The History of the 1877 – 1899

In the mid 1870’s the owners and share holders of Aitken, Lilburn and Co, were looking to expand their fleet of . They had just finished the 1500 tonners Loch Vennachar and Loch Garry, but they were proving expensive with their unusual rigging and design features. The investors wanted a cheaper but no less capable version and approached David and William Henderson to fulfil their company’s needs. They wanted their new vessels to have the same level of luxury and safety as their premier liners, but not the expense of their construction. Thus James Lilburn and William Aitken placed an order for 2 nearly identical clippers in the 1200 ton range, the full rigged ships Loch Sloy and Loch Shiel. Other yards along the Clyde also produced 1200 ton clippers for the rapidly expanding Shipping Company.

The order was placed for the ships in late 1876 and the Loch Sloys’ keel was laid down soon after when space became available on one of the Henderson slipways. By August of 1877 the construction of the hull and deck fittings had been completed. After her first marine survey, the masts were stepped in and the rigging attached. By the end of October the Loch Sloy was all but complete. With her three masts towering high above the workers in the dry dock the final touches being applied to her interior preparations were made for her official launch. Lloyds marine surveyors conducted their second to last inspection of the hull and pronounced her 100 A1 and ready for launch.

The ships owners, local dignitaries and their wives gathered the occasion at D&W Henderson’s Yard No 178, at their Meadowside Shipyard in Govan on the 6th of November 1877. Amongst those in attendance was a Mrs McFarlane of Partick Glasow, she was wife of one of the ship’s owners and had the privilege of naming

Kilmore Free Press, Thursday 7 February 1878. and launching the Loch Sloy. The day came off perfectly and Lloyds conducted their final survey of the a few days later. Accompanying the inspectors were James Lilburn and the ships new captain, James Horne who was happy to receive the ships certificate of seaworthiness. The ship was pronounced 100% A1 and soon after her owners had placed advertisements scheduling their intention to send the new ship to at the end of the month. As was often the case it took longer to load the ships hold that had been anticipated and the vessel finally left the Tail-‘o-the Bank anchorage on the 4th of December bound for loaded to the gunnels with passengers, cargo and crew. After a relatively slow journey, Captain Horne managed to bring his ship through the Heads and into Port Phillip Bay on the 8th of March 1878. The Loch Sloy sailed up through the south channel and reached the anchorage on the evening of the 9th. Her passengers were not lightered off until early the next morning. After the passengers had left the ships load of gunpowder was unloaded as she sat at the outer mooring in Hobson’s Bay. By the

The Argus, Monday 11 March 1878 afternoon of the 11th of March the Loch Sloy had been towed into the bay and was soon after tied up to the Railway Pier at Williamstown. After clearing customs and paying harbour fees Captain Horne ordered his crew to being unloading the vessel and consigning her cargo to the dockside warehouses. Such was the impression made by Captain Horne upon his passengers that they took out an advertisement in the Argus, complimenting him on his skill as a sailor and his treatment of those under his care.

The first cargo carried by the Loch Sloy on her maiden voyage was a truly varied affair; 370 tons of pig iron, 1136 cast-iron pipes, 1300 drain pipes, 350 gutters and 130 bundles of gutters, 794 camp ovens, 72 boilers, 21 furnaces, 5 cases of galvanised iron, a variety of pots, pans and iron kitchen ware, 54000 fire bricks, 567 sewing machines, 6400 slates, 206 casks of red lead, casks of bleach, soda, grease and oil, 106 cases of coffee essence, 200 cases of brandy, 76 hogs heads of ale, 1200 casks of bottled beer, 1800 cases of whisky, packages of tinned fish, clothing sail cloth, haberdashery, books, paper, stationary, 10 bales of woolpacks, packets of bibles, electroplate, paraffin lamps and other miscellaneous items. This cargo was quickly unloaded and the ships crew given shore leave. The crew were contracted to return to aboard the vessel and would be glad of it once they had thrown away most of the £18 they had earned on the trip out. It wouldn’t be long before the crimpers had managed to spirit away a few of the less experienced or less canny sailors of the Loch Sloy.

The Loch Sloy’s voyage was without major mishap, a sign which augured well for her future in the eyes of her superstitious crew. The ship was delayed in leaving the Clyde by adverse winds for almost a week, finally departing via the North Channel on the 10th of December. She passed Rothesay Bay where again she was delayed by headwinds and from there until Hobsons Bay it was another 84 days. The Loch Sloy passed the island of Madeira on the 2nd of January and soon after the N.E. trade winds were picked up as she cracked on south towards the equator. Fair winds were encountered for the next few weeks as the equator was crossed on the 14th of January and the line of Greenwich on the 2nd of February. Just 5 days later as she picked up the sou’easterly trades the Loch Sloy slipped by the Cape of Good Hope and headed into the Southern Ocean. The normally ferocious winds held off for much of her trip across the vast icy seas. Captain Horne kept the ship in the upper Roaring 40’s for much of this part of the trip not wanting to risk the vessel until he had a full measure of her capabilities. The ship made slow progress against variable winds until she sighted the Otway light on the 7th of March, finally passing through Port Phillip Heads on the following day.

The Loch Sloy arrived at the height of the worst drought in colonial history. As each Loch liner arrived and the crews unloaded their precious cargos the captains learned that the current wheat crop and wool clip was not going to be enough to fill the holds for most clippers return trips to Britain. Despite this James Horne was determined that he would try to fill the ships hold with a viable cargo. In the interim he made sure the crew was kept busy painting and maintaining the ship in readiness for an early departure. On the 13th of April 2 days after the Loch Ness had left for India, Captain Horne and most of his crew attended the funeral of one of the Loch Ness apprentices, John Stewart, who had fallen into the Loch Ness’ hold while loading supplies. Young Stewart was killed in the fall and the coroner pronounced his death as accidental. The Loch Sloy’s crew and many others from the other Loch liners in harbour at the time followed the funeral cortege as it made its way to Williamstown Cemetery where John Stewart was laid to rest.

The boys death and the lack of meaningful activity saw many of the crew of the Loch Sloy saw a number of the crew abandon their duties to the lure of the shore side taverns, pubs and brothels. Captain Horne settled his ships accounts at the Railway Good Shed in Spencer street on the 18th of April having received word from the ships managers that in the absence of viable cargoes coming out of Melbourne, the Loch Sloy and the other ships of the were to proceed to India to pick up a cargo of wheat and barley, both much in demand and commanding premium prices back in London at the Grain Exchange. However the crew’s lackadaisical attention to duty cost James Horne a morning at the portside magistrate’s court in Williamstown when he was summonsed to appear. Earlier in the days immediately after John Stewarts funeral portside inspectors had discovered that no watch was being kept aboard the ship in the early hours. At his court appearance on the 16th of April James Horne was fined the princely sum of £5 2s 6d for failing to keep a proper watch aboard ship while tied up at the Railway Pier. In his defence Captain Horne stated that it was his crewman who was at fault but the responsibility still lay with him.

After a fruitless and frustrating time ashore Captain Horne was happy to way anchor on the 23rd of April 1878, when the Loch Sloy was hauled out to the inner anchorage in Hobson’s Bay. After a day

ss Resolute, Hobson's Bay. making final preparations Victorian State Library. to get underway, the vessel was towed out her hold filled with ballast, bound for the port city of Calcutta. Early on the morning of the 25th the steam tug Resolute towed the Loch Sloy to the heads where she met the pilot who then guided her out through the treacherous channel and out into . From there Captain Horne and his crew guided the ship onwards to India. Almost every other Loch liner followed or preceded her. Amongst those headed north were the clippers Loch Tay, Loch Rannoch and the Loch Vennachar.

By the time the Loch Sloy arrived disaster had already struck much of the Loch line fleet that had been in Diamond Harbour, Calcutta for some months. In the previous months a horrible plagued had torn through the city killing tens of thousands of Indians and hundreds of ships crews. The Loch line crews has suffered dozens of deaths, and amongst those taken by Typhoid, Typhus and Yellow Fever were Captain Robertson of the Loch Vennachar, Captain Inglis formerly of the Loch Tay and now former commander of the Ben Macdhui, and Captain Ross of the Loch Rannoch. Captain Horne kept the Loch Sloy in port just long enough to fill his vessels hold with several thousand bags of wheat and barley, bags of rice, barrels of oil bales of jute and flax and a variety of specialist imports from the markets of Calcutta. Several crew members were lost on this stop over, but were soon replaced with seaman anxious to leave the squalid, disease ridden Calcutta waterside. After more than two months in Calcutta the Loch Sloy set sail for London, upon arrival the captain and crew thanks their stars they had survived.

George’s Dock, Merseyside c1875 streetsofliverpool.co.uk/221/church-street-4/

The shipping community was in shock at the high number of experienced ships masters lost in the Calcutta fiasco, James Horne was one of the lucky ones and his handling of the crisis only enhanced his and the Loch Sloy’s reputation for safety and reliability. Captain Horne had his ship thoroughly cleaned and all linens and bedding replaced after they had rotted in the humid tropical atmosphere found in Calcutta. After the ship was cleaned and resupplied she set sail for Liverpool where the Loch Sloy was pulled from the water to have her hull cleaned and painted. Sails blown out on the trip round the Horn were replaced and the clipper was tied up in the Merseyside docks awaiting fresh cargo and crew to be loaded ready to set sail before the New Year. James travelled home to spend Christmas with his family. Arriving back in Liverpool the day after Christmas James Horne readied his ship for sail. His officers had filled his ship with a fresh cargo of hardware a dozen of first class, and 7 second class passengers, many migrating to Australia to start a new life.

