killed. The bodies of the men who died were
sewn up in canvas with holystones at their feet,
and were buried in the sea. Captain Waterman
read the funeral service over their remains, but the
ship was not hove to as the braces were never al-
lowed to be started except when absolutely neces-
sary, owing to the difficulty and danger of handling
the yards with such an inferior crew. The bodies
of the two men who attempted to murder the chief
officer were taken from where they fell and lowered
into the sea. Many years afterward Captain Water-
man told me that he could not bring himself to
read the Christian burial service over these corpses,
but that he gave the crew permission to take the
bodies forward, and offered them canvas, holystones,
and a prayer-book with which to hold their own
service, but none of the crew would volunteer to
bury these men.

The Challenge had moderate winds the whole pas-
sage, excepting a succession of westerly gales off
Cape Horn, and with her wretched crew besides,
there was really no opportunity properly to test
her speed. Her best day's run was only 336 miles,
with the wind abeam and skysails set. She was 55
days from Sandy Hook to Cape Horn, thence 34
days to the equator in the Pacific, and 19 days from
the equator to San Francisco. The great wonder
is, not that Captain Waterman made such a fine
passage, but that he succeeded in getting his ship
to San Francisco at all.

Soon after the Challenge rounded to and let go

California Clipper Passages of 1851 185

anchor, in San Francisco Bay, she was boarded by
a throng of crimps and runners who at once took
the crew and their dunnage ashore. There was
nothing unusual in this, for it happened nearly
every day, captains and mates being powerless to
prevent it. A gang of longshoremen would then be
sent aboard at wages of from |3 to $5 an hour each,
to heave up anchor, put the ship alongside the wharf,
stow sails and clear up the decks. As these pros-
perous sons of toil were never in much of a hurry,
it usually required from four to five hours to finish
up these jobs, and meant a heavy expense to the
ship-owner for work that should have been done by
the crew.

When the crew of the Challenge got on shore,
some of them had terrible tales to tell about their
hardships and privations during the voyage; how
they had been nearly starved to death; how some
of the crew had starved to death or been murdered,
and their bodies hove overboard like dead rats, and
how six men had been shot from the mizzentopsail
yard in a gale of wind off Cape Horn. According
to these blatant imposters, no such floating hell as
the Challenge had ever before set sail upon the
ocean, and as for Captain Waterman, he was a
blood-thirsty, inhuman navigator, the like of whom
had never been seen or heard of, since the days
when Noah put his ship ashore among the moun-
tains of Ararat. All this was, of course, profitable
material for journalists, one impetuous knight of
the pen actually proposing that Captain Waterman
should be burned alive, until finally the publisher
of this attack became frightened for his own safety,

1 86 The Clipper Ship Era

as he had incited the most dangerous set of men,
perhaps, that ever existed in any seaport — ticket-of-
leave from Australia, cut-throats from New Mexico,
and drainings from the social gutters and cesspools
of European ports.

At this moment San Francisco happened to be
in one of the numerous stages of reform through
which that amazing city has passed. It had re-
cently emerged from a reign of lawlessness and
mob rule under the guidance of a Vigilance Com-
mittee, and while this admirable body of citizens
was not yet disbanded, it had in a measure relaxed
its grasp upon public affairs. Now, a number of
the newly-converted thugs, murderers, and outlaws
of the town, whose necks had narrowly escaped the
hangman's noose, formed themselves into a new
"Vigilance Committee," to deal with Captain
Waterman and the officers of the Challenge. These
outcasts, crafty and unscrupulous as they were,
possessed neither the courage nor the mental capa-
city to carry out their own plans. They accord-
ingly called a public meeting, held somewhere among
the sandhills, at which it was decided to " execute "
Captain Waterman and his officers " on sight," and
then burn or scuttle the vessel at her wharf. Nat-
urally, the real Vigilance Committee were the first
to learn of these proceedings, and at once took the
captain and officers under their protection, holding
themselves in readiness to scatter the mob should
this measure become necessary.

The crowd that gathered at the sandhills con-
sisted of two or three hundred men who had lately
been hunted from one end of San Francisco to the

in

California Clipper Passages of 1851 187

other, and had prudently kept themselves stowed
away in order to escape the righteous wrath of the
Vigilance Committee. One can scarcely conceive
anything more grimly grotesque than the spectacle
of these inexperienced reformers, in their red flan-
nel shirts and black slouched hats with pistols
and bowie-knives stuck in their leather belts, and
trousers tucked into the tops of their cowhide boots,
the odor of the gin palace and dance-hall clinging
to their unwashed skins and clothing, as they
wended their way to Pacific Wharf, where the
Challenge lay moored, and demanded that Captain
Waterman and his officers be delivered over to them
for purposes of justice.

As might have been expected, these gentlemen had
vanished and no one but a few members of the
Committee knew where they were. So finding that
Captain John Land had been placed in command
of the ship, the mob seized this venerable seaman,
and for more than an hour wrangled among them-
selves as to whether they should shoot, drown, or
hang him in place of Captain Waterman. They,
however, concluded to hold him as a hostage, and
walked their white-haired prisoner up to the office
of Alsop & Co., the agents of the Challenge. By
this time, the crowd had been considerably aug-
mented and numbered about two thousand men, who
filled the air of California Street with yells, curses,
lewd jests, and ribald songs. They again demanded
from the agents that their intended victims be given
up, and six of the ringleaders forced their way with
crowbars and axes into the house of Alsop & Co.
At this point the bell of the Monumental Fire En-

1 88 The Clipper Ship Era

gine House began to toll — the well-known signal
that called the Vigilance Committee to arms — and
long before the Marshal had finished reading the
Riot Act, the mob had dispersed with alacrity.

Captain Waterman was not the man to submit
quietly to such attacks upon his character and con-
duct, and he at once offered to meet any charge that
might be brought against him before a proper legal
tribunal. When no one appeared, he demanded that
a full investigation be made into the facts of the
voyage of the Challenge. It then appeared, from
the testimony of a portion of the crew, that a large
number of the men who had shipped in New York
as able seamen were grossly incompetent and des-
perately mutinous; that the food had been of the
best, in fact, the same quality of beef, pork, and
flour that had been used in the cabin had also been
served to the crew without stint, and that no more
punishment had been inflicted by the officers than
was necessary to maintain proper discipline for
the safety of the ship and her cargo.

It also appeared that from the time the ship
sailed from New York until the time of her arrival
at San Francisco, Captain Waterman had never
been out of his clothes except to change them, and
had never slept in his berth, but had taken such
rest as he could find upon the the transom in his
chart-room near the companionway. He was com-
mended for his skill and courage in bringing his
vessel safely into San Francisco without the loss
of a spar, sail, or piece of rigging. It is therefore
humiliating to record that neither the owners of the
Challenge nor their underwriters, for both of whom

California Clipper Passages of 1851 189

Captain Waterman had saved thousands of dol-
lars, ever had the courtesy to make the slightest
acknowledgment of his services, although they were
well aware of their obligation in this matter. It
is, however, some consolation to know that he asked
and needed nothing at their hands.

As we already have seen, Captain Waterman had
taken the Pacific Mail steamship Northerner from
New York to San Francisco in 1850, and fully in-
tended at that time to retire from the sea. He
was then forty-two years old, and had passed thirty-
two years upon the ocean ; he possessed ample means,
with a- portion of which he bought four leagues
of land in Solano County, California, and it was
only at the earnest solicitation of N, L. & G. Gris-
wold, the owners of the Challenge, that he con-
sented to take her from New York to San Francisco
in this year. He was now free to attend to his
own affairs. Together with Captain A. A. Richie,
he founded the town of Fairfield, California. In
1852, he was appointed Port Warden and Inspector
of Hulls at the port of San Francisco, a position
he held for twenty-eight years. He then retired to
his farm, where he died in 1884, at the age of
seventy-six. Probably no man in California was
more widely known or more highly respected.

One of the best ocean races of 1851 was that
between the Raven,/ Captain Henry ; the Typhoon,
Captain Salter, and the Sea Witch, Captain Frazer.
These clippers sailed for San Francisco nearly to-
gether: the Sea Witch passed out by Sandy Hook
on August 1st, followed by the Typhoon on August
4th, while the Raven passed Boston Light on Au-

190 The Clipper Ship Era

gust 6th. All had able commaBders, who carried
Maury's wind and current charts to assist them.
In this month of light and baffling breezes a quick
run to the equator was hardly to be expected, but
these clippers threaded their way across the calm
belt of Cancer, ran down the northeast trades, and
drifted through the doldrums, with surprising speed.
The Sea Witch still kept her lead at the equator,
crossing on August 30th, closely followed by the
Raven and the Typhoon, which crossed together on
the 31st, so that the Baven had gained four and the
Typhoon two days on their swift competitor. They
all weathered Cape St. Roque and stood away to
the southward for a splendid dash of over three
thousand miles through the southeast trades and
the strong westerly winds further south, all cross-
ing the parallel of 50° S. in the same longitude, 64°
W. The Raven had gained another day on the
Sea Witch and these two clippers were now side
by side, with the Typhoon only two days astern.

Here began one of the keenest races ever sailed
upon the ocean. They all stood to the southward
with studdingsail booms and skysail yards sent
down from aloft, with extra lashings on the boats,
spare spars, and skylights, while all hands hard-
ened their hearts for a thrash to windward round
Cape Horn. On this desolate ocean the clippers
raced from horizon to horizon in heavy westerly
gales and a long, fierce, sweeping head sea. For
fourteen exciting days and nights, with single-
reefed, double-reefed, close-reefed topsails, reefs in
and reefs out, their keen, watchful captains made
use of every lull and slant to drive their ships to

Galifornia Clipper Passages of 1851 191

the westward of Cape Horn, across the great,
broad-backed, white-crested seas. The Sea Witch
and Raven were having it out tack for tack, some-
times one and then the other gaining an advantage,
both carrying sail to the utmost limit of prudence,
lifting their long, sharp bows to the wild, surging
seas, the cold spray flying across their decks and
blue water swirling along their lee waists, each
handled with consummate skill, and not a spar car-
ried away or rope parted. The Typhoon in hot
pursuit, was pressing the two leaders and slowly
closing upon them, for her greater length and power
helped her here. Finally the Sea Witch and Raven
emerged from this desperate contest side by side,
as they had entered it, both crossing latitude 50°
S. in the Pacific in fourteen days from the same
parallel in the Atlantic. The Typhoon had now
gained another day, and was within twenty-four
hours' sail of each.

Clear of Cape Horn they all went away fast to
the northward, rushing through the southeast trades
with studdingsails, skysails, water-sails, and ring-
tails — every yard of canvass set that would draw.
On this stretch to the equator, the Sea Witch fairly
flew through the water, and crossed in 22 days from
50° S., leading the Raven 2 and the Typhoon 4 days.
They now stood to the northward, close-hauled on
the starboard tack, for their final struggle. Here
again length and power counted in favor of the
Typhoon, and she came up with the Sea Witch and
Raven, leading them both into port; the Raven, too,
for the first time fairly headed the Sea Witch. The
Typhoon glided through the Golden Gate, November

192 The Clipper Ship Era

18th, 106 days from Sandy Hook; the Baven, No-
vember 19th, 105 days from Boston Light, and the
Sea Witch, November 20th, 110 days from Sandy
Hook. Here is a brief abstract from their log-books :

Raven Typhoon Sea Witch

To the equator in the At-
lantic 25 days 27 days 29 days.

From the equator to 50° S.. 21 " 23 " 22 "

From 50° S. in the Atlantic

to 50° S. in the Pacific. 14 " 13 " 14 "

From 50° S. to the equator. . 24 " 25 " 22 "

From the equator to the

Golden Gate 21 " 18 " 23 "

Total 105 " 106 " 110 "

This was a great victory for the Raven, the only
ship of her tonnage that ever outsailed the iSfeo
Witch, to say nothing of vanquishing the large and
famous Typhoon, a ship more than double her size.
It should, however, be remembered with regard to
the Sea Witch, that she was at that time over five
years old, and had led a pretty wild life under
Waterman, while she had known no peace with
Prazer in command, and had been strained and
weakened by hard driving. Moreover, a wooden
ship, after five or six years, begins to lose her speed
through absorbing water, and becomes sluggish in
light airs. In her prime and at her best with
Waterman in command, the Sea Witch was prob-
ably the fastest sailing-ship of her inches ever
built.

The California clippers were, of course, racing all
the time, against each other and agaiq^t the record,

California Clipper Passages of 1851 193

and the strain upon their captains in driving their
ships against competitors whose relative positions
were unljnown, was terrific. It became a confirmed
habit with them to keep their ships going night and
day in all weathers and at their utmost speed.

In order to appreciate what a passage of 110 days
or less from an Atlantic port to San Francisco
really means, we must take a few of the long
passages of 1851, made by ships that were not
clippers: Arthur, from New York, 200 days;
Austerlitz, Boston, 185 days; Barrington, Boston,
180 days; Bengal, Philadelphia, 185 days; Capitol,
Boston, 300 days ; Cornwallis, New York, 204 days ;
Franconia, Boston, 180 days; Henry Allen, New
York, 225 days; Inconium, Baltimore, 190 days.
The logs of these vessels tell of long, weary days
and nights of exasperating calms, and dreary, heart-
breaking weeks of battle with tempests off Cape
Horn.

Some of the vessels built in 1851 did not take
part in the races of that year, as they were not
launched until too late; and did not arrive at San
Francisco before 1852. Those among them which
became most famous were the Hurricane, Comet,
Northern Light, Flying Fish, Staffordshire, Trade
Wind, Sword-Fish, and Shooting Star. We shall
hear of them later.

The record of San Francisco passages for 1851
should not be closed without mention of the pilot-
boat Fanny, of 84 tons; length 71 feet, breadth 18
feet 4 inches, depth 7 feet 2 inches, built by Daniel
D. Kelly at East Boston in 1850. This schooner
was commanded by Captain William Kelly, a brother

194 The Clipper Ship Era

of her builder, and arrived at San Francisco Feb-
ruary 18, 1851, 108 days from Boston. She passed
through the Straits of Magellan and thus saved a
considerable distance; but even allowing for this,
her passage was a very remarkable one for a vessel
of her tonnage, and reflects much credit upon the
skill and courage of her captain and his plucky
companions.

CHAPTER XII

AMERICAN COMPETITION WITH GREAT BRITAIN IN THE
CHINA TRADE

THE California clippers, after discharging their
cargoes at San Francisco, either returned in
ballast round Cape Horn, or continued their voy-
ages across the Pacific and loaded cargoes at
Asiatic ports for the United States or Great Britain.
Some of the ships which sailed to China from
San Francisco, raced across the Pacific in ballast,
touching at the Sandwich Islands only long enough
to back the main yard off Diamond Head and send
the mails ashore with perhaps a missionary or two.
In those days the Kanaka maidens used to swim
off alongside the ships, and they were probably
the nearest approach to mermaids that has ever
been known in real life. The Stag-Hound made the
passage from San Francisco to Honolulu in 9, and
the Flying Cloud and Surprise in 12 days each.
The Flying Cloud sailed 374 miles in twenty-four
hours, the day after leaving San Francisco, with a
fresh whole-sail breeze and smooth sea, under sky-
sails and royal studdingsails. The Southern Cross
made the passage from San Francisco to Hong-kong
in 32, and the Game-CocTc in 35 days, the run of
the Oame-Cock from Honolulu to Hong-kong in 19

195

196 The Clipper Ship Era

days being most remarkable. When these and
other fast American vessels loaded again in China
for English ports, they, of course, added to the
competition from which British ships were already
suffering.

We have seen how the Oriental brought a cargo
of tea from China to England in 1850, and what
interest her appearance excited in London. She
was soon followed by the Surprise, White Squall,
Sea Serpent, Nightingale, Argonaut, Challenge, and
other clipper ships built for the California trade.
These American clippers received from £6 to £6,
10s freight per ton of forty cubic feet, with im-
mediate despatch, while British ships were loading
slowly at £3, 10s per ton of fifty cubic feet. The
American ships made fine passages and delivered
their teas in excellent condition; but what espe-
cially appealed to the Briton was the fact that
they had cleared more than their original cost and
running expenses on this, their first voyage.

An able English wri(er,i referring to the Ameri-
can clippers engaged in the China tea-trade at this
period, remarks : " This new competition proved
for a time most disastrous to English shipping,
which was soon driven out of favor by the lofty
spars, smart, rakish-looking hulls, and famed speed
of the American ships, and caused the tea-trade of
the London markets to pass almost out of the hands
of the English ship-owner. British vessels well
manned and well found are known to have lain in
the harbor of Foo-chow for weeks together, wait-

1 William John, in an article on clipper ships in Navd
Science, vol. ii. (1873), p. 265.

Competition in the China Trade 197

ing for a cargo, and seeing American clippers com-
ing in, loading, and sailing immediately with full
cargoes, at a higher freight than they could
command.

" This soon became a matter of serious moment,
and the arrival of these vessels in the Thames
caused great excitement, and aroused no small
amount of curiosity and criticism. Even the at-
tention of the Government became attracted towards
them, and draughtsmen were sent from the Ad-
miralty to take off the lines of two of the most
famous — the Challenge and the Oriental — when they
were in Messrs. Green's drydock."

This state of affairs could not, of course, con-
tinue without further arousing British ship-owners
and builders to the danger of their position. Here
was not one vessel, but a fleet of American clippers
bringing cargoes from China at double the rates of
freight that British ships could command, and un-
less some measures were adopted to check this in-
vasion no one could predict where it might end.
That British merchants paid so liberally to get their
teas to a home market was certainly not because
they cherished any special affection for American
ships or their owners. They would have been quite
as willing to pay British clippers the same freights,
had there been any such to receive them, or even
Chinese junks, provided the service could have been
performed by them as quickly and as well. So we
find the British ship-owners and builders of that
period forced to exert their finest skill and most
ardent energy.

The firm of Jardine, Matheson & Co., of London

198 The Clipper Ship Era

and China, were the owners of the first clipper ship
built in Great Britain. This vessel was the Storna-
way, 506 tons, launched from the yard of Alexander
Hall & Co., at Aberdeen, toward the close of 1850
for the China trade. It will be recalled that this
firm had built the clipper schooner Torrington, for
the same owners, four years before. The new ship
was named for Stornoway Castle, Lewis, one of
the Hebrides Isles, which was then owned by Sir
James Matheson, and to which he retired after his
long and successful career as ship-owner and
merchant in the China trade.

It cannot be said that the Stornoway was a copy
of any American model, as a comparison of dimen-
sions will clearly show. Comparing her measure-
ments with those of the American clipper barque
Race Horse, of 512 tons register, built by Samuel
Hall at East Boston in the same year, we find :

Length

Breadth

Depth

Stornoway

157 ft. 8 in.

25 ft. 8 in.

17 ft. 8 in.

Race Horse

125 ft.

30 ft.

16 ft.

"" Thus the Stornoway, while she exceeded the Race
Horse by 32 feet 8 inches in length and by 1 foot
8 inches in depth, yet had 4 feet 4 inches less
breadth; and here began a contest, which extended
over so many years, of breadth against length and
depth. There can be no doubt that the Stornoway
with more beam and the Race Horse with more
length and depth, would have been faster, but at
the same time considerably larger vessels.^

1 The various systems of calculating the tonnage of ves-
sels which were in force in Great Britain prior to 1854,

>»

cd

01

E-i

Competition in the China Trade 199

The Stornoway was commanded by Captain
Richard Robinson, and on her first voyage she made
the passage from the Downs to Java Head in 80
days, to Hongkong in 102 days, and from Hong-
kong to London in 103 days. These were at that
time the quickest passages between these ports that
had ever been made by a British vessel.

In 1851 Alexander Hall & Co. built the China
tea-clipper Chrysolite, of 471 tons, for Taylor &
Potter of Liverpool; length 149 feet 3 inches,
breadth 29 feet, depth 17 feet. As will be seen
this vessel approached more nearly the proportions
of the Race Horse, having 8 feet 5 inches less length
than the Stornoway, with 3 feet 4 inches more
breadth, and 8 inches less depth. She made her
first passage from Liverpool to Canton, under the
command of Captain Anthony Enright, in 102 days,
and came home in 104 days. She also made the

(see Appendix iv.,) gave the breadth measurement a
preponderating influence upon the result, and as taxation,
port, and light dues, etc., were based upon the registered
tonnage of a vessel, there was economy in decreasing the
breadth of a vessel at the expense of the other dimen-
sions. Ship-builders and owners in England showed a
much greater tendency to profit by this feature of the
law than did those in the United States, where substan-
tially the same system was in force. In this country
some very narrow vessels were built for the New Orleans
and West India trade, in the period 1820-1845, but it was
found that the saving in taxation did not pay for using
such an undesirable type of vessels, so they were given
up. As a rule, American owners and builders preferred
to build vessels of a type which they regarded as the best
for speed and for the trade in which they were engaged,
without regard for the tonnage laws.

200 The Clipper Ship Era

passage from Liverpool to Java Head in 80 days,
her best day's run being 320 miles.

The very keen rivalry between the British and
American clipper ships engaged in the China trade
at this time, seems to have been stimulating to the
imagination. W. S. Lindsay, in his History of
Merchant Shipping (vol. iii., p. 291), relates an
interesting story of one of the early races, and as
I wish to do the narrative full justice, I give it in
Mr. Lindsay's own words:

" Mr. T. C. Cowper, of Aberdeen, himself a mem-
ber of a well-known fehip-building firm in Aberdeen,
who had spent some time in China at the period
to which I refer, and to whom I am much indebted
for the information connected with our struggles
to maintain our position in that trade, gives the
following graphic description of his voyage home
in the Ganges, Captain Deas, belonging to Leith,
one of the vessels we had sent forth after the repeal'
of our Navigation Laws, to compete with the Ameri-
cans in that trade : ' We loaded,' he says, ' new teas
at Wampoa, and sailed on the first of September,
1851. Two of the fastest American clippers, the
Flying Cloud and Bald Eagle, sailed two or three
days after us. A great deal of excitement existed
in China about the race, the American ships being
the favorites. The southwest monsoon being strong,
the Ganges made a rather long passage to Anjer,
but when we arrived there we found that neither
of our rivals had been reported as having passed.
We arrived in the English Channel on the evening
of the 16th of December. On the following morn-
ing at daylight we were off Portland, well inshore

Competition in the China Trade 201

and under short sail, light winds from the north-
east, and weather rather thick. About 8 a.m. the
wind freshened and the haze cleared away, which
showed two large and lofty ships two or three
miles to windward of us. They proved to be our
American friends, having their Stars and Stripes
flying for a pilot. Captain Deas at once gave
orders to hoist his signals for a pilot also, and
as, by this time, several cutters were standing out
from Weymouth, the Ganges, being farthest inshore
got her pilot first on board. I said that I would
land in the pilot-boat and go to London by rail,
and would report the ship that night or next morn-
ing at Austin Friars. (She was consigned to my
firm.) The breeze had considerably freshened be-
fore I got on board the pilot cutter, when the Ganges
filled away on the port tack, and Captain Deas,
contrary to his wont, for he was a very cautious
man, crowded on all small sails. The Americans
lost no time and were after him, and I had three
hours' view of as fine an ocean race as I can wish
to see; the wind being dead ahead, the ships were
making short tacks. The Ganges showed herself to
be the most weatherly of the three; and the gain
on every tack inshore was obvious, neither did she
seem to carry way behind in fore reaching. She
arrived off Dungeness six hours before the other
two, and was in the London docks twenty-four
hours before the first, and thirty-six hours before
the last of her opponents.' "

It is always unpleasant to spoil a really good
story, but in this instance I feel constrained to

202 The Clipper Ship Era

point out that the Flying Cloud arrived at San
Francisco on August 31, 1851, after her famous
passage of 89 days from New York ; it is therefore
difficult to understand how she could have sailed
from Wampoa on the Canton Eiver on or about
September 1st of that year, as stated by Mr. Cow-
per; while the Bald Eagle was not launched until
1852.

On January 3, 1852, the Illustrated London 'News,
which then, as now, had many readers in the United
States, published a portrait of the Chrysolite accom-
panying an article in which it was stated that both
the Chrysolite and the Stornoway had beaten the
Oriental and the Surprise, and that the Chrys-
olite had completely beaten the Memnon during a
race in the Caspar Straits. This article excited a
good deal of interest in the United States, and it
caused the formation by a number of high-spirited
young merchants and ship-owners at Boston of a
society called the American Navigation Club, which
consisted of Daniel C. Bacon, President; Thomas
H. Perkins, John P. Cushing, William H. Bordman,
John M. Forbes, Warren Delano, and Edward King.
In due time they issued the following challenge,
which was published in all the leading shipping
papers of Great Britain in September, 1852, and
was copied into Bell's Life, at that period the great
sporting publication of England:

" The American Navigation Club challenges the
ship-builders of Great Britain to a ship-race, with
cargo on board, from a port in England to a port
in China and back. One ship to be entered by each

Competition in the China Trade 203

party, and to be named within a week of the start.
These ships to be modelled, commanded, and officered
entirely by citizens of the United States and Great
Britain, respectively. To be entitled to rank Al
either at the American offices or at Lloyd's. The
stakes to be £10,000 a side, satisfactorily secured
by both parties, to be paid without regard to acci-
dents, or to any exceptions, the whole amount for-
feited by either party not appearing. Judges to
be mutually chosen. Reasonable time to be given
after notice of acceptance to build the ships if
required, and also for discharging and loading
cargo in China. The challenged party may name
the size of the ships, not under 800 nor over 1200
American registered tons; the weight and measure-
ment which shall be carried each way; the allow-
ance for short weight or over-size. Reference may
be made to Messrs. Baring Bros. & Co. for
further particulars.

" Daniel C. Bacon, President."

A few weeks later, on October 10, 1852, the fol-
lowing comment appeared in Bell's Life:

" It will be remembered early in the past month
there was wafted across the broad Atlantic, from
the American Navigation Club, a challenge to the
ship-builders of Great Britain, which created no
little interest, and which after the defeat, then just
accomplished, of the magic yacht America by one
of our own little island craft, gave rise to no
inconsiderable speculation as to what might be the
result of an acceptance of Brother Jonathan's pro-

204 The Clipper Ship Era

posal. . . . The Club by the last clause of their
terms held themselves at liberty to withdraw the
challenge should it not be accepted within thirty
days. The limit of the time Is now expiring, and
it is with no little disappointment that a letter re-
ceived from the head of the eminent banking house
of Baring & Co., was received in Boston a short
time since, when it was found that he had nothing
like an acceptance of the challenge to communicate
to the American Club, but that, on the contrary, he
had to report no inquiry as to the proposition. As
a sort of enticement, however, to our ship-builders,
the President of the American Navigation Club,
Mr. D. C. Bacon, is authorized, should the present
challenge not be accepted within thirty days, to
allow the British vessels a start of fourteen days
before the departure of the American craft. And
also to allow us a crew picked from seamen experi-
enced in voyaging between English and Chinese
ports, while their own crew is to be composed of
American seamen and officers whose experience is
limited in sailing between China and English ports.
The Americans, under the new conditions, are will-
ing to augment the stake to £20,000, or any higher
sum than the £10,000 of the present conditions most
agreeable to us, but the last amount to be the
minimum. The Americans want a match, and it
reflects somewhat upon our chivalry not to accom-
modate them."

The London Daily News also published a leader
in which it urged the importance to Great
Britain of making good her claim to maritime su-

Competition in the China Trade 205

premacy by accepting the challenge and winning
the race; but in spite of all that was said the
challenge was not accepted. Had it been, Captain
Dumaresq would have commanded the American
ship, and Lieutenant Maury was to have prepared
special wind and current charts for his assistance.
As nearly all the American clippers had been con-
structed for the California trade, it is probable
that for an important race of this nature, two ships
would have been built especially for the China trade,
and very likely by Donald McKay and Samuel Hall,
as the Flying Cloud, Flying Fish, Stag-Hound,
Game-Cock, and Surprise had already placed these
two in the front rank of clipper ship-builders. No
reason was ever given for the non-acceptance of the
challenge, though the inference seems obvious.

It would, however, be a mistake to suppose that
the Stornaway and Chrysolite were not fast vessels;
for they were probably the two fastest ships sailing
under the British flag at that time, and were ably
commanded, and on a China voyage, which is very
different sailing from a San Francisco or Australian
passage, would have given any ship afloat a run
for her owner's money. The fitful uncertainty of
the njonsoons in the China seas, with an occasional
typhoon thrown in, has always rendered the voyages
to and from China rather unsatisfactory tests of
speed, and in this respect not to be compared with
those to Australia or to San Francisco.

The Stornoway and Chrysolite were soon followed
by other British clipper ships, among them the
Ahergeldie, of 600 tons register, built by Walter
Hood & Co., of Aberdeen, in 1851. This vessel was

2o6 The Clipper Ship Era

named for an estate that adjoins Balmoral, at that
time under a forty years' lease to Prince Albert,
and carried a figurehead of His Royal Highness in
full Highland costume.

In 1852, Eichard Green, of London, built the
Challenger, of 699 tons. This ship, owned by W.
S. Lindsay, of London, was constructed with the
avowed purpose of beating the Challenge of New
York. A comparison of the dimensions of this
ship and those of the Sword-Fish, 1036 tons, is
interesting.

Length Breadth Depth

Challenger 174 ft. 32 ft. 20 ft.

Sword-Fish 169 ft. 6 in. 36 ft. 6 in. 20 ft.

The Challenger was commanded by Captain Kil-
lick, who made eight China voyages in her, the best
passage home being 105 days. Although she was
never directly matched with her American rival,
they both took part in an informal race from China
in 1852, while the challenge of the Navigation Club
was pending. The passages of the seven vessels,
four American and three British, were as follows:

Witch of the Wave Canton to Deal 90 days.

Challenge Canton to Deal 105

Surprise Canton to Deal 106

Stornoway Canton to Deal 109

Chrysolite Canton to Liverpool. .. 106

Nightingale Shanghai to Deal 110

Challenger Shanghai to Deal 113

It is only fair to state that the Witch of the
Wave, commanded by Captain Millett, sailed from

Competition in the China Trade 207

Canton, January 5th, in the height of the northeast
monsoon, and made the run, remarkable even at
that season of the year, of 7 days 12 hours from
Canton to Java Head, while the three British clip-
pers, Btornoway, Chrysolite, and Challenger, sailed
later with a moderate monsoon, and the Challenge,
Surprise, and Nightingale later still, when the mon-
soon was less favorable. The rate of freight this
year was £8 per ton, the highest that was ever paid.

This race, if so it can be called, resulted in " win,
tie, or wrangle " as it was claimed, for one reason
or another, by every vessel engaged in it, and ended
by Sampson & Tappan, of Boston, oflEering to match
the Nightingale for £10,000 against any ship, Brit-
ish or American, for a race to China and back.
The rivalry of the American clipper ships among
themselves was as keen as with those of Great
Britain, and this challenge was intended for the
Navigation Club, of Boston, of which Sampson &
Tappan were not members, and for New York as
well, quite as much as for the British clippers; but
it found no response from either side of the Atlantic.

The Nightingale was owned by Sampson & Tappan
for a number of years, during which she made some
exceedingly fast passages, under the command of
Captain Samuel Mather. Among them were the
passage from Portsmouth, England, to Shanghai,
against the northeast monsoon, in 106 days in 1853 ;
and during the year 1855 a passage from Shanghai
to London in 91 days, and from Batavia Roads to
London in 70 days, an average of 197 miles per
day, her best day's run being 336 miles.

The Surprise proved one of the most successful

2o8 The Clipper Ship Era

American clippers in the China trade. After her
first Toyage she was for a number of years com-
manded by the captains Charles Ranlett, father and
son, and in their hands made many fine passages
— she made eleven consecutive passages from China
to New York in 89 days or less, six from Hong-kong,
and five from Shanghai, the best being 81 days from
Shanghai, in 1857. Among other fast passages from
Canton to New York may be mentioned those of
the Stag-Bound 85, 91, and 92 days; Flying Cloud,
94 and 96 days; 2V. B. Palmer, 84 days; Comet,
Panama, and Eurricane, each 99 days; Sword-Fish,
80 days ; Sea Serpent, 88 days ; Vancouver, 96 days ;
Mandarin, 89 days; but I am unable to find that
Captain Waterman's passage of 77 days in the Sea
Witch in 1848, and 78 days in the Natchez in 1845,
from Canton to New York, have ever been beaten.
In 1854 the Comet made a record passage of 84
days from Liverpool to Hong-kong, an average of
212 miles per day, and in the same year the Typhoon
made the run from the Lizard to Calcutta in 80
days.

In Great Britain the Cairngorm, of 1250 tons
register, was built in 1853 by Alexander Hall &
Co., and owned by Jardine, Matheson Co. Between
1853 and 1856 came the Crest of the Wave, Norma,
Flying Dragon, Formosa, and Spirit of the Age,
built by John Pile of Sunderland, and the Lord of
the Isles (iron) by John Scott & Co., of Greenock.
The ship last named registered 770 tons, measured:
length 190 feet 9 inches, breadth 27 feet 8 inches,
depth 18 feet 5 inches, and was an extremely sharp
and handsome, though a very wet ship. It used to

Competition in the China Trade 209

be said that Captain Maxton, her commander, drove
her into one side of a sea and out the other; at
all events, she was generally known among sailor-
men as the " Diving Bell."

The British clippers of this type, which was ex-
tremely sharp and narrow, very nearly held their
own against the American ships, and it is much to
be regretted that there never was a fair and square
race between them; for no British and American
clipper ships ever sailed from China near enough
together to afford a satisfactory test of speed.

The Lord of the Isles made the remarkable run
from Shanghai to London in 1855 during the north-
east monsoon of 87 days. In 1856 she sailed against
the American clipper barque Maury, commanded by
Captain Fletcher, from Poo-chow to London, both
carrying new teas. In this year a premium of £1
per ton on the freight was offered for the first
ship home during the season. The reward was
offered without regard to the length of the passage,
and was intended to encourage quick despatch in
loading as well as fast sailing. The Lord of the
Isles finished loading and sailed four days ahead
of the Maury. Both vessels arrived in the Downs
on the same morning and passed Gravesend within
ten minutes of each other, the Maury leading, but
Captain Maxton, having the smartest tug, succeeded
in getting his ship first into dock, and so won the
prize. The Maury was an exceedingly pretty barque
of about 600 tons, built by Roosevelt & Joyce, and
owned by A. A. Low & Brother. She was a very
similar vessel to the barques Fairy, Penguin, and
Benefactor, by the same builders, all engaged in the
14

2IO The Clipper Ship Era

China trade. The Lord of the Isles was the only
tea-clipper built of iron at that time. It was found
that she sweated her tea cargoes, though otherwise
they were delivered in excellent condition, and she
was certainly a very fast vessel.

At this period (1853-1856) British iron ships,
both sail and steam, were coming into favor for
other trades, but their introduction had been slow.
It is not easy at the present time to realize the
difficulties attending the building of the first iron
vessels. The rolling of iron plates to a uniform
thickness was a matter requiring great care and
skill, and a number of years elapsed before plates
exceeded or even reached ten feet in length; then
bending the frames and riveting the plates were
difficult processes, only learned through much trial
and experiment. In the early days, when an iron
ship was completed, her owner's troubles had only
begun. Finding a composition that would prevent
fouling and at the same time not destroy the plates ;
the adjustment of compasses, and devising effective
means of ventilation, were all matters that required
years of investigation and labor, to say nothing of
the prejudice against iron vessels, which time and
experience alone could overcome. Yet it was the
skilful use of this stubborn metal in the construc-
tion of ships, together with wise legislation, that
enabled Great Britain to regain her empire upon
the sea.

CHAPTER XIII

CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1852 — THE "SOVEREIGN OF
THE SEAS "

AS one by one the California clippers came home
from Asiatic ports or round Cape Horn from
San Francisco in 1852, it was found that almost all
of them needed a pretty thorough overhauling aloft.
The masts, spars, and rigging of the Flying Cloud
were fine examples of the skill of her sailors in
clapping on fishings, lashings, stoppers, and seiz-
ings, while her topmast fids, crushed and broken,
were taken up to the Astor House and exhibited
to the admiration of the town. Her owners, Grin-
nell, Minturn & Co., had her log from New York
to San Francisco printed in gold letters on white
silk for distribution among their friends, and Cap-
tain Creesy fled to his home in Marblehead in order
to escape notoriety.

The Sea Serpent, Eclipse, and Stag-Hound were
in much the same condition aloft as the Flying
Cloud, while the Witchcraft, on the voyage from
San Francisco to Hong-kong had lost her main
and mizzen masts with all sails and rigging at-
tached, during a severe typhoon in the China Sea.
The Tornado, commanded by Captain O. R. Mum-
ford, bound from San Francisco to New York, had

212 The Clipper Ship Era

lost her bowsprit with the foremast and sprung her
mainmast, when to the westward of Cape Horn.
It required fourteen days to complete the jury rig
at sea, after which she sailed to New York, a
distance of 8000 miles, in 51 days. In acknowledg-
ment of Captain Mumford's services on this occa-
sion, the New York, Sun, Astor, and Mercantile
Insurance Companies presented him with a costly
solid silver service, which was made by Ball, Black
& Co., and exhibited in the window of their store on
the corner of Murray Street and Broadway.

All of these ships were rerigged in New York
with stouter spars and rigging than they originally
carried, and much valuable experience was gained
by sparmakers and riggers as to the requirements
aloft of these large, powerful clippers, while their
captains had at the same time become better ac-
quainted with their peculiarities. The great diflS-
culty was to get a large ship, say from 1600 to
2000 tons, that would sail fast in moderate winds.
If she had canvas enough to drive her along in a
light breeze, the chances were that in a gale some-
thing was bound to carry away aloft. The utmost
skill and judgment were required to rig and to
handle these heavily masted ships with wooden
spars and hemp rigging.

