The clipper ship era: an epitome of famous American and British clipper ships, their owners, builders, commanders, and crews, 1843-1869Clark, Arthur H.
History
The clipper ship era: an epitome of famous American and British clipper ships, their owners, builders, commanders, and crews, 1843-1869
Clark, Arthur H.
Clipper ships -- Great Britain; Clipper ships -- United States
The _Marco Polo_, _Red Jacket_, and _Donald McKay_ ended their days in
the Quebec lumber trade, and the _Lightning_ disappeared from the
Shipping List in 1866. The _Champion of the Seas_ foundered while
homeward bound round Cape Horn in 1877. The _James Baines_ was burnt at
Liverpool in 1858, and her wreck was converted into the old landing
stage for Atlantic steamship passengers, few of whom probably realized
that they were walking over the remains of one of the grandest ships
that ever sailed the sea.
Of the British-built clippers, the first _Lord of the Isles_ built in
1854 was burnt in 1862. The second of the name, built in 1864 by Robert
Steele, of Greenock, was sold in France and became known as the _Paul
Albert_. The _Spindrift_ and _Serica_ were both wrecked in 1869. The
_Forward Ho_ was lost in 1881. The _Sir Launcelot_ was sold to a
merchant of Bombay and sailed for many years between that port and
Mauritius, and was finally wrecked in 1895. The _Cutty Sark_ was sold to
a merchant in Lisbon in 1895. The _Chinaman_ was sunk by a steamer on
the coast of China in 1880. The _Windhover_ was wrecked on the coast of
Australia in 1884. The _Falcon_ was sold in Australia, her name being
changed to the _Sophia Branilla_. She was wrecked on the coast of Java
in 1871. The _Thermopylæ_ is now a schoolship at the mouth of the Tagus.
The _Yang-tze_ was lost in 1872. The first _Guinevere_, built by Robert
Steele, in 1862, was lost in 1866, while the second _Guinevere_, built
by Randolph Elder & Co., in 1868, was sold in Norway. The _Ariel_ sailed
for Melbourne and was never heard from. The _Taitsing_ was wrecked on
the coast of Zanzibar in 1883.
The _Titania_ is the only one of all the old clipper ships that can now
be traced as in active service. She is owned by Madame Maresca, of
Castellamare, and sails under the flag of Italy, usually between
European and South American ports. A few years ago she arrived at New
York, and I was much interested in going on board of her, as I had known
the ship and her captain many years before in China. She appeared so
little changed that it was difficult to realize that nearly forty years
had passed away since I last stood upon her deck one bright June morning
at the Pagoda Anchorage, bidding Captain Burgoyne good-bye as he was
getting under way bound for London with new teas. Her spars had been
somewhat reduced and her rig changed to a barque, but the beautiful
India teak used in the construction of her hull, decks, and bulwarks,
with the polished brasswork of her rails, skylights, bells, and
capstans, blinking cheerfully in the autumn sunshine, seemed to have
paid little heed to the flight and ravages of time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account