Freshly painted, the Loch Sloy was hauled away from Georges Dock, Liverpool on the 27th of December Tuskar Rock, Ireland. 1878 and towed down the Mersey www.pbase.com/image/112182788 and into the Irish Sea. The vessel passed Tuskar Rocks on the 1st of January crossing the equator on the 25th of January and finally dropped anchor in Hobson’s Bay on the 25th of March. Her journey through the Irish Sea was beset by ferocious winter storms for much of the early trip. However once into gentler latitudes, fair winds and fast daily passages were the norm. A full suite of sails was kept aloft for most of the trip, it only being furled as the ship entered Bass Strait in tricky winds. The trip from the Mersey mouth to had taken just 87 days, Captain Horne having taken the Loch Sloy deep into the Roaring 40’s to hasten the trip across the Southern Ocean. She was stopped in her tracks four days from Cape Otway by light and variable winds which frustrated both passengers and crew. Those passengers lightered ashore once the Loch Sloy had moored in Hobson’s Bay included; Mrs Allen, Miss Jessop, Florence Jessop, Mrs Rennie, Dr Joseph Waterfield (acting as ships surgeon), Messrs Hugh Lyon Playfair, Michael Fox, and Justin Suchlich, there were 7 passengers in the mid-deck cabin. Filling her hold was a cargo of pig and bar iron, machinery, hardware, bulk and bottled beers and spirits, soft goods, foods stuffs, and chemicals. The noted part of the cargo that was last to be off loaded was the entirety of a dismantled bogey engine for the Victorian Railways. The clipper finally tied up at the Railway Pier, Williamstown on the 26th of March 1879.

Illustrated Australian News Saturday 12 April 1879 It took but a few days for the local stevedores to empty the hold of the Loch Sloy and reloading of the ship began almost immediately as much of the deadweight of the hold had already been filled before the clipper had ever arrived. Captain Horne planned to be underway by early May and gave his crew limited leave to enjoy the delights of Port Melbourne. Amongst the more unusual cargo unloaded from the hold of the Loch Sloy were five racehorse destined for the tracks and studs ss Victorian. around Melbourne. The initial State Library of cargo was quickly loaded but filling the final spaces on the ‘tween deck was taking time as the ships agents looked for shippers to fill the clippers hold. The Loch Sloy’s departure date was listed as the 31st of May, but delays in loading pushed it back into June. Finally the last of the Loch Sloy’s cargo, a load of Kapunda copper transhipped from the coastal steamer Victorian from was placed into the clippers hold and preparations for finally getting under way began. Final loading was completed on the 5th of June and the last passengers boarded the ship on the afternoon of the 6th. The early on the 7th the Loch Sloy was towed out from her mooring in Hobson’s Bay by the steam tug Albatross and cleared Port Phillip Heads by 9:00 am on Saturday the 7th of June 1879.

After a slow and at times frustrating voyage the Loch Sloy finally dropped anchor at Gravesend on the 30th of September 1879. Her journey punctuated by light and variable winds and storms whilst traversing Drake Passage had taken 112 days. The Loch Sloy had been posted as overdue in London so it was a huge relief to all in Glasgow when she finally passed the Mucking Light on her way up the Thames. Upon arrival in London James Horne and the crew learned that the Loch Tay had been rammed whilst moored at Gravesend by another clipper. Her forward bulk head and bow plates had been badly dented and her foretop mast and jib-boom were torn away but neither vessel took on any water. After discharging his cargo of wheat and wool, Captain Horne took his vessel home arriving in Greenock a month after anchoring in the Thames.

By early November the Loch Sloy and her Captain were back in Glasgow preparing to make another trip south in time to catch the last of the southerly trade winds. James Horne had enjoyed a brief visit home to see his wife and children but like most others it was too short for his wife Margaret and their two children. The clipper finally slipped her moorings and was towed out into the Clyde Channel on the 4th of November 1879. After a quick run out the Loch Sloy passed through Port Phillip Heads on the afternoon of Wednesday the 21st of January, 1880. Having spent Christmas at sea the passengers and crew were anxious to get ashore and celebrate the New Year in comfort. Arriving at the outer anchorage passengers had to wait until morning to be lightered ashore. The anxious crew were glad to see the clippers’ load of gunpowder taken off thus allowing them to finally tie up at the Sandridge Pier, Williamstown. Passengers who had made the trip south included; Mr & Mrs Lindsay Paul and their six children, William Gardner, William Morrison, John Brown, Robert Conan, Alex Gallaway, George Birrell, and Dr R.F. Irvine who had been taken on as ships doctor. Aside from the first class passengers the Loch Sloy brought to Melbourne another 35 people in second cabin and steerage.

Such was the appreciation of the passengers for the service provided by the crew of the Loch Sloy, they published an open letter in Argus. The Loch Sloy left the Tai of the Bank on November 6th and passed Tuskar Rock on the 9th. She made slow headway in variable winds until the ship had passed the Cape Verde islands. The winds were light and unreliable so progress was exceedingly slow as she approached the doldrums where the clipper spent several days becalmed. The ship picked up the south east trade winds and finally crossed the equator on the The Argus Friday 23 January 1880 4th of December. The light conditions and slow progress continued as the Loch Sloy crossed the Tropic of Capricorn on the 14th sighting Tristan D’Acunha soon after. By Christmas eve the clipper was racing well south of the Cape of Good Hope ahead of an approaching Southern Ocean hurricane. In an attempt to make up time Captain Horne kept up a full suite of canvas as the Loch Sloy ran before the storm front. However as the storm hit Captain Horne reefed almost every sail. All through Christmas Eve and on until sunset of Christmas day the passengers of the clipper had to suffer atrocious conditions as the decks of the ship were swept howling winds and rain with huge waves sweeping across the open decks as the vessel raced before the storm. The raced westwards under bare poles making 216 nautical miles in just 24 hours like this. Those poor souls in steerage were locked down below decks for the period of the storm and Yuletide celebrations had to be postponed until the weather abated and the fires in the galley could again be lit and warm meals prepared. Captain Horne ran his easting down on the 45th parallel with strong westerlies all the way. The ship passed the Croxets on New Years eve and the Otway light on the night of the 20th of January. As the Loch Sloy dropped anchor the next day the passengers and crew were mightily thankful to the crew and especially the Captain for his skill in bringing them safely through the storm and into the safety of Hobson’s Bay.

Tied up at the Sandridge Pier the ship was quickly unloaded and her crew given leave to go ashore. Agents for the Loch Sloy quickly arranged for her waiting cargo of wool and wheat to be loaded. The damaged sustained in the storm was quickly repaired and the torn sails and rigging replaced as she was tied up alongside the Railway Pier. Captain Horne notified port authorities that his ship would be leaving on the 23rd of March, but knowing the vagaries of wind, tide and human weakness this date was not a certainty. Loading was completed on time, and the passengers boarded on the afternoon of the 1st of April just before the clipper was hauled out to the outer anchorage. The Loch Sloy finally slipped through the Heads early on the morning of Saturday the 3rd of April 1880 headed for London her hold brimming with wheat, flour, wool and other colonial products. She arrived safely at Gravesend on the evening of the 24th of July after a safe and speedy trip back home. While in London James Horne slipped home for a few weeks before once again taking the Loch Sloy north to Glasgow to begin loading her again. So by mid august she was tied up in the Clyde near Greenock awaiting her new consignment of passengers, cargo and a new crew.

The Loch Sloy left the Tail of the Bank on the 3rd of September in light winds and had to be towed all the way to the Isle of Mann from where in a light sou’westerly she slipped through St Georges Channel on her way to Australia. In the frustrating conditions she finally passed the Tuskar Light on the 7th of September. She slipped quickly by Madeira and the Cape Verde islands were sighted on the 22nd. The fair winds and seas continued all the way across the equator on October 6th yet the ship struggled to locate the south-east trade winds. Finally the Loch Sloy picked up a good breeze well south of the equator after

Tuesday 30 November 1880 The Argus lolling about in the doldrums for some time. Far west of his hoped for course, Captain Horne scraped along the South American coast without tacking until he began the run east. Tristan D’Acunha was sighted on the 23rd of October as he took the clipper into the Roaring Forties. He made his easting on the 43rd parallel and passed the Croxets on the 6th of November. Strong southerly winds sent the Loch Sloy scudding across the Southern Ocean, as she passed the Otway light 81 days out from Tuskar. Heading into Port Phillip Bay after a near record run the vessel encountered strong Nor’east winds which delayed her passage through the heads. It was during this delay that a second cabin passenger, William Inglis, 21, from Edinburgh died suddenly on the 22nd of November, and was buried at sea. Port Phillip Heads were finally entered on the 29th and the Loch Sloy moored at the outer anchorage while her passengers were lightered off and her load of gunpowder unloaded. She came out with a full set of passengers in all classes and a hold filled with general cargo. To show their appreciation for a job well done several of the first and second class passengers published a letter in the Argus.

The following day on the 30th November 1880 the Loch Sloy was hauled in and tied up at the Sandridge Railway Pier and began to discharge her cargo. Captain Horne and the crew continued to discharge and receive cargo in the adjacent warehouses while the ships agents, Alford & Co’ of William Street, Port Melbourne, awaited the last of the wheat harvest and the Queensland wool clip to arrive from the inland Murray-Darling river ports. There were several delays in loading the ships cargo and the boarding houses along the water front geared up for a festive season in December’s growing heat. The east coast had produced a bumper crop of wheat and wool and more ships than were available were needed for the vast quantities of produce. Such was the size of the cargo that the Loch Sloy’s departure date was pushed back from early December to the 7th of January 1881. The departure date kept being pushed back as her hold was crammed full of wool. There was a growing tide of opinion that the wool sales in London would turn a fine profit for the first ship to arrive with the current high quality wools being sent to Britain.

