White Star Australian Packets
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1(,. , ·iuttlt.l trom The JottrruJl of l'omrttnl'l' ruul Shiprriru; 1',~1~(/niJih, 1 1 October 10, 194:!. WHITE STAR AUSTRALIAN PACKETS Extracts from a paper read by Captain E. A. WOODS - before - The Liverpool Nautical Research Society on October 3rd, 1942. No. 6. ~~ tr_aci~l~ the l~istory o~ ~,i\·erpuul \\"i~sou. the sou of .Joh11 \\"ilson shipping ·durmg; the oO s of last' \11111grn tion agent, of 'i-f, \\"a terlou~ l"l'llllll".V, one might sa:r that goi<J nmd. w:ls born in Li\·l'l"pool in 1~2-i. and its spell, has been the ea use 0~1 Apnl 2H. lH-f,) .• John Pilkill"ton's of. most of the tragedy and e,·il in ~•other. :ludith. di~·d at the ;~ge of th1s wo.-ld, and also of nea.-ly all ;J8. and 111 that yPar lw ami \\"ilso 11 its good and progress. l"Oilllllelll'Pd busilll'SS as shiphrokers 'l'he disl·onwy of g;old in .\.ustraiia in Prilll·e's Buildiugs, 2ti, :\"orth 1 was made by l<~dward H. Har .John-strPPt. - greaves in January, 1851, and tales Their first ad1·ertiseu sailing \l·ao.; of the fabulous fo1·tunes that were on Ft>lwnary 26. 18-lti. \l·hen tht'y ! being washed out of the gro11nd and loadPd the lu·ig ElizahPth for ~l01i~ being picked up in the shape of ll'ea I. In :\ ngust of thl• same n•m· nuggets of gold attracted large tl:ey mm·eu their office to 20. '\Vater numbers of emigrants from this str<'et. The following ~-ear thC'v were eountry. uespatch.ing ships to llostoil and Every man was anxious to get out New York. uud were agents in Live•·• to the goldfields to see11re a fortHHI' pool for Anwril'an-owned Yessels. as quil·kly as Jlossihle before the dig On .June 28, 1849. they first. adver gings we•·e worked out. BE"fore tised their " White Star Line of that diseoYery the emigrant ships Boston Paekets.'' as ln·okers for between Li \'erpool and A ustra I ia, ships. to New York, Xew Orleans, indeed between the whole of · t!JP Boston and Cbadeston. These were British Isles and Australia · wpre all· Amt>rican-owned ships. of a very poor type. · SHAREHOLDERS A five months' passage in ill ''entilated and overerowded 'tween ,J ames ('ham ht>I"S, WhO later deeks could only be compared to the hel·ame closely conuel"ted with the conditions in the old convict ships. firm, was at the same time advPrtis But, on the rush of emigrants to ing .Tames_ Chambers and Co.'s the new El Dorado, the trade at White Star J,ine of American and one bound become one of the mo!>t Australiau pac·kets from 61. Wat4.!.( important in the mercantile marine loo-road. with the same ships appea•·~ of the world. The time had llassed ing in his sailin~ lists as were in whe1i Gm•ernment regulations were Pilkington and "' ilson 's. .J a Ill PS C'ham hPrs was the eldest needed, as competition aHtomati son of Isaae Chambers. who appears <'ally imprroved the emigrant ships in the T>irPctorv of 1829 as a flour out of all recognition. ch•a IPr li,·ing i'n Bnl'lington-street. I .1 18-l-1 he is entered as a corn CHIEF EMIGRATION PO_RT broker at 26, J11venal-street. hut hy Everyone, naturally, was in a vio 1847 he seems to have retired from lent hurry to get out to Melboume, business and settled at mcoats, and they took passage in the ships Egremont, Cmnberland, though he which were noted for speed. continued to take an interest in ship Through the entt~rprise of the ship ping by investing his money in the owners of Liverpool in ordering White Star ships. new ships, Liverpool soon became On Sl'ptember 5, 18--1-8. Henry the chief emigration port in the Threlfall Wilson man-iPd Anne. British Isles, and Liverpool gained the eldest daughter of Isaai· a name for speedy passages. T)le Chambers. In 1853, both Isaa•' most prominent firms in the Liver and his son James were largr! pool emigration trade were Gibbs, sharp)JOlders in the newly-formed Bright and Oo., .Tames Baines, Pil White Star Line of A11stralian kington and Wilson, James Beazley Packl'ts. Isaac Chambers held and C'o., Henry Fox. )filler's and a half share with Wilson in two Thompson, and Fernie Brothers- ships. Da\·iu ('annon and Iowa. and l\fanv of these firms were brokers James Chambers ht>ld Pight sharP'! before ·being owners, ·and very often in the Ji'itzjames. In the RPd ,J a<·ke", the ships mentioned in theilr sailinJ;!; Isaac held 12 sharPs and .Janws fi,-, lists were chartered bv them. The In the Golden J•:.