The Republican journal., 1913-11-13
Clipper Ship Days Recalled.
Two Veterans of the Sea Identified with the
"Great Republic" Meet and Talk 1t Over
After Fifty Years.
(The Nautical Gazette.]

The Nautical GaZette.1
The Jersey City journal of Sept. 18th
produced an interesting picture of the
old clppership "Great Republic" with
portraits of Capt. Joseph LimeburDer,
Capt Thomas B. Luther and DR.. Lime
burner, son of the former captain. These
pictures were in connection with the fol-
lowing interesting story:
When Capt. Thomas B. Luther of 145
Clerk street, and DR.. Charles A. Lime
burner of 70 Danforth Avenue, met at
the latter's home, Thursday afternoon,
they met for the first time, though for
thirty-three years each had lived IN
Jersey City practically within half a
teresting is the fact that in 1862 Capt
Luther was sailor before the mast in
the big American four masted square
rugged sailing ship, the "Great Repub-
lic,' of which Capt. Joseph Limeburner,
father of DR.. Limeburner, was the COM
mander Furthermore. DR.. Limeburner,
himself year or two before, had with
his mother sailed with his father, Capt.
Limeburner in the same ship.
1t was through the acquaintance of
Captain Murphy with one member of
the Jersey Journal staff that Captain
Lulher's life story first came into the
Jersey Journal Office. Then another
member of the staff who knew DR..
Limeburner, noted Captain Limeburn-
er's name in the story, and knowing the
doctors father was a sea captain, the
rest was easy. The meeting was duly
arranged and proved as interesting as
anticipated. DIR. Limeburner in the
course of the conversation, said:
MY father, Joseph Llmeburner, was
the captain and part owner of the Great
Republic" She was at that time the
largest vessel afloat and was beauty.
l made one voyage on the 'tGreat Re-
ton, being then a boy something like
eight years old. This was my first trip
on the Great Republic. and my mother
was along with me on that trip.
"The exact year or time of the trip
do not remember, but l know that we
were bound for the Chincha Islands for
a cargo of guano. On this trip while in
the vicinity of Cape Horn We shipped
sea and We're obliged to put in at one of
the southern islands for repairs. The
island, l think, was one of the Falkland
Isles. We put in to this island while we
sent to Rio Janeiro for spars to repair
the damage to the vessel. This is about
the only trip that l remember aboard the
Great Republic.
'My father took charge of the big
clipper just after she was burned at her
dock in New York, and remained in
charge Of her until after the Civil War,
when she was sold to an English firm.
The new owners changed her name, and
while on her first trip, under the new
management she foundered. My father
had plotted many other ships but the
80 l.
ful venture. The 'Great Republic" was
A. Low, the head of the firm, was the
father of Seth Low, former mayor of
New York City.
'In 1855 she was a transport in the
Crimean war, and Captain Limeburner
was an eye witness of many battles.
During the latter part Of the war of the
Rebellion she was chartered by Uncle
Sam as a transport, and was used by
Gen. Butler in his Ship Island expedi-
ton. After the war Captain Limeburner
retired and went to his farm at Modena,
Ulster County, N. Y, where he later
became a mill owner. He resided at Mo-
dena until his death in December, 1885,"
DIR. Limeburner was born in the China
Sea, on board the Samuel RUSSELL" of
which his father was then captain. One
of DIR. Limeburner's most priced posses
sions is clipping from an English paper
from back in the early fifties, probably
the year 1855, which will give better
idea of what great ship the "Great
Republic" was. This is the clipping:
THE AMERICAN CLIPPER GREAT RE-
PUBLIC"
This gigantic vessel, partly destroyed
by fire soon after she was built, during
the great corfagrstio in New York,
having had her damage made good, ar
rived in the Thames on her first voyage
last week. having made the run from
New York to Scilly in thirteen days, and
beat up the Channel to Dover in three
days against heavy east winds which
have been prevailing. She is at present
exciting much interest, from her i'm
mense proportions and peculiar rig, as
she lies al her mooring off Purfeet.
There is nothing particularly different
in her hull as seen from the shore from
ordinary American clippers except her
length and the great sheer forwa from
the fore chains TO the fgurehead, but on
boarding her one is struck with her enor-
nous width of beam, which equals that
Of the largest battleship afoat, and one
of the great peculiarlties of the vessel
is her singular rig--she having four
masts and partaking of the quality of
both ship and barque. The topsails, in
stead Of being on the ordinary plan, are
housed, or divided in two: the upper one
of which can be reefed to half its depth
or sent down altogether. The yards of
the lower topsails are secured to the caps
of the lower masts by iron sings, and
have no further lift from that position.
She has large hurricane houses on her
upper deck, and just abaft the main
mast is roundhouse containing an en-
CINE of eight horsepower. This engine
does nearly all the heavy work Of the
ship--lifts yards, hauls on the braces,
walks up the anchor and assists in re-
ceiving and discharging the cargo.
''In consequence of her immense beam
she cannot enter either of the docks
here, and drawing with her cargo near
ly twenty-f feet, she is compelled,
from insufficient depth of water higher
up, to discharge her cargo in the Long
Reach; but it is intended, when that is