Booked for passage aboard the Loch Sloy in the Saloon were just two passengers, John Hunter, and John Gilmour Thompson. They and the crew of the clipper were glad to finally escape the blistering summer heat as the ship slipped her moorings and was hauled out into Hobson’s Bay on the 14th of January 1881. Aboard the ship were 12 cases of wine, 60 casks of tallow oil, 2822 bags of wheat, and 4336 bales of fine quality wool. The clipper was towed from the anchorage by the steam tug Albatrosss and cleared the Heads at 7:20 am on the morning of Sunday the 16th of January heading into freshening winds and rising seas. After 103 days at sea the Loch Sloy finally arrived at Gravesend on 26th of April having missed the April sales, but just in time for the May auctions. However there was a wool glut and prices were down. Still there was a profit to be made.

Two weeks on the London docks saw the ship finally unloaded, fresh food and water taken on board and the vessel towed back down the Thames for her run north to Glasgow. Upon arrival in Glasgow during the last week of May the Loch Sloy was taken from the water to have her hull clean and painted in the Govan dry docks. The trip across the pacific and around the Horn had caused damage to her rigging such that sails, spars and topmasts needed repair or replacement. The clipper stayed in port undergoing repairs and had her fittings and cabins cleaned and painted. She stayed in port for more than two months, finally leaving Greenock on the 4th of August 1881. The trip down the Clyde was beset by foul weather from the start, and such was the tempest she sailed into at the head of the firth that Captain Horne decided to take shelter in Lamlash Bay anchoring there on the afternoon of the 5th of August. During the age of merchant sail Lamlash was among the most renowned Harbours of Refuge in Britain. Ships would return from hundreds of miles out to sea to seek shelter here. The Loch Sloy set sail again on the morning of the 6th making fast passage down through the Irish Sea, and passing Tuskar on the 9th.

The fast passage south continued Ships Sheltering in Lamlash Bay. c.1890’s. as the clipper skirted the African www.johnstonsmarinestores.co.uk/wp- content/uploads/2011/05/sailing-ships1.jpg coast. Madeira was sighted on the 19th as the weather warmed. Crews took the opportunity to affect repairs from damage caused by the storm and began a programme of painting that would continue on the long run south. Captain Horne set a full suite of sails as the Loch Sloy caught the Nor ‘East trade winds. The steady breeze carried her well into the tropics until she was becalmed somewhere near the 14th parallel. Thence the vessel and her crew sweltered under the intense tropical sun as she drifted slowly south for more than 200 nautical miles. Eventually she fell in with the monsoon and filled her sails and water tanks with sweeping tropical rains. The Loch Sloy finally crossed the equator on the 9th of September and again picked up the sou ‘east trade winds that carried the Loch Sloy forth until the Tropic of Capricorn where once again she was becalmed for three days.

The run south around the Cape of Good Hope began with freshening but unreliable winds that forced Captain Horne to constantly adjust sails and course the stay with the freshest breezes. He pushed his ship south crossing the meridian of the Cape on the 9th of October, and Cape Leeuwin on the 31st. Before this the Loch Sloy was caught in a violent storm as she ran her easting down along the 43rd parallel. The ship, her passengers and crew were beset by violent rain squalls, and huge waves that swept across the clippers decks. Following the storm, during which the ship made excellent progress even under shortened sail, the Loch Sloy was just as suddenly becalmed as she passed under . For the next 5 days as Captain Horne attempted to take his vessel into Bass Strait he found his progress frustrated by contrary easterly winds. Finally she passed The Heads on the 11th of October 1881 and dropped anchor at the outer moorings of Hobson’s Bay on the 12th. After 98 days at sea the people onboard the clipper were more than happy to be ferried ashore at Williamstown. The crew of the Loch Sloy stayed aboard for three more days until her cargo of gunpowder was finally taken off.

Loch Sloy in full ships rig, c.1882. Malcolm Brodie shipping collection. State Library of Victoria.

The Loch Sloy finally tied up at the Williamstown Railway Pier on the 15th of November 1881 and immediately began to discharge her cargo into the waiting warehouses and railway cars. Tied alongside was the Loch Garry, a ship greatly admired by James Horne, and one he hoped to someday command himself. The time aboard the Loch Sloy was not always a happy one, tensions amongst the crew often boiled over into disobedience, violence and even mutiny. Whilst in port the chief steward was caught stealing 3 bottles of whisky from the cargo. At the magistrates court in Williamstown Captain Horne had Gilbert Jones charged with larceny when it was found he had the three bottles in his lazaretto. Found drunk onboard he was locked up then handed over to police. The case was thrown out when it was found out that Mr Jones had intended to pay for the whisky with his earnings from the voyage, a whole 2s 6d. On the same day, a seaman from the Loch Sloy, Alexander Mclean was charged with disobeying an order from the chief mate. The mate was little liked by the crew and he was want to bully them when he had the chance. Tensions between the two men came to a head when Seaman Mclean refused to help bring in the anchor. After repeated refusal the mutinous sailor was locked up below until taken ashore in Melbourne. The magistrate found him guilty and sentenced Alexander McLean to 14 days imprisonment with hard labour. He was then placed back aboard the ship for the long voyage home.

Old Pier Portland showing S.S. Flinders & S.S Dawn & sailing vessel Eliza. State Library of Victoria It was hoped that the Loch Sloy, along with the other Loch liners, would get away in a timely manner in time for the February wool sales in London. The Loch Vennachar was first away much to the annoyance of the other captains. However she was the premier ship commanded by the commodore of the Loch line fleet and thus entitled to be first away. Delays in loading meant that the Loch Sloy was delayed. The SS Dawn finally arrived in Hobson’s Bay on the 29th of November with a huge load of wool which was then transhipped to a variety of sailing vessels, including the Loch Sloy. The Dawn had come from Portland and Warrnambool and had been delayed by bad weather. December 12th came and went yet despite the advertised departure date, the Loch Sloy was still firmly tied up alongside the Sandridge Pier. Still further delays were encountered while the crew transhipped another load of wool from the steamer Nelson. This slow progress continued to frustrate James Horne who was anxious to get away before too many ships left before him. Each days delay was a drop in profits not just for the ships underwriters but for Captain Horne too. It was noy until the 18th of December 1881 that the Loch Sloy was finally hauled out. Aboard here were 5857 bales of wool all bound for the London sales. However she lay at anchor in the south channel until given clearance to leave on the morning of the 21st. An anxious James Horne was more than glad to at last be underway. Despite the delays James Horne anticipated a good run home. She was towed out towards the Heads by the steamer Rescue and finally left Port Phillip Bay at 9:30 am on Friday the 23rd of December bound for London. Her passengers and crew were destined for a fine summer time festive season as the Loch Sloy sailed into moderate to fresh east to north east winds and smooth seas, with seas surface temperatures of 26®c. After a tediously slow voyage of nearly 4 months, the clipper arrived in London on the 22nd of April 1882 and quickly discharged her nearly 6000 bales of wool in time for the May wool sales. She stayed in port for the fortnight it took to unload and then James Horne sailed home arriving at the end of May. The ship was cleaned, repaired and reprovisioned before being tied once again up alongside the Greenock docks. After only two weeks in port with a new crew the Loch Sloy was hauled out from the Tail of the bank on the 3rd of June 1882. Again contrary winds forced the clipper to seek shelter and she did not pass Tuskar until the 9th of June.

From Tuskar fresh and favourable winds pushed the Loch Sloy steadily south all the way to the equator. The favourable winds continued as she cross the line on the 8th of June and the clippers rapid progress continued as Captain Horne managed to catch the south-east trades down past Tristan D’Acunha where the vessel was struck by a violent South Atlantic storm on the 20th of July. Fine weather followed her as James Horne began his easterly run passing under the Cape of Good Hope on the 6th of August scudding along the 43rd parallel ahead of a series of south-westerly gales. These storms pushed the Loch Sloy through the Heads on the Monday the 4th of September 1882. The vessel was made to moor at the outer anchorage until her cargo of gunpowder was unloaded. Following this the 20 passengers were taken ashore by steam lighter. Amongst those onboard were a Mr Campbell and William Mitchell. The Loch Sloy was finally tied up at the Government Railway Pier, 94 days after leaving Greenock. The balance of her cargo was quickly taken off amongst which were hundreds of casks and cases of whisky, wine and spirits.

Problems between the Loch Sloy’s chief mate and her crew continued as yet another crew member Alfred Weddell was charged and convicted of refusing to obey the masters and mates lawful commands. The crew’s resentment of the Chief Mate was a pattern set to repeat itself for as long as James Horne supported his first officer. It was James Horne’s plan to have his vessel loaded and underway by the 31st of October, but as was often the case unexpected delays were the norm. Captain Horne had to front the Williamstown Magistrates court yet again on the 27th of September to act as a witness in the trial of Louis Osmondson, a stevedore’s labourer who had stolen two bottles of port as it was being unloaded from the ship. Captain Horne commented that pilfering of ships cargo was rife on the docks, and a ship’s captain had to make good any losses. Captain Horne brooked no thieves or malingerers aboard his vessels and made sure that the law was brought against those who disobeyed the rules. Henry Collins, second mate, proved that the theft had taken place, and the thief, an employee of harbourmaster Captain Ogilvy, was found guilty and sentenced to 1 month in prison.

