The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1866-11-17
= Remarkable clipper Race

Tuy q FrTrE SHIP RACE FROM CUINA-The Lon
don TameS-ef September lOth says; II appears
that in the race Of the three clipper vessels from
China that arrived on Thursday. the Tapping was
the winner. She WAS ii dock AZ 81. P. NJ. ""ir
the lriel arrived at 1915 y. NJ. aud the >ar."i II
1880 P. VI. THIS almost simultaneous completion
by three vessels of an ocean passage 90! more than
tGrr,. months = one IF tine most singular incidents
of modern navigation. The first Of them receives
los. per ton extra. the bills OF Iading 81 each beng
worded q" with los. per ton extra il first SAILING Vs.
SCI in dock with new teas from Focchow. aud IN
China there are also extremely heavy "aErt> dC
uendinr Upnn the race. As the caUCocs OF each
vessel will now reach the London market Al Tue
same time. il became the interest 81 the respective
cou>ignee> that the vessel with their spev'al cargo
should NOT get into dock first ~ they would 'lus
escape the payment 81 premium 81 Iu~- lot u prior
itv which can now be- OF nu practical henvut 10
them. while on the oth"r hand iHc masters oil the
vessels had every motive on behalf OF their owners
We copy the above from one of our exchanges,
and add some interesting particulars. which We
have obtained from 4 gentleman who was IN
Hongkong when the vessels loaded and started
on their race. There Is considerable competition
between the English and American houses in the
tea business to obtain and deliver in London or
New York the first cargo. When the new tea
crop comes into market, the merchants watch
each other eagerly. no one venturlng for some
time to make Il purchase, as the price thereby
becomes established. The tea was arriving freely
from the interior, when, on Saturday, one of the
mercantile houses stepped forward and made lis
purchases. That was the signal for a rush. and
the agents of four fast clippers-the ARIEL. SeTIca,
Tdepiag and Fiery CroSS-bought cargoes and
ordered them put Oh board as soon as possible.
The captain of the Tapping declined to load on
Sunday, as a matter of principle. The captain
of one of the other ships, although protesting TO
respect the day-heing one of those praise-God
barebones. who sometimes get aioat in the world
left for up-river. his mate taking charge and
loading his ship on Sunday. The two other ships
also loaded on Sunday, hoping to get the start
thereby.
On Wednesday three vessels were ready for
sea. and the tug-boat towed out first the ARIEL,
next the Serica, and was engaged to take the
Tapping, but on her return from towing out the
second vessel, broke down. The Tapping was
thus compelled to wait "a hours, and sailed on
Thursday. The Ftery Cross was loaded, but
had not cleared, but the captain, determined not
to be behind his competitors, slipped his chain
and went to sea without his papers, and had not
even signed a bill of lading. This will give some
idea of the competition.
The two first named ships left Honskong on
the S0th of May, the last two ON the 3lst, and
arrived at London or the Grin of September. The
Taep;ag's passage was % days, the other two
80 days each. The Fiery Cross had not yet
arrived. These ships are all built for speed. and
are among the fastest clippers afoat. Here was
Il race of l6, 900 miles, and not two hours differ
ence in the arrival of three ships. Our inform
ant says that there was great excitement in
HonGkong over this contest. and thousands of
pounds were staked on the result. He made a
modest venture of 600 on the Taeping. which
has won the race. and will have the satisfaction
Of knowing the result before leaving port.