The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1904-09-15
FIT IRON SAILING SHIP.
ta.eresting Record Of q Vessel with
4 UNIQUE Distinction.

la.eresting Record Of q Vessel with
q Unique Distinction.
Some interesting facts have been
published in England concerning the
first iron sailing ship which set out
from Liverpool, and its commander.
The vessel with this unique distinc-
ton was the Orchard Golden" COM
manded by Thomas Lidbitter. This
craft was built Of Coalbrookdale iron,
and was launched in 1874. She was
. bark Of 461 tons, and had speed Of
ten knots per hour. She was con-
structed Of iron throughout, includ-
ing the rudder, rudder frame and
steering gear. Her lines were very
fine, and she was five times her beam
in length. She was without bulk
heads, and in sailing trim she lay on
IN even keel. She had a great rise
Of floor, falling in somewhatfrom her
bilge to the rails. In 1S44-45 she
ret sail for China, but was laid up
twice for repairs at Cork and Rio de
Janeiro, respectively, during the
passage. She aroused considerable
attention at the various ports at
which she called, as she was the first
Iron vessel ever seen, and was regard.
Cd somewhat suspiciously by the SUI
perstitious, to whom the idea of max
ingiron float was considered as flying
In the face of Providence. Her Sec
end voyage was to Bombay via the
Cape Of Good Hope and back. She
covered: the round trip in some seven
months, which was considered a re-
narkable. performance. She made
another journey to Bombay, which
she reached in "a days. On none Of
these trips did the vessel make any
water, 50 that the feasibility Of utiliz.
ing.iron for vessels was firmly estab-
lshed.
The next vessel commanded by
Capt. Lidbitter was also an iron ves-
sci, launched in 1853. She was 1872
feet in length, 80 feet beam and 20
feet depth. She was a three-masted
craft, and was provided with an iron
bulkhead abaft each mast. Like the
Orchard Cobden," she was. without
steam power. Hcr first voyage was
from London to Bombay, Calcutta
and Melbourne. She covered the dis
lance between the two last named
ports in 60 days. In June, 1854, she
left; Melbourne for home with a large
and, valuable cargo of wool and $780,
900 in gold. The captain intended
to round Cape Horn on this trip, but
after passing Tasmania the ship
sprang a leak during a gale, and az
she listed with dangerous heaviness to
port, the captain beat his way north
ward to Tahiti, and Papate was safe
" reached, but the vessel had only
been kept a1oat by three weeks in
cessant pumping. At Papate the
ship wa pumped out and examined,
and the, leaks were found on both
sides of the ship, abreast the main
mast. Three hundred rivets were
knocked out and&renewed' before the
vessel was again ready for sea. When
the repairs had been satisfactorily
completed, the captain again set sail,
and this time safely reached London
in March, 1856. The vessel was
again overhauled, and the springing
Of the leaks was found to be due to
the keelson. which, instead Of being
made solid from end to end, was con-
structed in three u%nconnccted
lengths separated at: the fore, main
and mizzen bulkheads respectively,
and these bulkheads were found to be
far too weak to Withstand the enor-
NOUS strains set up. The defects
were remedied, and the vessel made
numerous voyages, principally be-
tween Philadelphia and New Orleans,
and was finally stranded in the north
west Providence channel. More than
30 salvage ships undertook to refoat
her. but as they demanded a payment
Of 100000 before, commencing oper-
ations-a sum considered prohibit
lively excessive-her captain aban-
doned her, and she rapidly becamea
total wreck.