The great race to San Francisco in 1852 was
between the Sword-Fish of New York and the Fly-
ing Fish of Boston, both extreme clippers and built
respectively by William H. Webb and Donald
McKay. The Flying Fish sailed from Boston No-
vember 11, 1851, and on the same day the Sword-
Fish passed Sandy Hook. Large sums were wagered

California Clippers of 1852 213

upon the result. Captain Nickels of the Flying
Fish and Captain Babcock of the Sword-Fish were
both young and skilful commanders, and it was
believed by their friends that each would send his
ship along at her utmost speed. The Flying Fish
made an excellent run of 19 days to the equator,
leading the Sword-Fish by four days. From the
equator to 50° S., the Flying Fish was 26 and the
SiDord-Fish 22 days, so that they passed that parallel
on the same day. They raced round Cape Horn,
part of the time side by side, the Flying Fish making
the run from 50° S. in the Atlantic to 50° S. in the
Pacific in 7 and the Sword-Fish in 8 days. From
this point the Sword-Fish came up and steadily
drew away. She made the run to the equator in 19
days, leading the Flying Fish by 3 days, and from
the equator to San Francisco in 20 days, gaining
on this stretch another 3 days, and arrived at San
Francisco February 10, 1852, after a splendid pas-
sage of 90 days 16 hours from New York. The
Flying Fish arrived on the 17th, or 98 days from
Boston. The Sword-Fish was regarded by many as
the fastest and handsomest ship built by William
H. Webb; and her passage of 90 days, the second
best ever made from New York to San Francisco,
and within one day of the record, together with
many other fast passages, among them her record
run of 31 days from Shanghai to San Francisco in
1855, an average of 240 miles a day, certainly places
her at or very near the head of the list of clippers
launched from this famous yard.

Some of the other notable passages of this year
were made by the Sovereign of the Seas and Comet,

214 The Clipper Ship Era

each 102 days ; Sea Witch 108 days from New York ;
Staffordshire 101 days, and John Bertram and
Shooting Star each 105 days from Boston.

The Flying Cloud, on this, her second voyage
from New York, arrived at San Francisco Sep-
tember 6, 1852, 113 days from New York. She had,
for her, a long run of 30 days to the equator; and
when she was ofE the coast of Brazil, running before
a light northerly wind under skysails and royal
studdingsails, with the weather clew of her main-
sail hauled up: as Captain Creesy was taking his
noon observation, a large clipper ship was reported
about six miles ahead, under the same canvas but
almost becalmed. She was soon recognized by Cap-
tain Creesy and his officers as the N. B. Palmer.
The Flying Cloud carried the breeze until about two
o'clock, when she also ran into the calm, and sig-
nals were exchanged. Captain Low, of the N. B.
Palmer, reported with pardonable pride, that he had
sailed from New York eight days after the Flying
Cloud, and had found good winds to the equator;
indeed, a few days after sailing he had made 396
miles in twenty-four hours.

As may be imagined, Captain Creesy was some-
what chagrined, but at all events, here at last were
the ships about whose speed there had been so
much discussion, side by side on blue water, and
soon there would be a chance to find out which was
the faster of the two. As there was every indica-
tion of a southerly breeze, both ships took in their
studdingsails, rigged in the booms, and got ready
for the new wind, with a pull on sheets and hal-
liards fore and aft. The Flying Cloud had a fine

California Clippers of 1852 215

crew, and in after years Captain Creesy in de-
scribing this race said tliat, " They worked like
one man, and that man a hero."

At about four o'clock there was a faint southerly
air with a few cat's-paws, and soon the breeze came
up from the south in a dark-blue line across the
horizon. Both ships felt it at the same moment,
and braced their yards on the starboard t;ack sharp
by the wind, which soon freshened to a fine whole-
sail breeze. The Flying Cloud now began to draw
away. At daylight the next morning, the If. B.
Palmer was hull down to leeward, and by four
o'clock in the afternoon was no longer in sight.
Both ships had strong westerly gales ofE Cape Horn,
and the Flying Cloud led her rival into San
Francisco by twenty-three days.

It is only fair to say, however, that the N. B.
Palmer lost five days through putting into Val-
paraiso to land two of her crew, and as it turned
out, to ship seventeen men to replace deserters.
One of the two men landed had shot and wounded
the mate, and the other, known as " Doublin Jack,"
had knocked the second mate down with a hand-
spike. Captain Low put both these men in irons,
triced them up in the mizzen rigging, and gave
them each four dozen lashes of ratline stuff, which
they had well earned. Captain R. B. Forbes, one
of the most humane and kind-hearted of men, de-
clared in an address before the Boston Marine
Society in 1854, that he regarded " the abolition
of the power of flogging refractory seamen as hav-
ing been injudicious " ; and I think that most men
who had experience in handling the crews of mer-

21 6 The Clipper Ship Era

chant ships on the high seas in those days will be
inclined to agree with him.

The demand for new clipper ships had by no
means abated in 1852, and thirty-three California
clippers were launched in this year. Donald McKay
built the Sovereign of the Seas, Bald Eagle, and
Westward Ho; William H. Webb, the Flying Dutch-
man; Samuel Hall, the Polynesia, John Gilpin, Fly-
ing Childers, and Wizard; Jacob A. Westervelt, the
Golden City, Golden State, and Contest; Jacob Bell,
the Messenger and Jacob Bell; Paul Curtis, the
Golden West, Queen of the Seas, Cleopatra, and
Radiant; J. O. Curtis, the Phantom and Whirlwind;
Jabez Williams, the Simoon; K. B. Jackson, the
Winged Racer; Pernald & Pettigrew, the Red
Rover.

Undismayed by difficulties as to spars and rig-
ging that beset the minds of other ship-builders,
Donald McKay resolved in this year to build a
still larger clipper than had yet appeared. This
ship was the Sovereign of the Seas, of 2421 tons
register, and when she was launched in June, 1852,
the bells that had welcomed the New World and
Stag-Hound as the largest merchant ships afloat,
again rang out a joyous greeting to this noble
clipper, as she glided smoothly and swiftly into the
blue waters of Boston harbor.

The Sovereign of the Seas measured: length 258
feet, breadth 44 feet, depth 23 feet 6 inches, with
20 inches dead-rise at half floor. It is interesting
to note that each one of Mr. McKay's clippers had
less dead-rise than her predecessor. The Stag-
Hound had 40 inches dead-rise at half floor with

California Clippers of 1852 217

slightly convex water-lines; the Flying Cloud and
Staffordshire 30 inches with concave water-lines and
shorter but sharper ends. The Sovereign of the
Seas had the longest and sharpest ends of any ves-
sel then built, and combined the grace and beauty
of the smaller ships with immense strength and
power to carry sail.

She had a crew of 105 men and boys, consisting
of 4 mates, 2 boatswains, 2 carpenters, 2 sail-
makers, 3 stewards, 2 cooks, 80 able seamen, and
10 boys before the mast. She was commanded by
Captain Lauchlan McKay, who was born at Shel-
burne, Nova Scotia, in 1811, being one year younger
than his brother Donald. Like him, he went to
New York, served an apprenticeship there with
Isaac Webb, and after becoming a master ship-
wright, was appointed carpenter of the U. S. frigate
Constellation, in which he served four years. Ad-
miral Parragut was a young lieutenant on board
this ship at the same time. In 1839 Captain McKay
published a work on naval architecture, and soon
after, in company with his brother Hugh, opened
a shipyard at Boston. Here they did repairing,
and in 1846 built the bark Odd Fellow, in which
Lauchlan sailed as captain. In 1848 he commanded
the ship Jenny Lind, and made some excellent pas-
sages in her. When he took command of the
Sovereign of the Seas, Captain McKay was in his
forty-first year, and of gigantic build and strength.

The Sovereign of the Seas sailed from New York
for San Francisco, August 4, 1852, a poor season of
the year for a rapid run to the equator, but she
crossed 25 days out from Sandy Hook, making a

2i8 The Clipper Ship Era

run which had never been bettered in the month
of August, and only twice equalled — once by the
Baven from Boston in 1851 and once by the Hurri-
cane from New York in 1853. She was 23 days
from the equator to 50° S., and 9 days from 50°
S. in the Atlantic to the same parallel in the Pacific.
After rounding Cape Horn, she carried away her
fore- and maintopmasts and foreyard, and it re-
quired fourteen days to rerig her, during which
time she was kept on her course, and made the run
from 50° S. to the equator in the remarkable time,
considering her disabled condition, of 29 days. She
went thence to San Francisco in 17 days, which is
the record for the month of November, and her
total run from New York to San Francisco was
103 days.

Had the Sovereign of the Sea^ not been dis-
masted, it is reasonable to suppose that she would
have equalled the fastest run from 50° S. to the
equator in the month of October, which is 19 days,
made by the Ocean Telegraph in 1855. This would
have reduced her passage to 93 days; still, as it
stands, her passage of 103 days has never been
equalled by a vessel sailing from New York for
San Francisco in the month of August. Captain
McKay received much credit for rerigging his ship
at sea and not putting into Valparaiso, and was
presented with a very beautiful silver dinner service
by the New York Board of Marine Underwriters.

This was the only passage made by the Sovereign
of the Seas between New York and San Francisco.
She carried on this voyage 2950 tons of cargo, and
her freight amounted to $84,000; a portion of the

a

>
o

03

,4
Eh

The " Sovereign of the Seas " 219

cargo, consisting of flour, sold in San Francisco
at |44 per barrel.

Slie cleared from San Francisco in ballast for
Honolulu, and there loaded a cargo, or rather sev-
eral cargoes, of sperm oil which had been landed
by American whale-ships in the Pacific, and sailed
for New York, February 13, 1853. She had light
and variable winds to the equator, her day's runs
ranging from 89 to 302 miles, and she made this
stretch from Honolulu in 8 days. On February
27th, she was off the Navigator or Samoan Islands,
and one cannot help thinking of the delight it would
have given Robert Louis Stevenson if he could have
looked upon this giant clipper flying southward
under her white cloud of canvas, and with what
magic words he would have made her name
immortal.

On March 4th, the Sovereign of the Seas sprung
her foretopmast, and although it was fished on the
6th, it was a source of anxiety for the remainder
of the passage, and Captain McKay, mindful of his
recent experience in these seas, carried sail with
a considerable caution. Nothing of special inter-
est occurred until March 15th, when the first strong
westerly gales were felt, and a series of remarkable
day's runs was begun. Up to noon on March 16th,
she had sailed from her position at noon the day
before, 396 miles; on the 17th, 311 miles; on the
18th, 411 miles, and on the 19th, 360 miles, a total
of 1478 miles in four days. During these four
days, she made 34° 43' of longitude eastward, which
with the difference in time gives an average of 15^4
knots, or an average of a fraction over 378 miles

220 The Clipper Ship Era

for each twenty-four hours. In the 11 days from
March 10th to the 21st, she made the remarkable
run of 3562 miles, and as she made during this
time 82° 24' of longitude, her average allowing for
difference in time, was 13% knots, or 330 miles
each twenty-four hours.

During her great run on the 18th of 411 miles,
she made 10° 30' of longitude, which reduced her
sea day to 23 hours 18 minutes, and shows an aver-
age speed of 17 2/3 knots, or 424 miles in twenty-
four hours. On this day her log records : " Strong
northwest breezes and rough sea." It seems ex-
tremely improbable that she could have maintained
uniform speed of 17 2/3 knots throughout the
twenty-four hours, but at times her speed probably
slackened to 15 or 16 knots. If this supposition
is correct, it follows that her speed must at times
have exceeded 17 2/3 knots in order to account for
this average. In the absence of any data on this
point, which is much to be regretted, it seems prob-
able that she must have sailed at a speed of not
less than 19 knots during a portion of these twenty-
four hours, and perhaps 20 knots. After rounding
Cape Horn she had light and moderate winds, her
best day's run being only 286 miles, and she arrived
off Sandy Hook May 6, 1853, after a passage of
82 days from Honolulu.

She sailed again from New York for Liverpool,
June 18th, passing Sandy Hook at 6 :30 p.m., sighted
Cape Race in Newfoundland at 6 a.m. on the 24th,
was off Cape Clear in Ireland at 6 a.m. on June
30th, took a pilot at 2 p.m. July 2d, and anchored
in the Mersey at 10:30 p.m. that day, having made

The " Sovereign of the Seas " 221

the entire run from dock to anchorage in 13 days
22 hours and 50 minutes. This must be regarded
as a most remarlsable passage for the season, and
has never been equalled by a sailing vessel during
the month of June. Her best day's run was on
June 28th, 344 miles, by the wind, under single-
reefed topsails, and on the 30th, 340 miles with
skysails and royal studdingsails set. The Cunard
S.S. Canada sailed from Boston on the same day
that the Sovereign of the Seas sailed' from New
York, and a comparison of their logs published at
the time shows that in five days, June 25-30th,
the ship outsailed the steamer by 325 miles, and
that the best run of the Canada during this passage
was only 306 miles.

On this voyage her builder, Donald McKay, was
a passenger on board the Sovereign of the Seas, and
he passed most of his waking moments on deck,
watching her movement through the water and ob-
serving the various strains on her spars and rig-
ging. When he returned home, Enoch Train asked
him what he thought of the ship, and Mr. McKay
replied, " Well, she appears to be a pretty good
ship, but I think I can build one to beat her " ;
and eventually he did so.

Mrs. Donald McKay sailed with her husband on
this voyage and took a keen interest in everything
that went on aboard ship. Although this was a
summer passage, nevertheless, there was enough
rough weather to bring out the splendid sea-going
qualities of the vessel, and to Mrs. McKay, who, it
is a pleasure to record, is still living, the vivid
picture of this thoroughbred clipper wrestling with

222 The Clipper Ship Era

the winds and waves has always remained one of
the exciting experiences of her life.

All of the American clippers made good passages
home from China to Atlantic ports in 1852, though
no record was broken. The run of the Shooting
Star, 83 days from Canton to Boston, was the best
of the year.

It was during the passage from Canton to New
York in this year that Captain Creesy of the Flying
Cloud had the unusual experience of perusing his
own obituary in mid-ocean. It appears that after
passing Java Head, and when his vessel was well
across the Indian Ocean, she fell in with a ship
outward bound, and in exchange for chickens, fruits,
and vegetables from Anjer, received newspapers
from New York, one of which contained the follow-
ing somewhat startling announcement:

" Captain Creesy of the ship Flying Cloud. — It
will be seen by the telegraph news in another
column that this gallant sailor is no more. Two
days after sailing from San Francisco, bound to
China, he died, and the ship proceeded in charge
of the mate; he was a native of Marblehead, and
about forty-six years of age. For many years, he
commanded the ship Oneida in the China trade, and
was distinguished for the rapidity of his passages.
In the Flying Cloud, he made the shortest passage
on record to San Francisco, and eclipsed the finest
and most costly merchant ship in the world,i and
yet this crowning triumph of his life was attended
with many disasters to his spars and sails; still,
he pressed on, disdaining to make a port short of
iThe Challenge.

The " Sovereign of the Seas " 223

his destination. In every scene of a sailor's life
* with skill superior glowed his daring mind '—his
dauntless soul ' rose with the storm and all its dan-
gers shared.' But now he rests from his toils,
regardless of his triumphs. Peace to his manes."

It was found that this news originated in New
Orleans, having been telegraphed from there to New
York, and although no explanation of the blunder
was ever made, it at all events relieved Captain
Creesy of an annoying lawsuit. It will be re-
membered that in August, 1851, on the passage to
San Francisco, his first officer was put ofiE duty
soon after rounding Cape Horn, " in consequence
of his arrogating to himself the privilege of cutting
up rigging." This was a more serious offence than
perhaps appears at first sight, as the Flying Cloud
was badly crippled aloft, and was a long way from
the nearest ship chandler's store, while Captain
Creesy needed every fathom of rope on board for
preventers and lashings. In due time, the mate
turned up in New York and got in tow of a philan-
thropic legal " gent," who paid his board and lodg-
ing while awaiting the arrival of the Flying Cloud
in order to prosecute Captain Creesy; but when
they learned that he was supposed to be dead, the
mate was shipped off to sea again, while the sea-
lawyer friend lost no time in making fast to his
three months' advance.

CHAPTBK XIV

CALIFORNIA CLIPPERS OF 1853

DURING the year 1853, twenty ships arrived at
San Francisco from Atlantic ports, chiefly
New York, in 110 days or less, showing the high
standard of efficiency that had been reached. The
best passages of the year were made by the Flying
Fish, 92 days; John Gilpin, 93 days; Contest, 97
days; Oriental 100 days; Trade Wind, 102 days;
Westward Ho, 103 days ; Phantom, 104 days ; Sword-
Fish, Hornet, and Flying Cloud, each 105 days ; and
Sea Serpent, 107 days. The Comet arrived on
January 17th, after a passage of 112 days from
Boston. While off Bermuda she encountered a
heavy southwest gale, and was laying to under close-
reefed fore- and maintopsails and foretopmast stay-
sail, when the wind suddenly shifted into the south-
east and blew with terrific force, carrying away
the foretopmast stays, sending the foretopmast over
the side, and making junk of the two topsails. Cap-
tain Gardner had a good crew, and so soon as the
weather moderated, he rerigged his ship at sea,
and took her into San Francisco as noted, in 112
days.

Racing had now become close and exciting, and
the fleet was so large that it was not uncommon

224

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California Clippers of 1853 ;225

for two or three ships to be in company at sea,
each striving to outsail the others. As we have
seen, the Flying Fish won the race this year, and
from one of the finest fleets of clippers that ever
sailed from New York. The match between her and
the John Gilpin was exceedingly close, and taken
altogether was one of the best ever sailed upon
this famous ocean course, the Derby of the sea. It
was Samuel Hall against Donald McKay, Justin
Doane against Edward Nickels, and all against the
fleet.

The John Gilpin sailed out past Sandy Hook,
October 29, 1852, followed by the Flying Fish on
November 1st, and before the green Highlands of
Neversink had disappeared below the horizon both
ships were under a cloud of canvas. The Flying
Fish fanned along through the doldrums and
crossed the equator 21 days from Sandy Hook,
leading the John Gilpin by one day. From the line
to 50° S., the John Gilpin made the run in 23 days,
passing the Flying Fish and getting a clear lead
of two days. The Flying Fish did some fine sail-
ing here; dashing through the Straits of Le Maire,
she came up alongside the John Gilpin just off the
Horn, and Nickels, ever famous for his jovial good-
cheer, invited Doane to come aboard and dine with
him, " which invitation," the John Gilpin's log-book
ruefully records, " I was reluctantly obliged to de-
cline." This is perhaps the only instance of an
invitation to dine out being received off Cape Horn.
Few men have had the opportunity to extend such
unique hospitality and certainly none could do so
more heartily and gracefully than the famous com-

226 The Clipper Ship Era

mander of the Flying Fish. His vessel made the
run from 50° S. in the Atlantic to 50° S. in the
Pacific in 7 days, leading her rival by two days.
From this point to the equator, the Flying Fish
was 19 and the John Gilpin 20 days. From here
the John Gilpin showed remarkable speed, making
the run to San Francisco in 15 days, a total of 93
days, closely followed by the Flying Fish, 92 days
from Sandy Hook. Their abstract logs are as
follows :

Flying Fish John Gilpin

Sandy Hook to the equator 21 days 24 days.

Equator to 50° S 27 " 23 "

50° in the Atlantic to 50° S. in

Pacific 7 " 11 "

To the equator 19 " 20 "

Equator to San Francisco 18 " 15 "

Total 92 " 93 "

When we reflect that this match was sailed over
a course of some 15,000 miles, and that the difference
of time was only twenty-four hours, one is impressed
with the perfection to which the models of the
vessels had been brought, as well as the exactness
of the data relating to the winds and currents that
had been gathered and reduced to a system by
Maury, and with the skill of their captains, who
were guided by his charts and sailing directions.
The average difference of sailing between these two
ships was less than six seconds per mile over the
entire distance. Few races over thirty-mile courses
have been sailed by yachts more evenly matched.

California Clippers of 1853 227

No racing yachts have ever been handled with
greater care and skill than were these clipper ships
over courses of thousands of miles. It was the
custom for the captains to change their clothes
at eight o'clock in the evening and at the same
time in the morning, the exceptions being in thick
and stormy weather, when they would not be out
of their clothes perhaps for two or three days
at a time. The officers and men of the watch
below were expected to be ready to tumble out on
deck at a moment's notice to make or to shorten
sail. The " old man " was very likely to appear
on deck at any moment, night or day, which kept
the officers in a high state of watchfulness. This
was the only way in which these ships could be
sailed and make the passages they did.

Another splendid match of this year, sailed to
the eastward round the Horn, was that between
the Northern Light and the Contest. The Contest
was built by Jacob A. Westervelt and commanded
by Captain William Brewster, of Stonington, and
.was one of the fastest ships owned by A. A. Low
& Brother. She sailed from San Francisco for New
York, March 12, 1853, followed by the Northern
Light on the 13th, bound for Boston. OflE Cape
Horn, the Northern Light came up with and sig-
nalled the Contest, and from there led her home
by three days, the Northern Light being 76 days 5
hours to Boston Light, while the Contest was 80
days to Sandy Hook. In 1854 the Comet made the
passage from San Francisco to New York in 76
days, these being the record passages from San
Francisco to Atlantic ports.

22B The Clipper Ship Era

On this famous passage the Northern Light made
the run from San Francisco to Cape Horn in 38
days, and was off Rio Janeiro in 52 days, thence
to Boston Light in 24 days. Her best day's run
was 354 miles. She made the round voyage to
San Francisco and return, including detention in
port, in exactly seven months. Captain Hatch, her
commander, was a thorough clipper ship captain,
who never allowed his ship to suffer for want of
canvas, and on this passage he brought his vessel
across Massachusetts Bay before a fresh easterly
breeze, carrying her ringtail, skysails, and studding-
sails on both sides, alow and aloft, until she was
off Boston Light — a superb marine picture, and one
seldom seen by landsmen even in those days.

No more beautiful sight can be imagined than
a morning at sea, with these magnificent vessels
racing in mid-ocean, perhaps two or three of them
in sight at once ; the sun rising amid golden clouds 5^
the dark blue sea flecked with glistening white caps ;
long, low black hulls cleaving a pathway of spark-
ling foam; towering masts, and yards covered with,
snowy canvas which bellies to the crisp morning
breeze as if sculptured in marble; the officers alert
and keen for the contest; the African cook showing
his woolly head and grinning, good-natured face out
through the weather door of the galley, while the
wholesome odor of steaming coffee gladdens the
hearts of offlcers and men. And after all, when has
anything ever tasted half so refreshing as a tin pot
of hot coflfee, sweetened with molasses, under the lee
of the weather bulwark, in the chill dawn of the
morning watch?

California Clippers of 1853 229

The third mate walks over to the lee side and
knocks the ashes out of his pipe against the rail,
and as the sparks fly far to leeward, like falling
stars among the foaming waves, he sings out, " Turn
to there forward and wash down decks; boatswain,
take a pair of those gulpins and rig the head pump ;
the rest of you get the gear triced up." The watch,
with sand, buckets of water, and brooms, bare-footed
and with trousers rolled up to their knees, begin
to scrub and scrub and scrub. Then when the sun
has dried out ropes and canvas, the gear is swayed
up fore and aft, with watch tackles on the chain
topsail sheets, and a hearty:

" Way haul away.
Haul away the bowline.
Way haul away. Haul away, Joe ! "

The halliards are led along the deck fore and
aft in the grip of clean brawny fists with sinewy
arms and broad backs behind them, the ordinary
seamen and boys tailing on, and perhaps the cook,
steward, carpenter, and sailmaker lending a hand,
and all hands join in a ringing chorus of the
ocean, mingling in harmony with the clear sky,
indigo-blue waves, and the sea breeze purring aloft
among the spars and rigging:

" Oh, poor Reuben Kanzo,
Eanzo, boys, O Ranzo,
Oh, Eanzo was no sailor,
Ranzo boys, O Ranzo.
So they shipped him aboard a whaler,
Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

230 The Clipper Ship Era

And he could not do his duty,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo.

So the mate, he being a bad man,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

He led him to the gangway,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

And he gave him flve-and-twenty,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

But the captain, he being a good man,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

He took him in the cabin,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

And he gave him wine and whiskey,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

And he learned him navigation,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo,

And now he 's Captain Ranzo,

Ranzo boys, O Ranzo."

Finally the mate's clear, sharp order comes:
" Belay there ; clap a watch tackle on the lee fore
brace." " Aye, aye, sir ! " And so every sheet, hal-
liard, and brace is swayed up and tautened to the
freshening breeze. The gear is coiled up, the brass-
work polished until it glistens in the morning sun,
the paintwork and gratings are wiped ofE, decks
swabbed dry, and the pumps manned to another
rousing chanty:

" London town is a-burning.
Oh, run with the bullgine, run.
Way, yay, way, yay, yar.
Oh, run with the bullgine, run."

California Clippers of 1853 231

The " old man " gets his morning sights, the log is
hove, the wheel and watch are relieved at eight
bells, and the clipper is ready for another day of
stress and strain.

Mornings like these bring keen appetites to offi-
cers and men, so the watch below sit about on their
chests in the forecastle or on the fore hatch and
dive into the mess kid with knives and spoons. It
may be a chunk of salt pork or cold salt beef, or
what Rufus Choate, in one of his flights of forensic
eloquence, described as the " nutritious hash," " suc-
culent lob-scouse," or " palatable dandy funk," with
plenty of hard tack in the bread barge, and all
washed down with unlimited coflfee. Not quail on
toast or devilled kidneys, to be sure, but good sub-
stantial seamen's food, upon which a man can work
better at sea, grow stronger, and become less tired
than on any other.

In the old days captains used to lay in large
stocks of chickens, eggs, etc., for their crews at
Anjer Point, but before the ship was half-way across
the Indian Ocean, the men would begin to crow in
the dog watch, and come aft in a body, asking that
their salt junk might be restored to them. In those
days, as now, salmon were plentiful in California,
but their introduction on board the clipper ships
failed to tempt the appetites of sailormen when off
soundings. They said they liked salt junk a good
deal better. Besides, it gave them something to
growl about — for sailors knew how to curse junk
according to traditions approved by generations of
jackies, but when it came to chickens and salmon
they were at a loss for sufficiently vigorous and

232 The Clipper Ship Era

appropriate expletives to express their disgust.
There used to be a yarn about an old shellback
who, in a cross-examination, was asked by a smart
Boston lawyer whether the crew did not have
enough to eat. The mariner replied, " Well, yes,
your honor, there was enough of it, such as it was " ;
and upon further inquiry as to the quality of the
food, he answered, " Now, you see, sir, it was like
this: the food was good enough, what there was of
it." And this summed up a sailor's idea of food
and pretty much everything else, in those days.

The building of clipper ships in the United States
reached its zenith in 1853. In that year forty-eight
clippers were added to the California fleet, and the
wild excitement of building, owning, and racing
these splendid ships was at its height. Every one
who had capital to invest wanted one, or at least
shares in one, and the ship-building yards were taxed
to their utmost capacity. It should be remembered
also that there was a great deal of other ship-
building going on in the United States besides the
clippers, and that captains, ofHcers, and crews for
such a large number of vessels were by no means
easy to obtain.

In this year Donald McKay built the Empress
of the Seas and Romance of the Seas; Wil-
liam H. Webb, the Fly Away, Snap Dragon, and
Young America; Jacob A. Westerwelt, the Ca-
thay and Sweepstakes; Samuel Hall, the second
Oriental, the Amphitrite, and Mystery; Greenman
& Co., the David Crockett; Eoosevelt & Joyce,
the David Brown; John Currier, the Guiding
Star; Thomas Collier, the second Panama; J. W.

01

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a
a
o

I

California Clippers of 1853 233

Cox, the Red Gauntlet; Briggs Brothers, the John
Land and Golden Light; and Toby & Littlefleld, the
Morning Star — all beautiful ships, the pride of their
owners and captains.

The Romance of the Seas, owned by George B.
Upton, of Boston, was the last extreme clipper ship
built by Donald McKay for the California trade.
She was a beautiful vessel, with extremely fine lines,
heavily sparred, and proved an exceedingly fast
ship in moderate weather. Captain Dumaresq was
in command on her first voyage to San Francisco.
She was 1782 tons register ; length 240 feet, breadth
39 feet 6 inches, depth 29 feet 6 inches. The Sweep-
stakes, owned by Grinnell, Minturn & Co., and de-
signed by Daniel Westervelt, a son of Jacob A.
Westervelt, was a very sharp and handsome ship,
and was the last extreme clipper built in the
Westervelt yard. She made three passages from
New York to San Francisco averaging 106 days.
Captain George Lane, who commanded her for a
number of years, was subsequently a commander
in the Pacific Mail between San Francisco and
China, and later became the agent of the company
at Hongkong.

The Young America, the last extreme clipper built
by William H. Webb, was owned by George Daniels,
of New York, and for several years was commanded
by Captain David Babcock. This ship was 1962
tons register; length 236 feet 6 inches, breadth 42
feet, depth 28 feet 6 inches. She proved an excel-
lent and fast vessel. Among her many fine passages
may be mentioned : from New York to San Fran-
cisco, 103, 107, 110, 112, 117, and 116 days, and

234 The Clipper Ship Era

from San Francisco to New York, 92, 97, 85, 101,
103, and 83 days; San Francisco to Liverpool, 103
and 106 days ; Liverpool to San Francisco, 117, 111,
and 99 days ; and twenty consecutive passages from
New York to San Francisco averaging 117 days.
Her best performance, however, was from 50° S. in
the Atlantic to 50° S. in the Pacific, in the record
time of 6 days. She, too, was an exceedingly hand-
some ship, and was Mr. Webb's favorite among all
the splendid ships constructed by him. After thirty
years' continuous service in the San Francisco trade,
during which she is said to have rounded Cape
Horn over fifty times, she was finally sold to a
firm in Austria, upon condition that her name should
be changed. She then became known as the Miroslav
and foundered with all hands in 1888, while bound
from Philadelphia to a European port.

CHAPTER XV

THE "great republic" AND THE " DREADNOUGHT "

TWO other ships built in 1853 deserve notice
here, though they were not constructed for
the California trade. They were Donald McKay's
Great RepuMic and the famous packet ship
Dreadnought.

For some time Mr. McKay had contemplated
building a ship for the Australian trade, but fail-
ing to find any one to join in the undertaking, and
stimulated by the success of the Sovereign of the
Seas, he resolved to build her for himself. This
vessel was the Great Republic, the largest extreme
clipper ship ever built. She attracted universal at-
tention from the fact of her being by far the largest
merchant ship constructed up to that time, and
also, among those interested in shipping, on account
of the excellence of her construction and her
majestic beauty.

This vessel was 4555 tons register, and measured :
length 335 feet, breadth 53 feet, depth 38 feet. She
had four decks, the upper or spar deck being flush
with the covering board and protected by a rail
on turned oak stanchions. She carried a fifteen
horse-power engine on deck to hoist the yards and
to work the pumps, this being the first time an

235

236 The Clipper Ship Era

engine was put aboard a sailing ship for these pur-
poses. She had four masts with Forbes's rigi on
the fore-, main-, and mizenmasts, the after- or spank-
ermast being barque-rigged.

October 4, 1853, was a proud day for Boston.
Business was suspended, and the schools were closed
in order that every one might have an opportunity
to see the launch of the Great BepuMic. People
flocked from far and near. It was estimated that
thirty thousand persons crossed by ferry to East
Boston, while Chelsea Bridge, the Navy Yard at
Charlestown, and the wharves at the north end of

1 Forbes's rig was invented by Captain R. B. Forbes,
and was first put on the topsail schooner Midas in 1841,
afterwards on the auxiliaries Edith, Massachusetts, and
Meteor; ships, R. B. Forbes, Lintin, Flying Childers,
Aurora, Cornelius Grinnell, and probably others. In this
rig the topmast was fidded abaft the lowermast head, and
the lower topsail yard hoisted on the lowermast head
from the eyes of the lower rigging to the cap. The lower
topsail had two reefs with reef-tackles, buntlines, and clew-
lines, as in the single topsail rig. The upper topsail hoisted
on the topmast and had the same gear as the lower topsail.
Sometimes the topmast was fidded before the lower mast-
head, and then the lower topsail yard hoisted on the
doubling of the topmast. This rig was an improvement
upon the single topsail rig, but was eventually super-
seded by Howes's rig, which was invented by Captain
Frederic Howes, of Brewster, Massachusetts, who in 1853
first put it on the ship Climax, of Boston, which he com-
manded. Captain Howes took out a United States patent
for his rig in 1854. In this rig, the lower topsail yard
is slung by a truss at the lower mast cap ; indeed, Howes's
rig is the double topsail rig of the present day, though
one does not often hear the name of Captain Howes in
connection with it.

The " Great Republic " 237

the city were thronged by at least as many more.
The shipping at the Navy Yard was gayly dressed
with bunting, and the harbor was filled with steam-
ers and pleasure boats crowded with people. It
was a beautiful day, with a clear blue sky, bright
sunshine, and a gentle westerly breeze.

All the staging used in the construction of the
ship had been removed, leaving her in full view as
she rested upon the ways. Her long black hull had
no ornament except a beautifully carved eagle's
head where the sweep of her raking stem and the
sharp lines of her bow intersected, and across her
handsome stern the American eagle with extended
wings, under which her name and port of hail were
carved in plain block letters. She had the same
graceful sheer, finely formed midship section, and
beautifully moulded ends that had been seen in
this yard in the Stag-Hound, Flying Gioud, Bald
Eagle, Westward Ho, Flying Fish, and Sovereign
of the Seas, only on a much larger scale; indeed,
from end to end she looked the out-and-out clipper.
Spars were erected at the mast partners, and from
the main she carried a long coach-whip pennant
and a large white flag with the arms of the United
States in the centre; from the other three spars
she flew large United States ensigns, and from a
staff on her bowsprit, the Union Jack. — •

The sun gleamed and sparkled upon her smooth,
bright yellow-metal sheathing, when at twelve
o'clock the signal was given and the shores fell,
to the wild chorus of topmauls, so well known in
every Atlantic port fifty years ago. She moved
slowly at first; then, gathering way, fairly leaped

238 The Clipper Ship Era

into the sea, amid smoke and fire from the burning
ways, the roar of artillery, the music of bands, and
the cheers of the vast multitude. So swiftly did
she leave the ways that two anchors and the power-
ful steamer B. B. Fories barely succeeded ip bring-
ing her up, close to Chelsea Bridge. The Great
Republic was named by Captain Alden Gifford, who
performed the ceremony by breaking a bottle of
Cochituate water over her bow as she began to
move along the ways. This was an innovation that
created much comment at the time, and was per-
mitted by Mr. McKay in deference to the wishes of
Deacon Moses Grant and a number of energetic
Boston women who were pushing the temperance
movement and desired to advertise their wares.

During the afternoon she was towed under the
shears at the Navy Yard to receive her masts, yards,
and rigging, and the work of fitting them was done
under the supervision of Lauchlan McKay, her cap-
tain. As no vessel before or since ever had such
enormous spars, their dimensions are interesting
enough to be given in full :

Masts

Fore

Top

Diameters
Inches

44

24

Lengths
Feet

130....

76

Mastheads
Feet

36

12

Topgallant . . .

18

28

Royal

15

22....

Skysail 11 19 pde 12

Main 44 131 36

Top 24 76 12

Topgallant .-.18 28

The "Great Republic"

239

Diameters
Inches

Royal 15.

Skysail 11.

Mizen 40 .

Top 22.

Topgallant 16.

Royal 10.

Skysail 8.

Yards

Fore 26.

Lower topsail 24.

Upper topsail 19 .

Topgallant 15 .

Royal 12.

Skysail 9.

Main 28.

Lower topsail 24 .

Upper topsail 19 .

Topgallant 15 .

Royal 12.

Skysail 9.

Crossjack 24 .

Lower mizentopsail. . ..19.
Upper mizentopsail ...15.

Topgallant 12.

Royal 9.

Skysail 6.

Lengths Mastheads
Feet Feet

. 22

. 19 Pole 12

.122 33

. 69 10

. 22

. 19

. 15 Pole 8

.110.
. 90.
. 76.
. 62.
. 51.
. 40.
.120.
. 92.
. 76.
. 62.
. 51.
. 40.
. 90.
. 76.
. 62.
. 51.
. 40.
. 29.

Yardarms

.5

.4%

.4

.3%

.3

.6

.5

.4

.4

.3%

.3

.5

.4%

.4

.3%

.3

The spankermast, nowadays called the jigger, was
26 inches in diameter, 110 feet long, including 14
feet head, and the topmast was 40 feet long di-
vided at 15 and 10 feet above the cap, for the gaflf-
topsail and gaflE-topgallantsail. The spanker boom
was 40 feet long, including 2 feet end, and the gaff

240 The Clipper Ship Era

34 feet, including 8 feet end. The bowsprit was 44
inches in diameter and 30 feet out-board; the jib-
boom 23 inches in diameter, and 18 feet outside of
the cap, and the flying jibboom was 14 feet long in-
cluding 6 feet end. Her fore and main rigging and
fore- and maintopmast backstays were 12% inch,
four-stranded Eussian hemp rope, wormed, and
served over the eye and over the ends to the lead-
ing trucks. The mizen rigging and mizentopmast
rigging were of eight-inch rope.

It was Mr. McKay's intention to put the Great
Republic into the Australian trade in competition
with the British clippers that were then coming out,
and when her rigging and outfit were completed,
she was towed to New York by the B. B. Forbes and
placed in the hands of Grinnell, Minturn & Co., who
began loading her for Liverpool at the foot of Dover
Street, East Kiver. Thousands of people came to
see this splendid ship, including the Governor of
New York, members of the Legislature, and other
prominent citizens. The season was favorable for
a rapid passage across the Atlantic, and it was con-
fidently predicted that the Great Republic would
make a record run to Liverpool.

She was nearly ready for sea with all her sails
bent below the royals, when, on the night of De-
cember 26, 1853, a fire broke out in Front Street,
one block from where the vessel lay, and nearly in
line with her as the wind was then blowing. At a
little past midnight the watchman called the second
mate, as sparks were flying across and falling in
all directions about the ship. All hands were at
once called and stationed with buckets of water

The "Great Republic" 241

in various parts of the ship ; men were sent into the
fore-, main-, and mizentops, and whips were rove
to send up buckets of water. Soon the foresail
burst into flames, and one by one the topsails and
topgallantsails took fire. Every effort was made to
cut the sails from the yards, but the men were
driven back exhausted, and the firemen, who by this
time had arrived with their engines, refused to work
on board or near the ship for fear of falling blocks
and gear.

Captain McKay, and Captain Ellis, representing
the underwriters, had a hurried consultation, and
it was decided, in order to save the hull, to cut
away the masts. The fore- and foretopmast stays
and rigging were cut and the mast went over the
side into the dock; the topmast in falling broke
short off 'and came down, end on, through three
decks. The main- and mizenmasts were next cut
away, and in falling, crushed boats, deckhouses, and
rails, and disabled the steam-engine. At this time
the decks were a mass of burning yards, masts,
sails, and rigging. The firemen now got to work,
and toward morning succeeded in putting out the
fire on deck.

