GLD TIME CLIPPERS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 30

GLD TIME CLIPPERS

In a drawer where the dust and! refuse of time had collected a clipping from the .old "Sydney Telegraph" was unearthed a few days ago. It had been pasted on the back of one of the Union Company's schedules of sailings for the month of September, 1912. (In these days the Pateena, Arahura, and Mapourika used to run in the trade across Cook Strait.) The cutting deals with some of the fast passages made by clippers, and runs aa follows:—"In connection with fast passages the1 following performances in the good old days may be of interest: In the year 1856 the ship Red Jacket, outward bound to Australia, ran from 72 degrees east to 134 degrees east in eight days, averaging 334 knots per day. The ship Melbourne, now known as the Macquarie, covered 5129 miles in seventeen days, her biggest day's work being 374 miles. Probably the fastest sailing vessel ever launched was the Black Ball liner Lightning, 2093 tons register, which made a passage from Melbourne to London in 63 days. The ship James Baines, also belonging to the Black Ball line, in June, 1854, ran 420 miles in twenty-four hours. She had her main skysail set, with a fresh gale blowing, and passed other ships sailing under reefed topsails. This is, without exception, the longest distance covered by a sailing vessel in one day. "The ship Royal Charter was a famous 'heeler/ and was the first British ship fitted with double topsail yards. She carried a spread of 15,000 yards of canvas. Among other famous clippers of those days may be mentioned the Challenger,' Nightingale, Oberon, John Bertram, and Lord of the Isles. The last mentioned was built of iron. JThe first jressel gonstrueted. of iron