The posted departure date came and went as Melbourne warmed to another scorching summer. The Loch Sloys final load of wool was transhipped from the ss Casino, from Portland and Warrnambool, on the 6th of November. The weather was fine and clear and Captain Horne hope that this would be the last of the delays. However a frightened and at times belligerent crew kept James Horne before the local police courts. The latest sailor to appear before the magistrate was a young Ordinary Seaman named John Frame who had jumped ship on the 22nd of September. He was arrested after being found working as a grocers boy in Williamstown. The judge sent him back to the ship with a promise from the lad that he would behave in future. Captain Horne attempted to have the boy’s grocer’s wages confiscated as restitution but the magistrate said this had nothing to do with it. The frustrations continued but the ships agents White, Alford & Co’ assured Captain Horne and the ships backers that the Loch Sloy would definitely get underway on the 15th of November 1882. Even on the eve of departure as the last of the cargo was being loaded a further delay when a crewman, Peter Sinnott, fell into the hold and broke his leg. He was taken ashore and sent to Melbourne Hospital.

Delays continued and frustrations and tension amongst the crew increased leading to further desertions from the stern discipline of James Horne and his officers. Yet another crewman, Able Seaman, Alexander Campbell was arrested and convicted of desertion. He was sentenced to 4 weeks imprisonment, an unlucky sailor as other had jumped ship and gotten berths almost immediately. The high rate of crew leaving the ship illegally was as much as a result of the constant delays as it was for the way the officers treated the crew. The Loch Sloy finally finished loading on the 21st of November as was towed from the Williamstown Breakwater into the fairway. There she anchored for the night as her passengers came aboard just before sunset. The following morning the clipper was towed out into the bay the steamer Albatross, and made her way to sea. The Loch Sloy and her rambunctious crew finally arrived in London on the 12th of March 1883 right on time for the wool sales. Her fine run of just 90 days was considered a near record for this notoriously slow clipper. Then upon arriving in Glasgow he was more than happy to pay outstanding wages and discharge his surly crew.

Again there was little time for James Horne to spend with his wife and children. Back in Glasgow the vessel was quickly loaded and her passenger accommodation quickly filled with immigrants desperately seeking a new life away from the grinding poverty of Glasgow and surrounding factory towns. The Loch Sloy set sail on the 30th of April and striking strong north easterly winds made rapid passage down St George’s Channel, passing Tuskar on the 1st of May. Amongst those headed to Australia were; Mrs White and her three children, and Messrs Murray, R.A. Cameron, T.K. Montgomery, J.R. Foggo, William Watt, William Smith, and the ships doctor, D.C. McIntyre. There were also 12 passengers in the mid-deck house and 6 in steerage. The ship passed the Otway light on the Saturday the 28th of July 1883, finally passing through Port Phillip Heads late Sunday afternoon. She reached the south Loch Sloy, Pier 1883. Victorian State Library. channel and anchored there until morning, when her passengers were taken off by steamer and her cargo of gunpowder lightered off. Two days after her arrival the Loch Sloy was hauled up to the Railway Pier and began discharging her cargo. There she sat for nearly two months awaiting a cargo that would not come. After waiting for more than 10 weeks Captain Horne received orders from the ships agents that he would have to sail across the bay to Geelong to take on a cargo of wheat and wool. Two weeks after arriving in Hobson’s Bay the Loch Sloy was towed into Geelong Harbour, arriving in early October and tying up to the Geelong pier alongside the Loch Katrine, the Hinemoa, and Lindfield. Other Loch liners such as the loch Vennachar also visited Geelong at this time. There she stayed for another month whilst the surplus wheat and wool was loaded aboard. It was the middle of December before the Loch Sloy’s hold was filled. The clipper was towed away from the Geelong Wharf by the steamer Williams and passed back through the Heads at 5:50pm on the 14th headed for London.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. LOCH KATRINE, LOCH SLOY, HINEMOA & LINDFIELD at GEELONG WHARF. State Library of Victoria.

After yet another arduously slow journey home the Loch Sloy dropped anchor off of the Mucking Light on the 7th of April 1884. The turn around time in Glasgow was just long enough for much needed maintenance on the rigging and hull of the clipper. She spent time in the Govan dock having her hull scraped and painted before once again heading out to sea. She passed through Port Phillip Heads on Monday the 8th of September 1884 and made her way into Hobson’s Bay via the south channel working against a stiff nor’ westerly and this further delayed her progress into the Bay. Having discharged passengers and her usual load of gunpowder the Loch Sloy was hauled up to the Government Railway Pier in Port Melbourne discharging and receiving cargo for the next few weeks. Whilst on the journey south part of the cargo, a stud Clydesdale stallion was killed during a violent storm and had to be hauled aloft and tossed over the side. It is unknown if the cook took his share of the prime cuts before the animal was given a watery send-off. With her hold almost full the Loch Sloy was hauled into the bight of the bay on the 25th of October, to make room for the ‘Ivanhoe’ that was towed alongside the Railway Pier to begin discharging her cargo. Captain Horne was awaiting the last of his passengers, cargo and crew to board before setting sail for London. As a result of the continuing drought and shore side industrial action the Loch Sloy stayed anchored in Hobson’s Bay until being forced to find and load cargo once again in Geelong. The Ships Painters and Dockers Union was notorious for being controlled by gangsters and their attempts to control the waterfront made life in the newly named Port Melbourne almost impossible for ships captains and their agents. The union was not so heavily entrenched in Geelong. The years 1883 to 1886 were very dry in the eastern colonies and the yields of wheat and wool were way down for all of this time. Thus the Loch Sloy was forced over to Geelong and there she stayed until the 7th of January 1885. A deeply vexed James Horne finally put his ship through the heads on the morning of 8th and headed to London with a poor cargo of 5700 bales of second grade wool and skins.

After a near perfect run of just 84 days the Loch Sloy was hauled into her Gravesend anchorage on the 29th of April 1885. After a short stopover in London, James Horne learned that an opening had come up within the upper echelons of the Loch line hierarchy. After 8 years of frustration aboard the notoriously slow Loch Sloy, Captain Horne had more than proved himself with a Loch Garry, Hobson's Bay. faultless safety record and State Library of Victoria. consistent profits. He had perhaps his best run home on his last trip as master aboard the clipper. Back in Glasgow James Horne left the Loch Sloy for the last time. He travelled to 80 Buchanan Street to the offices of Aitken, Lilburn & Co and then handed in the Loch Sloy’s logbooks. He was handed documents giving him command of perhaps the best clipper in the fleet, the 1500 ton ship Loch Garry. It was whilst in these offices that he met the Loch Sloy’s new captain, one John Mclean, a compassionate and selfless mariner, and former first officer of the Loch Garry. John Mclean had wanted command of the Loch Garry but it was thought by the company that the Loch Sloy would be a better ship as his first command.

The new frocked Captain Mclean took his new command south for the first time, his ship loaded with the usual Glasgow fare, pig-iron, iron pipes, heavy hardware, boards, beer and whisky. The Loch Sloy slipped through Port Phillip heads on the evening of the 22nd of September 1885, just ahead of the barque Wilhelm from New York. The new captain and his crew were mighty glad to make harbour safely, the latter half of the voyage as the Loch Sloy ran her easting down being marked by ferocious storms that drove the clipper at times under bare poles for hundreds of nautical miles. The ship was hauled in to the town pier in Port Melbourne to begin discharging her cargo. Captain Mclean had been to Melbourne many times before but never as a ships master so the whole experience had a certain novelty to it. It was while in port tied up alongside the town pier that John McLean showed his qualities. Shortly after midnight on or about the night of the 18th of October, Captain McLean awoke to cries for help. Rushing up on deck he discovered a man floundering in the water. John McLean immediately jumped overboard and dragged the unfortunate sailor back to the pier and from then to the Loch Sloy with help from the crewman on watch. This was not the first time Captain Mclean had risked his life to save another, he attempted to save a drowning boy in 1881, and later again he succeeded in saving a drowning sailor in 1884. His crew felt happy to have such a selfless and well respected mariner at the helm. Yet the new captain was still to really prove himself. After unloading her cargo the Loch Sloy was sent across to Geelong to take on a load of wool. She eventually filled her hold with 5000 bales of wool and just 1800 bags of wheat and flour. After such an eventful start to his career as captain John Mclean could only ponder what the return trip home, which began on Saturday the 30th of January 1886 would bring. The Loch Sloy almost immediately ran into a southern ocean storm as she cleared the Heads and was rapidly driven across the Tasman Sea by a blustery sou’wester. On board the ship was a very pregnant Helen McLean, and a single passenger, St. John Caws.

For a full account of this voyage you must read St John Caws journal entitled “Diary of the Voyage of the Loch Sloy – 1886”, to be found at http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/doview/nla.gen-f8032-p.pdf.

The iron ship 'Greta', 1249 tons. One of the ships owned by Lowden’s Fleet / J. Lowden and Co., Liverpool. State Library of .

The Loch Sloy arrived safely in London on the 26th of May 1886 after a very eventful and at times heart wrenching voyage of great joy and sadness. There she stayed right into the end of July awaiting orders. About 30 days out from Melbourne the Loch Sloy ran into company with the ship Greta under command of Captain Cassidy. On board was his very pregnant wife. The Greta pulled alongside the Loch Sloy signalling for assistance. The two vessels hove to and Captain Mclean and his wife rowed over to the Greta. Onboard they found a very ill Mrs Cassidy who was about to give birth. She was very ill and even with Helen McLean’s assistance she did in child birth. The grieving Captain asked Mrs McLean to care for his new daughter aboard the Loch Sloy, which she agreed to do. Later in the voyage, even as she was nursing the newborn, Helen McLean gave birth to twin boys. It was through the careful ministrations of Captain McLean and his crew that all three children were put ashore safely once the Loch Sloy arrived in London. On the 20th of February as the vessel headed for Drake Passage the Loch Sloy passed by two huge icebergs, sail had to be shortened as she passed through a fog bound ice field. It was whilst passing through these treacherous waters that the crew took note of the harrowing site as they slipped by a smashed ships bulwark painted white with a black railing and two days later they passed portion of a ships boat, black outside, white inside, floating in the water. The crew could only guess as to the fate of the mysterious wreck and those aboard her. In London a very grateful Captain Cassidy took back his daughter and she was placed in care of her relatives. Helen and John with their twins stayed aboard the Loch Sloy until she reached Glasgow.