The firemen had left, and it was supposed that the
hull and cargo were safe, when suddenly smoke was
discovered coming from the hold, and it was found
that the burning foretopmast in falling through the
decks had set fire to the cargo. This fire had gained
such headway that it was beyond control; the ship
was therefore scutted in three places and sunk
ten feet when she took the bottom. Every means
was used to extinguish the fire, but she burned for
16

242 The Clipper Ship Era

two days until the flames reached the water's edge.
After the fire had burned itself out a coffer-dam
was built and the wreck floated by means of steam
pumps. It was found that a portion of her cargo
of grain had swollen to such an extent as to start
the knees and beams of the lower hold, and that
the hull was otherwise badly strained and buckled.
She was therefore condemned and abandoned to the
underwriters. The ships Joseph Walker and White
Squall were also destroyed in this fire.

The wreck of the Great RepuMic was subsequently
sold by the underwriters to Captain N. B. Palmer
and taken to Greenpoint, Long Island, to be rebuilt
by Sneeden & Whitlock, and she eventually became
the property of A. A. Low & Brother. The rebuild-
ing occupied more than a year, and when the Great
RepuMic again appeared, much of the original
beauty of her hull had been restored. The spar-
deck had not been replaced, but her freeboard was
nearly the same, as the height of the bulwarks was
only a little below the former upper deck, and the
same sheer line had been preserved. Forward, the
eagle's head which had been destroyed was replaced
by a carved billet head and scrool, and her bow was
still exceedingly handsome. A great change had
been wrought aloft ; her sail plan had been cut down
and all of her spars greatly reduced in length — the
fore- and mainmasts 17 feet, the fore- and main-
yards 20 feet, and all other spars in proportion.
She still carried four masts, but her rig had been
changed to Howes's double topsail yards.

As rebuilt the Great RepuMic registered 3357 tons,
and was still the largest merchant ship of her time,

1
n.

The "Great Republic" 243

but her reduced rig required only one half the num-
ber of hands to handle it — fifty able seamen and
fifteen ordinary seamen and boys. It was for this
purpose that her sail plan had been cut down, as
freights were beginning to slacken and the tide of
economy was setting in. It is to be regretted that
she could not have made a few voyages under her
original rig, as her performance in strong winds
under the reduced rig left little room for doubt
that she would have proved, what Mr. McKay in-
tended her to be, the swiftest sailing ship ever built.

The Great Republic sailed on her first voyage,
February 21, 1855, commanded by Captain Lime-
burner, and made the run from Sandy Hook to
Land's End in thirteen days. On her arrival at
London, three days later, she was obliged to lie
in the Thames, as no dock was large enough to take
her. She was subsequently chartered by the French
Government as a troop ship during the Crimean
War, and carried 1600 British soldiers from Liver-
pool to Marseilles. During the Civil War, she was
chartered by the United States Government as a
troop ship, and was one of the transports in Butler's
expedition to Ship Island.

The burning of the Great Republic was a severe
blow to Donald McKay, from which he never fully
recovered, but he soon began to bring out Austra-
lian clippers, some of which proved quite as famous
as the ships he had previously constructed.

The well-known packet ship Dreadnought also
came out in 1853. She was built by Currier &
Townsend at Newburyport, and was 1413 tons reg-
ister; length 210 feet, breadth 40 feet, depth 26

244 The Clipper Ship Era

feet. This ship was owned by Governor E. D. Mor-
gan, Francis B. Cutting, Divid Ogden, and others,
of New York, who subscribed to build her for
Captain Samuel Samuels. He superintended her
construction and under his able command she made
some remarkably quick voyages between New York
and Liverpool, sailing in David Ogden's Red Cross
Line, with the Victory, Racer, and Highflyer.

Captain Samuels was born in Philadelphia in 1823
and went to sea when he was eleven years old,
and a narrative of his adventures afloat and on
shore is contained in his interesting memoirs
entitled. From the Forecastle to the CaMn, pub-
lished in 1887. He was a most amiable and enter-
taining companion, full of good humor and
penetrating wit. He also cherished a belief in the
uplifting influence of an enterprising press agent,
and perhaps no merchant ship of modern times has
been better advertised than the Dreadnought. She
sailed on her first voyage from New York for Liver-
pool, December 15, 1853, and from that date until
her arrival at New York, January 28, 1855, had
made eight passages between New York and Liver-
pool, the average time of her eastern passages being
21 days 15 hours, and her western passages 24 days
12 hours from dock to dock.

Captain Samuels commanded the Dreadnought
for ten years, and during that time she made from
seventy to eighty passages across the Atlantic, and
must have had ample opportunity to make fast voy-
ages and day's runs. The following abstracts from
the logs of her best passages are therefore of
interest :

The "Dreadnought" 245

She sailed from New York for Liverpool, No-
vember 20, 1854; passed Sandy Hook at 6.30 p.m.
and ran to noon, November 21st, 120 miles ; 22d, 57
miles; 23d, 225 miles; 24th, 300 miles; 25th, 175
miles; 26th, 125 miles; 27th, 250 miles; 28th, 263
miles; 29th, 240 miles; 30th, 270 miles; December
1st, 242 miles; 2d, 222 miles; 3d, 212 miles; 4th,
320 miles. Total 3071 miles. The log records :

At noon on the 4th took a pilot off Point Lynas ;
was detained eight hours for want of water on the
bar ; arrived in the Mersey at 10 p. m. ; thus making
the passage in 14 days 4 hours, apparent time.
Deducting eight hours for detention by tide at the
bar, and also deducting the difference of longitude,
4 hours and 45 minutes, gives the mean or true time
of passage, 13 days 11 hours and 15 minutes.
Average speed for the passage, 9% miles per
hour. On this passage, the Dreadnought was oflE
Cape Clear, Ireland, in 12 days 12 hours from
Sandy Hook.

She sailed from New York, May 4, 1855, and ar-
rived at Liverpool May 20th; passage recorded as
15 days 12 hours.

She sailed from Sandy Hook, January 24, 1856
(time not given), and ran to noon, January 25th,
345 miles; 26th, 312 miles; 27th, 252 miles; 28th, 223
miles ; 29th, violent gale, drifted 90 miles west-south-
west; 30thj 115 miles; 31st, 212 miles; February 1st,
228 miles; 2d, 208 miles; 3d, 185 miles; 4th, 238
miles; 5th, 252 miles; 6th, 244 miles; 7th, 212 miles;
8th, off Point Lynas. Hove-to until daylight for
pilot and tide. Total distance run 3116 miles in 14
days, or an average of 222 miles per day.

246 The Clipper Ship Era

The Dreadnought sailed from New York, Feb-
ruary 27, 1859; at 3 p.m. discharged pilot, and ran
to noon, February 28th, 200 miles; wind south to
west-northwest, brisk breezes. March 1st, 293 miles ;
west-northwest fresh breezes. 2d, 262 miles; north-
west to north-northwest brisk gales and snow-
squalls. 3d, 208 miles; north-northwest to north
heavy gales and snow-squalls. 4th, 178 miles;
north-northeast to north heavy gales and snow-
squalls. 5th, 218 miles; north to north-northeast
heavy gales and snow-squalls. 6th, 133 miles ; north-
east to south light breezes. 7th, 282 miles; south-
southeast brisk breezes and clear. 8th, 313 miles; -
south-southwest to south fresh breezes and clear.
9th, 268 miles; south to southeast brisk gales.
10th, 205 miles; southeast to southwest brisk
breezes and squally. 11th, 308 miles; south to
southwest strong breeze and squally. 12th, 150
miles; southwest, thick weather. Distance sailed
from Sandy Hook to the Northwest Lightship, 3018
miles; passage 13 days 8 hours, mean time.

It was during this passage that the Dreadnought
is supposed to have made the run from Sandy Hook
to Queenstown in 9 days 17 hours, but an analysis
of the abstract log shows that 9 days 21 hours after
discharging her pilot to the eastward of Sandy
Hook she was not within 400 miles of Queenstown.

How this mythical tale originated, is difficult to
imagine, but it has been passed along from one
scribe to another these many years, until at last
it has reached the dignity of an " historical fact,"
having recently been embalmed in an encyclopedia.
Curiously enough, Captain Samuels appears to be

3
O

a
■a

C3

EH

The " Dreadnought " 247

almost the only person who has written about the
Dreadnought who does not refer to this fable. In
his memoirs, he makes no mention of it.

The best passage to the westward made by the
Dreadnought was in 1854, when she ran from the
Rock Light, Liverpool, to Sandy Hook in 19 days-.
While it cannot be said that the Dreadnought ever
made the fastest passage of a sailing vessel between
New York and Liverpool, as the records in this re-
spect are held by the Red Jacket, Captain Asa
Eldridge, from Sandy Hook to the Kock Light, in
13 days 1 hour, in 1854, and by the Andrew Jack-
son, Captain John Williams, from Rock Light to
Sandy Hook in 15 days, in 1860, still the uniform
speed of the Dreadnought's many voyages entitles
her to a high place among the celebrated packet
ships of the past.

The Dreadnought was a strikingly handsome and
well-designed, though by no means a sharp ship.
Her masts, yards, sails, ironwork, blocks, and
standing and running rigging were of the best ma-
terial and were always carefully looked after. She
was a ship that would stand almost any amount of
driving in heavy weather, and her fast passages were
in a measure due to this excellent quality, though
mainly to the unceasing vigilance and splendid sea-
manship of her commander. She was wrecked in
1869 while under the command of Captain P. N.
Mayhew; her crew were rescued after being adrift
fourteen days in the boats, but the noble old packet
ship went to pieces among the rugged cliffs and
crags and roaring breakers of Cape Horn.

CHAPTER XVI

AMERICAN CLIPPERS OP 1854 AND 1855

DURING the year 1854 no less than twenty pas-
sages were made from Atlantic ports to San
Francisco in 110 days or less. The Flying Cloud
repeated her famous record passage of 89 days, and
was followed by the Romance of the Seas, 96 days;
Witchcraft, 97 days; David Brown, 98 days, and
Hurricane, 99 days. The abstract log of the Flying
Cloud is as follows :

Sandy Hook to the equator 17 days.

Equator to 50° South 25 "

From 50° South in the Atlantic to 50°

South in the Pacific 12 "

To the equator 20 "

To San Francisco 15 "

Total 89 "

On this passage the Flying Cloud gave a fine ex-
ample of her sailing qualities. She sailed eight days
after the Archer, also an exceedingly fast ship, and
led her into San Francisco by nine days. Captain
Creesy received a grand ovation on this, his second
record passage, and the merchants of San Francisco,
always generous and hospitable, vied with each
other to do him honor. Upon his return to New

248

American Clippers of 1854-5 249

York, a banquet was given him at the Astor House,
then the finest hotel in the city, and a splendid
service of silver plate was presented to him by the
New York and Boston Marine Underwriters.

The Romance of the Seas sailed from Boston two
days after the David Brown, commanded by Captain
George Brewster, of Stonington, had passed out by
Sandy Hook, but came up with her off the coast
of Brazil. From this point they were frequently in
company for days together, finally passing through
the Golden Gate side by side, March 23, 1854. After
discharging their cargoes, they again passed out of
the Golden Gate together, this time bound for Hong-
kong, and while they were not in company during
this passage of 45 days, they anchored in Hong-kong
harbor on the same day and almost at the same
hour. The log of the Romance of the Seas records
that skysails and royal studdingsails were set just
outside the Golden Gate and were not taken in
during the passage until entering the harbor of
Hong-kong.

It is diflflcult to realize the intense interest with
which these clipper ship races were regarded in
those days ; and it is doubtful whether at the pres-
ent day any branch of sport inspires so much
wholesome, intelligent enthusiasm as did these
splendid ocean matches of the old clippers.

In this year a change came over the California
trade. The wild rush to the mines had subsided,
and the markets of San Francisco, while not over-
stocked, were so sufficiently and regularly supplied
as to render great speed in the transportation of
merchandise unnecessary; the rates of freight had

250 The Clipper Ship Era

therefore declined, but were still good. Twenty
ships, the last of the extreme clippers, were built
in 1854 for the California trade, including some
which became celebrated, such as the Canvashack,
Fleetwing, Grace Darling, Harvey Birch, Naloi,
Nonpareil, Ocean Telegraph, Battler, Rohin Hood,
and Sierra Nevada; but we miss from among the
ship-builders of this year the names of Donald
McKay, William H. Webb, Samuel Hall, Jacob A.
Westervelt, and George Eaynes, none of whom
brought out California clippers.

Although no more extreme clippers were built
for the California trade after 1854, a fine class of
ships, known as medium clippers, was constructed,
some of which proved exceedingly fast, and remark-
able passages continued to be made. Many of these
medium clippers would be considered very sharp
and heavily sparred vessels at the present time.

The Sunny South, of 703 tons register, was one
of the prettiest clippers ever launched at New York,
and was the only sailing ship built by George Steers,
the designer of the yacht America, steam frigate
Niagara, and Collins Line steamship Adriatic. She
was built for the China trade, was launched at
Williamsburg, September 7, 1854; was owned by
Napier, Johnson & Co., and was commanded by
Captain Michael Gregory. It is a singular fact
that while this ship was well known to possess
great speed when in company with other clippers,
yet she never made a passage worthy of being
recorded, and was not a very successful ship finan-
cially; although the product of the skill of a de-
signer, who, dying in early manhood, left a name

American Clippers of 1854-5 251

so interwoven with his country's triumphs upon
the sea that it can never be forgotten.

In 1859, the Sunny South was sold at Havana, her
name being changed to Emanuela. At that time
her royal studdingsail booms and skysail masts and
yards were removed. On August 10, 1860, she was
seized in the Mozambique Channel flying the Chil-
ian flag, with a cargo of slaves on board, by the
British man-of-war Brisk, and the following partic-
ulars of her capture are given by one of the officers
of that vessel :

"At 11:30 A.M. on the 10th of August last, as
Her Majesty's ship Brisk, Captain De Horsey, bear-
ing the flag of Kear-Admiral the Hon. Sir Henry
Keppel, K. C. B., was running to the northward in
the Mozambique Channel, a sail was reported as
seen from the masthead. Steam was got up without
delay, and sail made in chase. It being hazy, the
stranger was shortly lost sight of. When the
weather had partially cleared the stranger was
reported four points on our starboard bow, and
the ship's course was altered in that direction.
We were now going eleven knots and a half,
and the Captain, feeling that it must be some-
thing out of the common that would alter bear-
ings at that distance in so short a time, proceeded
himself with his glass to the foretopmast head,
officers mounting the rigging.

" That a general excitement prevailed was evi-
dent from the manner in which our sails were
trimmed, taken in, and set again. Hottentots and
landsmen, who on other occasions only looked at
ropes, now laid hold of them with a will. The

252 The Clipper Ship Era

Captain's order from the masthead to keep away
two points showed that he had observed something
suspicious — in fact, he had noticed a sudden altera-
tion in the course of the chase, and pronounced her
to be a long, rakish-looking ship, too large to be
a slaver, but thought there was something very
suspicious in the sudden alteration of her course,
her crowd of sail, and the unusual number of
staysails.

" At about 3 P.M. we could see her hull from the
deck, and, carrying with us a fresh breeze, while
she was in the doldrums, we closed on her rapidly.
When within half a mile we hoisted our colors, when
every glass was pointed toward her peak, and all
sorts of conjectures were made as to what colors
she would show. No one could imagine that so
large a vessel could be a slaver.

" On closing under her lee, and when within a
cable's length, a white package was thrown from
her side into the sea; and the experienced then
exclaimed, ' A slaver, and there go her papers ! ' A
few minutes more, and we sheered up alongside to
leeward of as beautiful model of a ship as ever
was seen. Some forty dejected looking individuals,
apparently a mixture of all nations, stood on her
deck; still no colors, nor did she appear inclined
to shorten sail or heave-to. The Captain then de-
termined to run ahead and lower the quarter-boats
to drop down and board; and as this manoeuvre
was being carried out a blank gun caused her to
square the mainyard, which she did with studding-
sails hanging to the yard, and luffed up into the
wind.

a

CQ

ID

E-i

American Clippers of 1854-5 253

" It was an anxious five minutes to those on board
while the boats were away. A small white British
ensign run up at her peak showed that she was
a prize, and a voice hailed us, ' Eight hundred and
fifty slaves on board ! ' "

In 1855 the California fleet was increased by the
building of thirteen medium clipper ships, among
which were the Andrew Jachso-h, Carrier Dove,
Charmer, Daring, Herald of the Morning, Mary
Whitridge, and Ocean Express. Only three pas-
sages were made from Atlantic ports to San Fran-
cisco during this year in 100 days or less; the
Herald of the Morning, from New York, 99 days;
Neptune's Car, from New York, and Westward
Ho, from Boston, each 100 days. Thirteen ships
made the passage in over 100 days and less than
110 days; among them being the Boston Light,
from Boston, 102 days; the Cleopatra and Bed
Rover, from New York, each 107 days; the Flying
Cloud, from New York, and Meteor and Don
Quixote, from Boston, each 108 days; the Flying
Fish, two passages from Boston in 109 and 105
days, and the Governor Morton, from New York in
104 days.

This was Captain Creesy's last voyage in tho
Flying Cloud, and he now retired to his home in
Salem until 1861, when he was appointed a Com-
mander in the United States Navy and assigned to
the clipper ship Ino. She carried a crew of eighty
men from Marblehead, and on her second cruise in
1862 made the record run of twelve days from
New York to Cadiz. Captain Creesy subsequently
commanded the clipper ship Archer, and made two

254 The Clipper Ship Era

voyages to China. He died at Salem in 1871, in
his fifty-seventh year. So long as the American
clipper ships and their brilliant exploits hold a
place in the memory of man, the names of Josiah
Creesy and the Flying Cloud will be remembered
with pride.

The Mary Whitridge became one of the most
famous of the clippers launched in 1855. She was
built in Baltimore, where she was owned by Thomas
Whitridge & Co., and was commanded by Captain
Robert B. Cheesborough, also of that port. She was
877 tons register; length 168 feet, breadth 34 feet,
depth 21 feet. On her first voyage she made the
remarkable run of 13 days 7 hours from Cape
Charles to the Eock Light, Liverpool. She was
engaged for many years in the China trade under
the command of Captain Benjamin F. Cutler and
bore the reputation of being the finest and fastest
ship sailing out of Baltimore.

At this time an important development took place
in the California trade. It had been found that
the fertile soil of the Pacific slope could be made
to yield other treasures than gold, and in May,
1855, the barque Greenfield, Captain Follansbee,
loaded the first consignment of wheat exported
from California, consisting of 4752 bags. She was
soon followed by the Charmer, commanded by Cap-
tain Lucas, which loaded a full cargo of 1400 tons
of wheat for New York at $28 per ton freight. The
export of wheat in sailing vessels rapidly increased,
enabling ships to earn freights out and home, and
this continued for many years.

In 1855 Donald McKay built three fine medium

American Clippers of 1854-5 255

clipper ships, the Defender, Amos Lawrence, and
Abhott Lawrence, which remind us that a number
of Boston ships bore the names of her distinguished
citizens. There were the Thomas H. Perkins, Rufus
Choate, Starr King, Edward Everett, B. B. Forbes,
Enoch Train, John E. Thayer, George Peahody,
Samuel Appleton, Boiert G. Winthrop, Bussell
Sturgis, and perhaps others now forgotten. There
were already a ship, a barque, two brigs, and two
schooners named the Daniel Webster, besides sev-
eral steamboats and tugs and a pilot-boat; hence,
the owners of ships who were desirous of honoring
the great statesman were obliged to adopt some
other means of expressing their admiration, and
since Webster was known as the Defender of the
Constitution and also as the Expounder of that
document, there were two ships named the Defender
and the Expounder. Some one suggested that the
latter ship might, perhaps, have been named in
honor of Yankee Sullivan, a noted prize-flghter then
retired from the ring.

The Defender was 1413 tons register, and carried
a splendid full-length figurehead of Daniel Webster.
She was owned by D. S. Kendall and H. P. Plymp-
ton, of Boston, and was commanded by Captain
Isaac Beauchamp.

My object in drawing attention to this vessel is
to mention a notable gathering at Mr. McKay's
house on the day of her launch, July 27, 1855. The
leading merchants of Boston and their families were
his guests on that occasion, and speeches were made
by the Hon. Edward Everett, ex-Mayor, the Hon.
Benjamin Seaver, and Enoch Train. In the course

256 The Clipper Ship Era

of his address, Mr. Everett remarked : " I was at
a loss, I confess, to comprehend the secret of the
great success which has attended our friend and
host. Forty-two ships, I understand, he has built
— all vessels such as we have seen to-day. I do not
mean that they were all as large, but they were as
well constructed and looked as splendidly, as they
rode on the waves. Forty-two vessels ! ^ No one
else, certainly, has done more than our friend to
improve the commercial marine of this country, and
it has long seemed to me that there was a mystery
about it. But since I have been under this roof
to-day, I have learned the secret of it — excellent
family government, and a good helpmeet to take
counsel with and encouragement from. A fair
proportion of the credit and praise for this
success is, I am sure, due to our amiable and ac-
complished hostess [Cheers]. I congratulate also
the father of our host, the father of such a family.
He has, I am told, fourteen sons and daughters,
and fifty grandchildren. Nine of the latter
were born during the last year. I wish to know,
my friends, if you do not call that being a good
citizen ! "

When the Alibott Lawrence was launched, in
October of the same year. Mr. McKay was called
upon to respond to the toast, " In memory of Abbott
Lawrence," and his brief speech has fortunately
been preserved:

" Ladies and gentlemen : I regret my inability

1 Mr. Everett is reported to have said " eighty-two,"
but if he did so, it was a mistake, for forty-two is the
true number.

American Clippers of 1854-5 257

to do justice to the name that is honored and re-
spected in every part of the civilized world. My
speech is rude and uncultivated, but my feelings, I
trust, are warm and true, and could I express those
feelings, I would tell you how much I honor the
memory of Abbott Lawrence. I know you all honor
it, for you all knew him, and to know him was to
love him. Love begets love. He loved our com-
mon country as a statesman of enlarged and liberal
views, and our state and city as the scene of his
personal labors. In Massachusetts he commenced
his career; here he toiled and triumphed, here he
has bequeathed the richest tokens of his love, and
here all of him that can die mingles with the soil.
He was not only a great man, but a good man. In
every relation of life, he was a model for imitation.
Ever be his memory green in the hearts of his
countrymen. When the ship which bears his name
shall have been worn out by the storms and the
vicissitudes of the sea, may another, and another,
and so on, till the end of time, perpetuate it upon
the ocean, for he was the patron and friend of
commerce as well as of the other great interests
of the state. In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen,
I again give you the memory of Abbott Lawrence.
May his name and noble example never be
forgotten."

This speech seems to me to be most intei-esting,
as showing the natural refinement of a mind desti-
tute of the culture of even a common-school educa-
tion, or perhaps it would be nearer the truth to
say, a mind that had escaped the restraining in-
fluence of the pedagogue.

258 The Clipper Ship Era

" Yet is remembrance sweet,

Though well I know
The days of childhood

Are but days of woe ;
Some rude restraint,

Some petty tyrant sours
What else should be

Our sweetest blithest hours."

These lugubrious lines found no echo in the early
life of Donald McKay, for his boyhood was passed
in earnest, healthy toil, and filled with a keen desire
for knowledge, while his manhood had knowrf the
joy of well-earned success. ■'"-

After the Ablott Lawrence, Mr. McKay built the
medium clippers Minnehaha, Baltic, Adriatic, Mas-
tiff, and barque Henry. Hill, all in 1856 ; the Al-
harnbra, 1857; the Helen Morris, and second"
Sovereign of the Seas, 1868, and the Glory of the
Seas, 1869. During the Civil War, he built for the
United States Government, the iron gunboat Ash-
uelot, the ironclad monitor Nausett, the wooden
gunboats Trefoil, and Yucca, and the sloop of war
Adams. In 1877 he retired to his farm at Hamil-
ton, Massachusetts, and there he died, September 20,
1880, in the seventy-first year of his age.

Donald McKay was a man of untiring energy and
industry. He was a rapid and skilful draughtsman
and designed and superintended the construction of
every vessel that he built. This may also be said
of almost every ship-builder of that period, but Mr.
McKay's skill, the result of an intuitive perception
ripened by experience, gave him a peculiar insight

American Clippers of 1854-5 259

not only into how to create, but into what to cre-
ate, and it was this genius that made him pre-
eminent as a builder of clipper ships. He was a
born artist and his ships were the finest expression
of mechanical art. They are entitled to a place in
the realm of fine arts far more than much of the
merchandise that claims that distinction.

Mr. McKay was of a generous nature, and lib-
erally rewarded the men who assisted him, and he
was ever ready to lend a helping hand to those less
fortunate than himself. So soon as he began to
prosper he sent for his parents and made a new
home for them at East Boston, and their comfort
and happiness were always his care and greatest
pleasure. In his later years he endured misfortune
and ingratitude with the same sturdy sweetness and
equanimity that he had shown in the days when
fortune smiled.

CHAPTER XVII

AUSTRALIAN VOYAGES, 1851-1854

THE years between 1849 and 1856 were perhaps
the most prosperous that ship-owners and
ship-builders have ever known. The discovery of
gold in Australia in 1851 had much the same effect
as that in California in 1848, and people flocked to
Melbourne from all parts of the world. There was
this difference, however, that whereas passengers
w^ent to California, after the first rush, by steamers
via Panama, and the mails and gold were always
transported by this route, all the Australian pas-
sengers, mails, and gold were for a considerable
period carried by sailing vessels. The extent of
this trafQo may be judged from the fact that the
yield of the gold fields up to December 30, 1852, a
little more than a year after their discovery, was
estimated at £16,000,000 sterling, or $aQJilfl,Oeer
Prior to 1851 the emigration to the Australian col-
onies had been about 100,000 persons per annum,
while the average between 1851 and 1854 was
340,000 annually. The transportation of these pas-
sengers alone required an enormous amount of ton-
nage, so that the discovery of gold in Australia gave
an additional impulse to clipper ship building.
At this time the proper route to ports on that
260

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 261

part of the globe had only just become known, al-
though British ships had been sailing to and from
Australia and New Zealand for many years, taking
out emigrants and bringing back wool. They usu-
ally called at the Cape of Good Hope both outward
and homeward bound, this being the route recom-
mended by the Admiralty. One of the most im-
portant services rendered by Lieutenant Maury was
his careful research in this matter, which resulted
in an entire revolution of both outward and home-
ward tracks. Instead of sailing near the Cape of
Good Hope outward bound, he discovered that a
ship would find stronger and more favorable winds
from 600 to 800 miles to the westward, then con-
tinuing her course southward to 48°, she would
fall in with the prevailing westerly gales and long
rolling seas in which to run her easting down. It
was in this region that the Australian clippers
made their largest day's runs.

The homeward bound Admiralty track was en-
tirely abandoned by Lieutenant Maury in favor of
continuing in the brave west winds, as he called
them, round Cape Horn, so that a voyage to Mel-
bourne out and home encircled the globe. By the
old routes, vessels were usually about 120 days each
way, though sometimes considerably longer. By the
tracks which Lieutenant Maury introduced, the out-
ward and homeward voyages were made in about
the same time that had formerly been consumed in
a single passage, though of course the increased
speed of the clipper ships contributed to this result.

The misery and suffering of passengers on board
the old Australian emigrant ships before the days

262 The Clipper Ship Era

of the clippers are difficult to realize at the present
time, but there is an account compiled from the
report of the Parliamentary Committee appointed
in 1844 to iuTestigate the matter, which reads as
follows :

" It was scarcely possible to induce the passengers
to sweep the decks after their meals, or to be de-
cent in respect to the common wants of nature; in
many cases, in bad weather they would not go on
deck, their health suffered so much that their
strength was gone, and they had not the power to
help themselves. Hence the between-decks was like
a loathsome dungeon. When hatchways were opened
under which the people were stowed, the steam
rose and the stench was like that from a pen of
pigs. The few beds they had were in a dreadful
state, for the straw, once wet with sea-water, soon
rotted, beside which they used the between-decks
for all sorts of filthy purposes. Whenever vessels
put back from distress all these miseries and suffer-
ings were exhibited in the most aggravated form.
In one case it appeared that, the vessel having ex-
perienced rough weather, the people were unable to
go on deck and cook their provisions; the strongest
maintained the upper hand over the weakest, and
it was even said that there were women who died
of starvation. At that time the passengers were
expected to cook for themselves, and from their be-
ing unable to do this the greatest suffering arose.
It was naturally at the commencement of the voyage
that this system produced its worst effects, for the
first days were those in which the people suffered
most from sea-sickness, and under the prostration

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 263

of body thereby induced, were wholly incapacitated
from cooking. Thus though provisions might be
abundant enough, the passengers would be half-
starved."

In an interesting book entitled Reminiscences of
Early Australian Life, a vivid description is given
of maritime affairs in 1853. The writer, who had
arrived at Melbourne in 1840, says that : " Since
that time the town of Melbourne had developed from
a few scattered and straggling wooden buildings,
with muddy thoroughfares interspersed with stumps
of gum trees, into a well-built and formed city, with
wide, and well-made streets, symmetrically laid out,
good hotels, club houses, and Government buildings.
Port Phillip Bay, in which two or three vessels
used to repose at anchor for months together, was
now the anchorage ground of some of the finest
and fastest clippers afloat."

At this time (1853) upwards of two hundred full-
rigged ships from all parts of the world were lying
in the Bay. This writer continues : " After land-
ing their living freight of thousands that were rush-
ing out to the gold fields to seek for gold, and
fearing that they might be too late to participate
in their reputed wealth, ships now waited for return
cargoes, or more probably for crews to take them
home, as in many cases all the hands had deserted
for the gold fields. On ascertaining that there were
two good ships sailing for London, with cargoes
of wool and gold-dust, about the same time, or as
soon as they could ship crews — one the Madagascar,
of Messrs. Green & Co.'s line, and the other the Med-
way of Messrs. Tindall & Co.'s line — I proceeded to

264 The Clipper Ship Era

the office and booked a passage by the Madagascar —
the passage in those days for a first-class cabin
being £80. After paying the usual deposit and
leaving the oflSce, I met a friend, who was also
homeward bound, and on my informing him that
I had booked by the Madagascar, he persuaded me
to change my ship and go home with himself and
others whom I knew in the Medway, and upon
returning to the office of Green's ship, and stating
my reasons for wishing to change to Tindall's ship,
they were very obliging, and returned my deposit,
stating that they could easily fill up my berth. It
was well for me at the time that I changed ships,
as the Madagascar sailed the same day from Port
Phillip Head as we did, with four tons of gold-dust
on board; and to this day nothing has ever been
heard of her. She either foundered at sea, or, as
was generally supposed, was seized by the crew and
scuttled and the gold taken oflf in boats. All must
have perished, both passengers and crew, as no tid-
ings of that ill-fated ship ever reached the owners.

" On board the Medway there were four tons'
weight of gold-dust, packed in well-secured boxes
of two hundred pounds each, five of these boxes
being stowed under each of the berths of the saloon
passengers. Each cabin was provided with cut-
lasses and pistols, to be kept in order and ready
for use, and a brass carronade gun loaded with
grape shot was fixed in the after part of the ship,
in front of the saloon and pointed to the forecastle
— not a man, with the exception of the ship's officers
and stewards, being allowed to come aft.

" The character of the crew shipped necessitated

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 265

the precautions; for the day previous to the ship's
sailing men had to be searched for and found in
the lowest haunts and were brought on board
drugged and under the influence of liquor, and
' placed below the hatches. We, the passengers,
heaved up the anchor and worked the ship generally
until outside of Port Phillip Head, when the men
confined below, who were to compose the crew, were
brought on deck, looking dazed and confused, any
resistance or remonstrance on their part being fu-
tile. But those amongst them that were able-bodied
seamen were paid in gold, forty sovereigns down,
on signing the ship's articles for the homeward
voyage.

" Amongst them were useless hands and some of
a very indifferent character. Some, no doubt, were
escaped convicts, or men who had secreted them-
selves to evade the police and law; others deserters
from ships then laying in the Bay — about forty in
all, and in general appearance a very unprepossess-
ing lot. However, there being no help for it, we
had but to keep guarded and prepared against the
worst; the ship's passengers together with the offi-
cers numbering about twenty hands. The captain
was an old and well-known sailor of high reputation
and long experience; and the ship was well found
and provisioned, in anticipation of a long voyage
— ^which it proved to be, extending over four months
from the time we left Port Phillip Head until she
reached the English coast."

The first clipper ship constructed for the Austra-
lian trade was the Marco Polo, of 1622 tons ; length
185 feet, breadth 38 feet, depth 30 feet. She was

266 The Clipper Ship Era

built in 1851 by Smith & Co., at St. John, N. B.,
for James Baines & Co., Liverpool, and was the
pioneer clipper of the famous Australian Black
Ball Line. The Marco Polo was constructed with
three decks, and was a very handsome, powerful-
looking ship. Above her water-line, she resembled
the New York packet ships, having painted ports,
and a full-length figurehead of the renowned ex-
plorer whose name she bore. Below water she was
cut away and had long, sharp, concave ends. Her
accommodations for saloon and steerage passengers
were a vast improvement upon anything before
attempted in the Australian trade.

She sailed from Liverpool for Melbourne, July
4, 1851, commanded by Captain James Nicol Forbes,
carrying the mails and crowded with passengers.
She made the run out in the then record time of
68 days, and home in 74 days, which, including her
detention at Melbourne, was less than a six months'
voyage round the globe. Running her easting down
to the southward of the Cape of Good Hope, she
made in four successive days 1344 miles, her best
day's run being 364 miles. Her second voyage to
Melbourne was also made in six months out and
home, so that she actually sailed twice around the
globe within twelve months. To the Marco Polo
and her skilful commander belongs the credit of
setting the pace over this great ocean race-course
round the globe.

Her success led to the building of a number of
vessels at St. John for British owners engaged in
the Australian trade. Among these the most fa-
mous were the Eibernia, 1065 tons, Ben Nevis, 1420

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 267

tons, and Guiding Star, 2012 tons. In Great Brit-
ain also a large number of ships were built for the
Australian trade between the years 1851 and 1854.
Many of these were constructed of iron, the finest
being the Tayleur, 2500 tons, which was built at
Liverpool in 1853 and was at that time the largest
merchant ship that had been built in England. She
was a very handsome iron vessel, with three decks
and large accommodation for cabin and • steerage
passengers. This vessel was wrecked off the coast
of Ireland on her first voyage to Melbourne when
only two days out from Liverpool, and became a
total loss; of her 652 passengers, only 282 were
saved. Among the many other vessels built in
Great Britain during this period were the Lord of
the Isles, already mentioned in Chapter XII;
Vimiera, 1037 tons, built at Sunderland; the Con-
test, 1119 tons, built at Ardrossan on the Firth of
Clyde; and the Gauntlet (iron), 784 tons, and Kate
Carnie, 547 tons, both built at Greenock. All of
these vessels were a decided improvement upon any
ships hitherto built in Great Britain, and they made
some fine passages, among them that of the Lord
of the Isles, from the Clyde to Sydney, N. S. W.,
in 70 days in 1853, but the 68-day record of the
Marco Polo from Liverpool to Melbourne remained
unbroken.

The Marco Polo was still a favorite vessel with
passengers, which goes to show what a good ship
she must have been, in view of the rivalry of newer
and larger clippers. She sailed from Liverpool in
November, 1853, commanded by Captain Charles
McDonnell, who had been her chief officer under

268 The Clipper Ship Era

Captain Forbes. The passengers on this voyage, on
their arrival at Melbourne, subscribed for a splen-
did service of silver, to be presented to Captain
McDonnell upon his return to England, which bore
the following inscription : " Presented to Captain
McDonnell, of the ship Marco Polo, as a testimonial
of respect from his passengers, six hundred and
sixty-six in number, for his uniform kindness and
attention during his first voyage, when his ship
ran from Liverpool to Port Phillip Head in seventy-
two days, twelve hours, and from land to land in
sixty-nine days." The Marco Polo came home in
78 days, but these were the last of her famous pas-
sages, as she drifted into the hands of captains
who lacked either the ability or the energy, or
perhaps both, to develop her best speed — the
unfortunate fate of many a good ship.

There were at that time a number of lines and
private firms engaged in the Australian trade, the
best known being the White Star Line, later man-
aged by Ismay, Imrie & Co., and James Baines &
Co.'s Black Ball Line, both of Liverpool. There
was keen rivalry between the two, and the Ben
Nevis and Guiding Star had both been built by
the White Star in hopes of lowering the record of
the Marco Polo. By degrees, however, it became
apparent that she was an exceptional ship, not likely
to be duplicated at St. John, and also that much
of her speed was due to her able commanders, while
the ships built in Great Britain, though fine ves-
sels, had not come up to the mark in point of
speed or passenger accommodations. It was un-
der these circumstances that British merchants and

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 269

ship-owners beg^an to buy and build ships for the
Australian trade in the United States.

The Sovereign of the Seas had attracted much
attention upon her arrival at LiTerpool in 1853,
and was almost immediately chartered to load for
Australia in the Black Ball Line. It is to be re-
gretted that for some reason Captain McKay gave up
charge of the ship and returned to the United States,
the command being given to Captain Warner, who
had no previous experience in handling American
clipper ships, although he proved an extremely com-
petent commander. The Sovereign of the Seas
sailed from Liverpool September 7, 1853, and ar-
rived at Melbourne after a passage of 77 days. In
a letter from Melbourne Captain Warner gives the
following account of this passage:

" I arrived here after a long and tedious passage
of 77 days, having experienced only light and con-
trary winds the greater part of the passage — I have
had but two chances. The ship- ran in four con-
secutive days 1275 miles ; and the next run was 3375
miles in twelve days. These were but moderate
chances. I was 31 days to the Equator, and car-
ried skysails 65 days; set them on leaving Liver-
pool, and never shortened them for 35 days.
Crossed the equator in 26° 30'j and went to 53°
30' south, but found no strong winds. Think if
I had gone to 58° south, I would have had wind
enough; but the crew were insufficiently clothed,
and about one half disabled, together with the first
mate. At any rate, we have beaten all and every
one of the ships that sailed with us, and also the
famous English clipper Gauntlet ten days on the

270 The Clipper Ship Era

passage, although the Sovereign of the Seas was
loaded down to twenty-three and one half feet."
On the homeward voyage she brought the mails
and over four tons of gold-dust, and made the pas-
sage in 68 days. On this voyage there was a
mutiny among the crew, who intended to seize the
ship and capture the treasure. Captain Warner
acted with great firmness and tact in suppressing
the mutineers and placing them in irons without
loss of life, for which he received much credit.