-a, Jsaac· hPid JJ owners of the White Star Line, and James four. whilst in the Mer .To~n Pilkington and Henry T~relfall maid, bsac held 12 sharPs. In the W.Ison. had started in the shiphrok Emma the majority of thP shares ing business as early as 184!). .Tohu \\"c•rp held h~· Pilkington's relations. Pilkington \vas born in 1820, t)l(> son His father. Christopher, hPid 16, his of ChristoJ>her Pilkington. a master uncle. Daniel. four. and his brother, mariner who founded the firm of Riehard. fonr. Their ship. the White Pilkington Bros. Ht>nry ThreJ,fall Star. was bought h~· them in .laHII:II'\', JH;}.j, a11d Pilkington a11d HI& hours. Iil six ua~·s she \\'ilson. held .J.3 shm·es in hPr. with eo\'Pred 2 020 milE's, though the Lightning 'made the world's l'P!'ord Hi1·hard Wright, one of lwr builders. ] 1oldiug the ot!wr 21. Wilso11, tlwre run of 4:J6 miles in cine day. Char ·ron•. had the strong tinam·ial ha('kin:,! tei·ed hv the White :--itar Line, on nl" his father-in-la". ami hrother-in her first \'IIYage to )felbourne she ·la\\'. Other sharPhol!leJ's lwsidPs made the p:issagl' out in 69 da,\·s 11 Pilkington's rl:'l<4tions "·ere Ceams hours, and reaelwd Li,·erpool in !:l a 11 d lkown, lsaa1· .la!·ksoH. Hallwad da,ys, making the roun<~ ,-o.-.·a/!e 111 a11d Lord. and \Y. I>Pnlpster. :j months and 4 daYs 1ncludmg a The first sailing of the White s:a,\' of 12 dn,vs ii1 p'Ori. Pilkiu:,!toll ~Star of Anst1:alian Paekets was on and- Wilson thPn honght her, and ~m·emher 2,j_ 1852, with the Tan in 18:)8 she made the pa~sagp fi'Oill tiv_,., · followed hy the DefencP in )Jelhonrne in 6i da:vs, thP f:P;test J•'ehrual.'Y, 1853. si nee 18.54. By this· ti111e " nn1_nhP1' of Lin~s Another famous ship of the Line were well estahlislwtl 111 thP Austra was the first -BhtP .Jac·ket of 1854. lian trade from Li,·prpool. ThP Chartel'l'd by Wilson in 1855. she most important were thP Eagle J,ine made a passage of 69 days to )fPl ~~f Gihbs, Bright and Co., Golden bonrne. [n 1860 she was bought for Line of :\[illers, Thompson; MersP,V the Line. The second Blue .T ac·kt>t Li11e of Cowil•: Scot and Roxbnrgh: was built in New Brnnswic·k in Li ,·erpool Blal'k Ball J,i ne of .Tames 1858. Botlt ships were lost hY fit·e Raines; Fox Line of Hen-ry Fox; _at sPa .and, curious!.'· enough.' both Li,·erpool Line of .John Starr rle ahout the same time and pla('e, 'Wolf; LiYerpnol Thistle· Line of thm1gh in differPnt year!':. The Xew Dunean Gibb: and the Australian Brnnswiek ship waF: .abandonPd on l-ine of Briee. F!'iend and Co. fii'P off ('apP Horn in )[an·h. 1864, On December 21. 185::\, .Tames whilst the . .-\inerican•built ship was ChambPrs married .Jane Gray, the hnrnt off the Falklands on :\Jarch 9, youngest daughter of .John· Wilson. 1869. Grove Road, Fairfield. at St. made the Stanley. · This In 185:3, the' Fitzjames Anne's Church, to Callao in .John Wilson was. in 1852, advertis passage from )lelbourne in!!; from ];J4, \Vaterloo-road as 34 days, and finished the round being passenger agent for Pilking voyage from Lirerpool to Ca11ao. in -ton and Wilson's White Star Line. cluding 23 days' stay in Hobson's On December 31, 1856 John Pil Bay, in 4 months and 22 da.'·s. kington retired from the firm to When the White Star Line came manage Pilkington Bros., and into existence, the sailing packets James Chambers, who had joined were fighting the early .\tlantic -the fi11·m that year, combined the steamers. The British and American two firms under the name of \Yilson tea- clippers were strennonsl,\" eom and Chambers. By this time the peting, as were the ''arions emigrant ·firm owned a nnmber of well-found firms to Australia. Passengers then, and speedf ships, such as the Carn as now, preferred to sail again in a t,vne, FitzJames, Arabian. Jrermaid, ship in which they had made a fast ~halimar, White Star and Golden and eomfortable voyage. :\Iercltnnt!l, Era. whose cargoes were carried swiftly A eompa1·ison of the priees paid and safely by some ships of a J,ine, for their ships du:ring the first four continued to make shipments b~· that ~ears of their existence is interest same Line.