Back in Australia the Royal Humane Society had attempted to reward Captain Mclean for his earlier efforts in saving the two sailors from drowning. He had already been awarded one society medal for his heroic acts in 1884, and now they wanted to add to his honours. However the ever modest and self-effacing Captain declined the offer of further acknowledgment of his brave deeds. The society however still made mention of his efforts and recorded their recognition of John McLean as a life saver and selfless individual in their records and published these in the Melbourne Argus for all to read. Still the media were waiting for him when the Loch Sloy passed the Otway light on the 21st of October 1886 at 11 am heading once again for Melbourne.

The Loch Sloy had left the Tail of the Bank, Greenock on the 24th of July, and was released from the steam tug at noon in the North Channel. The ship passed The Smalls light on the 27th and immediately ran into foul weather as she crossed the Bay of Biscay. The ship was struck by a sudden squall which carried away the jib-boom. Once across the Bay light and variable winds prevailed all the way to Madeira. The boom was replaced from stocks aboard the clipper but her passage was slowed somewhat as the crew affected repairs. The Loch Sloy passed quickly afore the north east trade winds, but they proved unreliable and it was some time before the monsoon winds were found. The clipper crossed the equator on the 24th of August, and from there the winds improved all the way to the 31st parallel. Heading south east the Loch Sloy hauled rapidly into strengthening westerlies as she passed the Prime Meridian and thence below Cape Horn. As she ran her easting down into the Roaring Forties the winds blew consistently from the west and rapid progress was made across the Southern Ocean. The Loch Sloy crossed beneath Cape Leeuwin and there her fortunes change and she ran full on into a developing storm which produced strong to gale force Nor’east to sou’east winds. Frequent rain and hail squalls dogged the ship all the way to Cape Otway making her easterly progress frustrating and slow. The winds once again swung north and west forcing the clipper past the Port Phillip Heads and she had to tack back from Cape Schank. Eventually conditions moderated allowing her to pass through the Heads on the 24th of October 1886, 90 days out from Greenock. The Loch Sloy made her way into Hobson’s Bay via the west channel. The Loch Sloys hold was filled with the usual Glasgow mix of pipes and pig-iron, hardware, whisky, beer and boards. Her grateful passengers expressed their gratitude for their safe arrival by taking out a letter in the Argus. Tying up at the Railway Pier Williamstown, the Loch Sloy’s cargo was quickly discharged and she began taking on early consignments of wool bound for London. The Loch Sloy stayed tied alongside the pier for some weeks awaiting fresh cargo. The kind hearted John McLean allowed his crew to celebrate the New Year ashore but it came at a cost to his own pocket. Shore police found his ship unattended in the early hours of a hot January night in 1887. Captain McLean was hauled before the Williamstown Police court and convicted of failing to set a proper wat5ch on the deck of his ship whilst in port. He was fined £2,2s.6d for his troubles. Loading continued all through January and the agents Sanderson & Co quickly filled all but the last few passenger berths for the run home to England. The 29th of January was the advertised departure date, but long time first officer Charlie Lehmann knew that this was being optimistic. While in port, John McLean received a telegram via the shipping agents that he was to take the Loch Sloy straight to Glasgow at the earliest opportunity. There was a shortage of grain within the country and a special order had been placed for nearly 4000 bags of wheat for the bakeries of Glasgow. Whilst is port Charles Lehmann, first officer under James Horne continued with his hard ways. Such was his stern discipline that Peter Mackay, an able seaman had jumped ship and was caught in a dockside tavern. He was hauled before the Police Court and charged with desertion. The compassionate Captain Mclean forgave the errant seaman and Peter Mackay promised not desert again and the magistrate dismissed the charge brought by Charles Lehmann. But unlike pasts seasons the Loch Sloy did manage to leave on time and sailed successfully to Glasgow arriving on the 21st of May, on board were the bags of wheat and several thousand gallons of Australian made wines. The freight rates offered by the Loch line were much cheaper than those of many other companies, their sailors working for just £5,6s a month instead of the usual £6 paid to other crews. Still margins were tight.

The turnaround in Glasgow was as brisk as ever and the Loch Sloy once again made her way from Greenock arriving in Hobson’s Bay on the 16th of September 1887. The clipper had left the Tail of the Bank on the 18th of June 1887 and quickly made her run down St George’s Channel, passing Tuskar on the 20th of June. Clearing the channel she quickly fell in with light and variable winds that left the ship running slowly across calm seas. As the ship slipped south towards North Africa, one of the passengers, J. Robinson from Northern Ireland died on Tuberculosis and was buried at sea. The nor’east trade winds were soon picked up and the Loch Sloy swept past Madeira on the 1st of July. These favourable winds continued as she crossed the tropics and made her run down the east coast of South America on her way to the Cape of Good Hope. The meridian of the Cape was passed on the 10th of August along the 43rd parallel. Three days later as she was running her easting down the barometer dropped sharply, winds picked up from all parts of the compass and Captain McLean immediately ordered both watches aloft as the Loch Sloy ran head on into an Indian Ocean cyclone which was travelling eastwards. Towards nightfall the winds became gusty as the tempest approached. The passengers were kept indoors and below deck, the nervous Captain and crew kept a baleful eye upon the approaching storm. As nightfall set in there was lightning in all its forms, chain, forked and sheet, the accompanying peels of thunder and pelting hail and rain squalls are enough to rattle the nerves of the most seasoned traveller.

For several days the ship ran before the storm, the easterly and south easterly winds drove the Loch Sloy from the 43rd parallel all the way north to the 38th, twice is less than a week. In fact from the 10th of August until the 1st of September the Loch Sloy was caught in the storm and tossed about the Southern and Indian oceans with never a strong westerly in all that time. On the 26th of August as the clipper was pushed north past the 41st parallel, the Loch Sloy passed a ship with her main top mast gone. Unfortunately the ship was too far away and the winds too strong to do anything to help the stricken vessel. However once the cyclone had pasted the Loch Sloy enjoyed an impressive run of strong following westerlies for the next 8 days, averaging more than 200 nautical miles each day. The meridian of Cape Leeuwin was passed whilst the ship cruised along the 44th parallel on the 8th of September. The dream run in near perfect sailing conditions came to an almost disastrous end when on the 14th of September the Loch Sloy was struck by a ferocious gale that roared down from the north-west. During one of the frequent squalls the lower top mainsail was ripped asunder. The next morning the winds swung around to the west and the clipper made

The Argus, Monday 19 September 1887. rapid progress into Bass Strait, passing the Otway light at 4:30am on the 16th. The Heads were passed on the 89th day from Greenock and after being cleared by quarantine and customs was hauled in and tied up alongside a discharge berth on the Railway Pier, Port Melbourne. The Loch Sloy came into Melbourne with a full hold and a fair number of passengers in all classes. The voyage was note for its enjoyability despite the trying conditions and such was the gratitude of the passengers towards Captain Mclean and his crew and took out a letter acknowledging the crews efforts and treatment of the passengers.

After discharging her cargo the Loch Sloy was towed across the Bay to Geelong to take on a load of wheat and wool. The slow recovery from the 85-86 drought meant that while there was plenty of grain, the sheep numbers were still well down so other cargos had to be sought for. Bulk export wines became a mainstay of the Loch Sloy’s cargo’s from Geelong. The ship finally cleared out from the Railway Pier and was towed to Corio Wharf on the 3rd of October 1887 by the steam-tug Pharos. Once there she began loading wheat and wool on the 6th. It was while in port that Government Steamer Pharos. State Library of Victoria. Captain McLean’s selfless and generally trusting nature was taken advantage of by a con-woman. The well dressed young lady arrived at the foot of the ramp leading to the Loch Sloy. She came aboard claiming to be looking for a ship to take passage to London. John McLean showed her over the ship and as she was leaving the lady exclaimed that she had lost her purse and had no way of getting back into town to do some shopping. The gallant decided to help her and lent the seemingly distressed young woman £2. She left promising to return and repay the money, but was never seen again. Police continued to hunt for the grifter who had been scamming people not just in Geelong but in Melbourne too. She passed through the Heads on the 5th of October and sailed east for London. Despite the loss of the money John McLean maintained his humane approach to people. The Loch Sloy finally sailed for London on the 11th of February 1888, aboard were a number of passengers in second class and just two in the saloon, Mrs. C. Kaufner and Miss McMillan. Within her hold were 3494 bales of wool, 5491 bags of wheat, 46 bales of scrolls, 58 bales of leather, casks of pelts, tallow, and wine. The Loch Sloy sailed back down the Thames on the 24th of May 1888.