The White Star Line, not to be outdone by rivals,
followed the example of the Black Ball and in 1854
chartered the Chariot of Fame, Bed Jacket, and
Blue Jacket. These ships, of which the first was
a medium clipper and the other two extreme clip-
pers, were built in New England. The Chariot of
Fame was a sister ship to the Star of Empire,
2050 tons, built by Donald McKay in 1853, for
Enoch Train's Boston and Liverpool packet line.
The Chariot of F'ame made a number of fast voy-
ages between England and Australia, her best pas-
sage being 66 days from Liverpool to Melbourne.
The Blue Jacket ^as a handsome ship of 1790 tons,
built by R. E. Jackson at East Boston in 1854, and
was owned by Charles R. Green, of New York. Her
best passages were 67 days from Liverpool to
Melbourne and home in 69 days.

The Red Jacket, the most famous of this trio,
was built by George Thomas at Rockland, Maine,
in 1853-1854, and was owned by Seacomb & Taylor,
of Boston. She registered 2006 tons; length 260
feet, breadth 44 feet, depth 26 feet; and was de-
signed by Samuel A, Pook, of Boston, who had

Australian Voyages, 1851-1854 271

designed a number of other clipper ships, including
the Challenger — ^not the English ship of that name,
— the Game-Cock, Surprise, Northern Light, Ocean
Chief, Fearless, Ocean Telegraph, and Herald of
the Morning. He also designed several freighting
vessels and yachts. It was the custom at that
period for vessels to be designed in the yards where
they were constructed, and Mr. Pook was the first
naval architect in the United States who was not
connected with a ship-bulding yard. On her first
voyage the Red Jacket sailed from New York for
Liverpool, February 19, 1854, commanded by Cap-
tain Asa Eldridge, and made the passage in 13 days
1 hour from Sandy Hook to the Eock Light, Liver-
pool, with the wind strong from southeast to west-
southwest, and either rain, snow, or hail during the
entire run. During the first seven days she aver-
aged only 182 miles per twenty-four hours, but
during the last six days she made 219, 413, 374,
348, 300, and 371 miles, an average of a fraction
over 353 miles per twenty-four hours.

Captain Eldridge was well known in Liverpool,
having, together with his brothers, John and Oliver,
commanded some of the finest New York and Liver-
pool packet ships of their day; he had also com-
manded Commodore Vanderbilt's steam yacht
North Star during her cruise in European waters
in 1853. He was afterwards lost in command of
the steamship Pacific of the Collins Line.

The Red Jacket attracted a great deal of attention
at Liverpool, being an extremely handsome ship —
quite as good-looking as any of the clippers built
at New York or Boston. For a figurehead she car-

272 The Clipper Ship Era

ried a full-lengtli representation of the Indian chief
for whom she was named. She made her first voy-
age from Liverpool to Melbourne in 1854 under
command of Captain Samuel Reed in 69 days, and
as she received very quick despatch, being in port
only 12 days, and made the passage to Liverpool in
73 days, the voyage round the globe, including de-
tention in port, was made in five months and four
days. On the homeward passage, bringing home
45,000 ounces of gold, she beat the celebrated Guid-
ing Star by 9 days, though she lost considerable
time through being among the bergs and field ice
off Cape Horn. Upon her arrival at Liverpool the
Red Jacket was sold to Pilklington & Wilson, of that
port, then agents of the White Star Line, for £30,000,
and continued in the Australian trade for several
years, becoming one of the most famous of the
American-built clippers.

The competition of the Black Ball and White Star
lines proved of great benefit to both cabin and
steerage passengers, as their comfort and con-
venience became subjects of consideration in a man-
ner unthought of in the old days before the discovery
of gold at Bendigo and Ballarat.

IS

M
o

1-5

T3

K

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CHAPTER XVIII

AUSTRALIAN CLIPPERS, 1854-1856

IN view of the keen rivalry at this period, James
Baines & Co. determined to own the finest and
fastest ships that could be constructed, and accord-
ingly placed an order with Donald McKay to build
four clipper ships for their Australian line. These
vessels were the Lightmng, 2084 tons ; the Champion
of the Seas, 2448 tons; James Baines, 2515 tons;
and Donald McKay, 2598 tons, all launched in 1854,
with the exception of the Donald McKay, which was
not completed until January, 1855. This firm also
bought from Mr. McKay the sister ships Japan and
Commodore Perry, 1964 tons each, while they were
on the stocks in course of construction.

These ships designed for the Australian trade
were very similar to the later California clipper
ships built by Mr. McKay, though with less dead-
rise and sharper ends; they were fitted with large
accommodation for cabin and steerage passengers;
while the Japan and Commodore Perry were some-
what fuller ships than the others, and were designed
with a view to carry large cargoes rather than to
attain high speed.

The Lightning measured : length 244 feet, breadth
44 feet, depth 23 feet, with 20 inches dead-rise at
i8 273

274 The Clipper Ship Era

half floor. She had long, concave water-lines, and
at her load-displacement line a chcd from her
cut-water to just abaft the fore rigging showed a
concavity of 16 inches. Her stem raked boldly for-
ward, the lines of the bow gradually becoming
convex and blending with sheer line and cutwater,
while the only ornament was a beautiful full-length
figure of a young woman holding a golden thunder-
bolt in her outstretched hand, the flowing white
drapery of her graceful form and her streaming
hair completing the fair and noble outline of the
bow. The after body was long and clean, though
fuller than the bow, while the stern was semi-
elliptical in form, with the plank-sheer moulding
for its base, and was ornamented with gilded carved
work, though this really added nothing to the
beauty of the strong, sweeping outline of her hull.

Aloft the Lightning was heavily and strongly
rigged. Her main yard was 95 feet in length, and
the total height from the deck to the mainskysail
truck was 164 feet; her lower studdingsail booms
were 65 feet in length; her topsails and topgallant-
sails were diagonally roped from clews to earings,
and her fore and main stays, lower rigging, and
topmast stays and backstays were of 11% inch
Russian hemp, with the rest of the standing rig-
ging in proportion. Indeed, her masts and spars
were as strongly secured as skill and labor could
make them. Evidently, Mr. McKay had grown
weary of having his ships go to pieces aloft.

The quarter-deck was 90 feet long, flush with the
top of the bulwarks, and protected by a mahogany
rail on turned stanchions of the same wood. She

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 275

had also two large deck-houses, which, together with
the between-decks, gave ample passenger accommo-
dation. The quarters for the steerage passengers
were comfortably fitted and well ventilated, while
the saloons, staterooms, bathrooms, and smoking-
room for the cabin passengers were superbly
decorated and furnished.

Captain Forbes, late of the Marco Polo, was ap-
pointed to command the Lightning, and came to
Boston by one of the Cunard steamers to superintend
the outfit of his ship. He brought good letters of
introduction, and was well received; indeed, he
hardly needed any introduction, as the high reputa-
tion he had gained while in command of the Marco
Polo had preceded him. He made many friends in
Boston, especially among the clergy, as he was an
enthusiastic churchman, and he found a congenial
spirit in Captain Lauchlan McKay, who likewise
took a great interest in ecclesiastical affairs. These
two mariners became such close friends that Cap-
tain McKay consented to accompany Captain Forbes
to Liverpool as his companion and adviser, and as
we shall presently see, the Lightning developed her
finest speed in the hands of these experienced and
skilful seamen.

The Lightning loaded in Train's Line at Constitu-
tion Wharf, and sailed for Liverpool, February 18,
1854. The Boston Daily Atlas of that date pub-
lished the following account of her departure:

" At 2 o'clock the Lightning hove her anchor up,
and at 3 o'clock discharged her pilot off Boston
Light. She went down in tow of the steamer
Rescue, Captain Hennessy, and was piloted by Mr.

276 The Clipper Ship Era

E. G. Martin. Before the steamer left her, she set
her head sails, fore- and mizentopsails, and had a
moderate breeze from west to southwest. She ap-
peared to go at the rate of 6 knots under this
canvas, though she draws 22 feet of water, and has
only 23 feet depth of hold. We have seen manj
vessels pass through the water, but never saw one
which disturbed it less. Not a ripple curled before
her cutwater, nor did the water break at a single
place along her sides. She left a wake as straight
as an arrow and this was the only mark of her
progress. There was a slight swell and as she rose
we could see the arc of her forefoot rise gently
over the seas as she increased her speed. At 5 p.m.,
two hours after the pilot left her, the outer telegraph
station reported her thirty miles east of Boston
Light, with all drawing sails set, and going along
like a steamboat. We think her talented designer
and builder, Mr. McKay, cannot improve upon her
model. Her commander, being a pious man, was
attended down the harbor by a select party of
brethren and sisters of the church, who at parting
gave him their blessing. This is much better than
the dram-drinking and vociferous cheering which
usually make up the parting scenes of the
unregenerated."

The voyage so auspiciously begun proved one of
the most remarkable ever made by a ship on the
ocean ; for before the Lightning set her pilot signal
off Point Lynas, she had left more miles of salt
water astern in twenty-four hours than any vessel
that has ever sailed the seas propelled by winds and
canvas. From the abstract log, published in the

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 277

Liverpool Albion soon after her arrival, it appears
that she went round the north of Ireland, making
the run to Eagle Island in 10 days, and to the
Calf of Man, within 80 miles of Liverpool, in 12
days, thence to Liverpool in 13 days 191/^ hours
from Boston Light. Her day's runs were as follows :

1. — " February 19th. Wind west-southwest, and north-
west, moderate; 200 miles.
2. — 20th. Wind north-northeast and northeast, strong

breezes with snow; 328 miles.
3. — 21st. Wind east-southeast with snowstorms; 145

miles.
4. — 22d. Wind east-southeast, a gale with high cross

sea and rain; 114 miles.
5. — 23d. Wind north. Strong gales to east-southeast;

ends moderate; 110 miles.
6. — 24th. Wind southeast, moderate; 312 miles.
7. — 26th. Wind east-southeast and southeast. Fresh

breezes with thick weather; 285 miles.
8. — 26th. Wind west-southwest, moderate; 295 miles.
9. — 27th. Wind west-northwest, moderate; 260 miles.
10. — 28th. Wind west and northwest, steady breezes; 306
miles."
[The position at noon on this day was latitude 52° 38'
N., longitude 22° 45' W., and here began the greatest day's
run ever made by a ship under canvas.]
11. — " March 1st. Wind south. Strong gales; bore away
for the North Channel, carried away the foretopsail
and lost jib; hove the log several times and found
the ship going through the water at the rate of 18
to 18% knots; lee rail under water, and rigging
slack. Distance run in twenty-four hours, 436 miles.
12. — 2d. Wind south, first part moderate, latter part

light and calm.
13. — 3d. Light winds and calms.

14. — 4th. Light southeast winds and calms; at 7 a.m.
off Great Orma Head; 12 M. off the N. W. Lightship."

278 The Clipper Ship Era

This was a remarkable passage considering the
percentage of easterly winds, though its memorable
incident is, of course, the phenomenal run of 436
miles in twenty-four hours, an average of 18l^
knots, which entitles the Lightning to the proud
distinction of being the swiftest ship that ever
sailed the seas. There was no ocean steamship of
her day that approached her record by less than
100 miles, and another flve-and-twenty years passed
away before the Atlantic greyhound, the Arizona,
made 18 knots for a single hour, on her trial trip.
Even at the present time, according to Lloyd's
Register, there are not more than thirty ocean-
going mail steamships afloat, that are able to steam
over 18 knots. It must have been blowing hard
enough when the Lightning's jib and foretopsail
carried away, for these were not old, worn-out sails,
put on board to attract the favorable consideration
of underwriters, but were of new canvas, made un-
usually strong, and had not been out of the sail
loft more than a couple of weeks.

Strange as it may seem, the " wood butchers of
Liverpool," as Donald McKay used to call them,
were allowed to fill in the concave lines of the
Lightning's bow with slabs of oak sheathing, and
while she continued to be a fast ship, she doubtless
would have proved still faster had her original
design not been tampered with.^

The second of these ships, the Champion of the
Seas, measured: length 269 feet, breadth 45 feet,
depth 29 feet, dead-rise at half floor 18 inches;

1 These slabs were subsequently removed, one side being
washed away.

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 279

length of mainyard 95 feet. The concavity of her
water-line forward was 2i/^ inches, from which it
will be seen that she was a differently designed
ship from the Lightning. She was considered by
many to be even a handsomer vessel. Her stern
was ornamented with the arms of Australia, while at
her bow she carried a full-length figurehead of a
handsome sailorman rigged out in all his best go-
ashore togs. She was commanded by Captain
Alexander Newlands, who came from Liverpool to
superintend her construction and equipment, the
whole inside arrangements of the ship, including
the complicated plan for light and ventilation and
the details of the cabin, being made according to
his designs. After fitting out at Grand Junction
Wharf, East Boston, she was towed to New York
by the R. B. Forces, where she loaded for Liverpool,
and made the passage to that port during the month
of June, 1854, in 16 days.

The James Baines measured: length 266 feet,
breadth 46 feet 8 inches, depth 31 feet, with 18
inches dead-rise at half floor. Her mainyard was
100 feet in length, and a single suit of sails con-
tained 13,000 running yards of canvas 18 inches
wide. Originally she carried a main skysail only,
but later she was fitted with three skysails, main
moonsail, and skysail studdingsails, and so far as
I know, she was the only clipper ship so rigged.
There was only a very slight difference between
the lines of the Champion of the Seas and those of
the James Baines, the latter ship having a some-
what more raking stem, which brought her lines
out forward a little longer and sharper above the

28o The Clipper Ship Era

water-line. Her bow was ornamented with a finely
executed bust of her namesake, which was carved
in England and was said to be an excellent like-
ness. Across her stern she carried a carved medal-
lion of the globe, supported by the arms of Great
Britain and the United States. She was com-
manded by Captain McDonnell, late of the Marco
Polo, who sailed from Liverpool for Boston soon
after his return from Melbourne.

The James Baines sailed from Boston, September
12, 1854, and made the run from Boston Light to
the Rock Light, Liverpool, in the record time of
12 days 6 hours. An English correspondent of one
of the Boston papers remarked : " You wish to
know what professional men say about the ship
James Baines. Her unrivalled passage, of course,
brought her prominently before the public, and she
has already been visited by many of the most emi-
nent mechanics in the country. She is so strongly
built, so finely finished, and is of so beautiful a
model, that even envy cannot prompt a fault against
her. On all hands she has been praised as the
most perfect sailing ship that ever entered the river
Mersey."

The last of this quartette, the Donald McKay,
measured: length 269 feet, breadth 47 feet, depth
29 feet, with 18 inches dead-rise at half floor, and
her mainyard was 100 feet long. While her water-
lines were fuller than those of the James Baines,
she was still an extremely sharp vessel, and with
the single exception of the Great Republic was the
largest merchant ship afloat. She sailed from Bos-
ton, February 21, 1855, under the command of

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 281

Captain Warner, late of the Sovereign of the Seas,
and made the run to Cape Clear in 12 days, and
thence to Liverpool in 5 days. On February 27th,
she ran 421 miles in twenty-four hours, and on
that date her log records : " First part, strong
gales from northwest; middle blowing a hurricane
from west-northwest, ship scudding under topsails
and foresail at the rate of 18 knots; latter part,
still blowing from west-northwest with heavy hail
squalls; very high sea running."

The Lightning sailed from Liverpool on her first
voyage to Melbourne, May 14, 1854. She encoun-
tered light winds and calms to the equator, which
she crossed in 25 days from the Mersey; such was
the nature of the winds that the topgallantsails
were not taken in during the passage, and her
best day's runs were only 332, 348, 300, 311, and
329 miles on various dates. She arrived out in 77
days, but the passage home to Liverpool was made
in the record time of 63 days. In ten consecutive
days of twenty-four hours each, she sailed no less
than 3722 miles, her best day's run being 412 miles.
On this voyage she brought home gold and dust to
the value of £1,000,000 sterling.

The James Baines sailed from Liverpool for Mel-
bourne December 9, 1854, and made the passage out
in the record time of 63 days, her best twenty-four
hours' run being 420 miles. She made the passage
home in 69 days, thus sailing around the globe in
the record time of 132 days. On a subsequent voy-
age in 1856 her log records, " June 16th. At noon
sighted a ship in the distance ahead; at 1 p.m.
alongside of her; at 2 p.m., out of sight astern.

282 The Clipper Ship Era

The James Baines was going 17 knots with main
skysail set; the Liiertas, for such was her name,
was under double-reefed topsails." "June 17th. Lati-
tude 44° S., longitude 106° E., ship going 21 knots
with .main skysail set." This appears to be the
highest rate of speed ever made by a sailing vessel
of which any reliable record has been preserved.

The Champion of the Seas made the passage out
in 71 days and home in 84 days, and the Donald
McKay made the voyage in about the same time,
but the Lightning and James Baines proved the
most famous of these ships. So well pleased was
Mr. Baines that he wrote to Mr. McKay, saying,
'■ In these ships you have given us all and more
than we expected." These were the last extreme
clipper ships built by Donald McKay.

During the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 a large number
of British and American merchant ships were
chartered by the British Government to carry troops
to India, and among others the James Baines,
Champion of the Seas, and Lightning. The James
Baines sailed from Portsmouth for Calcutta on
August 8th, with the Ninety-seventh Regiment on
board, and the Illustrated London News, in a no-
tice of her departure, remarked : " Previous to her
starting she was honored by a visit of Her Majesty,
who highly eulogized the vessel and is said to have
declared that she was not aware that so splendid
a merchant ship belonged to her dominions."

The Champion of the Seas sailed from Portsmouth
on the same day, also bound for Calcutta with
troops, and the race between these clippers was
close and exciting. Nine days out they fell in

■3

n

E
s

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 283

with the steamship Oneida homeward bound, and
the Illustrated London News, again mentioning the
James Baines, said : " When met by the Oneida,
on the 17th of August, on her way to Calcutta with
troops, she presented a most magnificent appear-
ance, having in addition to her ordinary canvas,
studdingsails, skysails, and moonsail, set and
drawing, in all thirty-four sails, a perfect cloud
of canvas: the troops all well, and cheering lustily
as the vessels passed each other. The sister ship,
the Champion of the Seas, was not far astern, both
vessels making great headway."

These two ships arrived oflf the mouth of the
Hooghly together, each 101 days from Portsmouth,
and the finish of this race was talked about by
the Calcutta pilots for a good many years: how
these splendid clippers raced in from sea almost
side by side, with a fresh three-skysail, scupper
breeze, the regimental bands on board of both ships
playing national airs, while the soldiers were cheer-
ing and wild with the joy and excitement of seeing
land once more.

The Lightning sailed at a more favorable season,
and made the passage from Portsmouth to the
Hooghly in 87 days, beating the entire fieet of sail-
ing transports, including those fitted with auxiliary
screw propellers.

Of the large number of ships bought or char-
tered in the United States for the Australian trade
by British ship-owners at this period, those men-
tioned, with the Red Rover, Comet, Tornado, Sierra
Nevada, and Invincible, each with a record of less
than 75 days from Liverpool or London to Mel-

284 The Clipper Ship Era

bourne, the Belle of the Sea, 64 days from London
to Melbourne, and North Wind, 67 days from
London to Sydney, N. S. W., were the most
celebrated.

There were also many American ships that made
the voyage from New York to Melbourne, and among
the fast passages may be mentioned those of: the
Mandarin, in 71 days ; Flying Scud and Nightingale,
75 days ; Whirlwind, 80 days ; Flying Dutchman and
Panama, 81 days; Snow Squall, 79 days, and Ring-
leader, 78 days. Most if not all these ships loaded
in R. W. Cameron's line, and it is worth noting
that, of all the great shipping firms that flourished
in New York half a century ago, this is the only
one which now survives.

It was only natural that ship-owners of Great
Britain should feel keenly the invasion of their
trade by the American clippers, and in 1855, James
Baines & Co. placed an order with Alexander Hall
& Co., of Aberdeen, then the leading clipper ship-
builders in Great Britain, for a large clipper ship
for the Australian trade, to " outdo the Ameri-
cans." This vessel was the Schomherg, 2600 tons;
length 262 feet, breadth 45 feet, depth 29 feet. She
was very sharp forward and had a long, clean run,
with considerable dead-rise at her midship section.
She was built of wood and heavily sparred, with
single topsail yards and three skysails.

When this ship came around from Aberdeen to
load at Liverpool for Melbourne, she was greatly
admired and it was generally believed that she
would prove faster than her American rivals, espe-
cially as Captain Forbes, late of the Marco Polo

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 285

and Lightning, had been appointed to command her.
She sailed from Liverpool on October 6, 1855. Cap-
tain Forbes was a proud man that day, for the
pierheads of the port were thronged with a patri-
otic, cheering crowd to see the Schomierg off, and
as she towed down the Mersey, the signals reading,
" Sixty days to Melbourne," fluttered gayly from her
mizen truck.

She had moderate winds to the equator, which
she crossed 28 days from the Mersey, and then
drifted into calms and light airs which continued
for ten days and from which she did not possess
the nimble speed to extricate herself. Her best
day's work, while running her easting down, was
368 miles. When 81 days out she was wrecked and
became a total loss on an uncharted reef about
150 miles to the westward of Melbourne, the pas-
sengers, crew, and mails being saved. This was
by no means a record passage, and it is to be re-
gretted that her career was so short, as it would
be interesting to know what she might have done
under more favorable conditions. She certainly
possessed the qualities of a fast ship, and was ably
commanded.

There were also many fine ships of English build
sailing out of London in the Australian trade; the
Norfolk and Lincolnshire, built and owned by
Money, Wigram & Sons; the Kent, Trafalgar, and
Renown, built and owned by R. & H. Green; and
many others. These ships were built of teak, oak,
and elm; were copper-fastened and sheathed with
red copper. They resembled smart frigates more
than merchantmen, and were about the perfection

286 The Clipper Ship Era

of that type — splendid ships to be at sea in, though
not so fast as the sharper American clippers. None
of these vessels was over 1500 tons, and it was
thought by shipping men in London and Liverpool
that much of the speed of the American ships was
due to their greater tonnage. There may have been
some truth in this, but it should be remembered that
with these large wooden vessels an increase in size
made the difficulties in <building greater, as well
as in getting their wooden masts to stand with
hemp rigging, to say nothing of handling their
enormous single topsails in heavy weather.

Meanwhile attempts were being made by various
companies to introduce steam in place of the clipper
ships that had carried the passengers, mails, and
specie after the discovery of gold in Australia, but
these efforts were beset with many difficulties and
heavy financial losses.

The Australian, an iron screw steamer of 2000
tons, was the first steamship to carry the mails
from England to Melbourne. She sailed from
Plymouth, June 5, 1852, and called at St. Vincent,
St. Helena, Table Bay, and St. George's Sound for
coal, which had been sent out by ship from Eng-
land to meet her. She arrived at Melbourne in 89
days from Plymouth, and returned by the Cape of
Good Hope in 76 days. She arrived at London,
January 11, 1853, having been 7 months and 6 days
upon the voyage, a creditable but not a very bril-
liant performance. The Australian was soon fol-
lowed by the Great Britain, Adelaide, Queen of
the South, Sydney, Cleopatra, Antelope, and other
iron screw steamers ; but these vessels nearly ruined

a

o

,4

Australian Clippers, 1854-1856 287

their owners and did not greatly interfere with the
clippers.

In 1854 the Argo, a full-rigged iron ship of 1850
tons register, with plenty of canvas and fitted with
an auxiliary engine and screw, made the passage
from London to Melbourne in 64 days and home
round Cape Horn in 63 days ; and though she sailed
during the greater portion of the voyage, using her
engines only in calms and light winds, she was the
first merchant vessel using steam-power to circum-
navigate the globe. This voyage is peculiarly
adapted to auxiliary steam vessels, as, by following
the sailing-ship track, very few strong head winds
are met, and of course the screw is of great assist-
ance in light winds and calms.

The Argo was followed (1855-1856) by the Boyal
Charter, Istamhoul, and Ehersonese and other iron
auxiliary " steam clippers," as they were called.
These vessels carried as much canvas as the clipper
ships, and were more expensive to handle and not
much faster; the rivalry was therefore keen. The
clippers still secured their full share of the cabin
and steerage passengers, the mails and gold, and
were by no means vanquished; indeed, the auxil-
iaries proved no more successful than the steam-
ships, and brought much the same result to their
owners.

It was not till after the close of the Crimean
War in 1856, when the Peninsular & Oriental Steam
Navigation Company extended their line to the
Australian colonies, that the clipper ships began
seriously to feel the competition of steam. From
that time iron sailing vessels for this trade were

288 The Clipper Ship Era

built with a view to carrying large cargoes and
steerage passengers, so that by 1860 the day of the
Australian clippers had passed away, although the
later China tea-clippers sometimes made this voy-
age. Almost countless splendid iron and steel sail-
ing ships have since been built in Great Britain,
and many fine passages have been made to and
from Australia, yet the records of the James Baines,
North Wind, Lightning, Mandarin, and Lord of the
Isles remain unbroken.

CHAPTER XIX

liAST TEARS OF THE AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIP BRA —
SUMMARY OP CALIFORNIA PASSAGES

DURING the Crimean War a large number of
merchant ships, many of which were Ameri-
can, were chartered by the British and French
Governments to carry troops, but when peace was
declared in 1856 and this demand for tonnage ceased,
it was found that there were more ships afloat than
could find profitable employment, or indeed em-
ployment of any kind.

Only eight ships were added to the California
fleet in 1856 — the Alarm, Euterpe, Flying Mist, Flor-
ence, Intrepid, Mary L. Sutton, Norseman, and the
second Witch of the Wave. These were all hand-
some medium clippers, and possessed what is so
sadly lacking in sailing ships of the present day
— style, distinction. The Florence was built by
Samuel Hall, Jr., who had succeeded his father as
a ship-builder and continued in the same yard at
East Boston. She was owned by Captain R. B.
Forbes and others of Boston. Captain Dumaresq
commanded her and also owned an interest in her
until his death in 1860. As Captain Forbes used
to say, " He was the prince of sea captains."

The Sweepstakes made the fastest passage to San
19 289

290 The Clipper Ship Era

Francisco in 1856 — 94 days from New York — fol-
lowed by the Antelope, 97 days ; Phantom, 101 days ;
and David Brown, 103 days; the Ringleader made
the passage from Boston in 100 days. The abstract
log of the Sweepstakes is as follows:

Prom Sandy Hook to the equator 18 days.

Prom the equator to 50° S 23 "

Prom 50° in the Atlantic to 50° in the

Pacific 15 "

From E0° S. to the equator 17 "

Prom the equator to San Prancisco 21 "

Total 94 "

The year 1857 was one of financial depression
throughout the United States, which was severely
felt by the shipping interests of the country and
continued until the Ciril War. The rates of freight
from New York to San Prancisco, which during
the years immediately following the discovery of
gold in California were $60 a ton, gradually de-
clined, and in 1857 had fallen to |10 per ton. Ships
that had formerly loaded cargoes for San Francisco
night and day and were hurried to sea as quickly
as possible, now lay at their loading berths for
weeks, leisurely taking on board such cargo as their
agents could engage. During this period vessels
lay idle at the wharves of Atlantic ports for weeks
and eyen months, in charge of ship-keepers, with
sails unbent, waiting for employment.

The former activity in the ship-building yards
had also subsided. During the four years prior to
the Civil War, Donald McKay built only one ship,

01

m

o
g

Summary of California Passages 291

the Alhambra (1857), and William H. Webb built
only one ship for the California trade, the Black
Hawk, beside the Resolute, and the barque Trieste
(1857), and the barque Harvest Queen (1858).
The same depression was felt in all the yards along
the Atlantic coast. British ship-builders had made
such rapid progress in the construction and speed
of their vessels that it was now difficult for Ameri-
can ships to obtain charters from China to England.
Prom 1857 to 1861, they were to be found lying
idle for months at a time in Manila Bay, Hong-kong
harbor, Foo-chow, Shanghai, and Calcutta, seeking
employment.

The depression in the oversea carrying trade was
felt quite as much by the ship-owners of Great
Britain as by those of the United States, and while
of short duration, was as serious there as in the
United States. It was at this period, however, that
Great Britain began to feel the benefit of Free
Trade in her ship-building industry, and entered
upon her conquest of the world's oversea carrying
trade. In this her ship-builders were greatly as-
sisted by the introduction of iron as a material for
construction. In 1855 the Committee of Lloyd's
Register had framed rules for the classification of
iron ships, as their number had so increased, and
the demand of ship-owners for their official recog-
nition had become so general, that they could no
longer be ignored. The screw propeller was also
beginning to supersede side-wheels as a means of
propulsion, and some of the ablest men in Great
Britain were engaged upon the development and
improvement of the marine engine and boiler.

292 The Clipper Ship Era

/

; The steam tonnage of the British Empire — mostly

Jengaged in the oversea carrying trade — had in-

"Icreased from 204,654 tons in 1851 to 417,717 tons

/in 1856, whereas the steam tonnage of the United

I States engaged in the oversea carrying trade had

Hficreased from 62,390 tons in 1851 to 115,045 tons

in 1855, but had decreased to 89,715 tons in 1856.

It should be noted that while a large proportion

of the steam tonnage of Great Britain consisted

of iron vessels, many of them being screw steamers,

the steam vessels of the United States were very

nearly, if not all, still constructed of wood and

propelled by side-wheels.

/ The first symptoms of the decadence of the
American merchant marine were the falling-oflE in
the sales of American tonnage to foreign countries
— the reduction being from 65,000 tons in 1855 to
42,000 tons in 1856, declining to 26,000 tons in 1858
and to 17,000 tons in 1860, a falling-off of 75% in
five years — then in the total tonnage of vessels built
in the United States, which fell from 583,450 tons
in 1855 to 469,393 tons in 1856, and to 378,804
tons in 1857.

These facts refute the historic falsehood that the
Alalama and her consorts were the first and im-
mediate cause of decadence in the American mer-
chant marine. As a matter of fact, neither the
depression preceding the Civil War, nor the de-
predations of Confederate privateers, nor the Civil
War itself, have had any material bearing upon
the decline of American shipping during the last
fifty years. The gigantic task of driving the
American flag from the ocean has been accomplished

Summary of California Passages 293

by far more insidious and potent means than these.
It has been the inevitable consequence of irrational
and unjust laws, and until these are repealed, as
those of Great Britain were in 1849, we may hope
in vain that the ensign of the United States will
be restored to its place upon the sea.

Amid the discouraging conditions of these years
preceding the Civil War, American sea-captains
never lost faith in their ships nor in themselves.
They seemed to think, the lower the rate of freight,
the more reason that it should be earned quickly,
and when once clear of the disheartening influences
of a seaport and well off soundings, they sent their
ships along with the same energy and skill for
which they had become famous in more prosperous
days.

It was in the year 1857 that the Great Bepublio
made her remarkable passage of 92 days from New
York to San Francisco, and established a new re-
cord of 16 days from Sandy Hook to the equator.
She was still commanded by Captain Limeburner,
who had as his first officer, Montgomery Parker, an
accomplished seaman and navigator, afterward com-
mander of the ships Judge Shaw and Lord Lynd-
hurst. The crew of 50 men before the mast were
the usual assortment, 15 or 20 good seamen, the
rest adventurers and mongrels of various brands,
of whom little could be expected. Captain Lime-
burner and his oflScers always went armed, and it
was perhaps fortunate, with such a crew, that the
topgallantsails were never clewed up during the
passage, and that Cape Horn was rounded with
skysails set.

294 The Clipper Ship Era

The abstract log of the Great Republic is as
follows :

From Sandy Hook to the equator 16 days.

From the equator to 50° S 25 "

From 50° S. in the Atlantic to 50° S.

in the Pacific 9

From 50° S. to the equator 23 "

From the equator to San Francisco 19 "

Total 92 «

LieuteDant Maury, in a letter on the subject to
the Secretary of the Navy, remarks : " This vessel
did not have the luck to get a wind that could
keep her up to her mettle for twenty-four hours
consecutively. Here and there she got into favor-
able streaks of wind, but she appears to have run
out of them faster than they could follow. She
made the run to San Francisco in 92 days.

" The shortest passage that in the present state
of ship-building will probably ever be made from
New York to San Francisco, is 85 days; and the
very clever first officer of this ship, writing from
California, expresses the opinion that ' should she
continue to run between New York and San Fran-
cisco, from the experience of this voyage, she will
one day make the trip within your possible 85 days.'

" The friends of this noble specimen of naval
architecture, however, can scarcely hope for a fair
trial and proper display of her prowess until she
shall be sent on a voyage to Australia. The brave
west winds of the Southern hemisphere, which she
will then encounter, will enable her to show her-

Summary of California Passages 295

self; elsewhere, she can scarcely find a sea wide
enough, with belts of wind broad enough for the
full display of her qualities and capabilities."

There can be little doubt that with her original
spars and sail plan, the Great Republic would have
made this passage in 85 days or less, and it is to
be regretted that, even with her reduced rig, she
never made a voyage between England and
Australia, the service for which she was built and
especially adapted. Her best twenty-four hours'
run, made upon a subsequent voyage while under
the command of Captain Josiah Paul, was 413
miles.

In 1857 the Flying Dragon made the passage to
Ban Francisco in 97 days; the Westward Ho and
the Andrexo Jackson in 100 days, both from New
York ; and the Flying Fish in 106 days from Boston.
In 1858 the Twilight made the passage from New
York in 100 days ; the Andrew Jackson in 103 days ;
and in 1859 the Sierra Nevada in 97 days and the
Andrew Jackson in 102 days. In 1860 the Andrew
Jackson made the trip in 89 days.

As before noted, the Andrew Jackson was built
in 1855. Her builders were Irons & Grinnell, of
Mystic, Connecticut; she was owned by J. H.
Brower & Co., of New York, and was commanded
by Captain John E. Williams, of Mystic. She was
1679 tons register and measured: length 222 feet,
breadth 40 feet, depth 22 feet, and while not an
extreme clipper, she was a very handsome, well-
designed ship. She was heavily sparred and carried
double topsails, skysails, and royal studdingsails.
Her figurehead was a full-length statue of the

296 The Clipper Ship Era

famous warrior and statesman in whose honor she
was named.

Upon Captain Williams's arrival at San Fran-
cisco, in 89 days from New York, he was presented
with a Commodore's pennant, and on his return to
New York the owners presented him with a valu-
able chronometer watch bearing the following in-
scription : " Presented by J. H. Brower & Co. to
Captain J. E. Williams of the clipper ship Andrew
Jackson for the shortest passage to San Francisco.
Time 89 days 4 hours, 1860."

With this superb record by the Andrew Jackson
— four consecutive passages averaging 98% days
each — the American clipper ship era may well bring
its brilliant career to a close.

It would be invidious, even if it were possible, to
name the fastest of the splendid fleet of California
clippers which sailed during the years 1850-1860,
as their voyages were made in different years and
at different seasons of the year; still, a comparison
of their records is of interest.

Eighteen ships made single passages of less than
100 days from New York or Boston to San Fran-
cisco during this period. The Flying Cloud and
Andrew Jackson share the honor of 89 days each,
and are closely followed by the Sword Fish, 90
days; Flying Fish and Great Bepuhlic, 92 days;
John Oilpin, 93 days; Sweepstakes, 94 days; Sur-
prise and Romance of the Seas, 96 days ; Sea Witch,
Contest, Antelope, Sierra Nevada, Flying Dragon,
and Witchcraft, 97 days; Flying Fish and David
Brown, 98 days, and Herald of the Morning and
Hurricane, 99 days each.

Summary of Galifornia Passages 297

Four of these ships, the Flying Cloud, Flying
Fish, Great Bepublio, and Romance of the Seas,
were built by Donald McKay, and two of the four,
the Flying Cloud and Flying Fish, each came within
the limit twice. Two others, the John Gilpin and
Surprise, were built by Samuel Hall, and two, the
Contest and Sweepstakes, by Jacob A. Westervelt,
with one ship each by other builders. Beside Cap-
tain Creesy of the Flying Cloud and Captain
Nickels of the Flying Fish, Captain Dumaresq also
made the passage twice in less than 100 days, in
command of the Surprise and Romance of the
Seas.

For an average of the two fastest passages by
one ship, the record of the Flying Cloud — two in
89 days each — stands at the head. The others are :
the Andrew Jackson, Q& and 100 — 94i/^ days; Fly-
ing Fish, 92 and 98 — 95 days; Sword-Fish, 90 and
105—971/2 days; David Brown, 98 and 103— IOII/2
days; Westward Ho,. WO and 103—1011/2 days; Sea
Witch, 97 and 108—1021/2 days; Contest, 108 and
97—1021/2 days ; Herald of the Morning, 99 and 106
—1021/2; Phantom, 101 and 104—1021/2 days; John
Gilpin, 93 and 115 — 104 days ; Romance of the Seas,
96 and 113— 104:l^ days; Ringleader, 100 and 109
— 10414 days; Sweepstakes, 94 and 116—105 days;
Flying Dutchman, 104 and 106 — 105 days; Flying
Dragon, 97 and 114 — 105% days; Surprise, 96 and
116—106 days; Young America, 105 and 109—107
days; l^eptune's Gar, 100 and 112—106; Eagle, 103
and 111—107 days; Comet, 103 and 112— IO71/2
days; Golden Gate, 102 and 113— IO71/2 days;
Golden City, 105 and 113—109 days; Flyaway, 106

298 The Clipper Ship Era

and 112—109 days ; Sea Serpent, 107 and 112—1091/2
days; Shooting Star, 105 and 115 — 110 days.

The fastest three passages in 1850-1860 were
made by the Flying Cloud, 89, 89, 105—94 1/3
days; Andrew Jackson, 89, 100, 102 — 97 days; Fly-
ing Fish, 92, 98, 105—98 1/3 days; Westward Eo,
103, 106, 100—103 days; Sword-Fish, 90, 105, IIG
—103 2/3 days; Sea Witch, 97, 108, 110—105 days;
Young America, 105, 107, 110—107 1/3 days; Sur-
prise, 96, 116, 117—109 2/3 days ; Sea Serpent, 107,
112, 115—111 1/3 days.

