A NOTABLE CAREER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 76, 26 September 1914, Page 11

A NOTABLE CAREER.

The death of Captain Archibald Currie in Melbourne recently icmoves another notable skipper from Australian shippingcircles. He first landed in AuetraJia in 1853 as an officer on a sailing ship, and i the following year he had command of a vessel. Realising the vast possibilities of ! the CommonwoaHh, he expended what capital he had in the purchase of a handy-sized sailer, specially designed for the carriage of rioe and Eaeftim produce, and traded to and from porto then barely open to Europeans. The Civil War Mt^ i Captaiti Currie an opportunity, forWso successful had he been with the pioneer , ship that he was able to purchase three or four more vessels like her, and began to trade between Australia and the East. By 1872 he had firmly established him&sif in Melbourne, and realising the inadequate trading facilities with India, he bought vetKcl after vessel on the berth for Calcutta, taking up horses for remount and other army purposes, and returning with cornsacks, woolpacks, and other Eastern products. One by one larger vessels were built, then came the evolution from wood to steel, which in turn gave place to the steamer. His fir^t steamer was the Bucephalus, and gradually ho got together a particularly fine fleet of bimilar class of vessels, such as Argus, Clitus, Darius (now. by the way, the West Australian. State-owned Kwi- j ntfna), the Euryalus, Fortunatub, Hymettue, Itonus, and Janus, which traded regularly between Australia, South Africa, and India. In 1913 Captain Currio sold j hit, fleet to the 8.1.5. N. Co., and retired from active business pursuits in earnest, j but right up to the end he maintained an, [ interest in aauticaj. pursuit*.