Once back in Glasgow the Loch Sloy was cleaned and refitted with fresh sails after a rough trip home. Loaded deep with her hold was 350 tons of pig-iron destined to be turned into railway tracks and pins. Hidden amongst the ironware was a load of candied fruits and other confectionaries, this was in addition to her usual cargo of pipes, whisky, beer and floor boards. She was back in Melbourne by the last week of October 1888 and discharged her cargo at the new railway pier in Williamstown. The Loch Sloy stay tied alongside the pier alongside many of her fellow Loch liners well into February slowly loading her cargo. It was hoped that she would be loaded and ready by early March but there had been numerous delays as usual and John McLean wasn’t too confident that this season would be any different. As predicted the Loch Sloy did not get away from Hobson’s Bay until the 30th of March when she was towed out into the south channel by the steamer Pharos. She finally cleared the Heads with a full load of passengers and wool at 9:30am on Monday the 1st of April 1889 after an overly long stay in Melbourne. Cargoes were becoming harder to find as freight rates continued to fall as more and more shippers opted for the more reliable steamers. John McLean could see the writing on the wall. His children were growing up and he wanted to spend more time with his family. This could not be done while he was master of a clipper, spending as much as 11 months a year away from home. Helen and the boys had often travelled with John, but now that they were getting older Helen and the boys stayed at home. The Loch Sloy dropped anchor in the Thames on the 29th of July after more than 4 months at sea, and two weeks later sailed for Glasgow and home arriving in Glasgow on the 14th of August 1889.

After just 10 days in port, the Loch Sloy, having been loaded in near record time was again at sea. Time spent in port was money lost and a rapid turn-around meant higher profits in an already tight market. The clipper was towed from her moorings at the Tail of the Bank on August 25th 1889 and stayed with the tug until they passed St John’s Point on the 26th. The ship then passed the Smalls Light at midnight of the 27th and cruised comfortably in fine and variable conditions all the way to Madeira, Seas were light and the winds favourable as the Loch Sloy headed deep into the Atlantic as she began her run for the Cape. St John’s Point Lighthouse was established in 1844 The light and variable conditions continued had the primary objective of guiding ships safely until the clipper managed to capture the into Dundrum Bay. This Bay had a long reputation for being a ship's graveyard. http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Europe/United_Ki ngdom/Northern_Ireland/Do nor’east trades which then pushed her well south with stiff following winds. Inside the tropics the winds became inconsistent and variable as heavy tropical downpours regularly drenched the ship. Those aboard welcomed such showers as they gave all a chance to escape the stifling and humid conditions and allowed the crew the bath in fresh water and filled the ships tanks and rain barrels. Eventually the equator was crossed on October 1st, and the sou’east trades were picked up on the same day. The strong winds continued until the 25th parallel allowing the Loch Sloy to make her southing. The winds abated then shifted nor’west and continued like this for several days. Gough Island was passed during heavy weather on the 18th of October but then they fell away leaving the ship drifting along in light and variable conditions for almost a week. The meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was passed on the 25th of October as strong and steady westerlies pushed the Loch Sloy at great speed across the Southern Ocean. The extremely favourable weather conditions continued as she passed Cape Leeuwin but moving into Bass Strait the clipper was caught beam on by a northerly gale that threatened to push the Loch Sloy onto the rocky north coast of Tasmania. The crew had to contend with strong head winds as they attempted to get the Loch Sloy through Port Phillip Heads in foul and dirty weather. This they did on Tuesday the 26th of November 1889, just 92 days out from Glasgow. This was by far her best run under John McLean, but not one that would satisfy the ambitious young Captain. John McLean pronounced that in all his years at sea he had never experienced such a run of good weather, and in such conditions the Loch Sloy responded beautifully. She came into Hobson’s Bay on the tail of stories of damage and woe that had plagued those clippers that had arrived in the preceding weeks. Tales of damage and loss littered the dockside pubs and taverns so when the Loch Sloy entered into Hobson’s Bay in her usual good order there were many positive comments about the ship, her skipper and crew.

The Loch Sloy unloaded one more passenger than she had left with as a child had been born mid-voyage. The clipper carried her usual cargo of pi- iron, pipes, bricks, boards, whisky, hardware and beer. Her passengers were deeply impressed both the ship and their voyage out. They also thanked the Captain and crew for the gentle and cordial manner in which they were treated. There were 7 passengers in 1st class; Mr and Mrs Hepper and child, Messer’s A. Borland, T. Batey, T. Johnson, Dr. Hogan (acting ships doctor), and 9 in 2nd class. The Loch Sloy finally finished discharging her cargo on the 30th of December 1889 from the Railway Pier, Port Melbourne and was towed across to the Government Railway Pier at Williamstown to begin loading wool for London. The Loch Sloy was part of a large Loch line fleet that were all anchored in Hobson’s Bay ready to load wool after a bumper season. Lying at anchor were the ships; Loch Katrine, Loch Ness, Loch Tay, Loch Lomond, Loch Long, Loch Garry, Loch Moidart, Loch Broom, Loch Rannoch, Loch Sloy, Loch Shiel, Loch Etive, Loch Ryan, Loch Vennachar, Loch Torridon and the Loch Carron. After celebrating the New Years Day Life Boat Regatta with his fellow captains, John McLean planned to be away by the 10th of January. The summer was hot and his crew had blown most of their pay already. If he was going to keep the best sailors then he and Charlie Lehmann, the Loch Sloys first officer would have their work cut out for themselves. The clipper almost kept to her schedule, clearing out from the Williamstown pier on the 18th of January 1890. She was towed out into the stream in the afternoon where she anchored for the night. After receiving the last of her passengers the Loch Sloy was towed out to sea by the tug Pharos and passed through the Heads at 11:30 am that morning bound for London. There was however one major difference with this trip, a new master and commander. John McLean had suffered ill health for many years, suffering bouts probably of stomach ulcers or other digestive problems. The condition regularly laid him low for days at a time but he always managed to recover in time to take the helm. During the last voyage he had taken ill and upon reaching Melbourne had been placed into hospital to rest and recover. In his place, Charles Lehmann, the Loch Sloy’s long time first officer, (He had been in the role since James Horne had been in command.), was given command of the clipper. For some time the long suffering John Mclean had come to rely upon Charlie Lehmann and thus it was without hesitation that he endorsed handing over command to him. Upon recovery Captain Mclean gained command of the Steamer ‘Clitus’ on the 5th of April 1890. The ships former master Captain Arthur was forced to relinquish command by the ship’s owners, and John McLean took the steamer loaded with horses to the island of Mauritius.

Archibald Currie & Coy’s 2435 ton S.S. Clitus. State Library of Victoria.

Sailing out behind the Loch Sloy was the Loch Long, both headed for London and the race was on. The two ships sailed neck and neck all the way back to England and it was only a matter of hours that separated the two ships as they dropped anchor at Gravesend on the 28th of April 1890. Both made the May wool sales and each in turn then headed north for Greenock and home. Captain Lehmann was confirmed as the new master of the Loch Sloy but his other financial commitments meant that he made little if any personal profit from the journey. After an extended refit in Greenock where much of her rigging had to be repaired after a rough passage home and her hull cleaned and painted the Loch Sloy was scheduled to depart Glasgow on the 10th of August. Yet as was almost always the case she did not depart until the 19th, finally arriving on Thursday the 20th of November 1890.

The Loch Sloy arrived in Hobson’s Bay before noon with a full manifest and several passengers who were quickly lightered ashore. The trip to Melbourne had begun in adverse conditions with strong sou’westerlies and head seas making her passage south most difficult for all aboard. The clipper left the Tail ’O the Bank on the 22nd of August and almost immediately ran headlong into hurricane force west and south west winds which continued until after she cleared Lands End 6 days later. Strong cross seas continued until the nor’east trades were picked up along the 32nd parallel. Favourable northerlies continued until the Loch Sloy dropped into the tropics where they dropped

The ‘County Antrim’ aground on 90 Mile Beach, Gippsland away on September 10th, Lakes, Victoria, c.1897. leaving those aboard to State Library of Victoria. swelter and bake in the tropical heat just north of the equator. The ship ‘County Antrim’ bound for was fallen in with at 3 degrees north of the equator. The ships drifted for more than a week with little headway before the southern monsoon breezes were picked up and the Equator finally crossed on September 23rd. Light winds pushed the Loch Sloy and the County Antrim slowly south for several more weeks until they parted company at the 20th parallel. The meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was passed on October 24th along the 42nd parallel. From here the regular roaring 40’s came back to life and the regular Southern Ocean run was made along the 43rd line of latitude with trailing winds and high seas the entire way across. Cape Leeuwin was crossed on the 12th of November in light and variable winds with showers that continued on and off until the Loch Sloy finally passed into Bass Strait on the 19th and then through the Heads on the following day. She stayed in Port Melbourne through the blistering heat of late December, but departed quickly with a hold filled with a bumper harvest of 5600 bales of wool, machine parts, bales of leather, casks of tallow, 400 bags of tanning bark, and a similar number of bags of scoria. She along with her sister ship the Loch Long were towed from the outer anchorage and both passed through the heads, the Loch Sloy at about 10:30 am in the morning and the Loch Long at 3:00 pm on the afternoon of the 5th of January 1891. The race was on as the two vessels kept company for much of the first part of their trip east, the Loch Long bound for Rotterdam and the Loch Sloy for London. The Loch Sloy arrived after a slow trip on the 30th of April 1891 having kept pace with the Loch Long for almost the entire trip. Both vessels dropping anchor on the same day.