The best four passages were made by the Flying
Cloud, 89, 89, 105, 108—97 % days; Andrew Jack-
son, 89, 100, 102, 103—98 1/2 days ; Flying Fish, 92,
98, 105, 106—100 14 days.

By dividing this great race-course into sections,
a further comparison of the relative speed of the
clipper ships may be obtained. Thus the following
separate runs were made during the years in
question :

From Sandy Hook to the equator: Great Re-
public, 16 days; Flying Cloud, Northern Light, Sea
Serpent, Storm (barque). White Swallow, 17 days;
Adelaide, Jacob Bell, Surprise, Sweepstakes, 18
days; Atlanta, Flying Fish, Golden Gate, Hornet,
Samuel Russell, Tingqua, 19 days; Archer, Ante-
lope, Climax, Courier, Comet, David Brown, Hazard,
Sirocco, Tornado, White Squall, 20 days. In Feb-
ruary, 1858, the Stag Hound, commanded by Captain
Hussey, made the run from Boston Light to the
equator in the phenomenal time of 13 days, eclips-
ing all records.

From Cape St. Roque to 50° S. : Samuel Russell,

Summary of California Passages 299

16 days ; Hornet, Ocean Pearl, 17 days ; Bald Eagle,
Comet, Electric, Hurricane, Ocean Express, Baven,
18 days ; Electric Spark, Galatea, Governor Morton,
John Gilpin, Sovereign of the Seas, Sword-Fish,
Witch of the Wave, 19 days; Aurora, Flying Fish,
Golden Gate, John Wade, Mandarin, North America,
Panama, Ringleader, Seaman, Sea Witch, Skylark,
Trade Wind, 20 days.

From 50° S. in the Atlantic to 50° S. in the
Pacific : Young America, 6 days ; Flying Fish, Fly-
ing Cloud, BoMn Hood, 1 days; Flying Dutchman
(twice), Herald of the Morning, Stag Hound, Sword-
Fish, 8 days ; Mary L. Sutton, Sovereign of the Seas,
Great Republic, 9 days; Atlanta, Golden City, Hor-
net, Snap Dragon (barque), Sweepstakes, Typhoon,
Whistler, 10 days.

From 50° S. in the Pacific to the equator: Live
Yankee, Mary L. Sutton, 16 days; Flying Cloud,
Sweepstakes, 17 days; Celestial, Eagle, Hurricane,
John Bertram, Surprise, Young America, 18 days;
Belle of the West, Courser, Don Quixote, Flying
Dutchman (twice), Flying Fish, Mermaid, Nep-
tune's Car, Ocean Telegraph, Sirocco, Starlight,
Sword-Fish, Wild Pigeon, Winged Arrow, 19 days;
Alarm, Archer, Electric, Flying Dragon, Golden
Eagle, John Gilpin, Malay, Stag Hound, Starr King,
Syren, Shooting Star, Telegraph, Unknown, 20 days.

From the equator to San Francisco: White
Squall, 14 days; Flying Cloud, John Gilpin, Phan-
tom, 15 days; Antelope, Comet, Contest, Flying
Dutchman, Game-Cock, Trade Wind, 16 days;
Aurora, Flying Fish (twice), Sovereign of the Seas,
Surprise, Young America, 17 days ; Cleopatra, Chal-

300 The Clipper Ship Era

lenge, Golden City, John Bertram, Samiiel Apple-
ton, Seaman, Sea Witch, Staffordshire, Typhoon,
Westward Ho, Winged Arrow, 18 days ; Bald Eagle,
Boston Light, Defender, Eagle, Electric, Golden
Eagle, Great Republic, Hornet, N. B. Palmer, Wild
Pigeon, 19 days; Celestial, Cyclone, Eureka, Gov-
ernor Morton, Herald of the Morning, Intrepid,
Living Age, Ocean Telegraph, Raven, Samuel Rus-
sell, Sparkling Wave, Sword-Fish, 20 days.

These records indicate the remarkable sailing
qualities of the clipper ships, for, if the quickest
single runs are added together — the Stag Hound's
13 days from Boston Light to the equator with an
allowance of 2 days for the run from the equator
to Cape St. Roque; the Samuel Russell's 16 days
from Cape St. Roque to 50° S. ; the Young America's
6 days from 50° S. in the Atlantic to 50° S. in the
Taciflc; the Live Yankee's and Mary L. Sutton's 16
days from 50° S. to the equator; and the White
Squall's 14 days from the equator to San Francisco
— we find that these six ships sailed long distances
at the rate of a passage of 67 days from Boston
Light to San Francisco, or 22 days less than the
record of the Flying Cloud and Andrew Jackson —
89 days. Yet no one of the six ships which made
these splendid runs made the passage from an
Atlantic port to San Francisco in less than 100
days.

The records of the other ships are even more re-
markable, for allowing 20 days as the outside limit
of the four longer runs, with 10 days from 50° S.
in the Atlantic to 50° S. in the Pacific and 2 days
from the equator to Cape St. Roque, we find that

Summary o£ California Passages 301

uo less than 157 runs were made over distances
of thousands of miles, most of them considerably
within an average rate of 92 days from Sandy Hook
to San Francisco, or well within 3 days of the
fastest record time. These records prove, if proof
were needed, that the reputation of American clipper
ships for speed does not rest upon the fast pas-
sages of a few ships, but is based upon the estab-
lished records of many swift vessels.

Judged by any standard of beauty, the American
clipper ships were handsome, noble-looking vessels.
During the past fifty years I have seen many fleets
of men-of-war and merchant ships, besides naval
reviews, and at various times the squadrons of
yachts that gather each summer in Cowes Roads
and Newport Harbor, but I have never seen a col-
lection of vessels which could compare in stately
beauty with the fleet of American clipper ships
which lay in the harbor of Hongkong during the
autumn of 1858.

The American clippers were all built of wood
and their hulls were painted black from the metal
up, though the Invincible carried a crimson stripe,
and the Challenge, N. B. Palmer, Sweepstakes, and
perhaps two or three others, a stripe of gold. Their
yards and bowsprits were usually painted black,
the lower masts white to the tops, with the tops
and doublings above scraped bright and varnished,
but the Challenge, Young America, and Mandarin
carried black lower masts, and a few other ships
kept their lower masts bright.

Many of their figureheads were of considerable
artistic excellence, being designed by skilful artists,

302 The Clipper Ship Era

some of whom have already been mentioned. The
Romance of the Seas carried the full-length figure
of an ancient navigator, whose original might
have stood on the high poop of Magellan's flag-ship,
with head bent forward and right hand raised to
shade his eager eyes, as he gazed upon an unknown
land in an uncharted sea. The Sea Serpent carried
a long slender serpent, whose life-like, slimy-looking
body, picked out in shades of green and gold, sug-
gested his recent escape from the waters of one
of the summer resorts along the Atlantic coast.
The Nightingale carried a beautiful bust of Jenny
Lind, for whom she was named. The Panama car-
ried at her bow a nude, full-length figure of a
beautiful woman with arms extended, pure white
and of great artistic merit, perhaps the most beauti-
ful figurehead ever carried by a ship. The Flying
Fish carried a fish on the wing, of life-like color
and giving a vivid sense of speed; the Witchcraft,
a grim Salem witch riding upon her aerial broom-
stick; the Game-Code, a fighting bird with out-
stretched neck and head, apparently eager for
combat ; the Northern Light, the full-length figure of
an angelic creature in flowing white drapery, one
graceful arm extended above her head, and bearing
in her slender hand a torch with golden flame.

One of the most striking figureheads was the
tall square-built sailor, with dark curly hair and
bronzed clean-shaven face, who stood at the bow
of the Champion of the Seas. A black belt with
a massive brass buckle supported his white trou-
sers, which were as tight about the hips as the
skin of an eel, and had wide, bell-shaped bottoms

Summary of California Passages 303

that almost hid his black polished pumps. He wore
a loose-fitting blue-and-white-checked shirt, with
wide, rolling collar, and black neck handkerchief
of ample size, tied in the most rakish of square
knots with long flowing ends. But perhaps the
most impressive of this mariner's togs were his
dark-blue jacket, and the shiny tarpaulin hat which
he waved aloft in the grip of his brawny, tattooed
right hand. The only exception that one could
possibly take to this stalwart sailorman was that
his living prototype was likely to be met with so
very seldom in real life. There were many other
figureheads that might be mentioned, but these are
best remembered.

In those days New York was one of the most
beautiful and picturesque seaports of the world;
the water-front was lined with majestic clippers,
stately Indiamen, and noble packet ships, their
American ensigns and well-known house flags of
many brilliant colors floating in the breeze.^ The

1 The following are some of these house flags : The
crimson field and black ball, of Charles H. Marshall; the
red, white, and blue swallowtail, of Grinnell, Minturn &
Co. ; the yellow, red, and yellow horizontal bars with white
" L " in centre, of A. A. Low & Brother; the thirteen
blue and twelve white squares, of N. L. & G. Griswold;
the crimson field and yellow beehive, of Sutton & Co.; the
crimson field, white border, and white " D " in centre, of
George Daniels; the red, white, and red vertical stripes
with red " B " in centre, of Vernon H. Brown ; the blue
and white half -diamonds, of Russell & Co.; the crimson
field and white diamond, of Augustine Heard & Co.; the
white above blue and red ball in the centre, of Sampson
& Tappan; the white above yellow and red star in centre,
of Glidden & Willi^ims; the narrow blue and white hori-
zontal stripes with red ball in the centre, of Napier, John-

304 The Clipper Ship Era

view and skyline of the port from the harbor were
very beautiful; Battery Park with its fine lawns
and trees in the foreground, the graceful spire of
Trinity Church forming a prominent landmark,
while clustered on every side were the modest yet
dignified and substantial residences, gardens, and
warehouses of the merchants, with a quiet, refined
atmosphere of prosperity and contentment, long
since departed.

son & Co. ; the white field and blue cross, of George B. Up-
ton; the crimson swallowtail and blue cross, of Charles R.
Green; the white swallowtail, red cross with white dia-
mond in the centre, of R. W. Cameron; the crimson
swallowtail, blue cross, and white ball in the centre, of
Wells & Emanuel ; the blue above white, white ball in blue
and red ball in white, of D. & A. Kingsland; the white
field and red cross in the centre of D. G. & W. B. Bacon;
the white swallowtail and black S. & B., of Snow &
Burgess; the white field and black horse, of William F.
Weld & Co. The flag of Rowland & Aspinwall had a
blue square in the upper comer of the luff and lower
comer of the fly; the rest of the flag was white with
narrow blue lines in the lower corner of the luff and
upper corner of the fly, which formed squares, and also
formed a white cross extending the full hoist and length
of the flag. David Ogden's flag was a white field and
red cross; Crocker & Warren's, blue above yellow with
a yellow " C " in the blue and blue " W " in the yellow.
Then there was the red swallowtail with white cross and
black star in the centre, of Samuel Thompson & Nephew;
the blue field, white diamond, and black star, of Williams
& Guion ; the crimson field and black " X " of John Gris-
wold. These were the private signals of most of the
leading New York and Boston ship-owners, which, half a
century ago, enlivened the water front of New York,
though there were some others which have now faded
from memory.

Summary of California Passages 305

The New York pilot-boats were remarkably fast
and able schooners of from 80 to 90 tons, which
cruised to the eastward as far as the Grand Banks,
with a hand in the crow's nest on the lookout for
the packets and steamships bound for New York.
Among these stanch little vessels were the Wash-
ington, Ezra Nye, George W. Blunt, William H.
Aspinwall, Mary Taylor, Moses H. Grinnell, Charles
H. Marshall, Mary Fish, George Steers, and Jacob
Bell. The New York pilots themselves were a very
superior class of men, who always wore beaver hats
when boarding a vessel, and owned their boats, and
it was regarded as a compliment and an honor for
a citizen of New York to have one of their vessels
named for him.

Of the men who commanded the American clipper
ships, it may be said that they carried the ensign
of the United States to every quarter of the globe,
with honor to their country and themselves. They
were not, however, all cast in the same mould. Each
had his strongly marked individual traits of char-
acter, and his human weaknesses. Nothing could be
more remote from the truth than to imagine these
men as blustering bullies at sea or rollicking shell-
backs on shore; neither were they Chesterfields or
carpet knights, afloat or ashore, nor at all the type
of skipper that one is apt to meet in works of
fiction. Many of them might easily have been mis-
taken for prosperous merchants or professional men,
until a more intimate acquaintance disclosed the
aura of salted winds and surging seas, and a world-
wide knowledge of men and cities. These were the
qualities which made sr^ many of these master

3o6 The Clipper Ship Era

mariners delightful companions and welcome guests
at the firesides of refined and luxurious homes,
whose doors could not be opened by golden keys.
It may well be doubted whether braver, truer-
hearted gentlemen or finer seamen than many of
the American clipper ship captains of half a century
ago have ever sailed the seas.

Many of the clipper ship captains were accom-
panied on their voyages by their wives, whose
influence at sea was humanizing, while their
companionship was a comfort and solace to their
husbands. In foreign ports, especially in China
and India, they were made much of. The mer-
chants vied with each othet to render their visits
enjoyable, and nothing in the way of lavish enter-
tainment or costly gift was regarded as too good
for them. Mrs. Babcock, of the 8word-Fish and
Young America; Mrs. Low, of the N. B. Palmer;
Mrs. Very, of the Hurricane; Mrs. Creecy, of the
Flying Cloud, and Mrs. Andrews, of the Red
GoAintlet, were veritable sea belles, while Mrs.
Patten of the Neptune's Gar proved herself a true
heroine.

The 'Neptune's Car sailed from New York for San
Francisco in June, 1856, and before she reached
Cape Horn, Captain Patten was compelled to put
his chief officer under arrest on account of incom-
petence and neglect of duty. That winter off Cape
Horn was unusually cold and stormy, and the ex-
posure and fatigue which Captain Patten was
obliged to endure brought on an attack of brain
fever which soon resulted in his becoming entirely
blind. The second mate was a good seaman but

Summary of California Passages 307

knew nothing about navigation. Mrs. Patten at
that time was not more than twenty-four years
old, but she had acquired a thorough knowledge of
navigation upon a previous voyage with her hus-
band round the globe, and she at once assumed
command of the ship. For 52 days she navi-
gated this heavily masted clipper of over 1600 tons,
taking her safely into the harbor of San Francisco,
besides acting as nurse and physician to her
husband and keeping him alive by constant care
and watchfulness. The chief mate asked to return
to duty, but Mrs. Patten declined his aid, as she
had no faith in his ability or loyalty, and preferred
to trust the faithful though illiterate second mate.

Captain Patten never recovered his health and
died at Boston on July 26, 1857, in his thirty-sixth
year. His funeral took place at Christ Church in
that city, with the colors of the shipping in the
harbor at half mast, and the bells of the church
tolling in his honor. Captain Joshua A. Patten
was bom in Rockland, Maine, and had followed
the sea from boyhood. He was a prominent Mason,
and for several years had been a member of Christ
Church. Mrs. Mary Patten was a beautiful woman of
the finest New England type, with a refined, gentle
voice and manner. While not active in the then
newly-organized women's rights movement, she was
unwillingly made to appear as the star example
of woman's ability to compete successfully in the
pursuits and avocations of man.

CHAPTER XX

THE GREATNESS AND THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN
MERCHANT MARINE

THE year 1851 is memorable in our maritime
annals, because at that time the United States
was at the zenith of her power upon the ocean, and
had completely outstripped her rival Great Britain
in the efficiency and extent of her oversea carrying
trade. It is true that the total tonnage of mer-
chant shipping owned in the United States in this
year, including steam, was only 3,718,640 tons,
against 4,332,085 owned by the British Empire with
all its dependencies; but these figures, like many
statistics of this nature, are somewhat misleading.
The primary reason for the existence of a merchant
ship is, of course, her ability to pay her way and
earn money for her owners. When a ship ceases to
be able to do this, the sooner she is converted into
a hulk or broken up, the better. So the true meas-
ure of a nation's merchant marine is its earning
capacity, not merely the number or tonnage of its
ships; and judged by this standard, the merchant
marine of the United States was at this time far
in advance of the merchant shipping of the whole
British Empire.
In the first place, the merchant ships of the Brit-
308

The American Merchant Marine 309

ish Empire were of such massive construction that
they could not carry at the very most more than
ninety per cent, of the cargo carried by ships of
similar tonnage owned in the United States; then
in the matter of speed, an American merchantman
would make five voyages while a British ship was
making four of equal length; and as to freights,
the American ships had the splendid rates to San
Francisco all to themselves, while from China to
England the rates of freight were quite double in
their favor, as compared with British ships.

If any one with a liking for statistics will apply
these facts to the foregoing figures, the seeming
advantage of tonnage possessed by the British Em-
pire will disappear and it will be found that the
merchant marine of the United States at that time
held a commanding position in the maritime carry-
ing trade of the world. Furthermore, the ship-
builders of this country still excelled in every
branch of merchant marine architecture.

On the North Atlantic in 1851, the American
Collins Line steamships Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic,
and Pacific were competing successfully with the
British Cunarders Niagara, Canada, Asia, and
Africa: the Baltic holding the speed record for both
the eastern and the western passages between New
York and Liverpool; while the New York, Phila-
delphia, and Boston packet ships still held their
own. No sailing ships of other nationalities could
compete with them, and though hard pressed by
steamships of the various lines, they still retained
their popularity with passengers and shipping mer-
chants. American ships from home ports were

310 The Clipper Ship Era

profitably engaged in the India, China, African, and
South American trades ; the New Bedford and Nan-
tucket whaling ships were to be found upon every
sea ; the Mississippi, Hudson River, and Long Island
Sound steamboats were the most perfect types of
this period for inland navigation; and the Massa-
chusetts fishing schooners, the North Kiver sloops,
and the New York pilot-boats were far famed for
speed and beauty ; while the American clippers were
now known and admired throughout the maritime
world.

It was in this year also that the Eoyal Yacht
Squadron presented a cup to be sailed for at Cowes
by yachts belonging to the yacht clubs of all na-
tions, which, as every one knows, was won by the
America, representing the New York Yacht Club.

" To teach the Mistress of the Sea
What beam and mast and sail should be,

To teach her how to walk the wave
With graceful step, is such a lore
As never had been taught before;

Dumb are the wise, aghast the brave." i

Surely De Tocqueville was right when he said:
" Nations, as well as men, almost always betray
the most prominent features of their future destiny
in their earliest years. When I contemplate the
ardor with which the Anglo-Americans prosecute
commercial enterprise, the advantages which be-
friend them, and the success of their undertakings,
I cannot refrain from believing that they will one

^ Walter Savage Landor.

The American Merchant Marine 311

day become the first maritime power of the globe.
They are born to rule the seas, as the Romans were
to conquer the world." ^

This day had then come. The victory of the
America off the Isle of Wight may be likened to
the gilded weathercock at the top of some lofty
spire, being highly decorative and at the same time
showing the direction of the wind. At that time
the commercial greatness of the United States
rested upon the splendid qualities shown by her
sailing ships and their captains upon the ocean.
And after all the only really rational sovereignty
of the seas that exists, or has ever existed, is main-
tained by the merchant marine, whose ships and
seamen contribute not only to the welfare and hap-
piness of mankind, but also to the wealth of the
nations under whose flags they sail.

In those early days, as the flaming posters in
the downtown streets of New York used to an-
nounce, it was " Sail versus Steam " and the packet
ships justified their claim more than once by beat-
ing a steamship from port to port. When, as not
infrequently happened, a packet ship running be-
fore a strong westerly gale in mid-ocean overhauled
a wallowing side-wheel steamer bound the same
way, the joyous shouts and derisive yells of the
steerage passengers on board the packet, as
she ranged alongside and swept past the "tea-
kettle," were good for the ears of sailormen to
hear. In those days no sailors liked steamships,
not even those who went to sea in them. If a

1 Democracy in America (1835) ; Second American edi-
tion, p. 408.

312 The Clipper Ship Era

packet captain sighted a steamer ahead going the
same way, he usually steered for her and passed
to windward as close as possible, in order that
the dramatic effect of the exploit might not be
lost upon the passengers of either vessel.

The Atlantic steamship lines with which the packet
ships had to compete, the Cunard, Collins, Havre,
Bremen, and Vanderbilt lines, ran only wooden
side-wheel steamers; but when the Inman Line was
founded in 1850, and began to run iron screw steam-
ers between Liverpool and Philadelphia, the At-
lantic packet ships began to lose their trade.
Indeed, from 1840, when the Cunard Line was
established, until the Inman Line began to run their
fast iron screw steamships to New York in 1857,
the rivalry between sail and steam was keen and
spirited. During these years the Atlantic mail
steamships carried almost as much canvas as sail-
ing vessels, and they continued to do so for many
years. Most of the Cunarders were barque-rigged,
and the famous Russia of that line carried topmast
and topgallant studdingsails. The Allan liners were
also barque-rigged, and the Inman steamships were
full ship-rigged, while the White Star liners
were ship-rigged with a jiggermast. It was not
until 1889, when the White Star Line brought out
the Majestic and the . Teutonic with twin screws,
pole masts, and no canvas, that the Atlantic Ocean
began to be navigated by vessels propelled entirely
by steam ; so that the complete transition from sail
to steam required very nearly half a century.

It cannot be said that steam competition had
any direct efEect upon the California clippers, as

The American Merchant Marine 313

it is only of late years that there has been direct
communication by sea between the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts, and the Pacific Mail Company, after
once getting its steamers round into the Pacific,
had always carried passengers, the mails, and specie
with transshipment at Panama. The demand for
the California clippers ceased when rapid trans-
portation of cargoes round Cape Horn became no
longer necessary.

Besides the competition between sail and steam,
there was also going on for many years, as has
already been suggested, the attempt to substitute
iron for wood in the construction of vessels, and
screw propellers for paddle-wheels as a means of
propulsion by steam. In both branches of this
transition, which were parallel but not necessarily
connected, Great Britain took the lead, and she
has rightfully reaped the benefit.

How gradually the change came about will be
seen from the following facts and figures: The
first iron sailing ship was the Vulcan, built on
the Clyde in 1818, and in the following year the
first sailing vessel with an auxiliary engine crossed
the Atlantic. This was the Savannah, a wooden
ship of 850 tons, with portable paddles and an en-
gine and boiler on deck. She was built at New
York. The first vessel to cross the Atlantic using
steam-power during the entire voyage was the Royal
William, which was taken from Quebec to London
in 1833; and in 1838 the first steamers of British
build, the Great Western and the Sirius, made the
westward passage. The first steamer constructed
of iron was the Aaron Manby, a small paddle-wheel

314 The Clipper Ship Era

vessel about 50 feet long, built at Horsley, Eng-
land, in 1821; and the first screw steamer of any
importance was the Archimedes, an iron vessel of
237 tons, built in England in 1839. The Great
Britain, built at Bristol, England, in 1843, was the
first screw, as well as the first iron steamer to
cross the Atlantic, but it was not until 1850, when
the Inman liner City of Glasgow began to run
regularly between Liverpool and Philadelphia, that
iron screw steamers took a recognized place upon
the ocean.

It is to be noticed how closely these last dates
correspond with those of the clipper ship era, which
opened with the advent of the Rainbow in 1843,
and was brought to its greatest brilliancy through
the discovery of gold in California and Australia
in 1848 and 1851. At this time each nation was
devoting its best talents to developing the material
that lay nearest at hand; and while the American
wooden-built type was earlier brought to perfec-
tion, its possibilities were more limited by natural
causes. Greater economy, durability, and regular-
ity of speed on the part of the iron screw steamer
were the qualities that finally drove from the seas
the far more picturesque and beautiful wooden
sailing ship.

The supremacy held by the merchant marine of
the United States in 1851 was maintained until
about 1856, and during this period American ships
continued to be built, bought, and chartered by
British ship-owners; but after the great financial
depression which affected both countries from 1857
to 1859, British ship-owners no longer needed Ameri-

The American Merchant Marine 315

can-built ships, for in Great Britain iron had by
this time superseded wood in the construction of
large vessels. Thus the advantage to the United
States of having an abundant supply of timber was
taken away, while the advantage of Free Trade,
with low cost of living, was on the side of England.
Moreover, the spirit of enterprise, which had been
growing in Great Britain during the years of free
competition in the carrying trade since 1849, was
having its eflEect.

Following the repeal of the Navigation Laws, the
Merchant Shipping Act of 1854, a wise and far-
seeing measure, completed the foundation upon,
which the merchant marine of Great Britain has
been developed. This act of Parliament contains
548 clauses, dealing with all questions which relate
to British merchant ships and seamen, including
tonnage. The ship-builders of Great Britain had
been much hampered by the old tonnage laws and
were glad to see them abolished. ^ The new tonnage
rules, which are still in force, were based upon the
actual cubic capacity of the hull, the unit of 100
cubic feet being one ton register, so that a vessel
measuring 100,000 cubic feet internal capacity
registers 1000 tons, and is able to carry 2000 tons
at 50 cubic feet per ton. This new system of
measurement encouraged the application of scien-
tific knowledge to the design of vessels, and, as
we shall see, helped somewhat to prolong the clipper
ship era in England, when it was practically dead
in the United States.

It is true that during our Civil War American

1 See Appendix IV.

3i6 The Clipper Ship Era

ships were still sold in England, but this was ;
rather because their owners had no profitable use ^
for them at home than from any lack of British
iron vessels. Since that period, the decline of/
American shipping, for reasons that should be well(
understood, has been constant.

I refer to the Navigation Laws and Protective
Tariff of the United States. The former, first en-
acted in 1792 and revised and added to since thai;
time only in unimportant details, have long out-
lived the usefulness they may once have possessed),
and completely fail to meet the requirements of'
the changes in ocean navigation that have taken ^
place during the period of more than a century
that has since elapsed. As is well known, theyf
prohibit an American citizen from owning a foreign-/
built merchant ship. Meanwhile the Protective
Tariff so increases the cost of living and with it
the cost of the labor and materials that go into
the construction of a modern ship, that the Ameri-
can ship-builder cannot produce a steel or iron
vessel at anything like a cost that will enable her
to compete successfully with a ship of the same
class constructed in a European shipyard. Were
it not for this hindrance, the immense natural ad-
vantages of such broad, deep waters as those of
the Delaware and Chesapeake, where the finest coal
and iron ore are within easy transportation, and
the abundant food supplies of the neighboring
garden States and of the West which are easily
accessible, would make them ideal spots for the
construction of ships. So it will be seen that the
Navigation Laws and Protective Tariff are the mill-

The American Merchant Marine 317

stones between which the American ship-owner and
ship-builder at present find themselves ground with
an ever-receding prospect of escape from this cun-
ningly, devised dilemma. Meanwhile, the ensign of
the United States no longer contributes in any
marked degree to the gayety of foreign seaports;
whereas, Great Britain, with inferior coal and iron
ore, compelled to import the food and clothing
material for her shipwrights from distant lands,
and with certainly no keener intelligence nor
greater energy among her ship-owners and builders,
but guided by the enlightened policy of Free Trade,
sends her endless procession of merchant ships, both
sail and steam, to every seaport upon the globe.

GHAPTEK XXI

THE LATER BRITISH TEA CLIPPERS

IN what may be called the ante-Suez Canal days,
China was a pretty comfortable place to be in.
The East India Company, with its pomp and gran-
deur, had passed away, but the older residents
treasured the picturesque traditions of former times,
and the comfort and luxury of the old days still
survived..

All white foreigners in China were known as
Europeans, and at the little treaty ports along the
coast their communities were closely united by ties
of social necessity, the barriers of national prej-
udice, if they existed, being soon obliterated in
the effort of each member to contribute to the
well-being of all. Hong-kong was the European
capital. With its cathedral. Government House,
regiment of soldiers, court of justice, race-course,
social clubs, and annual Derby and Regatta week, it
was a most entertaining pocket edition of England,
set down at the base of a lofty island mountain-
peak, between the bluest of seas and the brightest
of skies. Almost the only things that I'eminded
one of the Orient were the tiers of junks that lay
moored at the western end of the town, and the

318

Later British Tea Clippers 319

industrious well-mannered Chinese who mingled so
unobtrusively with their visitors from the west.

All of these things worked together for good.
There were no cables or telegraphs to vex the souls
of the righteous. The P. & O. steamer, via the
Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, usually arrived
every month, though frequently four or five days
overdue, and once in a while she would not appear
at all, having fetched up on one of the numerous
uncharted reefs or shoals that then infested these
seas. When she did arrive, there was a ripple of
excitement over receiving letters and newspapars
from home, and when she had departed, the little
colony settled once more into agreeable repose. The
towns and cities of America and Europe seemed
far away — bright, shadowy visions that dwelt in
our hearts as " home."

In 1862 the Messageries Imperiales of France
extended their steamship line to China, and in 1867
the first steamship of the Pacific Mail Company
from San Francisco arrived at Hong-kong. Vast
numbers of globe-trotters then began to appear,
most of them far too energetic ; they insisted, among
other things, on tying their own shoestrings, and
in general proved very inferior lotus-eaters.
When the Suez Canal was opened and telegraph
cables began to be laid, then the remnant of charm
that had made the old life in China so pleasant
vanished forever.

In 1859 quite a new type of China tea clipper
appeared in Great Britain. The first of these
beautiful vessels was the Falcon, built by Robert
Steele & Son, at Greenock, and owned by Shaw,

320 The Clipper Ship Era

Maxton & Co. She was a wooden vessel of 937 tons
register; length 191 feet 4 inches, breadth 32 feet
2 inches, depth 20 feet 2 inches, and was com-
manded by Captain Maxton, who had been in com-
mand of the Lord of the Isles. The Falcon was
the first of the really handsome tea clippers sail-
ing out of London. Like her, the Fiery Gross,
built by Chalour & Co., of Liverpool, in 1860; the
Min, by Robert Steele & Son, of Greenock, and
the Kelso, by William Pile, of Sunderland, in 1861 ;
the Belted Will, by Feel & Co., of Workington,
and the Serica, by Eobert Steele & Son, in 1863 were
all wooden ships sheathed with red copper. The
Fiery Cross, the largest of these, was only 888 tons.
They were all beautiful vessels of an entirely origi-
nal type and with nothing about them to. remind
one of the American clippers; for they had con-
siderably less sheer, much less freeboard, and lower
bulwarks, and their comparatively small breadth
gave them a slim, graceful appearance.

These ships and the tea clippers which followed
them had very clear decks for working ship. The
deck-houses were small, and with the rails, bul-
warks, waterways, bitts, hatch-coamings, compan-
ions, and skylights were of India teak varnished;
the decks, also of India teak, were holystoned ; and
this, with the polished brasswork and the spare
spars lashed amidships, made them very smart and
shipshape.

The tea-trade in the early sixties was compara-
tively small, and did not require many vessels, but
speed in the delivery of new teas was of the utmost
importance, and it was this demand that brought

Later British Tea Clippers 321

these clippers into existence. They were designed
with great skill for this special purpose, and as
they invariably sailed from China with new teas
during the southwest monsoon, it was necessary
that they should be smart in moderate weather
going to windward, as well as in getting through
the northeast trades in the Atlantic. It was under
these conditions that they did their best work.
They did not carry as heavy spars nor as much
canvas as the American clippers of the same length,
and probably could not have done so to advantage,
as their breadth was considerably less, and with
their easy lines they did not require much canvas
to drive them. They were remarkably fast in light
and moderate winds, and made fine averages rather
than exceptional daily records of speed, none of
them reaching the extreme speed of many of the
sharper and more powerful American clipper ships.
Only twenty-five or thirty of these vessels were
built from first to last, and not more than four
or five in any one year. A list of the most cele-
brated of them will be found in Appendix III.

The captains were men of great ability, who
handled their ships with skill and judgment; some
of them accumulated considerable fortunes, being
part owners of the vessels which they commanded.
These ships were manned by fine British seamen,
many of whom had served in the Royal Navy. When
these fellows got safely to sea and properly sobered
up, there were no smarter sailors afloat, whether
aloft or with marlinspike, palm and needle, or
watch tackle.

In 1863 the first tea clippers of composite con-

322 The Clipper Ship Era

struction were brought out — the Taeping, built by
Robert Steele & Son ; the Eliza Shaw, by Alexander
Stephen, and the Yang-tze and Black Prince, by
Alexander Hall. This system of ship-building —
iron frames and wood planking — -was invented by
John Jordan, son of a member of the firm of L. H.
Macintyre & Co., ship-builders of Liverpool, who
built the schooner Excelsior upon this principle in
1850, and the barque Marion Macintyre, in 1851,
these being the first composite vessels constructed.

This system combined the strength of iron frames
with the advantage that the wooden planking could
be coppered to prevent fouling, which was a serious
matter in this trade. Great care had to be taken
in building these vessels to prevent galvanic action
so far as possible. Gutta-percha was placed be-
tween the frames and planking as a non-conductor;
the planking was then fastened with yellow-metal
screw bolts with counter-sunk heads, the holes
being afterwards filled with a composition prepared
for the purpose. Mr. Jordan obtained a patent for
his invention, but it did not attract much attention
until adopted in the construction of the Taeping,
Eliza Shaw, Yang-tse, and Black Prince. From
that time all the tea clippers were of composite
build, though it was not until 1867 that the Com-
mittee of Lloyd's Register issued rules for their
construction.

It was in 1863 also that the Seaforth, an iron
ship of 1200 tons, built for the Calcutta trade by
Jones, Quiggin & Co., of Liverpool, was fitted with
steel lower masts, topmasts, topsails yards, and
bowsprit, and with standing rigging of steel wire

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rope. It was estimated that by replacing wood and
hemp with steel, she saved 21 tons weight aloft,
besides getting less wind resistance and a very con-
siderable increase in strength. The Seaforth was
the first vessel to have steel spars and rigging, but
t4iey soon came into use on board the tea clippers.

The wild, speculative years of ship-owning which
followed the discovery of gold in California and
Australia, when a clipper ship was expected to
pay for herself every voyage or two, had now
passed away. Ship-owners retained a lively recol-
lection of the crash in 1857 and the depression which
followed, so the tea clippers were built with an
eye to economy as well as speed. The rates of
freight, which in the early fifties had been £6 and
even as high as £8 per ton, were in 1863 £4 10s. to
£5 per ton — still fine paying rates on the invest-
ment of capital, after allowing for running expenses
and depreciation. Ship-owning in Great Britain
had now become established upon a less profitable,
though more rational and substantial basis.

The tea clippers carried from 200 to 300 tons of
clean shingle ballast, laid beautifully smooth and
even, upon which the chests of tea were stowed,
and a considerable quantity of dunnage wood, for
which allowances were made in reckoning the actual
cargo capacity. The Taeping, which under the
new rules based on the cubic capacity of the hull
registered 767 tons, carried 1234 tons of tea at
50 cubit feet per ton, with a crew of 30 men
all told. Vessels were now designed on scientific
principles, and it may be doubted whether the
qualities then desirable in a merchant sailing ship

324 The Clipper Ship Era

— speed, strength, carrying capacity, and economy —
have ever been so successfully united as in these^
famous China tea clippers.

Some exciting contests took place between the
various clippers of the new type, the Falcon, Fiery
Gross, Serica, and Taeping proving the most suc-
cessful. In the year 1865 the Fiery Cross and
Serica sailed from Foo-chow side by side, on May
28th, both bound for London. After a close race
during which they sighted each other several times,
both ships made their signals off St. Catharine's,
Isle of Wight, at almost the same moment, 106 days
from Poo-chow, and continued up Channel before a
light westerly breeze. Off Beechy Head they fell
in with the tugs sent out to meet them, the Serica
at that time having a lead of about two miles.
The Fiery Cross, however, secured the most power-
ful tug and reached her dock one tide before the
Serica, thus winning the premium of 10 shillings
per ton. The Taeping sailed from Foo-chow some
days later and made the passage to the Downs in
101 days. As may be supposed, this system of
awarding premiums led to a good deal of un-
pleasantness.

In 1865, Robert Steele & Son brought out the
sister ships Ariel and Sir Launcelot; Alexander
Hall, the Ada, and Council & Co., of Glasgow, the
Taitsing, all of composite construction; and in the
following year the most famous race between
these vessels — the one which the tea brokers of
Mincing Lane still discuss with enthusiasm — was
sailed. It was arranged that nine clippers should
sail from Foo-chow as nearly the same date as pos-

Later British Tea Clippers 325

sible, and during the last week in May the pic-
turesque Pagoda Anchorage presented a scene of
unusual activity. The Ada, Black Prince, China-
man, Fiery Cross, Flying Spur, Serica, Ariel,
Taeping, and Taitsing were all hurrying to finish
loading and get to sea. Cargo junks and lorchers ^
were being warped alongside at all hours of the
day and night; double gangs of good-natured, chat-
tering coolies were on board each ship ready to
handle and stow the matted chests of tea as they
came alongside; comfortable sampans worked by
merry barefooted Chinese women sailed or rowed in
haste between the ships and the shore; slender six-
oared gigs with crews of stalwart Chinamen in
white duck uniforms darted about the harbor ; while
dignified master mariners, dressed in white linen or
straw-colored pongee silk, with pipe-clayed shoes and
broad pith hats, impatiently handled the yoke lines.
On shore the tyepans and their clerks hurried
about in sedan chairs carried on the shoulders of
perspiring coolies, with quick, firm step to the
rhythm of their mild but energetic " woo ho — woo-
ho — woo ho." The broad, cool veranda of the club-
house was almost deserted; in the great hongs of
Adamson, Bell; Gilman & Co.; Jardine, Matheson;
Gibb, Livingston; and Sassoon, the gentry of Foo-
chow toiled by candle-light over manifests and bills
of lading and exchange, sustained far into the night
by slowly swinging punkahs, iced tea, and the
fragrant Manila cheroot.

1 A lorcher is a fast Chinese vessel, used a good deal
by fishermen, and in former times by the Chinese pirates
and smugglers.

326 The Clipper Ship Era

The Fiery Gross was the first ship to get her final
chest of tea on board, at midnight, and she towed
to sea early on the morning of May 29th; the Ariel
left the Pagoda Anchorage at 10 : 30 and the Serica
and Taeping at 10:50 a.m. on the 30th; the Taitsing
followed at midnight on the 31st. Here we must
bid good-bye to the Ada, Black Prince, Chinaman,
and Flying Spur, for these vessels, unfortunately,
did not finish loading in time to take part in the
race. The five competing ships, however, repre-
sented the flower of the fleet, and for this reason
had been the favorites with shippers. The Fiery
Cross, Taeping, and Serica were fast and well-tried
vessels, while the Ariel and Taitsing were just be-
ginning their successful career. The captains, Keay,
of the Ariel; Robinson, of the Fiery Cross; Innes, of
the Serica; McKinnon, of the Taeping, and Nuts-
field, of the Taitsing, were all seamen of skill and
experience, well known in the China trade.

