The morning call., 1890-09-14


| China for London, the Brown arriving out
| in ITO days from Shanghai ~ days from
AMER, the Romance 102 days from Wham-
poa, so from AMER. This was the bad
season for fast passages from China, being
against the monsoon.
Dispatch marked the whole course of the
clippers. They were driven under great
press of canvas, often without regard to
safety of spars. But why wonder? The
owners were generally as enthusiastic about
the Challenge are said to have prom
lsed to give her captain, Bob Waterman,
$4,000 If he beat ninety days to San
Francisco. Ut took him los, though, having
mainly had light and adverse winds.) On
arrival at san Francisco the clippers hauled
into the wharf and Immediately commenced
discharging, generally by horse power.
The Placer Times of May 16, 1858, notes the
advent of steam power in this connection as
follows: "The old style of discharging ships
by bevy OF hosting, singing sailors las
given way to the more expeditions style of
horse power. Yesterday, however, we
noticed vessel at Broadway wharf dis
charging by steam power" The old manner
generally prevailed, however, a Autograph
published about April l, 1857, representing
the ship Great Republic at Greenwich Dock
being unloaded by team of horses at each
hatchway, while the Hurricane at North
Point Dock had but one team to do the
work. In spite of these methods however,
the work was quickly finished. The Sea
Witch arrived November 90, 1851, was dis
ward December 9th The GazelIe arrived
July 10. 1851, locked on the cd and by the
30th had her cargo all out and floors swept
clean. The Wild Pigeon, launched in Sep
TENDER, 1851, was 103 days on her first pas
sage from New York. arriving January %,
1852. She was $50 tons, old measurement,
and carried 1900. Clearing on February
18th, she finished taking in stores, getting
crew, ETC. On the 10th, all being pre-
pared, she made ready for sea. Being
yet at the wharf, he jib, fore topSail and
main topmast staysail were loosed; the
loosed and the stern-fast let go, when
she lay over to the breeze and
swept swiftly and maiestieally from the
wharf, proceeding directly to sea. This
manner of sailing, without first dropping
out into the stream, was of rare occurrence
and always created great enthusiasm in the
large number of spectators who were sure
to be on the adjoining wharyes Towing to
sea was also seldom done until well on in
the fiftieS, and many beautiful sight was
offered by the clippers lacking in the lower
bay, or lying over before the fresh trade
winds, the white canvas and bright copper
often handsomely illumined by the rays of
the setting sun as the noble vessel made Der
way seaward like thing Of life
NAMES.
With the advent of the clippers came the
displaying OF a great amount of ingenuity
in the invention Of their names. For
merly," as an old statement on the subject
reads, merchants were satisfied with a
plain, prOsy, modest nomenclature, calling
their vessels after their wives or their
friends, or by the name of some ancient
worthy or modern hero, or by some home
spun adjective expressive of strength and
safety" This, however, was all changed.
We had for names every description of the
action of the meteorological elements, as
White Squat, Typhoon, Tornado, Light
ming; names, possibly egotistical, but ex-
pressIve Of the owners pride, as Paragon,
Climax, 1nvincible, Champion of the Seas,
Pride of America, Neptune's Favor
lite words pertaining to feeetness
stakes, Winged Arrow. Shooting Star,
Stag Hound, Flying Ducthman; many re-
lated to Old ocean, as Neptune's Car, Dash
ing Wave, Ocean Express. The mostnotice-
able by far, however, were the many fan
Witch of the Wave, Romance OF the Seas, or
Wings Of the Morning. That some of this
later class were regarded as oyerdnne is
apparent from the following from George
Francis Train at Melbourne, Octoter, 1854.
lie writes: The Wings of the Morning
came in day before yesterday from New
York, but the tter-Most-PartS-Of-t
has not been heard from. Snail, Tortoise or
Drone | would suggest for the next
clipper, just for a change. / am tired
of these always-a-little-faste Names" He
was not much bothered thereafter, however,
for the extreme clippers which brought
forth the fancy titles soon ceased to be built,
owing principally to the opening of the
Panama railroad and the decline of the
feverish California and Australia business.
Lieutenant Maury, the author of those
famous sailing charts without which even
IN al hp w do
such brilliant record, writing about this
time, says: "Ihe rage for clipper ships of
high speed and at any cost appears to have
passed the flood and 10 be now on the ebb,
so that any shortening Of voyages on ac-
count of improvements in the average sail
ing qualities of ships can scarcely be ex-
pected." There is no doubt of the correct
ness of this latter statement. The
fastest sailing ships the world has
ever seen were those constructed in
the United States, mainly for the California
trade, and between the years 1850 and 1855.
They had brought down the average length
of voyages often fifty per cent, ana in some
cases even more, and to whatever port any
had ever been thence came the newspaper
announcement in bold type, FASTEST ON
Record" etc. The Aberdeen clippers made
good records and were very staunch and, in
some instances, beautiful vessels. They
were not nearly as large as many of the
American ships, but their builders had had
the opportunity of Judging the best points
Of their competitors fastest ships in
draught lines from the Board of Adj
miralty, which had been presented with
them complimentary. Almost all the
Aberdeen clippers were butt subsequent TO
1860; the finest as late as 1869, so that could
they have met an American in fair and
square race, the newer vessel could un-
dOubtedly stand up without strain under
much heavier canvas. These Aberdeen
vessels were almost entirely in the China
and Australian trades, and although making
some very smart iuns, the records show the
greater speed and shortest voyages to the
credit OF the American clippers In the
China run, over the name of L. j. Reed, c.
B., in his article on clipper SHIPS, 1873, is
given the Sir LauncelOts 80 days from Foo
Chow-Foo and the Thermopyl@'s 81 days
from the same port. both in 1869, as the two
best runs on record, with the Titania's 90
days in 1878 as third. No mention
was made of the Golden Gate, American
clipper, arriving at London March 2. 1885, in
ST days from Shanghai, or the Witch of
the Wave in 1852, 80 days from Whampoa,
with many others in from 81 to 50 days. On
the same route. outward bound, we have
the Comet and Eagle Wing, both American
clippers, arriving mt Hong-Kong in 1854 in 81
and So days respectively. On the Australian
route the best runs were made by the Amer
ican-built clippers Of James Baines " Co.'S
DldCk Dali lut 1IUlll llNeI pun. 1ut ulUNb
nOtabie,0f these were the Lightning, James
Baines. Mackay and the Red Jacket on an
other line, whose records stand unriyaled.
THE GREAT REPUBLIC.
The peer of all clippers, however, was the
Great Republic. 1851 tons, old measurement,
built in East Boston by Donald Mackay
and launched October 4, 1858, in the pres
ence of 10000 people. Her dimensions
were: 325 feet long, 50 feet beam, so feet
lAfl ho1 To-. .tnta
decks and four masts, three being square
rugged; concaye lines forward and aft.
very fine, and round stern; mainmast
feet through, 12l feet long; mainyard 20
inches in diameter, 100 feet long. She
spread 10000 square feet OF canvas in sim
gle suit of sails. There were $3.50 tons of
white oak in her frame, knees, ETC.. 1900
600 feet Of hard pine in her keelson, plank
ing ETC.; 800 tons of iron and 90 tons of
copper. She was built expressly for the
California trade, but on account of low
freishts about this time was laid on for
EpUIaud whom nearly loaded De-