Quickly unloading her cargo Captain Lehmann sailed his clipper back to Glasgow ready for another run. He needed to cover his gambling and other debts and it was the commissions that he made on the voyages that were to do this. The quick turn around of the Loch Sloy meant that she was scheduled to leave Glasgow on the 2nd of September. It was whilst in port that the Loch Sloy underwent her greatest cosmetic change. In an attempt to save money, or more precisely cut down on the amount of unexpected expenses he had to cover Charles Lehman introduced a radical new way of rigging the 1200 ton ships that was to rapidly be adopted by most of the captains of this class of iron clipper owned and managed by Aitken, Lilburn and Co. Charles’ own financial predicament may have had something to do with his decisions but being an old hand on barque rigged vessels, he knew what he was talking about. The Loch Sloy slipped away from the Tail ‘O the Bank on the 7th of September at 7am. She was towed out into the channel before setting sail into light and variable winds for the first 8 days, making little headway. Once out into open ocean, light northerlies gently pushed the barque along until the nor’east trade winds were reached at which time her speed picked up. It took until the 15th of October for the equator to be crossed where the light a variable conditions continued until well south of the tropics. The slow and arduous voyage was frustrating for all concerned. The southerly trades were finally picked up on the 6th of November when the ship passed into the Roaring 40’s. She ran her easting down along the 44th parallel with moderate to strong winds and trailing seas pushing the Loch Sloy ever westward at a steady clip of 10-12 knots. The meridian of Cape Leeuwin was passed on the 26th when a strong nor’wester came down forcing Captain Lehman to tack lest he be pushed far off course. Eventually the winds swung round to the south-west becoming strong to gale force as the clipper passed within sight of the Cape Nelson Light at 6:30pm on the 4th of December. She quickly passed Cape Otway on the 5th and rounded the Heads later that same day anchoring in Hobson’s Bay that night.

Cape Nelson Light Station 13km south of Portland, Victoria. www.bonzle.com/c/a?a=p&p=236961&d=pics&cmd=sp&c=1&x=141%2E54358&y=%2D38%2E43065 &w=40000&mpsec=0

The Loch Sloy stayed in port for just a few weeks having quickly unloaded her cargo of general hardware. She was contracted by special charter to take a cargo of fine wool to Dunkirk, a destination that her current crew had not signed on for and one that would earn them little extra pay. She sailed out of Hobson’s Bay on the 13th of January 1892 her hold filled and her new destination a novelty for both the Captain and crew. The barque arrived safely in Dunkirk on the 26th of April where she unloaded her contracted cargo before sailing on to London and then to Glasgow.

She finally arrived back in Melbourne after an extended stay away, on Christmas Day 1892 having sailed in from Glasgow with an almost empty hold. It was becoming increasingly common for clippers to arrive in ballast as freight rates to Australia became cheaper aboard the steamers that took on average just 6 to 8 weeks to reach Australia via the Suez Canal. The Loch Sloy had left her Greenock anchorage at 4am on September 28th and entered the North Channel where she immediately sailed into the teeth of a howling sou’westerly gale. Hammered by the winds she was forced to heave to in Lamlash Bay along with many other vessels to wait out the storm. Other vessels were not so fortunate and several were wrecked before the tempest had passed. For almost three days she lay at anchor as the hurricane smashed its way across Britain. A fresh start was made at 6pm on the 30th of September and the Isle of Innistrahull was passed at 9am on the 1st of October as the Loch Sloy made for the clear deep waters of the North Atlantic. The barque cracked on south as she met freshening northerlies all the way to the 29th parallel when the wind swung around to the south west. The journey through the tropics was punctuated by freshening easterlies that then turned light and variable in stark contrast to the start of her voyage. She crossed the equator on the 2nd of November and continued south at a gentle pace until she entered the southerly trades as she passed beneath the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Lehman ran the easting along the 45th parallel in strong to gale-force sou’westerlies swinging to the north after a week. The captain hoped a quick passage across the Southern Ocean would allow the clipper to make up for time lost crossing the equator. High cross seas were encountered for most of the voyage, making for an uncomfortable passage for all aboard. Cape Leeuwin was passed on the 18th of December 1892 and Port Phillip Bay was finally entered after just 86 days from Greenock. The trip to Australia had not been without incident for on the 23rd of October a seaman named Bruce died of tuberculosis and was buried at sea. On the same day the German barque Duncraig from the Gulf of Bothania was passed 61 days out.

German owned barque ‘DUNCRAIG’, 927 Tons. Built at Glasgow. 1881. State Library of Victoria.

Tied alongside the railway pier at Williamstown the Loch Sloy began taking on a large consignment of wheat that was in high demand after poor harvests in England the summer before. Such was the time taken to load the many thousands of bags of wheat that the barque was still in port at the beginning of March. Her crew found idle time a distraction that led several to jump ship. One of those caught was the ships cook, William Rutherford who was caught ashore without leave by the Loch Sloy’s chief officer, Mr Jolley. Rutherford was arrested and hauled before the Williamstown Police Court where he was charged with being absent without leave. Mr Jolley had found Bill Rutherford drunk in one of the dockside pubs and had him locked up. Perhaps because of the bitter lessons he had learned from the chief officer he had replaced under James Horne, or maybe because of the compassion previously shown by John Mclean, Captain Lehman allowed the wayward cook to return to the barque with a promise never to do it again. The Loch Sloy finally completed her loading of wheat and wool for London on the 7th of March 1893 and was towed out into the Bay on the morning of the 8th, aboard were 2019 bales of wool and 5787 bags of wheat. Late that afternoon the last of the passengers came aboard and made comfortable so that in the early hours of the 9th of March she was towed out to sea and passed through the Heads before midday. The clipper arrived in London on the 29th of June after 110 days at sea matching her final journey up the Thames with the barque Hesperus that had left Melbourne on February 23rd. The long trip to London had not been without tragedy. Aboard the ship were a young couple taking a trip aboard the Loch Sloy for their honeymoon. The groom Dr Stuart, had signed on as the ships surgeon to pay for his way to London. His young wife Sarah, who was suffering from tuberculosis, was advised that a sea voyage would do wonders for her health. Unfortunately for the Stuarts, Sarah died on the 19th of April as the Loch Sloy made her run for The Horn, and was buried at sea.

Cargos were becoming harder and harder to come by. The shipping agents in Glasgow struggled to fill their various vessels holds with viable cargos and began to look for alternative ports to supplement their incomes. Amongst those opening up was the Port of Adelaide. Loading in Glasgow was proceeding slowly as the ships Loch Etive, and Loch Sloy loaded cargo for Adelaide which they would unload en route. The Loch Etive’s first officer, Peter Nicol left the vessel to take command of the Firth of Dornoch, a ship he would command for the next 6 years until he would once again meet the Loch Sloy as her new master. The Loch Sloy was due to sail for Adelaide then Melbourne on the 10th of October but Captain Lehman and the ships agents had failed to find enough cargo to fill her hold. Just before sailing she was forced to take on brick and iron ballast instead of a decent paying cargo of foodstuffs, alcohol and hardware. She finally departed Glasgow on the 11th of November 1893 bound for Port Adelaide her hold half filled with ballast. The Loch Shiel which had left just after the Loch Sloy did not even make it out of St George’s Channel having run aground off of Milford Haven, Wales. The crew were all saved as was much of the cargo of whisky and beer, but the ship was a complete loss. As she was running her easting down the Loch Sloy crossed paths with the clipper ‘Canterbury’ 68 days out from Glasgow as they raced across the Southern Ocean along the 46th parallel. This deep into the Roaring Forties guaranteed a fast in somewhat uncomfortable passage for those aboard the safe and sturdy clipper. The Loch Sloy eventually arrived in Port Adelaide on the 6th of February 1894, with just 700 tons of cargo for the colony. This was considered a The barque CANTERBURY, built 1974 by Robert Duncan of Port Glasgow. State Library of Victoria. great disappointment for the future of windjammer trading as never before had such regular visitors to Australian shores been forced to arrive in ballast. She quickly unloaded her first Adelaide cargo and cleared out for Melbourne on the 8th of February with 8 passengers aboard; Reverend A. Menzies, Mrs. McLaren, and Messer’s Spence, Mendell and Breslau in saloon and 3 in the second class cabin amidships. She passed through the Heads at 9 am on the 15th of February taking advantage of a brisk sou’westerly to sail smartly into the anchorage in the early afternoon. Her passengers were quickly taken ashore and on the morning of the 11th her 29 tons of gun powder was unloaded.

The Loch Sloy under her new barque rig left Glasgow bound for Adelaide on the 12th of November 1893 with strong easterlies driving her down the Clyde. She was towed as far as the Firth of the Clyde and made quick headway south passing the isle of Ailsa Craig as the winds shifted to the south west and freshened causing Captain Lehman to swing his vessel around and head out through the North Channel past Innistrahull and out into the Atlantic. Once into open water the winds chopped around back to the east and continued to swing east to sou’west at regular intervals as the barque sailed past Africa and onto the equator. The north east trades provided little help leaving the Loch Sloy becalmed as she passed south. The Island of Trinidad was passed on Boxing Day as light and variable winds and seas continued making for Kerguelen's Land. slow progress as Captain Lehman fought to make up time as the Loch Sloy headed round the Cape. As she charged south along the 44th parallel severe cold weather and storms were encountered. The Loch Sloy passed carefully through an icefield, encountering several icebergs of immense size and dozens of calf bergs that had to be avoided. She ran her easting down between 44 and 46 degrees south encountering more bergs as she scudded across the Southern Ocean in variable winds and rolling seas. The fair conditions continued their frustrating way as the Loch Sloy serenely sailed passed the Crozets and the winds did not freshen until well north of Kerguelen’s Land. The moderate northerlies continued until she passed beneath Cape Leeuwin at which time they became unpredictable swinging to all points of the compass until she reached Adelaide. The trip from Glasgow to the Semaphore anchorage was covered in 86 days, a near perfect run despite the light winds that had accompanied the barque for most of her trip.