The Fiery Cross found a light northeast breeze
outside, and passed through the Formosa Channel
with royal studdingsails set, followed by the other
four ships. They all carried this breeze for four hun-
dred miles, when the Fiery Cross drifted into a calm
which let the other ships run up, but she was the
first to get the southwest monsoon, and soon drew
away again. On June 8th the Fiery Cross and Ariel
met on opposite tacks, both ships having a strong
southwest breeze, and the Fiery Cross passed three
miles to windward. She kept her lead through the
Straits of Sunda, passing Anjer Point at noon on
June 19th, and was followed by the Ariel on the
morning of June 20th and the Taeping during that

Later British Tea Clippers 327

afternoon ; the Serica passed Anjer Point on the 226.
and the Taitsing on the 25th. From Anjer Point
to the meridian of Mauritius they all carried fresh
trade winds, and it was on this stretch across the In-
dian Ocean that each ship made her best twenty-four
hours' run — ^the Ariel, 317; Taeping, 319; Serica,
291 ; Fiery Cross, 328 ; and Taitsing, 318 miles.

The Fiery Cross rounded the Cape of Good Hope
on July 14th, 46 days from Foo-chow, followed by
the Ariel also 46 days; Taeping, 47 days; Serica,
50 days, and Taitsing, 54 days. The Fiery Cross
was on the equator, August 3d, 20 days from the
Cape of Good Hope, with the Ariel still only one
day astern, while the Taeping and Taitsing had each
gained 1 and the Serica 2 days on this stretch. On
August 9th, in latitude 12° 29' N., the Fiery Cross
and Taeping exchanged signals, and they continued
in company, with calms and variable winds until
the 17th, when the Taeping picked up a breeze which
carried her out of sight while the Fiery Cross lay
becalmed for another twenty-four hours. Mean-
while, the Ariel, which was about thirty miles further
to the westward, found better winds and now led
the fleet, while the Taitsing brought up a good
breeze and passed the Taeping, Serica, and Fiery
Cross and was closing on the Ariel. At the Azores
the Ariel still held the lead, though closely followed
by the Taitsing, Fiery Cross, Serica, and Taeping
in the order named. From the Azores to the en-
trance of the English Channel, the Taeping and
Serica passed the Taitsing and Fiery Cross and
closed on the Ariel, the Taeping leading the Serica
by about six hours.

328 The Clipper Ship Era

At daybreak on the morning of September 5th,
two of the clippers sighted each other running in
for the Lizard; they were about five miles apart,
beam and beam, steering on slightly converging
courses. There was a strong southerly wind with
smooth sea, and both ships were being driven at
their utmost speed — a good fifteen knots — their lee
scuppers smothered in foam, with the wind well
abaft the starboard beam ; both were under the same
canvas, main skysail, topmast, topgallant, royal,
and square lower studdingsails. Neither captain
required the example of the other to send his ship
along at her best speed — they had been doing that
for ninety-eight days and nights. When their sig-
nals could be made out these ships proved to be
the Ariel and the Taeping. After passing the
Lizard the wind moderated, and they raced up
channel almost side by side, now one and then the
other gaining a slight advantage, but never far
apart, and as they passed the various headlands
along the coast they presented a spirited marine
picture. They were off the pilot station at Dunge-
ness at three o'clock the next morning and burned
their blue lights for pilots, who boarded both ships
at the same time. With a moderate wind they were
now making not more than five or six knots through
the water, but the tide was sweeping them along
fast. OfiE the South Foreland the wind slackened
again with the rising sun. Here the Ariel held a
slight lead and she passed Deal at 8 o'clock, fol-
lowed by the Taeping eight minutes later, but as
the latter vessel had sailed from the Pagoda An-

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chorage twenty minutes after the Ariel, ninety-nine
days before, she had won the race by twelve minutes.
Both ships had sailed 16,000 miles.

The Serica passed Deal four hours later ; all three
ships went up the Thames on the same tide, and
after the usual tugboat race, the Taeping arrived
in the London Docks at 9 :45, the Ariel in the East
India Docks at 10:15, and the Serica in the West
India Docks at 11 :30 p.m. on September 6th. The
Fiery Cross passed Deal on the 7th and the Taitsing
on the 9th, each 101 days from the Pagoda
Anchorage.

The following is an abstract of their logs:

Fiery
Ariel Taeping Serica Cross Taitsing
From the Pagoda
Anchorage to
Anjer 21 days 21 days 23 days 21 days 26 days.

Prom Anjer to
the Cape of
Good Hope 25 " 26 « 27 " 25 " 28 "

Prom the Cape
of Good Hope
to the equator 20 " 19 " 18 " 20 " 19 "

Prom the equator
to Deal 33 " 33 " 31 " 35 " 28 "

Total 99 " 99 " 99 " 101 " 101 "

330 The Clipper Ship Era

The best twenty -four hours' runs were as follows :

Average

Ariel June25 317 miles 13.2 knots.

Taeping " 25 319 " 13.3 "

Serica " 29 291 " 12.1 "

Fiery Cross " 24 328 " 13.7 "

Taitsing July 2 318 " 13.25 "

This contest of 1866 was one of the grandest
ocean races ever sailed, partly on account of the
number of evenly matched vessels engaged in it,
but chiefly by reason of the splendid manner in
which it was contested and the close, exciting fin-
ish. The tea cargoes of the five ships were: Tae-
ping, 1,108,709 lbs.; Ariel, 1,230,900 lbs.; Serica,
954,236 lbs.; Fiery Cross, 854,236 lbs.; Taitsing,
1,093,130 lbs.

The usual altercation arose over the award of
premium, which this year was 10 shillings per ton;
Shaw, Maxton & Co., owners of the Ariel, protested
that their ship had arrived first at Deal and was
therefore entitled to the prize money, but the con-
tention of Rodger & Co., owners of the Taeping,
that their ship had made the fastest passage and
had also reached her dock first, prevailed, and the
matter was finally adjusted by dividing the pre-
mium. The captains all dined together at the Ship
and Turtle Tavern in Leadenhall Street, and har-
mony was restored, but there were no premiums
after this race. The system of awards had always
led to controversy, and such an effort to combine
sport and business could not be made to flourish.
There had also been heavy betting on these races,
large sums of money changing hands, and this con-

Later British Tea Clippers 331

tinued ; but it was better understood whether wagers
were being laid on the clippers or tugboats, for
under the old system, there had been nothing except
expense to prevent a ship towing from the Azores.

In the next two years the fleet was increased by
a number of fine vessels, built to meet the com-
petition of steam, which was now beginning to be
felt in the China trade. We have seen how fierce
and prolonged a contest there had been between
sail and steam on the Atlantic, where the brave old
packet ships had finally been driven into other
trades, and how the California and Australian clip-
pers had gradually been superseded by other means
of transportation. The difficulty and peculiar con-
ditions of the China voyage made this a harder
field to conquer.

Since 1845 the P. & O. steamers had carried pas-
sengers between England and China via the Ked
Sea, but they were expensive vessels to operate, and
there were difficulty and delay in transportation
across the Isthmus of Suez; consequently, their
rates of freight were high and they were unable
to compete with the tea clippers. On the other
hand, auxiliary vessels did not have sufficient power
to drive them against the southwest monsoon when
new teas were shipped from China, as their heavy
masts, yards, and rigging held them back in head
winds. A number of auxiliaries were tried in the
China trade, among them the Scotland, Erl King,
Robert Lowe, and Far East, but they were not suc-
cessful. As late as 1866 there were no steamers
that could make the voyage between England and
China with sufficient cargo to meet expenses, and

332 The Clipper Ship Era

very few persons at that time believed that the
direct trade between Europe and China could ever
be carried on by steamers, or that the Suez Canal,
even if completed, would prove of any commercial
value.

In this year, however, Alfred Holt, of Liverpool,
brought out three iron screw steamships with com-
pound engines — the Ajax, Achilles, and Agamemnon,
— 2270 tons gross and 1550 tons net register — and
put them in the China trade. These vessels could
steam from London to Mauritius, a distance of 8500
miles, without coaling, a remarkable performance
in those days, and they made the passage from
Foo-ehow to London in 58 days, at an average speed
of 235 miles per day. These were the first steam-
ships to perform long ocean voyages successfully,
and they marked a new era in steam navigation, al-
though they were expensive vessels to operate com-
pared with steamers of the present day, and it was
at first doubted whether they could be made to pay.

The owners, builders, and captains of the tea
clippers were not men to yield witnout a contest;
they met this new and aggressive invasion of steam
by building in rapid succession such noted fliers
as the Titania, Spindrift, Forward Eo, Lahloo,
Leander, Thermopylce, Windhover, Cutty Sark,
Caliph, Wylo, Eaisow, and Lothair. These, with
the older tea clippers, held their own against the
steamers until the opening of the Suez Canal in
November, 1869, greatly lessened the length of the
voyage and the difficulty and expense of obtaining
coal.

In 1868 the Ariel, Taeping, and Sir Launcelot

Later British Tea Clippers 333

sailed from Foo-chow on May 28th, the Spindrift
on the 29th, the Lahloo on the 30th, the Serica on
June 1st, and the Leander on June 3d. The Ariel
and Spindrift made the passage to Deal in 97 days,
the Sir Launcelot in 98 days, the Lahloo in 100 days ;
Taeping, 102 days; Leander, 109 days, and Serica,
113 days.

The famous tea clipper Thermopylce was launched
in this year. She was of composite construction, built
by Walter Hood, of Aberdeen, for George Thompson
& Co., who also owned the Star of Peace, Ethiopian,
Aristides, Patriarch, Salamis, and other fine ships
well known in the Australian trade. The Thermopy-
Iw was 947 tons register; length 210 feet, breadth
36 feet, depth 21 feet; she carried double topsails,
but no skysail, and like all the Thompson ships, her
hull was painted sea green from the copper up with
white yards and lower masts. She carried a hand-
some figurehead of the brave Leonidas, and was a
very beautiful ship. She was designed by Bernard
Weymouth, an accomplished naval architect who
was for many years the secretary to Lloyd's Re-
gister of Shipping. He had before this designed
the tea clipper Leander, and later designed the
Melbourne, a fast ship in the Australian trade, built
and owned by Richard Green, of London, of which
further mention will be made later.

On her first voyage the Thermopylce sailed from
London to Melbourne under command of Captain
Kemball, who had formerly commanded the Fair-
light and the Yang-tse. She left Gravesend, No-
vember 7, 1868, and arrived at Melbourne, January
9, 1869, thus making the passage in the remarkable

334 The Clipper Ship Era

record time of 63 days, the same time as the record
passage of the James Baines, from Liverpool to
Melbourne fourteen years before. She had a fast
run of 21 days to the equator; on the three days
before and after crossing the line she made 202,
140, 228, 271, 288, and 293 miles — an unusual rate
of speed for that part of the ocean. Her best
days' runs were made on January 3d and 4th — 330
and 326 miles ; her log records on both days " north-
erly, strong," so that it may be assumed that she
had as much fair wind as she needed. Her log
records nine days during the passage when her
runs were over 300 miles, and five days of less
than 100 miles. The entries on December 9th and
10th are : " Northwesterly, fresh gale, 240 miles,"
and " southwesterly, blowing a gale, 224 miles."
These were fair winds. An analysis of this log
leads to the conclusion that the Thermopylw was
a very fast ship in average weather at sea, but in
heavy weather could not be driven at a high rate
of speed for a vessel of her length, probably on
account of her small breadth and low foreboard.^

She next made the run from Newcastle, New South
Wales, to Shanghai in 28 days, which is the record
between those ports. On this passage large days'
runs are not to be expected, but on one day she
made 300 miles, and she showed the same fast
averages in moderate weather as before.

There was great excitement in the hongs at the
coast ports of China in this year (1869) when it

1 The Thermopylw repeated this remarkable passage of
sixty-three days from London to Melbourne during the
following year.

Later British Tea Clippers 335

became known that the Thermopylce was chartered
to load new teas at Foo-chow for London; for no
racing yachts ever had firmer friends and backers
than the tea clippers ; moreover, the rivalry between
Aberdeen and the Clyde was. acute. Of late years
the Clyde clippers had carried all before them, and
it was now felt that Aberdeen was about to regain,
her former glory; but this did not prove to be the
case. The Ariel sailed from the Pagoda Anchorage
on June 30th; the Leander, July 1st; Thermopylw,
July 3d ; Spindrift, July 4th ; Taeping, July 9th, and
the Sir Launcelot, July 17th. They arrived ofiE Deal
as follows: Sir Launcelot, 89 days; Thermopylw,
91 days; Taeping, 102 days; Leander, 103 days;
Ariel, 104 days, and Spindrift, 106 days.

The winner, the Sir Launcelot, was commanded
by Captain Robinson, formerly of the Fiery Cross,
a seaman of great energy and experience. On this
passage she sailed 354 miles in twenty-four hours
while running through the trades in the Indian
Ocean, which is believed to be the greatest speed
ever made by any of the tea clippers of that period.
This vessel was 886 tons register; length 197 feet
6 inches, breadth 33 feet 7 inches, depth 21 feet,
drawing 18 feet 9 inches aft and 18 feet 7 inches
forward, and carried 45,500 square feet of canvas,
with a crew of 30 hands all told. She delivered
1430 tons of tea at fifty cubic feet per ton, and
in addition to 200 tons of shingle ballast, she car-
ried 100 tons of kentledge, cast to fit the floors
along the keelson between the fore and mizzen masts.
Her owner, James MacCumm, of Greenock, claimed
that she was the fastest of the tea clippers, which

336 The Clipper Ship Era

her record passage of 89 days from Foo-chow to
London and her twenty-four hours' run of 354 miles
would seem to justify, though there were probably
very slight differences in speed between any of
these vessels under similar conditions of wind and
weather.

' The race of 1870 from Foo-chow to London was
won by the Lahloo in 97 days, the other vessels
being : the Windhover, 100 days ; Sir Launcelot, 102
days Leander, 103 days; Thermopylw, 106 days.
In 1871 the Titania won in 93 days ; the Lahloo, 111
days, from Foo-chow to London ; and from Shanghai
to London the Thermopylw was 106 days; Cutty
Sark, 110 days, and Forward Ho, 118 days. This
was about the last of the tea clipper racing, for
the combined competition of steam and the Suez
Canal proved too powerful for sail. No more tea
clippers were built after 1869; by degrees these
beautiful vessels were driven into other trades ; and
so the Clipper ^hip Era drifted into history.

Great Britain had regained her empire upon the
sea, and few British ship-owners could be found
who any longer doubted the wisdom of Free Trade.
Through the irony of fate, Duncan Dunbar, who
had been one of the most vehement opponents of
the repeal of the Navigation Laws, became under
the new conditions, the largest ship-owner and one
of the wealthiest in the United Kingdom, leaving at
his death an estate of £1,500,000,

In comparing the speed of the British tea clippers
with that of American clipper ships, a good deal
depends on what is meant by speed. In ordinary
weather at sea, when great power to carry sail is

o

H

Later British Tea Clippers 337

not required, the British tea clippers were extremely
fast vessels, chiefly on account of their narrow beam,
which gave their hulls a comparatively small wetted
surface, and their smooth copper bottoms which
reduced skin resistance. Under these conditions
they were, perhaps, as fast as the American clippers
of the same class, though from very different causes ;
— such ships, for instance, as the Sea Witch, Samuel
Russell, Game Cock, Phantom, White Squall, Night-
ingale, Shooting Star, Northern Light, Surprise,
Witch of the Wave, Sword-Fish, and others. But
if speed is to be considered as the maximum per-
formance of a ship under the most favorable con-
ditions, though these conditions may not often
occur, then the British tea clippers were certainly
no match for the larger American ships such as
the Flying Cloud, Typhoon, Neptune's Car, Chal-
lenge, Comet, Hurricane, Flying Fish, Stag-Hound,
Young America, Trade-Wind, and others of this
class, to say nothing of the James Baines, Bed
Jacket, Champion of the Seas, Lightning, Sovereign
of the Seas, and Great Bepuilic. The greater
breadth of the American ships in proportion to their
length, meant, in sailing vessels of this type, not
only power to carry canvas, but also power in the
form of buoyancy; and this, with their longer and
sharper ends, enabled the American clippers to be
driven at much greater speed than the British
clippers in strong gales and before heavy seas. It
should, however, be remembered that none of the
British tea clippers exceeded 1000 tons register,
and it may again be said that they probably com-
bined the good qualities of a merchant ship in a

338 The Clipper Ship Era

higher degree than any other vessels that have ever
been built.

The Melbourne, already mentioned, was perhaps
the fastest ship ever built in Great Britain. In
1875, commanded by Captain Marsden, she made
the passage from London to Melbourne in the not
very remarkable time of 74 days, but when run-
ning her easting down in strong westerly gales she
sailed 5100 miles in 17 days, an average of 300 miles
a day, and her best twenty-four hours' run was 374
miles, an average of over 15% knots. She was an
iron vessel of 1865 tons register; length 269 feet,
breadth 40 feet, depth 23 feet 7 inches, and while
not an extreme clipper, was a finely designed ship.

It should be remembered that both the American
and the British clippers were dependent upon the
form of their lines for stability; this problem in
their design was therefore a far more intricate and
difficult one to deal with than that of producing
stability by hanging a huge mass of lead below
the body of a hull, as is the custom with our
modern racing yachts.

Yachting is the grandest of sports when yachts-
men handle their yachts themselves, and there are
a good number of yachtsman who are excellent sea-
men and navigators. It is pleasant to recall that
in the race for the Emperor's Cup in 1905, four of
the competing yachts were sailed and navigated by
their owners; and although there is far too much
wasteful extravagance and enervating luxury in
yachting, still, the increasing number of yachtsmen
who show a keen interest and are amateur experts
in the design, construction, rigging, and sailing of

Later British Tea Clippers 339

their yachts, is an encouraging sign for the future
of the sport.

Nevertheless, it must be frankly admitted that
yacht racing, even across the Atlantic, in compari-
son with the old clipper ship racing, resembles snipe
shooting as compared with hunting big game in
the wilds of Africa, while the gold and silver yacht
racing cups appear as mere baubles beside the mo-
mentous stake of commercial supremacy for which
the clippers stretched their wings.

CHAPTER XXII

THE FATE OF THE CLIPPER SHIPS

WE have already seen how, about the year
1855, the extreme clippers were succeeded
in the United States by a class of vessels known
as medium clippers. These vessels were not so sharp
and did not carry as heavy spars or so much can-
vas as the old clippers, but they could carry more
cargo and could be handled with fewer men. This
made them more profitable when the demand for
speed and the rates of freight had declined, and
the extreme clippers were unable to command any
higher rate than the medium clippers. After the
Civil War ship-building for the oversea carrying
trade steadily declined, though it was not until
1893 that the last American wooden sailing ship,
the Aryan, was launched. During these thirty-eight
years a good many ships were built, and by degrees
a new type of vessel, designed to carry large cargoes
at moderate speed, was developed, which enterpris-
ing agents advertised as clippers; but those who
had known the real clippers were not deceived.
Many of the old names survived; thus there were a
second Memnon, another Rainbow, Sea Witch, Ori-
ental, Eclipse, Comet, Northern Light, Ringleader,

34o_ '

Fate of the Clipper Ships 341

Invincible, Witch of the Wave, Blue Jacket,
Charmer, Sovereign of the Seas, Lightning, and
AndreiD Jackson which should not be mistaken for
the famous clippers after which they were named.

One may well ask what became of all the splendid
clipper ships? The fate of some of them has al-
ready been told in these pages, others have disap-
peared from one cause or another, as time went
on, until now scarcely one is left. During the Civil
War many of them were sold and sailed under
foreign flags, their names were changed and their
identity all but lost.

Of the more famous early clippers, the Houqua
foundered in a typhoon in the China seas in 1865
while under command of Captain McKenzie. The
Sea Witch made her last voyage to San Francisco
in 1852 and then returned to the China trade for
which she had been built. On her voyage to China
in 1855 Captain Fraser was murdered at sea by his
chief mate, and the vessel put into Rio Janeiro,
where Captain Lang took command. On the home-
ward voyage from Amoy to Havana with a cargo
of coolies, the Sea Witch was wrecked and became
a total loss on the eastern coast of Cuba, March 26,
1856. The Samuel Russell was wrecked in the
Caspar Straits in 1870, under command of Captain
Frederick Lucas.

The Stag-Hound was burnt off the coast of Brazil
in 1863, her United States ensign, which the cap-
tain brought off and returned to the owners in Bos-
ton, being the sole relic. The Surprise, under com-
mand of Captain Charles Ranlett, struck a sunken
rock while beating into Yokohama Bay and became a

342 The Clipper Ship Era

total wreck, February 4, 1876; the Game-Cock was
condemned at the Cape of Good Hope in 1880.

The Staffordshire was lost ofif Cape Sable, while
bound from Liverpool for Boston in December, 1854.
She struck on a ledge during a thick fog and found-
ered in deep water. Two days before her wreck
Captain Richardson had fallen on deck and frac-
tured his spine, and while he lay helpless in his
berth, Joseph Alden, his chief mate, reported that
the ship was sinking. Captain Richardson gave
directions to the mate for saving the women and
children passengers, but declined assistance for
himself. His last words were : " God's will be done,"
and as the vessel settled deeper and deeper in the
water and the waves closed in upon her deck, the
brave spirit of her captain returned to God who
gave it, to join the innumerable host of heroes and
martyrs of the sea.

The Flying Cloud was sold to James Baines in
1863 and was destroyed by fire at St. John,
N. B., in 1874. The Flying Fish was wrecked in
November, 1858, while coming out of Foo-chow,
bound for New York with a cargo of tea, and was
abandoned to the underwriters, who sold her to a
Spanish merchant of Manila. She was subsequently
floated and rebuilt at Wampoa, her name being
changed to M Bueno Suceso. She sailed for some
years between Manila and Cadiz, and finally found-
ered in the China Sea. The Typhoon was sold to
the United States Government during the Civil War,
and was finally broken up. The Northern Light was
abandoned at sea, December 25, 1861, after being in
collision while bound from Havre for New York.

Fate of the Clipper Ships 343

The Comet was sold under the British flag and
renamed the Fiery Star. She sailed between Eng-
land and Australia for several years and was
finally burned at sea in 1865, while on a voyage
from Moreton Bay, Queensland, for London. She
had been on fire for twenty-one days when the crew
were rescued by the ship Dauntless. The Trade
Wind, while bound from Mobile for Liverpool, in
1854, was in collision with the ship Olympus, from
Liverpool for New York. Both vessels foundered,
forty-four of the sixty-four passengers and crew of
the Trade-Wind and fifty-two of the fifty-eight on
board the Olympus being rescued by the Belgian
barque Stadt Antwerpen, Captain Wyteerhoven, and
landed at New York.

The Nightingale was sold to a firm in Salem and
sent to Rio Janeiro, where she was bought and
sailed in the African slave trade under the Brazil-
ian flag. About the year 1860 she was captured
by a United States war-vessel and sent home as a
prize. She was subsequently fitted out by the Gov-
ernment as an armed cruiser during the Civil War,
and at the close of the war was sold and sailed
in the California and China trade. Later she sailed
for many years under the fiag of Norway. The
Shooting Star was sold to a merchant of Siam in
1862 and was wrecked on the coast of Formosa in
1867. Captain Low remained in command of the
N. B. Palmer until she was sold abroad in 18T2.
The Tornado, Whirlwind, and Neptune's Car were
sold in England and disappeared from the Shipping
Lists many years ago.

The Golden Light under command of Captain 0.

344 The Clipper Ship Era

F. Winsor, sailed from Boston on her first voyage
bound for San Francisco, February 12, 1853, and
ten days out was struck by lightning which set fire
to cargo in the forehold. After every exertion had
been made to save the vessel. Captain Winsor gave
orders to abandon the ship, and at 6 p.m., February
23d, her people took to the boats. At that time the
ship was in flames. Her foremast had burnt off
and fallen; soon after her main- and mizzen-masts
went over the side. She had eleven passengers,
including three ladies who were in the long boat
with the captain. There were five boats in all,
four of which, after being adrift eight days, were
picked up by the British ship Shand from Calcutta
bound for Boston; the other boat, in charge of the
mate, reached Barbadoes in safety, so that all hands
were saved.

The Sovereign of the Seas was sold to a Hamburg
firm and was wrecked on the Pyramid Shoal in the
Straits of Malacca, August 6, 1859, becoming a total
loss. The Contest and Winged Racer were de-
stroyed by the Alaiama off the coast of Java in
1863, and the Jacoi Bell by the Florida during the
same year. The Harvey Birch was destroyed by
the Nashville in 1861. The Flying Dutchman went
ashore on the Brigantine Shoal, off the coast of
New Jersey, during a thick snowstorm in February,
1858, and became a total loss. The Highflyer, un-
der command of Captain Gordon B. Waterman,
sailed from San Francisco, October 24, 1856, bound
for Hong-kong and was never heard from. The
John Gilpin struck an iceberg ofE Cape Horn and
foundered, January 29, 1858, while bound from

Fate of the Clipper Ships 345

Honolulu for New Bedford under command of Cap-
tain John F. Eopes, all hands, including fifteen
passengers, being saved by the British ship
Herefordshire.

The Phantom was lost on Prates Shoal, about two
hundred miles east-southeast of Hong-kong, in 1862,
while under command of Captain Henry Sargent.
All hands were saved in the boats, which reached
Hong-kong safely, and a large amount of treasure
that she had on board was also saved. Captain
Sargent received great credit for his brave and
judicious action at the time of the wreck; for in
those days the Chin£t Sea was filled with junks
whose crews required only the sight of a vessel in dis-
tress to turn them into most barbarous pirates. Cap-
tain Sargent soon after took command of the clipper
barque Emily C. Starr and sailed from Shanghai for
Yokohama. She was never heard from, and it was
supposed that she foundered in a typhoon. Captain
Sargent belonged to an old Boston family whose
home was on Beacon Street. He had sailed with
Captain Nickels in the Flying Fish and had also
commanded the ship Rockland. He was one of the
youngest and most accomplished of all the Ameri-
can clipper ship captains.

The Bald Eagle and Romance of the Seas both
sailed from Hong-kong in 1860 and were never heard
from. The Reporter foundered off Cape Horn in

1863, and in the same year the Undaunted was
condemned at Eio Janeiro.

The Sweepstakes was condemned in Batavia in

1864. The Great Republic was sold to the Mer-
chants' Trading Company, of Liverpool, in 1869 and

346 The Clipper Ship Era

her name was changed to the DenmarJc. She finally
foundered in a hurricane off Bermuda in 1872. The
Morning Star was sold to a Liverpool firm, who
renamed her the BocMngham; she foundered while
on a voyage from Samarang for Falmouth in 1879.
The Ocean Telegraph was sold to an English firm
and renamed the Light Brigade and was finally
condemned at Gibraltar and converted into a coal
hulk.

The Marco Polo, Bed Jacket, and Donald McKay
ended their days in the Quebec lumber trade, and
the Lightning disappeared from the Shipping List
in 1866. The Champion of the Seas foundered
while homeward bound round Cape Horn in 1877.
The James Baines was burnt at Liverpool in 1858,
and her wreck was converted into the old landing
stage for Atlantic steamship passengers, few of
whom probably realized that they were walking
over the remains of one of the grandest ships that
ever sailed the sea.

Of the British-built clippers, the first Lord of the
Isles built in 1854 was burnt in 1862. The second
of the name, built in 1864 by Eobert Steele, of
Greenock, was sold in France and became known
as the Paul Albert. The Spindrift and Serica were
both wrecked in 1869. The Forward Eo was lost
in 1881. The Sir Launcelot was sold to a merchant
of Bombay and sailed for many years between that
port and Mauritius, and was finally wrecked in
1895. The Cutty Sark was sold to a merchant in
Lisbon in 1895. The Chinaman was sunk by a
steamer on the coast of China in 1880. The Wind-
hover was wrecked on the coast of Australia in

Fate of the Clipper Ships 347

1884. The Falcon was sold in Australia, her name
being changed to the Sophia Branilla. She was
wrecked on the coast of Java in 1871. The Ther-
rnopylw is now a schoolship at the mouth of the
Tagus. The Yang-tze was lost in 1872. The first
Guinevere, built by Robert Steele, in 1862, was lost
in 1866, while the second Guinevere, built by Ran-
dolph Elder & Co., in 1868, was sold in Norway.
The Ariel sailed for Melbourne and was never heard
from. The Taitsing was wrecked on the coast of
Zanzibar in 1883.

The Titania is the only one of all the old clipper
ships that can now be traced as in active service.
She is owned by Madame Maresca, of Castellamare,
and sails under the flag of Italy, usually between
European and South American ports. A few years
ago she arrived at New York, and I was much in-
terested in going on board of her, as I had known
the ship and her captain many years before in
China. She appeared so little changed that it was
difficult to realize that nearly forty years had
passed away since I last stood upon her deck one
bright June morning at the Pagoda Anchorage,
bidding Captain Burgoyne good-bye as he was get-
ting under way bound for London with new teas.
Her spars had been somewhat reduced and her rig
changed to a barque, but the beautiful India teak
used in the construction of her hull, decks, and
bulwarks, with the polished brasswork of her rails,
skylights, bells, and capstans, blinking cheerfully in
the autumn sunshine, seemed to have paid little heed
to the flight and ravages of time.

348 The Clipper Ship Era

-And so I have endeavored to record the leading
events of an era in maritime history long ago de-
parted; and howfever much the remarkable develop-
ment of steam navigation may have contributed to
the welfare of mankind, I think that the memory
of the clipper ships and the men who built and
commanded them, will always find a welcome in
the hearts of those who know and love the sea.

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.«?»

Appendix II

RECORD PASSAGES OP THE CALIFORNIA CLIPPER SHIPS

MADE IN 110 DAYS OR LESS FROM 1850 TO 1860,

INCLUSIVE

1850

PORT OP

ARRIVAL AT

SHIP

DEPARTURE

SAN FRANCISCO

DAYS

Celestial

New York

November 1

104

Race Horse

Boston

November 24

109

Samuel Russell

New York

May 1

109

Sea Witch

New York
1851

July 24

97

Challenge

New York

October 29

108

Flying Cloud

New York

August 31

89

N. B. Palmer

New York

August 21

106

Raven

Boston

November 19

105

Sea Witch

New York

November 20

110

Seaman

New York

March 11

107

Stag-Hound

New York

May 26

107

Surprise

New York

March 19

96

Typhoon

New York

November 18

106

Witchcraft

New York
1852

August 11

103

Celestial

New York

February 17

106

Comet

New York

January 13

103

365

366

The Clipper Ship Era

POET OP

ARRIVAL AT

SHIP

DEPARTURE

SAN FRANCISCO

DAYS

Courser

Boston

April 28

108

Eclipse-

New York

April 22

104

Northern Light

Boston

March 8

109

Sea Witch

New York

December 8

108

Staffordshire

Boston

August 13

101

Sword-Fish

New York

February 10

90

Flying Fish

Boston

February 17

98

John Bertram

Boston

March 26

105

Shooting Star

Boston

August 17

105

White Squall

New York

July 29

110

Wild Pigeon

New York

January 28

104

Sovereign of the Seas

New York
1853

November 15

103

Bald Eagle

New York

April 11

107

Contest

New York

February 24

108

Contest

New York

October 24

97

Flying Cloud

New York

August 12

105

Flying Dutchman

New York

January 27

104

Flying Dutchman

New York

October 7

106

Flying Fish

New York

February 1

92

Golden Age (barque)

Boston

May 31

103

Golden Gate

New York

March 20

102

Hornet

New York

August 12

105

Invincible

New York

September 9

110

John Gilpin

New York

February 2

93

Meteor

Boston

March 10

110

Oriental

New York

May 7

100

Phantom

Boston

April 21

104

Bebekah (barque)

Baltimore

May 10

106

Sea Serpent

New York

June 1

107

Sword-Fish

New York

May 30

105

Storm (barque)

New York

April 10

109

Tornado

New York

May 2

109

Trade-Wind

New York

February 24

102

Westward Ho

Boston

February 1

103

Witchcraft

New York

July 8

110

Appendix

367

POET OP

ARRIVAL AT

SHIP

DEPARTURE

SAN FRANCISCO

DAYS

Winged Racer

New York

March 30

105

Young America

New York
1854

August 29

110

Archer

New York

April 29

106

Challenger

Boston

June 9

110

Courier

Boston

April 28

108

David Brown

New York

March 23

98

Eagle

New York

February 16

103

Eagle Wing

Boston

April 5

106

Flying Cloud

New York

April 20

89

Golden City

New York

February 8

105

Herald of the Morning

Boston

May 7

106

Hurricane

New York

September 4

99

Matchless

Boston

February 8

109

Pamparo

New York

January 25

105

Polynesia

New York

April 10

104

Ringleader

Boston

February 8

109

Romance of the Seas

Boston

March 23

96

Samuel Russell

New York

January 20

106

San Francisco

New York

February 8

105

Stag-Hound

New York

August 14

110

Westward Ho

New York

February 28

106

Witchcraft

New York

August 15

97

Young America

New York
1855

October 20

110

Boston Light

Boston

April 11

102

Cleopatra

New York

March 4

107

Don Quixote

Boston

March 29

108

Electric

New York

March 4

109

Flying Cloud

New York

June 6

108

Flying Fish

Boston

January 10

109

Flying Fish

Boston

December 27

105

Golden Eagle

New York

August 25

106

368

The Clipper Ship Era

SHIP

Governor Morton
Greenfield (barque)
Herald of the Morning
Meteor

Neptune's Car
Red Rover
Telegraph
Westward Ho

PORT OP
DEPAKTUEE

New York
New York
New York
Boston
New York
New York
Boston
Boston

ARRIVAL AT
SAN FRANCISCO

April 2
May 6
May 16
August 30
April 25
June 13
April 9
April 24

DAY*

104
110
99
108
100
107
109
100

1856

Antelope

New York

March 15

97

David Brown

New York

April 28

103

Don Quixote

Boston

May 31

108

Electric Spark

Boston

April 9

106

Flyaway

New York

April 8

106

Mary L. Sutton

New York

July 20

110

North Wind

Boston

July 21

110

Phantom

New York

April 29

101

Red Rover

New York

April 7

110

Reporter

New York

March 27

107

Ringleader

Boston

February 3

106

Sweepstakes

New York

May 25

94

Tornado

New York

March 27

110

Wild Hunter

Boston

April 29

108

Young America

New York

October 14

107

1857

Andrew Jackson

New York

February 28

100

Flying Dragon

New York

April 10

97

Flying Dutchman

New York

September 10

102

Flying Fish

Boston

October 2

100

John Land

New York

July 30

104

Reporter

New York

April 17

110

Westward Ho

New York

March 26

100

Appendix

369

1858

PORT OP

ARRIVAL AT

SHIP

DEPARTURE

SAN FRANCISCO

DAYS

Andrew Jackson

New York

April 27

103

Dashing Wave

New York

August 18

107

Don Quixote

New York

March 4

108

Esther May

Boston

May 19

103

John Land

New York

July 24

108

Twilight

New York
1859

April 16

100

Andrew Jackson

New York

April 5

102

Robin Hood

New York

March 25

107

Sierra Nevada

New York

December 17

97

Young America

New York
1860

July 24

105

Andrew Jackson

New York

March 23

89

Archer

New York

March 18

106

Lookout

New York

February 20

108

Mary L. Sutton

New York

May 12

103

Ocean Telegraph

New York

March 13

109

White Swallow

New York

August 7

110

During the forty-five years that have elapsed since the
close of the Civil War a large number of sailing ships
have been built for the California trade, and it is a notable
fact that only two of these vessels made the passage from
an Atlantic port to San Francisco in less than one hun-
dred days. The Seminole, built by Maxon & Fish at
Mystic, Connecticut, in 1865, arrived at San Francisco
from New York, March 10, 1866, in 96 days, and the
Glory of the Seas, already mentioned as the last ship
built by Donald McKay, made the same voyage, arriving
at San Francisco, January 18, 1874, in 94 days.

The two most successful ships in after years were the
David Crocket and Young America. Both were built in

370 The Clipper Ship Era

1853, and both continued in the San Francisco trade until
1883, during which time the David Crockett made her
best twelve passages from New York to San Francisco
in an average of 109 -^-^ days each, her best being 102
days in 1872. The Young America, during this period
also made twelve passages in an average of 110 -Jj- days
each, her best being 102 days in 1880.

As these ships were by many years the oldest survivors
of the California clippers, there was a good deal of rivalry
between them, and their records show that they were
very evenly matched. It should, however, be remembered
that about the year 1860 their spars and canvas were
considerably reduced and that they were fitted with double
topsail yards, all of which hampered their speed in
moderate weather. Indeed, they resembled two faded
beauties who in their youth had been rival belles.

Appendix III

CHINA TEA CLIPPHES, 1859-1869

SHIP

CONSTRUC-
TONS TION

BUILDER

YEAR

Falcon

937 Wood

Isle of the South 821
Fiery Cross 888
Min 629

Kelso

Belted Will
Serica

556
812
708

tc

tt
(I

Taeping

767

Composite

Eliza Shaw

696

n

Yang-tze
Black Prince
Ariel

688
750
853

te

Ada

Sir Launcelot

686
886

it

Taitsing
Titania

815
879

tt

Spindrift
Forward Ho

899
943

tt
tt

Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1859

Laing & Co., Sunderland 1859

Chalour & Co., Liverpool 1860
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1861

Pile & Co., Sunderland 1861

Feel & Co., Workington 1863
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1863
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1863
Alexander Stephen, Glas-
gow 1863
Alexander Hall, Aberdeen 1863
Alexander Hall, Aberdeen 1863
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1865

Alexander Hall, Aberdeen 1865
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1865

Connell & Co., Glasgow 1865
Robert Steele & Sons,

Greenock 1866
Connell & Co., Glasgow 1867
Alexander Stephen, Glas-
gow 1867

371

372

The Clipper Ship Era

SHIP

TONS

TION

BUILDER

YEAR

Leander

883 C

oniposite

Lawrie & Co., Glasgow

1867

Lahloo

779

tt

Robert Steele & Sons,
Greenock

1867

Ihermopylse

947

tt

Walter Hood, Aberdeen

1868

Windhover

847

tt

Connell & Co., Glasgow

1868

Cutty Sark

921

11

Scott & Co., Dumbarton

1868

Caliph

914

<(

Alexander Hall, Aberdeen 1869

Wylo

799

((

Robert Steele & Sons,
Greenock

1869

Kaisow

795

It

Robert Steele & Sons,
Greenock

1869

Lothair

794

tt

Walker & Son, London

1869

Appendix IV

EULES FOE TONNAGE MEASUEEMENTS

The English system of measuring the tonnage of ves-
sels in the eighteenth century is given in Falconer's
Marine Dictionary, 1780, as follows:

" To determine the burden, or, in other words, the ton-
age, of a ship, it is usual to multiply the length of keel
into the extreme breadth of the ship vrithin board, taken
along the midship beam, and multiplying the product by
the depth in the hold from the plank joining to the keel-
son upwards to the main-deck, and divide the last product
by 94; then will the quotient be the burden required, in
tons."

