The Colonial Clippers

“Orient” Nearly Destroyed by Fire.

On 3rd November, 1861, the Orient left Adelaide with 2600 bales of wool, some copper ore and several passengers. Touching at the Cape she left Table Bay on 18th December. On the morning of 2nd January, smoke was observed to be rising from the fore hatch. Captain Lawrence at once had the lower deck hatches lifted fore and aft, but there was no smoke in the hold, which seemed to prove that the fire was confined to the ’tween decks. The hands were turned to breaking out cargo, but were driven from the fore hold after getting to the third beam aft of the hatchway. The mainsail was then hauled up and the fore hatches put on to prevent a current of air. The main hatchway was then opened and an attempt made to break out the cargo from that hatch, but again the crew were driven back. The hatches were next battened down and every aperture closed. The carpenter was then ordered to bore holes in the deck. He started in the galley and gradually worked forward until he was over the seat of the fire. On this being found the fire engine, condensing engine and every other means was brought into use for pouring water below; and as fast as it went down it was sucked up again by the ship’s pumps. The deck ports and scupper holes, also, were closed and the deck itself kept some inches deep in water.

Whilst the crew fought the fire, the passengers, under the direction of the bosun, provisioned and lowered the boats and streamed them astern. At 5 p.m. dense smoke began to issue from the scuttle under the fore chains, the woodwork was charred, and the glass bull’s-eye melted. The scuttles were immediately plugged and the deck cut through at this place. The result was startling. Smoke and flames burst out in volumes. All night long the crew kept doggedly at the pumps and fire engine. Next day the women passengers were all transferred to a Dutch ship which stood by the burning Orient. At last the fire was smothered and on the 5th January the Orient arrived at Ascension, where a large portion of the cargo was taken out and examined. She was temporarily repaired and then proceeded, and arrived safely in the London River.

Twelve of her timbers were so charred that they had to be replaced, together with the planking of the main deck as far aft as the main hatch. The saving of this ship was a very fine performance and the underwriters presented Captain Lawrence with a piece of plate worth £100, and also £800 for himself, officers and crew. The steadiness and discipline of both passengers and crew were worthy of all praise, and undoubtedly saved the ship.

The “Orient” delivers her Carpenter’s Chest to the “Lammermuir” in Mid-Ocean.

In 1872 the Orient was diagonally sheathed, and Captain Mitchell took command of her.

In 1873 the Orient was just about to leave London for Adelaide, when old John Willis, with his frock-coat flying open and his white hat on the back of his head, came aboard and said to Captain Mitchell: “The carpenter of my Lammermuir has left his tool chest and tools behind; will you take them out to Adelaide and deliver them to him.”

“No,” replied Captain Mitchell, who was a skipper of the good old sort, “but I will take them and deliver them before I reach the line.”

The Lammermuir had sailed some 10 days before on the 12th of September to be exact. Old John Willis immediately offered to bet Captain Mitchell £5 that he would not be as good as his word. The bet was accepted and the Orient sailed on 28th September. In 5° N. a ship was sighted ahead and overhauled. It turned out to be the Lammermuir. Signals were exchanged, and a boat put over with the chest on board, and the Lammermuir’s carpenter duly received his tools as Captain Mitchell had promised. The two ships then parted company and the Orient eventually arrived at Adelaide on the 16th December, 79 days out, the Lammermuir arriving six days later.

It was a great triumph, and the apprentices of the Orient composed a pumping chanty to the tune of “Marching through Georgia” to commemorate it, the first verse of which ran as follows:—

In 1879 the Orient was sold to Cox Bros., of Waterford, and she was still afloat quite recently as a coal hulk at Gibraltar.

The Little “Heather Bell.”

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

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

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

The “Murray.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Orient Composite Clippers.

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

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