The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-10-21
OFF FOR AFRIC SHORES.
The Long Cruise Which the Little
Nellie May'WiIl Take.
SHE IS ONLY SO TONS BURDEN.
A Full Complement Of Passengers for the
Azores-Mr. Caiho May Start Regu-
lar Line of ships from This Port.

great event in the maritime history
Of Providence was the departure to-day of
the two-masted schooner Nellie May for
the far off shore of Africa. To lands
man the chances of so small craft arriv-
ing safely on the other side seem small
indeed, but her owner, Mr. Antonio Calho,
feels confident of the ability of the staunch
little craft to safely weather the tempests
that are so prevalent at thi time of year.
The Nellie May is topmast schooner,
69l9 feet long, 20 feet inches wide and Z
feet inches deep, with tonnage of
6S 47-100, and was built in 1881. She car
ries full crew and many passengers,
some of whom are old sailors, and will be
commanded by Captain Joseph Rogers, "a
man of large experience and great ability,
thorough practical seaman.
The passengers are all Portuguese and
are mostly men of whom have families in
the Azorese Islands, commonly known
among them as the Western Islands, to
which they are returning after an absence
of many years
The cargo of the Nellie May consists
mostly of household goods and lumber,
the property of the passengers Her desti-
nation is Bravo on the Cape de Verde
Islands, after which il il the intention of
Capt Rogers TO cruise along the coast of
peanuts, cocoanuts and other products.
He also expects TO have n number of pas
sengers on the return trip.
In conversation with the NEWS reporter
yesterday Mr.. Calho stated that if this trip
proved success il was his intention To
start line between this port and the coast
of Africa, and this points TO "a resumption
of the formerly prosperous trade between
Providence, the coast of Africa, the Indies
and the Southern States.
1t is now something like fifty years since
the last West Indiaman discharged her
cargo at the Providence docks. In those
days Providence had important shipping
interests and thriving trade was done
between this port and the East and West
Indies, there being as many as eight or ten
vessels at a time discharging their cargoes.
The docks were located at the foot of India
street and it was from this fact that the
street was so named.
Some of the firms who were interested
in the forign trade were Aldrich & Cady,
Robert Perkins, Pierce 81 Bullock, Orray
Taft and Silas Butler, each firm owning
from two TO five vessels IL was in this
trade that the firm of Brown a. Ives ac-
quired their immense wealth.
Some of the vessels of those days have
become subjects of history, some have
foundered at sea, while some are still to
be seen stranded on the shores of Nara
gansett Bay, serving the ignoble purpose
of fish houses and oyster shanties.
The Ganges, an old East Indiaman, in
the terrific gale of 1915 was driven as far as
the foot of Smiths hill where she stranded
and lay until she had rotted away.
The New England, an old time West In
diaman now reposes on Sabine Point and
serves as an oyster house; her dismantled
hulk is a familiar sight to summer excur-
sionists, many of whom of a romantic turn
of mind have often wondered who she was,
from whence she came and what the his
tory of her life had been.
The principal cargoes Of these vessels
were teas, coffees and spices, from the East
Indies, ivory and gold dust from the coast
of Africa, and cotton and rice from the
South, all of which found a ready market
here.
This immense trade that once centered
here has long since gone to New York and
other ports and left Providence without a
single vessel in this branch of trade, but
there is little doubt that resumption of
this profitable trade would be joyfully
welcomed by the merchants of this city.