This rule continued in force till 1819, when it was
changed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
as follows:

" Multiply the length of the keel by the breadth of
beam, and that product by half the breadth of beam, and
divide the last product by 94, and the quotient will be the
tonnage " {Marine Dictionary, William Bumey, LL.D.,
1830). Dr. Burney remarks: " It appears from the gen-
eral construction of merchant ships, that more attention
is paid to evade the tax on tonnage than to their sailing
well with the wind in different directions; and if the real
tonnage of ships were taken, an alteration would soon be
made in the construction for the better."

This form of the rule continued until 1842, when by
Act of Parliament the following method was adopted:

" Divide the length of the upper deck between the after
part of the stem and the fore part of the stern-post into
six equal parts. Depths : at the foremost, the middle, and
the aftermost of these points of division, measure in feet

373

374 The Clipper Ship Era

and decimal parts of a foot the depths from the under
side of the upper deck to the ceiling at the limber strake.
In the case of a break in the upper deck, the depths are
to be measured from a line stretched in a continuation of
the deck. Breadths: Divide each of those three depths
into five equal parts, and measure the inside breadths at
the following points — ^viz., at one fifth and at four fifths
from the upper deck of the foremost and aftermost depths,
and at two fifths and four fifths from the upper deck of
the midship depth. Length: At half the midship depth,
measure the length of the vessel from the after part of
the stem to the fore part of the stem-post; then, to twice
the midship depth add the foremost and the aftermost
depths; add together the upper and lower breadths at the
foremost division, three times the upper breadth, and the
lower breadth, at the midship division and the upper and
twice the lower breadth at the after division, for the sum
of the breadths; then multiply the sum of the depths by
the sum of the breadths, and this product by the length,
and divide the final product by three thousand five hun-
dred, which will give the number of tons for register "
(Young's Marine Dictionary, 1846).

In 1854 this rule was changed by the Merchant Ship-
ping Act, which provided that the actual cubic contents
of a vessel's hull should be measured, a registered ton
being reckoned as 100 cubic feet. This is known as th^
Moorsom system, and is still in use and likely to continue.
It was adopted by the United States in 1865; Denmark,
1867; Austria, 1871; Germany, France, and Italy, 1873;
Spain, 1874; and Sweden, 1875.

The old practice of calculating tonnage in the United
States was adapted from the English, and the mode of
measurement was as follows:

The length was measured on deck from the fore part
of the stem to the after part of the stern-post; the
breadth from outside to outside planking at the broadest
part of the vessel; the depth of the hold from the plank
on deck to the ceiling of the hold. This last measurement
was not used, the depth of a vessel for tonnage purposes
being assumed to be one half of her breadth. In order

Appendix 375

to find the tonnage, three fifths of the breadth were de-
ducted from the length and the remainder multiplied by
the breadth, and this product multiplied by one half
the breadth, or the assumed depth, the last product was
then divided by 95, giving the formula:

(L-3/^B) XB X 1/2 5
95
Thus in a vessel measuring 100 ft. x 20 ft. x 18 ft.:

Length of vessel 100

Subtract 3/^ breadth 12

Length for measurement 88

Multiply by the breadth 20

1760
Multiply by half breadth 10

17,600

Divide 17,600 by 95 and

the result is 185_(-ia/i9

Total tonnage 185+12/^ ,

This mode of measurement continued from colonial
times until the Moorsom system was adopted in 1865.

The dimensions of ten representative American and
British clippers were as follows:

Length

Nightingale (1851) 178 "

American Oriental (1849) 183 ft.

Celestial (1850) 158 "

Stag-Hound (1850) 209 "

Flying Dutchman (1852) .187 "
British Falcon (1859) 191 "4in

Taitsing (1865) 192 "

Titania (1866) 200 "

Spindrift (1867) 219 " 4 in

ThermopylsB (1868) 210 "

Breadth

..36 "

..36 ft

..34 "

6

in.

..39 "

..38 "

6

in.

..32 "

2

in.

..31 "

5

in.

..35 "

..35 "

6

in.

..36 "

376 The Clipper Ship Era

Although these British ships show less breadth than
the American, yet they have more breadth in proportion
to length than the earlier British clippers, such as the
Stornaway (1850), Lord of the Isles (1855), etc.

INDEX

Vessels not otherwise designated are American

Abbot Lawrence, medium
clipper ship, 255, 256, 258

Abergeldie, British clipper
ship, 205

Abrahams, J., builder, Bal-
timore, 357, 362

Abrahams & Ashcroft, own-
ers, Baltimore, 357

Achilles, British iron screw
steamer, 332

Ackley, Samuel, builder
N. Y., 16, 17

Ada, Brit, clipper ship, tea-
trade, 325-6, 371

Adamson & Bell, China
merchants, 325

Adelaide, packet ship, 44

clipper ship, 298, 360

British iron screw

steamer, 286

Admiral Gardner, Brit. E.
Indiamen, 25

Adriatic, Collins Line S. S.,
49, 250; med. clipper
ship, 258

Ajax, Brit, iron screw
steamer, 332

Akbar, clipper ship, China
trade, 62, 138

Alarm, Cal. clipper ship,
289, 299, 363

Albert Gallatin, packet ship,
42, 48, 142

Albion, packet ship, 38

Alert, Cal. clipper ship, 350

Alexander Marshall, packet
ship, 41

Alfred, Brit, ship, 36-37

Alhambra, med. clipper
ship, 258, 291

Allen, Wm. H., N. Y. packet »
captain, 44

Alliance, U. S. frigate, 1778,
6,7

Alsop & Co., S. Francisco,
agents of Challenge, 187

Am,elia Packet, Brit, barque,
180

America, Brit, fifty-gun
frigate, built at Ports-
mouth, N. H., 9

Amos Lawrence, med. clip-
per ship, 255

Amphitrite, Cal. clipper
ship, 232, 256

Andrew Jackson, Cal. med.
clipper ship, 253, 295;
362; 89 days to S. Fran-
cisco, 144, 178, 296, 300,
369; other records, 247,
295, 297, 298, 368

Andrews, Capt., later ship,
341; Red Gauntlet, 359

Anglo-American, packet
ship, 56

Anglo-Saxon, packet ship,
56

Angola, clipper schooner,
opium trade, 58

Ann McKim, first clipper
ship built, 60-2

Antarctic, ship, 66

377

378

Index

Antelope, clipper brig,

opium trade, 58, 59,

138
Cal. clipper ship, 353 ;

records, 290, 296, 298,

299, 368
Appleton, Wm., shipowner,

Boston, 361
Archer, Cal. clipper ship,

248, 356; records, 248,

298, 299, 367, 369
Architect, clipper ship, 70
Arctic, Collins Line S. S.,

309
Arey, Capt., Spitfire, 359
Argo, Brit., first merchant

ship with steam power

to circumnavigate the

globe, 287
Argonaut, clipper ship, 196
Ariel, clipper schooner,

opium trade, 58
clipper ship, China

trade, 68

Cal. clipper ship, 353

■ Brit, clipper ship, tea

trade, 324, 347, 371;

racer, 324-30, 332-3, 335
Aristides, Brit, ship, Aus-
tralian trade, 333
Arizona, S. S., 278
Aryan, last Amer. wooden

sailing ship, 1893, 340
Ashburton, N. Y. packet,

41, 54
Atlanta, clipper ship, Cal.

trade, 298, 299
Atlantic, first Amer. ship in

India, 12-13
Aurora, ship, 236, 299
Austerlitz, ship, 193
Austin & Co., builders,

Damariscotta, Me., 356
Australian, Brit, screw

steamer, 286
Avery, Capt., Euterpe, 363
Aymer & Co., owners, N. Y.,

359

B

Babcock, Col. Harry, 160

Maj. Paul, 84, 160

Capt. David S., 84;

Sword Fish, 160-1, 213,
352; Young America, 233,
360
Bacon, Daniel C, owner,
135, 349; Pres. Amer.
Nav. Club, 202-4

D. G. & W. B., owners,

304, 358
Bailey, Capt., Yorkshire, 46
Baines, James, owner,

L'pool, 342
& Co., L'pool, Austra-
lian Black Ball Line, 266,
268, 272; vessels for, 273,
284
Baker, Capt., 352, 357, 363
Baker & Morrill, owners,
Boston, 352, 355, 357, 361,
363
Bald Eagle, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 237, 343, 353;
story of race, 200-2; re-
cords, 299, 300, 366
Baltic, med. clipper ship,
258

Collins Line S. S., 309

Baltimore, shipbuilding, 54,
60-62, 70, 136, 254, 350,
357, 362
Baltimore, Havre packet

ship, 41
Bangs, Benj., owner, Bos-
ton, 360
Barclay & Livingston, own-
ers, N. Y., 159, 352
Baring Bros. & Co., 203-4
Barrington, ship, 193
Barry, Commodore, 11
Barry, Capt., Saracen, 361
Barstow, Gideon, of E. Bos-
ton Timber Co., 49
Barstow, Capt., 351, 354
Bartlett, Capt., 352

Index

379

Barwell, Capt., 362

Bates & Thaxter, owners,

Boston, 362
Bath, Me., shipbuilding,

105, 152, 351, 353, 357,
Bavaria, packet ship, 48
Baxter, Capt., Nabob, 361
Beacon Light, Cal. clipper

ship, 362
Beauchamp, Capt. Isaac,

Defender, 255
Beauregard, Confederate

privateer, 14
Beaver, ship, China trade,

17
Bell, Jacob, builder, N. Y.,

47, 136, 152, 164, 216, 852,

354, 358, 360; see Brown
Bell & Co., builders, Bal-
timore, 136, 350
Belle of the Sea, clipper

ship, Australian trade,

284
Belle of the West, Cal.

clipper ship, 299, 356
Belted Will, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 320, 371
Ben Nevis, Brit, clipper

ship, Australian trade,

266, 268
Benefactor, clipper barque,

China trade, 209
Bengal, ship, 193
Benjamin, Capt., Helena, 62
Bennett, Capt., Oliver Ells-
worth, 16
Bergh, Christian, builder,

N. Y., 17, 47, 48
Berry, Capt., Courser, 350
Bertram, Capt. John, Salem,

141, 166-8
Best days' run, 69, 70, 178,

179, 207, 220, 221, 228,

266, 278, 281, 295, 320,

327, 330, 334, 336, 338
Bishop, J., & Co., owners,

N. Y., 358
Black Ball Line, N, Y.,

L'pool packets, 38, 39-40,

41,42; vessels, 38, 41, 52;

flag, 42; match, 45; cap-
tains, 39-40; discipline,

44, 73
Australian clippers, see

James Baines & Co.
Black Hawk, Cal. clipper

ships (Webb), 291, 364;

(Currier), 364
Black Prince, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 322, 371;

race, 325-6

Cal. clipper ship, 360

Black Warrior, Cal. clipper

ship, 356
Blenheim, Brit, merchant

frigate, 36
Blessing of the Bay, colo-
nial barque, 1631, 2
Blue Jacket, clipper ship,

Australian trade, 270 ;

later ship, 341
Bombay, Brit. E. Indiaman,

34
Bonita, Cal. clipper ship,

356
Bordman, Wm. H., Amer.

Nav. Club, 202
Borland, Capt., Gauntlet,

357
Borrows & Spooner, owners,

N. Y., 84
Boston, packet ship, 52
Boston Light, clipper ship,

253, 300, 356
Boston & Liverpool Packet

Company, 61-2
Bowditch, Nath., navigator,

141
Bowers, Capt., Black Hawk,

364
Boyd, Col. Geo., 1767, 53
Boyd, P., & Co., owners,

Boston, 359
Brenda, packet ship, 52
Brewster, Capt. Geo., 249,

356

380

Index

Brewster, Capt. Wm., 227

Briganza, ship, eighteenth
century, 16

Briggs Brothers (E. & H.
O.). builders. South Bos-
ton, 50-1; Cal. dippers,
152, 163, 233, 351-63

Brighton, packet ship, 40

Britannia, Black Ball
packet ship, 38, 43, 47, 73

Britton, Capt. John, Con-
stitution, 43

Brookline, ship, 52

Brower, J, H., & Co., own-
ers, N. Y., 295, 361,
862

Brown, Adam & Noah,
builders, 17

Charles, builder, N. Y.,

17

David, of Brown &

Bell, 47

Vernon H., owner, 303

• Bates & Delano, build-

ers, E. Boston, 50
■ & Bell, builders, N. Y.,

47-8, 53, 58, 63, 70, 72
Brown, Capt., 359, 360
Bryant & Sturgis, owners,

Boston, 52
Bucephalus, Brit, frigate, 36
Buckinghamshire, Brit. E.

Indiaman, 32, 34
Bucklin & Crane, owners of

first Cal. clipper ship,

N. Y., 135, 159, 349, 350,

363, 364
Burgess, see Snow, owners,

304
Burgess, Capt., 349, 355
Burgoyne, Capt., Titania,

847
Bursley, Capt. Ira, 43, 350,

356
Bush & Comstock, owners,

Boston, 360, 362
Bush & Wildes, owners,

Boston, 362

Cairngorm, Brit, clipper
ship, China trade, 208

Cairo, ship, Boston, 54

Caledonia, ship, 47

Calhoun, ship, 47

California, Pacific Mail,
S. S., 103

Caliph, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 332, 372

Callahan, Capt., Storm
King, 359

Cambria, N. Y., packet ship,
40

Cambridge, N. Y. packet
ship, 41

Cameron, R. W.'s Austra-
lian line, 284, 304

Canada, N. Y. packet ship,
38, 47

Cunard S. S., 221, 309

Canfield, Capt., 351, 354

Canning, Brit. E. Indiaman,
32, 34

Canvasback, Cal. clipper
ship, 250, 360

Capitol, ship, 193

Carmelite, ship, 1807, 17-18

Carnatio, Brit, ship, 36

Carrier Dove, Cal. clipper
ship, 253, 362

Castle Eden, Brit, ship, 36

Cathay, Kathay, Cal. clip-
per ship, 232, 358

Cave, Capt., Panama, 358

Celestial, Cal. clipper ship,
first to be launched, 135,
136, 159, 349; records,
145-6, 229, 300, 365

Celestial Empire, Cal. clip-
per ship, 353

Challenge, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 156, 164, 174, 222,
337, 350; vicious crew, 77,
181-9; in China trade,
196-7, 206-7; records,
181, 299, 301, 365

Index

381

Challenger, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 206 ; race,

206-7
Cal. clipper ship, 271,

356, 367
Chamberlain & Co., owners,

N. Y., 361
Chamberlain & Heyser, own-
ers, N. Y., 351, 355
Chariot of Fame, med.

clipper ship, Australian

trade, 270
Charles Carroll, packet

ship, 41
Charles Grant, Brit. E. In-

diaman, 32
Charles H. Marshall, N. Y.,

pilot boat, 305
Charlestown, ship. South

American trade, 161
Charmer, Cal. clipper ship,

253, 254, 362

later ship, 341

Chase, T., & Co., owners,

Boston, 363
Chase & Tappan, owners,

Boston, 357
Cheesborough, Capt. Eobt.

B., 254, 363
Chinaman, clipper ship,

325-6, 346
Chrysolite, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 199, 202,

205, 206-7
Chrystall, James, British

owner, 35
City of Glasgow, Inman

Line, S. S., 314
City of Pekin, Pacific S. S.,

86
Clarke, Capt., Canvasbaek,

360
Cleopatra, Cal. clipper ship,

216, 353; records, 253,

299, 367
Climax, Cal. clipper ship,

298, 353
Coggin, Capt., Panparo, 358

Coleman, Wm. T., & Co.,
owners, N. Y., 106

Collins, E. K., manager of
Dramatic Line, 40, 43

Capt. John, Shake-
speare, 43

Collins Line S. S., 250, 271,
309, 312

Collyer, Thos., & Mm.,
builders, N. Y., 49, 232,
358

Columbia, 1773, first Amer.
ship to sail round globe,
14, 51

N. Y. packet ship, 38,

40, 43; No. 2, 48

Columbus, N. Y., packet
ship, 41, 43, 45, 52

Comet, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 153, 159, 193, 337,
343, 350; records, 213,
224, 227, 297, 299, 365;
China passage, 208; Aus-
tralian trade, 283

later ship, 340

Commodore Perry, ship,
Australian trade, 273

Composite build, 321-2,
371-2

Condry, Dennis, owner of
Delia Walker, 63-5

Congress, ship, 47

Connell & Co., builders,
Glasgow, 324, 371, 372

Conner, Capt., C arrier
Dove, 362

Constant Warwick, first
frigate built, 5

Constantine, packet ship,
141

Contest, Cal. clipper ship,
216, 227, 344, 353; rec-
ords, 224, 296, 297, 299,
366; race with Northern
Light, 227

Brit, ship, 267

Coolidge & Co., owners,
Boston, 361

382

Index

Cooper & Slicer, owners,

Baltimore, 359
Cope, Thos., Phila., owner

of packet line, 40
Copper fastened, 10, 30, 33,

34, 61, 285; sheathed, 61,

285, 320, 322
Coquette, clipper barque,

China trade, 64
Corinthian, packet ship,

40
Cornelia, ship, 48
Cornelius Grinnell, packet

ship, 42, 56, 141, 236
Cornwallis, ship, 193
Cortes, N. Y. packet ship,

40
Courier, packet ship, 1816,

38
early clipper ship,

1842, 54, 62, 162
- Cal. clipper ship, 1855,

298, 363, 367
Courser, Boston packet

ship, 52
Cal. clipper ship, 299,

350, 366
Cox, J. W. builder, Rob-

binston. Me., 233, 359
Creesy, Capt. Josiah P., boy-
hood, 153-5; Oneida, 155;

Flying Cloud, 153, 211,

248-9, 253-4, 297, 351;

race, 214-15 ; " obituary,"

222-3; Mrs. Creesy, 306
Creole, N. Orleans packet

ship, 41
Cressy, Brit, ship, 36
Crest of the Wave, Brit.

clipper ship, 208
Crocker & Warren, owners,

N. Y., 304, 356, 359
Crosby, Capt., Kingfisher,

358
Crowell, Capt., Boston

Light, 356
Crowell & Brooks, owners,

Boston, 360; see Howes

Crowninshield, Jacob,

owner, Salem, 13
Cunningham, Capt., 354,

363
Bros., owners, Boston,

364

& Sons, 354

Cunningham's rolling top-
sails, 163
Currier, John, Jr., builder,

Newburyport, 52, 68, 232,

357, 364

& McKay, 53-4

& Townsend, 52, 243,

354
Curtis, J. 0., builder, Med-

ford, 52, 152, 216, 352,

355, 357, 361, 363
Paul, builder, Chelsea,

136, 350; E. Boston, 216,

350, 353, 354, 355, 359,

362
Curtis & Peabody, owners,

Boston, 354, 356, 361
Cutler, Capt. Benj. F.,

Mary Whitridge, 254
Cutting, Capt. Robt. C,

packet ship Adelaide, 44
Cutting, Francis B., part

owner of Dreadnought,

N. Y., 244
Cutty Sark, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 332, 336,

346, 372
Cyclone, Cal. clipper ship,

300, 356

Dale, Capt Fleetwood, 353

Daniel Webster, packet
ship, 56

Daniels, Geo., owner, Bos-
ton, 233, 303

Daring, Cal, clipper ship,
253, 362

Dashing Wave, Cal. clipper
ship, 356, 369

Index

383

Dauntless, Cal. clipper ship,

343, 363
David Brown, Cal. clipper

ship, 232, 356; records,

248, 290, 296, 297, 298,

367, 368
David Crockett, Cal. clipper

ship, 232, 356, 369-70
David Malcolm, Brit, ship,

36
Dean, Capt. Stewart, sloop

Enterprise, 1785, 6
Deas, Capt., Ganges, 200-1
Decline of American ship-
ping, 290, 292-3, 314-17,

341
Defender, med. clipper ship,

255-6, 300
De Horsey, Capt. of H. M.

S. Brisk, 251-2
Delano, Capt., Ariel, 353
Capt. Joseph, packets,

43
Warren, owner, Bos-
ton, 70 ; Amer. Nav. Club,

202
Delia Walker, ship, 53, 54
Dent & Co., owners, China,

59
Depaw, Francis, owner of

Havre packet line, 41
De Peyster, Capt. P. A.,

packets, 43, 45
Derby, Elias H a s k e 1 1,

Salem merchant, eigh-
teenth century, 12-13 ;

Jr., Capt., Atlantic, 12
Devonshire, packet ship,

48
"Diadem," Brit, brig., Capt.

Johnson's story, 157-9
" Diving Bell," Lord of the

Isles, 209
Doane, Capt. Justin, 225,

354, 360
Donald McKay, clipper ship,

Australian trade, 273,

280, 346

Don Quixote, packet ship,
41

Cal. clipper ship, 357;

records, 253, 299, 367,
368, 369
Dorchester, Boston ship, 54
Dorsetshire, Brit. E. India-
man, 32
Douglas, Mr., chief officer

on Challenge, 182-3
Dragon, Brit. E. Indiaman,

23, 32
Dramatic Line, 40, 42, 45
Draper, 18th cent, ship, 16
Dreadnought, 44, 235 243-7
Duchesse d' Orleans, Havre

packet ship, 41
Duke of York, Brit. E. In-
diaman, 32
Dumaresq, Capt. Phillip,
62, 71, 138, 175, 205, 233,
289, 297, 350, 353, 359,
363

E

Eagle, N. Y. packet ship, 38
Cal. clipper ship, 297,

299, 350, 367
Eagle Wing, Cal. clipper

ship, 357, 367
Earl of Balcarras, largest

ship of Brit. E. India Co.,

32, 33, 34
Echo, early N. Y. ship, 16
Eckford, Henry, builder,

N. Y., 17, 47
Eclipse, Cal. clipper ship,
136, 175-6, 211, 349, 364

later ship, 340

Edward Everett, ship, 255
Edwin Forrest, Cal. clipper

ship, 357
Elder, Randolph & Co.,

builders, 347
Eldridge, Capt. Asa, 43,

247, 271
Capt. John, 43, 271

384

Index

Eldridge, Capt. Oliver, 43,

64, 70, 271
Electric, Cal. clipper ship,

299, 300, 360, 367
Electric Spark, Cal. clipper

ship, 299, 362, 368
Eliza Shaw, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 322, 371
Ellis, Capt., 241
Emanuel, see Wells
Emily C. Starr, barque, 345
Empress of the Seas, Cal.

clipper ship, 232-3, 357
Englis, John, 149
Enright, Capt. Anthony,

Chrysolite, 199
Erie, Havre packet ship, 41
Erl King, Brit, auxiliary

steamer, China trade, 331
Espirito Santo, 78-9
Esterbrook, Capt., Winged

Racer, 355
Esther May, clipper ship,

369
Ethiopian, Brit, ship in

Australian trade, 333
Eureka, Cal. clipper ship,

351
Euterpe, Cal. clipper ship,

289, 363

F

Fairbank & Wheeler, own-
ers, Boston, 56
Fairlight, Brit, ship, 333
Falcon, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 319-20, 324,
347, 375
Farran, Capt., Eagle, 350
Fast days' runs, 179, 180,
195, 214, 219-20, 245-6,
271, 277, 281, 334
Fast passages : Atlantic, 46,
221, 247, 254, 277-8
Australian, 266, 268, 281-
2, 284, 336, 338

California, 213, 218, 225,
227-8; (eastward), 233,
293, 296, 365-9
China, 199, 207, 208, 209,
329, 335

Fastest ships: packet,
Yorkshire, 46 ; clipper,
Rainbow, 67; Sea Witch,
192; Gt. Republic, 243;
Lightning, 278

Fearless, Cal. clipper ship,
271, 357

Federal Eagle, brig, 15

Fennell, Capt., Flying Mist,
363

Fernald & Pettigrew, build-
ers, Portsmouth, N. H.,
52, 152, 216, 352, 355,
356, 361, 363

Fessenden, C. B., owner,
Boston, 360

Fidelia, N. Y. packet ship,
41, 48

Fiery Cross, Brit, clipper
ship, tea trade, 320, 335,
371; race, 325-30

Fiery Star-Comet, 343

Flavio, ship, 52

Fleetwing, yacht, 159

Cal. clipper ship, 250,

260

Fleetwood, Cal. clipper ship,
353

Fletcher, Capt., Maury,
209; Oriental, No. 2, 358

Florence, Cal. clipper ship,
289, 363

Floyd, John, builder, N. Y.,
17

Fly Away, clipper ship, 232,
297, 368

Flying Childers, Cal. clip-
per ship, 216, 236, 354

Flying Cloud, Cal. clipper
ship, 152, 153, 155, 174,
205, 217, 237, 254, 337,
342, 351; N. Y. to S. F.

Index

385

Flying Cloud — Continued
in 89 days, 144, 17R-8J,
248, 296, 29Tr^300, 365,
367; log, 179-80, 248;
other California passages,
214-15, 224, 253, 298-9,
366, 367; other passages,
195, 208, 222; story of
race with Ganges, 200-2

Brit, clipper ship, tea

trade, 208

Cal. clipper ship, 357;

records, 295, 296, 297,
299, 368

Flying Dutchman, Cal. clip-
per ship, 216, 344, 354,
375; records, S. F., 297,
299, 366, 368; Australia,
284

Flying Fish, Cal. clipper
ship, 152, 155-6, 173,
193, 205, 237, 302, 337,
342, 345, 351; race with
Sword Fish, 212-13;
other Cal. passages, 224-
6, 253, 295-9, 366-8

Flying Mist, Cal. clipper
ship, 289, 363

Flying Scud, clipper ship,
284

Flying Spur, Brit, clipper
ship, tea trade, 325, 326

Food on board ship, 29, 78,
90, 107-8, 188, 231-2, 262

Forbes, Capt. James, Nicoll,
Marco Polo, 266; Light-
ning, 275-6; Schomberg,
284

Forrest, Capt., Rattler, 361

Forward Ho, Brit, clipper
ship, tea trade, 332, 336,
346, 371

Foster, W. H., & Co., own-
ers, Boston, 359

& Nickerson, owners,

Boston, 358, 363

Francis, brig, 84

Francis Depaw, ship, 47

Fraser, Capt. Geo., Sea

Witch, 69, 145, 189, 192,

341
Freeman, Capt., Undaunted,

359
Friend, Capt., S ancho

Panza, 361
Funch & Meincke, owners,

N. Y. and Baltimore, 136,

350

G

Galatea, clipper ship, 299
Game Cock, Cal. clipper
ship, 135, 173, 205, 271,
302, 337, 342, 349; rec-
ords, 195, 299
Ganges, Brit, ship, 200-1
Gardner, Capt. E. C, Celes-
tial, 159, 349; Comet,
159, 224, 350; Intrepid,
363
Gates, Capt., 360, 364
Gauntlet, 267
George Canning, ship, 47
George Peabody, ship, 255
Gerry, Capt., Noonday,

363
Gibb & Livingston, 325
Gilman & Co., 325
Gipsey, brig, 1804, 17
Girard, Stephen, capt. and

owner, 15
Glidden & Williams, Bos-
ton, owners of line of S.
Francisco clippers, 136,
141, 172, 349-61
Globe, Brit, merchant ship,

36
Gloriana, Brit, ship, 36
Glory of the Seas, med.

clipper ship, 258, 369
Goddard, N. S., owner, Bos-
ton, 358
Goddard & Co., owners of
Race Horse, Boston, 135,
349

386

Index

Golden Age, clipper barque,

366
Golden City, Cal. clipper

ship, 216, 354; records,

297, 299, 300, 367
Golden Eagle, Cal. clipper

ship, 354; records, 297,

299, 300, 367
Golden Fleece, Cal. clipper

ship, 362
Golden Gate, Cal. clipper

ship, 351; records, 297,

298, 299, 366

Golden Light, Cal. clipper
ship, 233, 343-4, 354

Golden State, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 354

Golden West, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 354

Goodhue & Co., N. Y., own-
ers of Mandarin, 135, 349

Goodwin, Gov. of N. H.,
165

Gordon, Capt. Geo., Mem-
non, 145

Gore, Capt., North Wind,
358

Governor Morton, Cal. clip-
per ship, 136, 349; rec-
ords, 253, 299, 300, 368

Grace Darling, Cal. clipper
ship, 250, 360

Crrand Turk, Salem ship, 12

Gray, Capt. Robt., 1788, 14

Wm., Salem merchant,

13

Great Britain, packet ship,
47, 71-2, 138

Great Republic, clipper ship,
largest extreme clipper
ship ever built, 235-43,
337, 345, 357; launch,
236-8; masts and spars,
238-40, 242-3; burnt,
240-2; rebuilt, 242-3; rec-
ords, 293, 296, 297, 298,

299, 300; log, 294; esti-
mated speed, 343, 294-5

Great Western, packet ship,
41

Greenfield, barque, 368;
brought first cargo of
wheat from California,
254

Greenman & Co., builders.
Mystic, Conn., 232

Gregory, Capt. Michael,
250, 361

GrifFeths, John W., 65-66

Grinnell, Minturn & Co.,
N. Y., owners, packet
lines, 40, 42; Cal. clip-
pers, 136, 153, 211, 233,
350, 351, 355, 358, 359;
flags, 42, 303

Griswold, John, N. Y.,-
London packet line, 40, 42

N. L. & G., owners,

N. Y., 60, 62, 64, 68, 156,
189, 303, 350, 358
•Capt., Toronto, 162

Guest, Brit. E. Indiaman,

1611, 23
Guiding Star, Cal. clipper

ship, 232, 357
Brit, clipper ship, 267,

268, 269, 272
Guinevere, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, Nos. 1

and 2, 347

H

Hackett, Wm. & John,

builders, Salisbury, Mass;

U. S. frigate Alliance,

1778, 6
Hale, Capt., Guiding Star,

357
Hall, Alexander, & Co., 58,

59, 198, 199, 208, 284,

322, 324, 371-2
Hall, Samuel, builder. East

Boston, 50, 137, 205, 250;

clipper schooner, 58;

China clippers, 62, 64;

Index

387

Hill, Samuel — Continued
Cal. clippers, 135, 198,
216, 225, 232, 349-58

Jr., 289, 363

Hallet, Capt., Radiant, 355

& Co., owners, Boston,

356

Hamilton, Capt., Eclipse,
175-6, 349

Handy & Everett, owners,
N. Y., 136, 349

Hanscom, Saml., Ports-
mouth, N. H., builder of
Nightingale, 164^5

Harvest Queen, packet ship,
41

■ barque, 291

Harvey Birch, Cal. clipper
ship, 250, 344, 361

Haskell, Capt., Norseman,
364

Hastings, Henry, owner,
Boston, 361, 363

Hatch, Capt., Northern
Light, 228, 351; Mid-
night, 361

Hathorne, Wm., of Ha-
thorne & Steers, builders,
N. Y., 49

Hayden & Cudworth, build-
ers, Medford, 52, 354, 361

Hayes, Capt., lost on Rain-
bow, 68

Hays, Capt. Gilbert, of
Beauregard, 141

Hazard, Cal. clipper ship,
298

Heard, Augustine, & Co.,
owners, Boston, 303, 351

Hebe, French frigate, model
for British, 5

Hector, Brit. E. Indiamen,
in first fleet, 23, 24

Helen Mar, packet ship, 41

Helen Morris, clipper ship,
258

Helena, early clipper ship,
62

Helicon, barque, 56
Helvetia, Girard ship,

China trade, 16
Henderson, Capt., Gazelle,

351
Henning, Capt., Brit, ship

Alfred, 37
Henrietta, yacht, 159
Henry, Capt., Raven, 189-

92, 352; Skylark, 359
Henry Allen, ship, 193
Henry Clay, packet ship, 43,

48, 141; admired at

L'pool, 89
Henry Hill, clipper barque,

.(25o
Herald of the Morning,

med. clipper ship, 253,

271, 363; records, 253,

296, 297, 299, 300, 367,

368 > , ,

Hercules, early ship, 16

packet ship, 40

Herefordshire, Brit. E. In-

diaman, 32, 345
Hersilia, brig, sealing voy-
ages, 77-80
Hibemia, packet ship, 43,

47, 84, 160
Brit, clipper ship,

Australian trade, 266
Highflyer, N. Y. packet

ship, 244
Cal. clipper ship, 344,

354
Hill, Capt., Challenge,

356
Hollis, Capt., Game Cock,

349
Holt, Alfred, L'pool, builder

of iron screw steamers,

332
Hood, Jas. M., builder,

Somerset, Mass., 136,

349
& Co., builders, Somer-
set, Mass., 152, 356,

359

388

Index

Hood, Walter & Co., build-
ers, Aberdeen, Abergeldie,

205-6; Thermopylw, 333,

372
Hooper, J., owner, Balti-
more, 357

Witch of the Wave, 169
Hope, ship, 15
Horatio, ship in China

trade, 141, 162
Hornet, Cal. clipper ship,

152, 351; records, 224,

298, 299, 300, 366
Hotspur, Brit, merchant

frigate, 36

Cal. clipper ship, 364

Hottinger, N. Y. packet

ship, 41, 43
Houqua, clipper ship in

China trade, 63, 70, 77,

84, 85, 162, 341
Howes, Capt. Frederic, 236,

353, 357, 359, 360, 362
Howes & Crowell, owners,

Boston, 353, 359
Howland, Capt. Williams,

141-2, 162, 350
Hubbard, Capt., Flying

Dutchman, 354
Huckins, Jas., Boston,

owner of Northern Light,

163-4
& Co., owners, Boston,

351, 354, 356
Hudson, N. Y., packet ship,

40, 44
Hunnewell, Jas., owner,

Boston, 354, 355
Hunt & Wagner, builders,

Baltimore, 357, 363
Huntress, ship, 52
Huntsville, N. Y.,-N. Or-
leans packet ship, 41, 43,

84
Hurricane, Cal. clipper ship,

152, 163, 193, 337, 351;

records, 208, 218, 248,

296, 299, 367

Hussey, Capt., Westward

Ho, 355
Hyderabad, Brit, ship, 36

Inconium, ship, 193

Independence, New York-
L'pool packet ship, 41, 43,
45, 47, 48; carried Presi-
dent's message, 45

Innes, Capt., Serica, 326

Ino, Cal. clipper ship, 152,
153, 351; in U. S. Navy,
253

Intrepid, Cal. clipper ship,
289, 300, 363

Invincible, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 156-7, 159, 301, 351,
366; in Australian trade,
283

Irons & Grinnell, builders,
Mystic, Conn, 295

Isaac Wright, N. Y. packet
ship, 41, U, 45

Isaac Webb, N. Y. packet
ship, 41, 48

Isaac Wright, N. Y. packet
ship, 41, 48

Ismay, Imrie & Co., L'pool,
White Star Australian
Line, 268

Istamboul, Brit, auxil. ves-
sel, 287

Ivanhoe, packet ship, 48

Jackman, Geo. W., builder,
Newburyport, 52, 360-3

R. E., builder, East

Boston, 136, 216, 270, 349,
355, 356
• & Ewell, builders, E.

Boston, 358, 359
Jacob Bell, Cal. clipper

ship, 216, 298, 344, 354
N. Y. pilot boat, 305

Index

389

James Baines, .clipper ship,
for Australian service,
273, 279-80, 281, 288, 334,
337, 346; carried troops
to India, 281-2

James Cropper, N. Y.
packet ship, 38, 43

Jo/mes Monroe, N. Y. packet
ship, 38

Jamestown, N. Y. packet
ship, 43

Japan, ship in Australian
trade, 273

Jardine, Matheson & Co.,
China merchants, 59, 197,
208, 325

Jenny Lind, ship, Boston,
66, 217

John Bertram, Cal. clipper
ship, 136, 141, 173, 349;
records, 299, 300, 366

John E. Thayer, ship, Bos-
ton, 255

John Gilpin, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 344, 354; rec-
ords, 224, 296, 297, 299,
366; race, 224-6

John Jay, ship, N. Y., 47

John Land, Cal. clipper
ship, 233, 357, 368, 369

John Quincy Adams, ship,
Boston, 156

John R. Skiddy, N. Y.
packet ship, 54

John Wade, Cal. clipper
ship, 299, 351

Johnson, Capt. H. W., In-
vincible, 157, 159, 351;
story of Diadem, 157-9

Capt., Kate Hooper,

Baltimore, 357

Napier & Co., 303

Johnston, Capt. John, N. Y.
packets, 44, 45

Jones, Quiggin & Co.,
L'pool, owners of Sea-
forth, 322

Jordan, John, L'pool, in-

ventor of composite con-
struction, 322
Joseph Walker, ship, 242
Joshua Bates, Boston-

L'pool packet ship, 55
Judge Shaw, ship, 293

K

Kaisow, Brit, clipper ship,
^ tea trade, 332, 372
Kate Carine, Brit, ship,

267
Kate Hooper, Cal. clipper

ship, Baltim re, 357
Kathay, Catha ', Cal. clip-
per ship, 232, 358
Keay, Capt., tea clipper

Ariel, 326
Kellie Castle, Brit. E. In-

diaman, 32
Kemball, Capt. John, 1788,

14
Kennard & Williamson, Bal-
timore, builders of Ann

McKim, 60
Kermit, Robert, N. Y.-

L'pool packet line, 42, 46
Kerwin, Capt., Golden West,

354
Khersonese, Brit, auxiliary

steamer, 287
Kilham, Capt., Jacob Bell,

354
Killick, Capt., Challenger,

206
King, Capt., Race Horse,

349
Kingfisher, Cal. clipper

ship, 358
Klein, Capt., Spirit of the

Times, 359
Knight, Capt., Queen of the

Seas, 355; Morning Light,

358
Knowles, Capt., Wild Wave,

360

390

Index

L. Z., N. Y. ship, 56

Lady Melville, Brit. E. In-
diaman, 32

Lahloo, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 332, 372 ; races,
332-3, 336

Laing & Co., builders, Sun-
derland, Eng., 371

Lamb, Edward, & Co., Bos-
ton, owners, 56

Lanark, Brit, clipper brig,
opium trade, 59

Lancaster, packet ship, 40

Land, Capt. John, 67, 187

Landholm, Capt., John Bert-
ram, 141, 349

Landor, W. S., yacht
America, 310

Lane, Capt. Geo., Stveep-
stakes, 233, 359; Pacific
Mail S. S. Co., 233

Lang, Capt., Sea Witch, 341

Lapham, Saml., builder,
Medford, 52 ,

Laurence & Folkes, build-
ers, N. Y., 49

Lawrie & Co., builders,
Glasgow, 372

Leander, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 332, 372; rec-
ords, 333-6

Leonore, packet ship, 54

Li6erios, ship, 282

Liberator, Greek frigate
built in N. Y., 47

Light Brigade-Ocean Tele-
graph, 346

Light Horse, barque, Salem,
1784, 12

Lightfoot, Cal. clipper ship,
358

Lightning, clipper ship for
Australian trade, 273,
274-5, 285, 337, 346; pas-
sages, 275-8, 281-8; log.

