FAMOUS CLIPPER SHIP

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 April 1928, Page 9

FAMOUS CLIPPER SHIP

MINERS FOR GABRIEL’S GULLY.

The discovery, near the Yarra Street pier, Geelong, by the dredge Thomas Bent, of portions of the clipper Lightning, which was burned off the pier in. Octobei, 1869, revives interest in that famous clipper, and her connection with the early history of Victoria (writes F. W. Hosken, in the Melbourne “Argus”l. The Lightning was built in 1853 by Donald Mackay, an American shipbuilder, to the order of James Baines, of the Black Ball Line, at a. cost of £30,000. Of 3500 tons burthen, she was 244 ft. long, with a beam of 44ft. and a depth of 23ft. She has been described as “one of the sharpest ships ever launched.” Her spar and rigigng measurements were tremendous, and when under all plain sail she spread 13,000 yards of canvas. She was provided with iron water tanks, holding 36,000 gallons of water —a novelty at that time—and her accommodation for passengers was an improvement on anything attempted before. On her maiden voyage across the Atlantic she mad the greatest 24-hour run ever accomplished by a sailing ship, viz., 436 nautical miles. She also held the record for the second greatest run, viz., 430 miles on her trip' to Australia, in 1857, averaging

more than IS knots an hour. Her first captain was the famous “Bully” Forbes with the almost as famous “Bully” Bragg as mate. “Bully” Forbes is the original of the “Hell or Melbourne” story. On one of his outward passages his scared passengers sent a deputation to him, beseeching him to shorten sail, and to his curt refusal he added that it was a case of “Hell or Melbourne.” The clipper Red Jacket was launched only a few days before the Lightning and the two vessels had an exciting race across the Atlantic. The Red Jacket made runs of 413, 374, 343, and 300 miles a day, as against the Lightning’s 436, 328, 312 and 306 miles. The two clippers arrived in Liverpool on the same day, their exact times being:—Rad Jacket —Sandy Hook to Rock Light, 13d. Ihr.; Lightning—Boston Light to Rock Light —l3d. 191 hr. The Red Jacket’s six days run of 2020 miles has only been beaten by the Cutty Sark, which, in 1876. ran 2163 miles in the same time.

SOME REMARKABLE RUNS. The Lightning’s first voyage to Australia was in 1854. She arrived off Sandridge (Port Melbourne) pier on July 31, 77 days from Liverpool, her best runs having been 348, 332, 329, 311 and 300 knots. Her return voyage was notable for the facts that she carried in her hold gold dust from Victorian goldfields to the value of £l,000,000, and that her sailing time between Melbourne and the Mersey was 64d. 3hr. lOmin. —a record for her class which was never beaten. “Upon her arrival at Liverpool her passengers told weird stories of ‘Bully’ Forbes having kept his station at the break of the poop, with a pistol in each hand, in order to prevent his scared crew from letting go the royal halliards.” This was Forbes’s last trip on the Lightning. He was transfererd to the ill-fated Schomberg, which was wrecked near Cape Otway on her first voyage to Australia. He was succeeded by Captain Anthony Enright, who had the Lightning for four voyages to Australia (1855-57). He was remarkably popular with passengers. He commanded the Lightning during the early years of the gold rushes, when all sorts and conditions of emigrants crowded outeoming vessels. That his ship gained the reputation of being “as good an example of the best-run firstclass emigrant ships as can be found” speaks volumes for his tact and gift of ruling men. He always insisted upon the owners providing plenty of music on board, and he also took a keen interest in the ship’s weekly newspapers. Copies of the Lightning Gazette are still extant, and they provide interesting reading’. Thus we have the following set of instructions to sailors desirous of learning how to dance a quadrille:—“Heave ahead and pass your adversary yardarm to yardarm; regain your berth on the other task in the same order; take your station in a line with your partner, back and a. fill, face on your heel, and bring up with your partner; she then manoeuvres ahead -and heaves all aback, fills and shoots ahead again, and pay* off -alongside. You then make sail in company until stern on with the ether line; make a stern board and cast her off to shift for herself; regain your berth by the best means possible and let go your anchor.”

AS A TROOPSHIP. In 1857 the Lightning was taken off the Australian trade and used as a troopship to carry reinforcements to India during the mutiny. Subsequently, with Captain Byrne in charge —Captain Enright having resigned his command in consequence of his wife’s ill-health —she returned to the Australian run. In 1562 she was specially commissioned to carry about 900 diggers from Melbourne to Port Chalmers for the gold rush at Gabriel’s Gully. The diggers gave the captain so much trouble that he put into the Bluff and compelled a number to disembark there. Seven years later, while she was alongside the Geelong pier loading wool, 4000 bales having been put aboard, a. fire was discovered in the Lightning’s forehold. From the first the ship seemed to be doomed, and it was feared that the wharf might catch fire. She had an anchor out ahead, and attempt was made to heave her clear of the pier, but the flames soon drove the crew from the windlass. However, on the mooring lines being cast, .she drifted clear and swung to her anchor, the whole forepart of the ship being in flames. The foremast which was iron, melted in its step owing to the heat, and soon went over the side. An attempt was made to scuttle her by the desperate means of bombarding her from two 32-pound-crs. To a modern gunner the result was astounding. ' At only 300 yards’ range most of the rounds missed the Lightning altogether. A few that hit her did more harm than good by giving the wind access to the tire, and thereby increasing its fury. After burning all day, the ship sank at sundown. There she has remained until disturbed by the buckets of a dredge.