227-8; carrying troops to
India, 282-3
later ship, 341

Limeburner, Capt., Great
Republic, 243, 293, 357

Lincoln, Wm., & Co., Bos-
ton, owners, 354, 358

Lincolnshire, Brit, ship in
Australian trade, 285

Linnell, Capt., Eagle Wing,
357

Lintin, ship. Forbes's rig,
236

Live Yankee, Cal. clipper
ship, 299, 300, 358

Liverpool, packet ship, N.
Y., 42, 43, 48

packet ship, Boston, 52

Lockwood, Capt., White
Squall, 142, 350

Lodge, John E., Boston,
owner, 357, 359, 361

Logs: Flying Cloud, 178-
81, 211; Raven et al.,
192; Sov. of Seas, 219-
20 ; Flying Fish and John
Gilpin, 226 ; Dreadnought,
245-6; Romance of Seas,
249; Lightning, 277;
James Baines, 281-2 ;
Sweepstakes, 290 ; Great
Republic, 294; tea clip-
pers, 329-30; Thermo-
pylse, 334

Look Out, clipper ship, 369

Lord Amherst, Brit,
schooner, opium trade,
58

Lord Lyndhurst, ship, 293

Lord of the Isles, Brit, clip-
per ship (iron), tea trade,
208-10, 267, 288, 320, 346,
376; second of the name,
346

Lothair, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 332, 372

Louis Philippe, Havre
packet ship, 41

Index

391

Low, Capt. Chas. P., 145,

162, 214-15, 343, 352;

Mrs. Low, 306
A. A., & Brother,

owners, N. Y., 63, 64, 70,

85, 87, 135, 162, 209, 227,

242, 303
Lowell, Boston packet ship,

52
Lowther Castle, Brit. E. In-

diaman, 32, 34
Lucas, Capt. Frederic, 254,

341, 362
Lucilla, ship, 52

M

McCumm, Jas., Greenock,
owner of Sir Launcelot,
335

McDonnell, Capt. Chas.,
Marco Polo, 267-8

Mclntyre, L. H., & Co.,
builders, Liverpool, 322

McKay, Donald, Highland
chieftain, 53

McKay, Donald, clipper
ship builder, 42, 53, 205,
225, 258-9, 276, 297;
boyhood, 53, 258; New
York, 53 ; Newburyport,
53-5; East Boston, 56,
62; packet ships, 62, 270;
California clippers, 136,
142, 152, 153, 212, 216,
232, 233, 250; Sovereign
of the Seas, 221; Great
Republic, 235, 243; me-
dium clippers, 255, 258,
290-1; tribute to Abbott
Lawrence, 256-7; Aus-
tralian clippers, 273-83 ;
Civil War, 258; last
years, 258; Mrs. McKay,
221-2; Currier & Mc-

Kay, 53-4; McKay, &
Pickett, 54

— Hugh, builder, Boston,
217

Capt. Lauchlan, 217-

275; Sov. of the Seas,
217-19, 269, 355; Great
Republic, 238, 241

McKensie, Capt., Houqua,
63, 145, 341

McKim, Isaac, Baltimore,
owner of Ann McKim,
60, 61

McKinnon, Capt., Taeping,
326

Madagascar, Brit, ship,
Australian line, 263-4

Magoun, Thacher, builder,
Medford, 51-2

' Medford, builder of

Cal. clippers, 362-3

Malay, clipper ship, 299

Mallory, Chas., builder.
Mystic, Conn., 358, 364

Mandarin, Cal. clipper ship,
135, 136, 145-6, 301,
349; passages: S. Fran-
cisco, 146, 299; Canton,
208; Melbourne, 284, 288

Manhattan ship, 1796,
China trade, 16-17

N. Y. packet ship. Red

Star Line, 40

N. Y. packet ship.

Black Ball Line, 41

Manning & Stanwood, own-
ers, Boston, 359

Manson, Capt., 357, 362

Marco Polo, Brit, clipper
ship, Australian service,
265-6, 267-8, 275, 284,
346

Margaret Evans, packet
ship, 89

Margaret Forbes, ship, Bos-
ton, 52

Maria Somes, Brit, ship, 36

Marion, Brit, ship, 36

392

Index

Marion Maclntyre, Brit,
barque, composite build,
322

Mariborough, Brit, mer-
chant frigate, 36

Marquis of Camden, Brit.
E. Indiaman, 32

Marquis of Wellington,
Brit. E. Indiaman, 32

Marsden, Capt., Melbourne,
338

Marshall, Benj., part owner.
Black Ball Line, N. Y.-
(L'pool, 38

Capt. Chas. H., owner,

Black Ball Line, 41, 43,
73, 303

Mary and John, ship of
Popham colonists, 1607, 1

Mary Broughton, barque,
53

Mary Fish, N. Y. pilot boat,
305

Mary Howland, ship, N. Y.,
47

Mary L. Sutton, Cal. clip-
per ship, 289, 364; rec-
ords, 299, 300, 368, 369

Mary Taylor, N. Y. pilot
boat, 305

Mary Whitridge, Cal. clip-
per ship, 86, 253, 254

Mason, John W., carver,
Boston, 166

Mastiff, med. clipper ship,
258

Masting of Rainbow, 66-7

Matchless, clipper ship,
Boston, 367

Materials of merchant
ships, 3, 10, 30, 50, 210,
285, 287-8, 301, 313-15,
316, 322, 340

Mather, Capt. Saml., Night-
ingale, 207

Matheson, Sir James, owner
of Stornoway, 198; see
Jardine

Matthews, Capt, Cal. clip-
pers, 359, 361, 363

Maury, Lieut. M. F., U. S.
N., life, 146-50; Wind
and Current Charts, 147-
8, 205, 226; "Maury's
log," 148; Sailing Direc-
tions, 147-49; Physical
Geography of the Sea,
148 ; Australian routes,
261; opinion of Gt. Re-
public, 294

Maury, clipper barque, tea
trade, 209

Maxon & Fish, builders.
Mystic, Conn., 369

Maxton, Capt., Lord of the
Isles, 209, 320

Mayhew, Capt. P. N.,
Dreadnought, 247

Medway, ship, London-Mel-
bourne line, 263-5

Memnon, clipper ship,
China trade, 70, 202;
California passages, 145-
6, 180

Merchants' Hope, Brit. E.
Indiaman, 232

Merchants' Magazine,
Hunt's, 148

Mercury, packet ship, 41

Mermaid, clipper ship, 299

Messenger, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 354

Metcalf & Co., builders,
Damariscotta, Me., 352

Meteor, packet ship, 40

Cal. clipper ship, 354;

records, 253, 366, 368

Middleton, Sir Henry, com-
mander of Trades In-
crease, 1609, 23

Midnight, Cal. clipper ship,
361

Miller, Capt., Dauntless,
353

Millett, Capt. I. H., Witch
of the Wave, 172, 206, 353

Index

393

Mm, Brit, clipper ship, tea
trade, 320, 371

Minerva, ship, 15

'Brit. E. Indiaman, 32,

34

Minna, clipper schooner,
opium trade, 59

Minnehaha, med. clipper
ship, 258

Minol & Hooper, owners,
Boston, 68

Minturn, Robt., 109

Miroslav-Young America,
234

Monarch, Brit, ship, 36

•Aberdeen clipper, 58

Monsoon, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 851

Montana, packet ship, 41

Montauk, clipper ship,
China trade, 63-4

Montesquieu, Girard ship,
China trade, 16

Montezuma, N. Y. packet
ship, 41, 46, 48, 89

Morgan, Capt. E. E., packet
shij^s, 44

Morning Light, Cal. clipper
ship, 358

Morning Star, Cal. clipper
ship, 233, 346

Morris, Capt., R. B. Forbes,
139-40

Moses Wheeler, ship, Bos-
ton, 56

Mumford, Capt. O. R., Tor-
nado, 211-12, 352

Murphy, Capt., Black War-
rior, 356

Murray, Alexander, 11

Myers, Capt., Flora Temple,
357

Myrick, Capt., Seaman, 350

Mystery, Cal. clipper ship,
232, 358

Mystic, Conn., 160; ship-
building, 105, 295, 360,
364

N

N. B. Palmer, Cal. clipper'
ship, 87, 152, 162, 174,
301, 306, 343, 352; rec-
ords, 178, 208, 300, 365;
race with Flying Cloud,
214-15

Nabob, Cal. clipper ship,
250, 361

Napier, Johnson & Co., N.
Y., owners of Sunny
South, 250, 303

Napoleon, N. Y. packet
ship, 40

Nashville, New Orleans
packet ship, 41

Natchez, N. Orleans packet
ship, 41, 68; in China
trade, 74-5, 135, 208

Nelson, Capt., Harvey
Birch, 361

Neptune's Car, Cal. clipper
ship, 306-7, 337, 343,
358; records, 253, 297,
299

Nestor, packet ship, 38

New World, packet ship, 42,
43, 56, 89, 142, 216

New York, packet ship, 38,
41

Newburyport, 167; ship-
builders, 18, 52; see Cur-
rier, Jackson, McKay;
shipbuilding, 7, 49, 68,
105, 243

Newlands, Capt. Alexander,
Lightning, 279

Niagara, first ship built at
E. Boston, 50

Niantic, Brit, ship, 176-7

Nicholas, Jonathan, im-
promptu lines, 170

Nickels, Capt. Edward,
Flying Fish, 156, 213,
225, 297, 345, 351

394

Index

Commander John A.

H., U. S. N., 156

Nightingale, Cal. clipper
ship, 164-5, 196, 302,
337, 343, 375; China pas-
sage, 206-7 ; Australian
passage, 284

Nonpareil, Cal. clipper ship,
250, 361

Noonday, Cal. clipper ship,
363

Norfolk, Brit, ship, Austra-
lian trade, 285

Norma, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 208

Norseman, Cal. clipper ship,
289, 364

North America, ship, 1804,
17

— — • clipper ship, 299

North Beach, S. Francisco,
175

North Wind, Cal. clipper
ship, 284, 288, 358, 368

Northern Light, Cal. clip-
per ship, 152, 153, 163.
164, 173, 193, 302, 337;
351; records, 227-8, 298,
366 ; quickest eastward
passage from S. Fran-
cisco, 227-8

later ship, 340

Northerner, Pacific Mail S.
S., 75, 189

Northfleet, Kent, shipbuild-
ing, 32

Nor'wester, Cal. clipper
ship, 361

Nott, Capt., Don Quixote,
357

Noyes, Charlotte, Mrs. D.
S. Babcock, 161, 306

Joseph Stonington, 161

Nutsfield, Capt., Taitsing,
326

Nye, Capt. Ezra, packet
ships Independence, 45 ;
Henry Clay, 89

Nye, Parkin & Co., China
merchants, 70

Oherlin, packet ship, 52

Ocean Chief, clipper ship,
271

Ocean Express, Cal. clipper
ship, 253, 299, 363

Ocean Monarch, packet
ship (McKay), 56

packet ship (Webb) ,

164

Ocean Pearl, clipper ship,
299

Ocean Queen, packet ship,
48

Ocean Telegraph, Cal. clip-
per ship, 250, 271, 346,
361; records, 218, 299,
300, 369

Odd Fellow, barque, 217

Ogden, David, N. Y., owner
Red Cross packets, 244,
304

Oliver Ellesworth, ship, N.
Y., 16

Oliver, Francis, E. Boston
Timber Co., 49

Olympus, ship, 343

Oneida, packet ship, 41

ship, China trade, 155,

222

Orbit, packet ship, 1821, 38,
47

Oriental, clipper ship, 1849,
China trade, 77, 84, 85,
96-8, 142, 202, 375; car-
rying tea to London, 97-
8, 196; California pas-
sage, 224, 366

Cal. clipper ship, 1853,

232, 358
■ later ship, 340

Osgood, Capt. W. H., Trade
Wind, 164, 352; Cyclone,
356

Index

395

Oxford, packet ship, 41
Oxnard, Henry, owner, Bos-
ton, 52

Pacific, packet ship, 1816,

38

• .ship, 47

Collins Line S. S., 271,

309
Pacific Mail S. S. company,

62, 75, 84, 103, 189, 233,

313; first S. S. to reach

S. Francisco, 1849, 103;

first to reach China, 1862,

319
Paige, James, E. Boston

Timber Co., 49
Pallas, barque, Boston, 15
Palmer, Capt. Alexander,

43, 86, 162
Capt. N. B., 43, 63, 70,

77-86 (life), 96, 160-2,

242 ; mate of Hersilia, 77-

80; discovered Antarctic

continent, 81-3

N. B., 2d, 86

Capt. Theodore, 97,

162
Palmer, schooner yacht, 87
Pamparo, Cal. clipper ship,

358, 367
Panama, clipper ship

(Webb), 1844, China

trade, 64, 208
Cal. clipper ship

(Collyer, 1853) , 232, 284,

299, 358
Panther, N. Y. packet ship,

40
Parker, D. P., Boston, owner

of Lucille, 52
Paterson, Capt., Phantom,,

355
Patriarch, Brit, ship, Aus-
tralian trade, 333

Patrick Henry, packet ship,
41, 43, 46

Patten, Capt. Joshua A.,
Neptune's Car, 306-7;
Mrs. Mary Patten, 306-7

Paul, Capt. Josiah, Great
Republic, 295

Paul Albert-Lord of the
Isles, 346

Paul Jones, clipper ship,
62-3, 77, 84

Peabody, Alfred, owner,
Salem, 166

Joseph, owner, Salem,

13, 119

P^ffffVi Salem ship, brought
first cargo of cotton to
Massachusetts, 13

Pierce, Henry A., Boston,
owner, 354, 355

Penguin, clipper barque,
China trade, 209

Penhallow, Capt., Sierra
Nevada, 361

Pennsylvania, N. Y. packet
ship, 41

Perrin, Patterson & Stock,
builders, Williamsburg,
N. Y., 49, 152, 351

Perry, Capt., Ann McKim,
61

Perseverance. Brit. E. In-
diaman, 32

Phantom, Cal. clipper ship,
216, 337, 345, 355; rec-
ords, 224, 290, 297, 299,
366, 368

Phillips, J. W., N. Y.,
owner of Invincible, 156

Pierce, Capt., Celestial Em-
pire, 353

Pike, Capt., Meteor, 354

Pile, John, builder, Sunder-
land, Eng., 208

Wm., builder, Sunder-
land, 320

Pile & Cole, builders, Sun-
derland, 371

396

Index

Pilkington & Wilson, Liver-
pool, owners, 272

Pitcher shipyard. North-
fleet, Kent, 33

Piatt, W., & Son., Phila.,
owners, 136, 164, 350,
352

Plymouth, packet ship, 52

Plymouth Rock, ship, Bos-
ton, 56

Plympton, H. P., Boston,
part owner of Defender,
255

Polynesia, Cal. clipper ship,
216, 355, 367

Pook, Saml., naval archi-
tect, 270-1

Potter, Capt. Geo., Archi-
tect, 70

Capt., Matchless, 358

President, 44-gun frigate,
16

packet ship, 40

Prince Regent, Brit. E. In-
diaman, 32

Prince of Wales, " Black-
wall frigate," 36

Princess Amelia, Brit. E.
Indiaman, 32

Princess Royal, Brit, ship,
36

Protection, 92, 94, 95, 316-
17

Putnam, Capt., Cal. clip-
pers, 353, 355, 357

Q

Queen of Clippers, Cal.

clipper ship, 359
Queen of the East, Cal.

clipper ship, 352
Queen Mab, packet ship, 41
Queen of the Seas, Cal.

clipper ship, 216, 355

Queen of the South, Brit.

iron screw steamer, 286
Queen of the West, packet

ship, 41, 43, 48

B

jB. B. Forbes, ship, 236, 255

wrecking steamer, 138-

40, 167-72, 238, 240, 279

Race Horse, Cal. clipper
barque, 135, 145, 198,
349; records, 146, 365

Races: packet, 45; yachts,
64, 159, 310-11; Califor-
nia clippers, 145-6, 189-
92, 212-13, 214-15, 225-
6, 227-8; tea clippers,
200-2, 206-7, 209, 324-
30, 332-3, 335-6; to In-
dia, 282-3

Racing: packet ship, 45;
yacht, 226, 339; Cal. clip-
pers, 145, 192-3, 195,
224, 226, 228, 249; sail
and steam, 311—12

Radiant, Cal. clipper ship,
216, 355

Rainbow, Brit, frigate,
1782, 5

first extreme clipper

ship, 62, 65-7, 68, 314

later ship, 340

Ranlett, Capt. Chas., 208

^^Jr., 208, 341

Rapid, schooner, Aberdeen
clipper, 58

Rattler, Cal. clipper ship,
250, 361

Raven, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 173, 352; race, 189-
92; log, 192; records, 218,
299, 300, 365

Raynes, Geo., builder, Ports-
mouth, N. H., 52-3, 59,
136, 141, 152, 168, 250,
350, 353

Index

397

Rebekah, clipper barque,
366

Record days' runs, 179, 278;
see Best days' runs

Record passages:

transatlantic, 221, 247,
309 (steamer) ; Califor-
nia, westward, 144, 145-
6, 175, 178, 295, 296-
8, 298-300 (in sections) ;
eastward, 227; Pacific,
195-6, 218

China, 74, 329, 336-7
Australian, 281, 287, 333-
4

Red Gauntlet, Cal. clipper
ship, 233, 306, 359

Red jacket, clipper ship,
Australian service, 247,
270-2, 337, 346

Red Rover, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 355; records,
253, 283, 368

Reed, Capt. Saml., Red
Jacket, 272

Reindeer, ship, 56

Reporter, Cal. clipper ship,
345, 359, 368

Republic, packet ship, 52

Rescue, Boston wrecking
steamer, 275

Resolute, clipper ship, 291

Resource, ship, 16

Rhinebeck, 47

Rhone, packet ship, 41, 44

Richardson, Capt. Josiah,
Stag Hound, 144, 178,
350; Staffordshire, 342,
352

Richie, Capt. A. A., Fair-
field, Cal., 189

Ringleader, Cal. clipper
ship, 359; records, 284,
290, 297, 299, 367, 368,
(to Melbourne)

• later ship, 340

Robert C. Winthrop, Bos-
ton ship, 255

Robert Lowe, Brit. aux.

steamer, 331
Roberts, Capt., Storm, 355
Robin Hood, Cal. clipper

ship, 250, 361; records,

299, 369
Robinson, Capt. Richard,

tea clippers, 199, 326,

335
Rockland, ship, 345
Rodger & Co., London,

owner of Taeping, 330
Rogers, S., Salem, owner,

136
Capt. Wm. C, Witch-
craft, 140-1, 350
Romance of the Seas, Cal.

clipper ship, 232, 233, 302,

345, 359; records, 248,

249, 296, 297, 367
Roosevelt & Joyce, builders,

N. Y., 209, 232
Ropes, Capt. John F., John

Gilpin, 345
Roscoe, packet ship, 41,

47
Roscius, packet ship, 40,

43
Rose, Brit, clipper schooner,

opium trade, 59
Ross, Sir John, explorer, 84
Rousseau, Phila. ship,

China trade, 16
Rowland, Capt., Mary L.

Sutton, 364
Royal Charter, Brit, iron

aux. steamer, 287
Royal William, first vessel

to cross Atlantic by steam

power, 313
Rufus Choate, Boston ship,

255
Russell, Capt., packets, 45
& Co., China mer-
chants, 58, 63, 64, 70, 97,

303
Russell Sturgis, Boston

ship, 255

398

Index

St. Andrew, packet ship, 46

St. Clair, packet ship, 52

St. George, packet ship, 54

St. Lawrence, Brit, mer-
chant frigate, 36

St. Michael, schooner, 15

Si. Patrick, Boston ship,
54

Solamis, Brit, ship, Austra-
lian trade, 333

Salter, Capt. Chas. H.,
Typhoon, 161, 189, 352

Samarang, 346

Sampson, ship, 16

Sampson & Tappah, Bos-
ton, owners of Night-
ingale, 136, 155, 165, 207,
303, 350, 351, 355

Samuel Appleton, Boston
ship, 255, 300

Samuel Badger, ship, 161

Samuel Russell, clipper
ship, China trade, 70, 77,
84, 85, 142, 162, 337, 341;
records to S. Francisco,
145, 298, 300, 365, 367

Samuels, Capt. Samuel,
Dreadnought, 44, 244,
246-7

San Francisco passages :
Atlantic ports, 1849, 101,
145; 1850, 145-6; 1851,
174, 175, 178-81. 181-5,
189-94; 1852, 212-5, 217-
8, 222; 1853, 224-8, 233;
1854, 248-9; 1855, 253,
254; 1856, 290, 306-7;
1857, 293-4, 295; General,
69, 233-4, 365-9; long,
193
Pacific ports, 195, 211, 219

San Francisco, clipper ship,
367

Sancho Panza, Cal. clipper
ship, 361

Santa Barbara, 86

Sapphire, packet ship, 51

Saracen, Cal. clipper ship,
361

Saratoga, packet ship, 43

Sargent, Capt. Henry,
Phantom, 345

Saunders, Capt. Thos. M.,
Salem, from cabin boy to
captain, 119-20

Savannah, ship, 47

first sailing ship with

auxl. engine to cross At-
lantic, 1819, 313

Schomberg, Brit, clipper
ship, built for Australian
service, 284-5

Scott, John, & Co., builders,
Greenock, 208

Scott & Co., builders, Dum-
barton, 372

Sea Serpent, Cal. clipper
ship, 136, 141, 196, 211,
302, 350; records, 175,
208, 224, 298, 366

Sea Witch, clipper ship,
built for China trade, 68,
69, 73,. 75-7, 136, 156,
337, 341; passages, 68-
9, 189-92 (race) ; records,
145, 174, 208, 214, 296,
297, 298, 299, 300, 365

Seacomb & Taylor, owners,
Boston, 270

Seaforih, Brit, ship, first
vessel with steel spars
and rigging, 322-3

Seaman, Cal. clipper ship,
Baltimore, 136, 174, 350;
records, 299, 300, 365

Sears, Capt., Robin Hood,
361

Seaver, Hon. Benj., Boston,
225

Seminole, ship, 369

Serica, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 320, 346, 371;
races, 324, 325-30

Severn, ship, 16

Index

399

Shackfords, captains and

builders, Portsmouth, N.

H., 52
Shakespeare, packet ship,

40, 43, 48
Shand, Brit, ship, 344
Shaw, Maxton, & Co., own-
ers, London, 319-20
Sheathing, copper, 61, 285,

320, 322; yellow metal,

237
Sheer, 18, 237, 320
Sheffield, Capt. J. P., Her-

silia, 77-80
Shelburne, N. S., 53, 217
Sheridan, packet ship, 40,

45, 48
Shoof, Capt., Black Hawk,

361
Shooting Star, Cal. clipper

ship, 152, 173, 193, 337,

343, 352; records, 214,

222, 298, 299, 366
Shuter, Thos. A., owner,

London, 34
Siddons, packet ship, 40, 43,

48, 84
Sierra Nevada, Cal. clipper

ship, 250, 283, 361; rec-
ords, 295, 296, 369
Silas Richards, packet ship,

40
Silsbee, Capt., Syren, 352
Silvia de Grasse, packet

ship, 41, 47
Simmons, Capt., War

Hawk, 363
Simonson, Capt., Daring,

362
Simoon, Cal. clipper ship,

355
Sir George Seymour, Brit.

ship, 36
Sir Launcelot, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 324, 332-

3, 335-6, 346, 371
Sir Robert Peel, packet

ship, 48

Sirius, Brit, steamer, 313
Sirocco, clipper ship, 298,

299
Skiddy, Francis, 43

Capt. William, 43

Skylark, Cal. clipper ship,

299, 359
Smith, Adam, Wealth of

Nations, 92
James, & Son, owners,

N. Y., 106

Stephen, builder, 47

T. & W., builders,

Newcastle, Eng., 35, 36
& Co., builders Ho-

boken, N. J., 152, 351
& Co., builders, St.

John, N. B., 266
& Dimon, builders,

N. Y., 45, 47, 65, 68, 70,

135, 349
■Capt., 355, 362

Smyrna, brig, first Amer.
vessel in Black Sea, 15

Snapdragon, Cal. clipper
barque, 232, 299, 359

Sneeden & Whitlock, build-
ers, Greenpoint, L. I., re-
built Great Republic,
242

Snow & Burgess, owners,
304

Snow Squall, Cal. clipper
ship, 284, 352

Somes, Jos., owner, London,
34, 35, 36

Sophia Branilla-Falcon, 347

South America, packet ship,
43

South Carolina, ship, first
to leave S. Francisco in
1849, 101

Southampton, packet ship,
46

Southern Cross, Cal. clip-
per ship, 152, 195, 352

Sovereign, packet ship,
40

400

Index

Sovereign of the Seas, Cal.
clipper ship, 216-21, 235,
237, 281, 337, 344, 355;
speed, 220-1 ; records :
California, 213, 217, 299,
366; N. Y.-L'pool, 220-
1; Australia, 269-70

No. 2, 258

No. 3, 341

Sparkling Wave, clipper

ship, 300

Speed :

Conditions and tests, 9-

10, 11, 39, 46, 71, 90,

134, 192, 198, 205, 243,

286, 294-5, 321, 336-7

Vessels built for, 57,

60
Speed of Brit, and Amer.
frigates, 4, 8, 10; E.
Indiamen, 30, 35; opi-
um clippers, 59; Amer.
clippers, 135-6, 153,
193, 278, 282 (highest
rate) ; of Brit, tea clip-
pers, 320-1, 324, 334,
335-6; of steamers, 221,
278, 309
Speed in knots, 71, 161, 169,
178, 220, 251, 276, 278,
281, 282, 328; average,
46, 180, 219-20, 245, 278,
338
Spicer, Capt., David Crock-
ett, 356
Spindrift, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 332, 333, 335,
346, 371, 375
Spirit of the Age, Brit, clip-
per ship, 208
Spirit of the Times, Cal.

clipper ship, 359
Spitfire, Cal. clipper ship,

359
Splendid, packet ship, 48
Spofford & Tillotson, N. Y.-
L'pool packet line, 42-3
Spooner, see Borrows

Sprague & James, builders,

Medford, 52, 58
Stadt Antwerpen, Belgian

barque, 343
Staffordshire, Cal. clipper

ship, 152, 193, 217, 342,

352; records, 214, 300,

366
Stag Hound, Cal. clipper

ship, 136, 142-3, 151, 205,

211, 216, 237, 337, 341,

350, 375; records, 178,

195, 208, 298, 299, 365,

367
Star of Empire, packet

ship, 270
Star of Peace, Brit, ship,

Australian trade, 333
Starlight, Cal. clipper ship,

299, 361
Starr King, Cal. clipper

ship, 255, 299, 362
Steele, Robt., & Son, build-
ers, Greenock, 319, 320,

322, 324, 346, 347, 371,

372
Steers, Geo., designer and

builder, 49, 250
Stephania, packet ship, 41
Stephen, Alex., builder,

Glasgow, 322, 371
Stoddard, Capt., 349, 358
Stevens, Capt., Southern

Cross, 352
Storm, Cal. clipper barque,

298, 355, 366
Storm King, Cal. clipper

ship, 359
Stomoway, Brit, clipper

ship, 198, 202, 205, 206-
7, 376
Strabo, ship, 52
Sultana, barque, 56
Sunny South, clipper ship,

China trade, 250; slaver,
251
Supremacy, 339; American,
311, 314; British, 210

Index

401

Surprise, Cal. clipper ship,
135, 136-8, 174-5, 196,
202, 205, 207-8, 271, 337,
341, 350; records, 175,
195, 206, 208, 296, 297,
298, 299, 365

Susannah, Brit. E. India-
man, 32

Sutton & Co., N. Y., own-
ers, 106, 303

Sweepstakes, Cal. clipper
ship, 232, 233, 301, 345,
359; records, 289-90, 296,
297, 298, 299, 368; log,
290

Sword Fish, Cal. clipper
ship, 84, 152, 153, 159,
193, 206, 306, 337, 352;
records, 208, 224, 296,
297, 298, 299, 300, 366;
race, 212-13

Syren, Cal. clipper ship,
152, 352

Taeping, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 322, 371 ; races,
324-30, 332-5

Taitsing, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 324, 347, 371,
375; race, 324-30

Talbot, ship, 52

Tampico, brig, 84

Tayleur, Brit, ship (iron),
for Australian service,
267

Tea Trade, iii:
to England: Amer. clip-
pers in, 96-8 196-7,
200-2; see Tea clippers;
amount, 320 ; freights,
196, 207, 323; premiums,
324, 330

Telegraph, clipper ship,
Cal. passages, 299, 368

Templer, Henry, owner,
London, 34

Teutonic, White Star S. S.,

312
Thacker & Mangels, own-
ers, London, 34
Thames, Brit. E. Indiaman,

35
Thayer, Capt., Cleopatra,

353
Thermopylse, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 332-6,

347, 371, 375
Thomas, C. W. & H., N. Y.,

owners of Hurricane,

163
Geo., Rockland, Me.,

builder of Bed Jacket,

270
Thomas, Brit. E. Indiaman,

24
Thomas Coutts, Brit. E. In-
diaman, 32
Thomas Granville, Brit. E.

Indiaman, 32
Thomas H. Perkins, ship,

Boston, 255
Thorndike, Capt., Live Yan-
kee, 358
Tindall & Co.'s Australian

line, 263
Tingqua, clipper ship, 298
Titania, Brit, clipper ship,

tea trade, 332, 336, 375;

still in service, 347
Toby & Littlefield, builders,

Portsmouth, N. H., 52,

233
Todd, Capt., 2d Witch of

the Wave, 364
Ton in cubic feet, 104, 196,

323, 335, 373-5
Tonnage, aggregate:

Afloat, 289; built, 3-4, 52,
151; captured, 7;
owned, 13, 71, 292
(steam), 308; sent out,
33; sold, 292
Tonnage, detail:

American, early, 1, 2, 4,

402

Index

Tonnage, detail — Continued
6, 14-18, 51-4, 80, 119;
packets, 38, 40, 42, 45,
46, 142, 243; opium
clippers, 58-9 ; China
clippers, 60, 62-5, 68,
70, 96, 250; California
clippers, 135-6, 142,
153-6, 159, 161-6, 216,
233, 254, 349-64; Aus-
tralian clippers, 235,
242, 265-7, 270, 273;
pilot boats, 193, 305;
increase in, 42, 151,
216
British: E. Indiamen, 23,
25, 32-7; Aberdeen
clippers, 58; tea clip-
pers, 198, 199, 205-6,
208, 320, 322-3, 333,
371-2; Australian clip-
pers, 267, 284, 338;
steamers, 286, 287
Tonnage Laws, 20, 198-9,
315, 323, 373-6; see Tax
Topaz, packet ship, 51
Tornado, Cal. clipper ship,

152, 211, 283, 343, 352
Toronto, packet ship, 48,

162
Trade Wind, Cal. clipper
ship, 152, 164, 193, 337,
343, 352; records, 224,
299, 366
Trades Increase, Brit. E.

Indiaman, 1609, 23

Train, Enoch, Boston,

owner, 54-5, 153, 221, 255

Train's Line, Boston-

L'pool packets, 55-6, 270,

275

Trask, Capt. Benj., packet

ships, 43
Trenton, packet ship, 52
Trident, ship, 1805, 17
Trieste, barque, 291
Triton, ship, 1805, 17
Trufant & Drummond,

builders, Bath, Me., 152,

351, 357, 360
Tucker, Capt., Swallow, 362
Turner, Capt., Starr King,

362
Tuscarora, packet ship, 40
Twilight, Cal. clipper ship,

295, 364, 369
Two Friends, brig, 15
Typhoon, Cal. clipper ship,

152, 161, 337, 342, 352;

race, 189-92 ; records,

192, 208, 299, 300, 365

U

Undaunted, Cal. clipper

ship, 345, 359
Union, sloop, 15
Upham, Hon. Chas. W., 169
Upton, Geo. B., Boston,

owner, 56, 136, 155, 233,

304
Utica, packet ship, 41

Vail, Thos., builder, N. Y.,

16
Valparaiso, ship, 164
Vancouver, ship, 208
Vanguard, packet ship, 48
Venice, ship, 161
Very, John Crowninshield,

163
Capt. Saml., Hurri-
cane, 163, 351 ; Mrs. Very,

306
Vicksburg, ship, 47
Victoria, packet ship, 44, 47
Victory, packet ship, 244
XHking, Cal. clipper ship,

360
Vimiera,^Brit. ship, 267
Vincent, Wm., builder, N.

Y., 16
Voltaire, ship in China

trade (Girard), 16

Index

403

Vulcan, Brit, ship, first iron
sailing ship, 1818, 313

W

Wakeman, Capt., Adelaide,

360
Wanderer, Brit, clipper

schooner, opium trade, 59
War Hawk, Cal. clipper

ship, 363
Wardle, T., & Co., N. Y.,

owners of Eclipse, 136,

349
Warner, Capt., Sov. of the

Seas, 269-70; Donald Mc-
Kay, 281
Washington Irving, packet

ship, 56
Waterman, Capt. G. B.,

Highflyer, 344, 354
Capt. Robt. H., 73-7,

145, 189; Britannia, 73-

4; Natchez, 68, 74-5;

Sea Witch, 68-9, 73, 75,

208; Northerner, 75, 189;

Challenge, 156, 181-9,

350; Mrs. Waterman, 75
& Elwell, builders,

Medford, 52, 63
Watkins, Capt. Jas., Akbar,

62
Watson, Capt., Polynesia,

355
Webb, Isaac, builder, N. Y.,

47, 48, 53, 74, 217; & Co.,

40
Wm. H., son of Isaac,

builder, 42, 48, 62, 63,

135-SB, 142, 152, 156, 159,

164, 212, 216, 232-4, 250,

291, 349-52, 354, 359
Wilsey, father of

Isaac, 47 .-
' & Allen, builders, N.

Y., 48
Weld, W. F., & Co., owners.

Boston, 304, 357
•& Baker, owners, Bos-

ton, 363

Wells & Emanuel, owners,
N. Y., 106, 304

West Point, packet ship, 44,
48

Westervelt, Aaron and Dan-
iel, sons of Jacob A., 49,
233

Jacob A., builder, N.

Y., 48-9, 216, 227, 232,
250, 297, 352-4, 358-9

& Co., 49

■ & S'ons, 49, 152, 162,

351

■ & Mackay, 46, 48

Westward Ho, Cal. clipper
ship, 216, 237, 255; rec-
ords, 224, 253, 295, 297,

298, 300, 366, 367, 368
Whirlwind, Cal. clipper

ship, 216, 284, 343, 355
Whistler, Cal. clipper ship,

299, 360

White Squall, Cal. clipper
ship, 136, 142, 196, 242,
337, 350; records, 298,
299, 300, 366

White Swallow, clipper ship,

298, 369

Whitridge, Thos., & Co.,

owners, Baltimore, 254
Wigram, Robt., builder and

owner, London, 35, 36,

285
Wild Dayrell, Brit, clipper

schooner, opium trade,

59
Wild Hunter, clipper ship,

368
Wild Pigeon, Cal. clipper

ship, 152, 353; records,

299, 300, 366

Wild Wave, Cal. clipper

ship, 360
William G. Anderson, U. S.

clipper barque, 141

404

Index

William Tell, packet ship,
41, 47

William Thompson, packet
ship, 38

Williams, J., & Son., build-
ers, Williamsburg, N. Y.,
136, 152, 349, 352

Jabez, builder, N. Y.,

216, 355
■ Capt. John E., An-

drew Jackson, 247, 295,
362
• & Guion, owners, 304

Willis, Capt., Cal. clippers,

351, 361
Wilson, W., & Sons, owners,

Baltimore, 356, 357
Windhover, Brit, clipper

ship, tea trade, 332, 336,

346, 372
Windsor, Brit. E. India-
man, 32
Windsor Castle, Brit, ship,

36
Winged Arrow, clipper ship,

299, 300
Winged Racer, Cal. clipper

ship, 216, 344, 355, 367
Winsor, Capt. C. F., 344,

351, 354, 356
Witch of the Wave, Cal.

clipper ship, 152, 153,

166-72 (trip on), 173,

353; records, 206, 299
Witchcraft, Cal. clipper

ship, 136, 140, 211, 302,

350; records, 178, 248,

296, 365, 366, 367
Wizard, Cal. clipper ship,

216, 355
Wolfe, W. A. & A. Foster,

Jr., N. Y., owners of

Courier, 54
Woodhouse, Capt. Philip,

packet ships, 43
Woodside, Capt., Wizard,

355
Wooton, Jas. A., packet

ship captain, 44
Wylo, Brit, clipper ship,

tea trade, 332, 372
Wyteerhoven, Capt., 343

Yang-tze, Brit, clipper ship,
tea trade, 322, 333, 347,
371 . , ,

Yorkshire, packet ship, 41.

46, 48, 89
Yorktown, packet ship, 48
Young America, Cal. clip-
per ship, 84, 232, 233-4,
301, 306, 337, 360; rec-
ords, 233-4, 297-300, 367-
70

Zerega, Capt., Queen of

Clippers, 359
Zerega & Co., owners, N.

Y., 56, 359