Tied up at the New Railway Pier at Williamstown the Loch Sloy quickly loaded her cargo of wheat and wool her hold having not been overly full to begin with. Her hold was filled with an assortment of colonial products in much demand in England and the personal effects of one of her passengers. Aboard was; 2197 bales of wool, 131 bags of scoria, 260 ingots of spelter (zinc/copper alloy), 12 bales of hoofs, horns & bones for glue, 1 piano, 1 bale of hair, 63 bales of leather, 5883 bags of wheat, 879 pkts of tallow, 11 bales of fur skins, 141 bales of sheep skins, 790 pkt preserved meats, 60 casks of mint sweepings. She cleared out by the 19th of March 1894 and after a four month trip arrived safely in London on July 3rd. Once back in Glasgow there was little rush to set forth again giving Charles Lehman a chance to catch up with his father and other acquaintances. She was still loading at the Glasgow docks at the end of November when the Loch Rannoch sailed for Port Adelaide with as much ballast as cargo. Charles Lehman did not return to the Loch Sloy having been dismissed by the ship’s owners. They struggled to replace him until James George was offered the position at the end of 1894. With her new skipper aboard and crew appointed loading was quickly finalised and the barque slipped away from Glasgow on the 4th of December.

Three weeks after she had left port, and after violent storms had destroyed hundreds of vessels around the British Isles, a piece of wood marked ‘Loch Sloy’ was recovered off of the Irish coast. The pole was a ridge-pole from one of the clippers boats that appeared to have been knocked loose by a wave smashing into the boat from which it was attached. The Loch Sloy left Greenock on the 2nd of December. It was reported that the ship was in fine trim when the steamer towing her cut free off of Tory Island on December 5th, and the clipper set sail into favourable winds and moderate weather. With no word from the vessel it was feared she may have gone down in the hurricane of December 22nd. Upon her arrival in Adelaide on March 17th it was learned that after clearing the North Channel the Loch Sloy was caught up in a violent hurricane coming from the south west, during which the sea broke over the deck smashing the boats off of the fore skids and clearing the deck of all loose gear. The storms continued for 10 days during which the Loch Sloy travelled north past Innistrahull. After the weather calmed she passed into the North Atlantic enjoying light and favourable winds. She crossed the equator in good trim on the 9th of January and carried on her southing in fine conditions until she passed Trinidad Island. Her easterly run was along the 43rd parallel, and on February 5th she passed a large iceberg and again passed more ice on the 9th. Her trip east was otherwise uneventful. Upon entering Port Adelaide Captain George had her towed into the North Arm to wait the unloading of her 642 packets of gunpowder. After unloading her Adelaide bound cargo 200 tons of silver ore was taken on board. The Loch Sloy cleared out from Adelaide on the 23rd of March and sailed down the gulf for Melbourne. Strong easterlies and south easterlies were encountered and it took until the 26th to clear Backstairs Passage, just 90 miles south of Adelaide. The adverse conditions continued until the barque was within 100 miles of Cape Otway when more favourable winds prevailed. She passed into Hobson’s Bay on the first of April and was anchored at the River Berth for unloading. The Loch Sloy was tied alongside for several weeks while essential repairs were made to her spars and rigging. Several blown sails were replaced, as were her two smashed boats and all the missing deck gear. Captain George was under pressure to turn a profit on this voyage but had already made up his mind that this would be his last trip under sail. The barque finally cleared out from Port Melbourne on May 13th and cleared the Heads on the 16th of May 1895 bound for London. She arrived safely at Gravesend on the 19th of August much to the relief of her passengers and crew. Captain George upon arriving back in Glasgow resigned his command and set out for a career in steamships.

The clipper lay idle until a new master could be found. William Wade having just returned aboard the Loch Etive was immediately offered command of the Loch Sloy after his exploits the year before. He wasted no time in stamping his authority upon the ship and its crew and the clipper was quickly loaded for Adelaide and Melbourne. The freshly painted and trimmed barque arrived at the Semaphore anchorage on the morning of Thursday the 12th of March 1896. She had spoken to the ss Chemnitz on the 27th of February as she ran her easting down on the 46th parallel. The clipper then passed through the Backstairs passage at 5:30am via Cape Willoughby on March 11th having been driven south by strong northerlies and having had to swing around beneath Kangaroo Island avoiding several treacherous reefs along the way. It was while in Port Adelaide that one of her passenger, Andrew Child slipped from the dock late one night and drowned. A Marine Board and coroner’s inquest was held and the ship and her crew were required to appear. The enquiry concluded that due to the dangerous state of the Port Adelaide wharf and its insufficient lighting it was surprising that more deaths hadn’t occurred. After an extended stay in Adelaide to again repair storm damage to her spars and rigging she finally arrived in Port Phillip Bay at 4:45 pm on the 27th of March and proceeded to Williamstown to unload her passengers and cargo.

The spectre of death continued to haunt the Loch Sloy in Port Melbourne. On Monday the 12th of May the body of a prospective passenger, William Fleming, a 46 year old chemist and father of three from Glasgow was pulled from the Yarra. He had come to Melbourne aboard the Loch Sloy in March and was looking to return home aboard the same ship. He had met Captain Wade the previous Friday to arrange passage but at the time had no money. It was said he was awaiting money to be cabled from England via Reuters. He was not seen alive again after this time. Captain Wade was again called to the coroner’s inquest and must have wondered what other dark events would unfold. The Loch Sloy was finally cleared to leave on the 5th of June her hold filled with the usual cargo of wheat and wool. Also aboard were 6700 bags of zinc/copper ore from Adelaide, 2000 pkts of tallow, 5 pianos, a large consignment of Australian made whisky, drugs, machinery and five harvesters and reapers. The barque was towed from her Yarra berth and to the outer anchorage on the 6th to make final preparations for her trip to London. Her final passengers were lightered aboard on the evening of the 9th and the Loch Sloy passed through the Heads on the morning of the 10th of June 1896. Her usual run to London saw the vessel arrive on October 19th after another 100 plus days at sea. One of her passengers, Robert Jacomb died aboard the vessel on the 12th of July bringing to three the number of passengers who had died connected to the vessel on her run to and from Australia. Deaths shadow lay across the Loch Sloy even as she began her fresh run from Glasgow to Adelaide on the 18th of December 1896.

After an eventful run the Loch Sloy arrived at Port Adelaide on Wednesday the 17th of March 1897. Upon arrival in the colony the barque quickly discharged her cargo of drapery, paper, cutlery, corn flour and 5300 gallons of whisky. After a two week layover in Adelaide the Loch Sloy dropped anchor in Hobson’s Bay on Friday the 2nd of April. Captain Wade reported that the clipper had left Glasgow on the 18th of January in fine yet blustery weather and had Iceberg in the Southern Ocean. passed Cape Finisterre, Spain on www.flickr.com/photos/liamq/5913691197/ Christmas Eve. Baffling winds made for slow progress and the island of Madeira were not passed until the 6th of January 1897 when the ship averaged just 52 nautical miles a day for almost two weeks. The north-east trade winds were finally picked up and swift run was made all the way to the equator which was crossed 32 days out from Greenock. The southern monsoon pushed the Loch Sloy well south of Africa where she began her easterly run along the 44th parallel. As she headed south ice and fog caused sailed to be drastically shortened at night. The first ice was sighted on the 22nd of February at midnight as the clipper was humming along at 11 knots. Both watches were quickly called to the yards and the Loch Sloy rapidly brought to heal as the danger of collision was quite real. During the next watch the vessel passed seven immense bergs and numerous calf-bergs that threatened to hole the barque below her waterline. For two days and night the ice was a constant companion but then disappeared for almost a week. Then on the first of March as the Loch Sloy barrelled along the 45th parallel a second icefield was encountered as the wind died off suddenly. For the next few days a mass of enormous icebergs was passed accompanied by a dense bank of fog Captain Wade shortened sail even further, put out extra lookouts and constantly sounded the fog horn listening for the reflective echoes that would indicate an ice wall dead ahead. There were a few close scrapes as Captain Wade edged his vessel across the ice field but no serious damage was sustained. At one point the clipper was brought up into the wind, so perilous was it to continue. The delays were made up for when she finally picked up the sou’westerly trades all the way to Adelaide, averaging 230 nautical miles a day. The Semaphore was reached 89 days out from Greenock and Melbourne on the 31st of March 1897. After a faster than average turn around the Loch Sloy was once again sent out with a load of wheat and wool arriving in London on the 31st of August 1897 having left Melbourne on June 4th. Captain Wade was anxious to spend time with his young wife and family. She it was who began wanting him to spend more time with his child and as she was pregnant again she did not want to be a mariners widow with two young children to raise on her own.

There was much time for the Wades to spend together as the Loch Sloy did not depart Glasgow for Melbourne until December 7th 1897. Again she carried more ballast than cargo and was nearing the end of her working life. The owners had already started selling off their less profitable ships and it was quite possible that the slow yet ever reliable clipper would end up in foreign hands before the end of the century. It was while he was at sea that Captain Wade’s wife gave birth, in Wolverhampton, on January 9th to a daughter. William Wade knew the baby’s arrival was imminent and deeply regretted not being there for the birth. As the clipper was towed down the Clyde from Glasgow she ran headlong into adverse winds and was forced to anchor off Greenock until the morning of the 11th of December. She was eventually towed out into the North Channel and a start was made against continuing south-westerly gales forcing the Loch Sloy to haul very close to the wind until she passed the Tuskar Light on December 16th. The sou’westerlies gales continued to blow and forced the clipper to thread the gap between Madeira and the African coast instead of taking the normal westerly route. Hugging the coast the barque passed within sight of the Teneriffe Peak on January 2nd, the passengers and crew marvelling at the view afforded them as they passed by on the landward side of the island. It was during squally weather on January 4th that fore topgallant mast and the fore royal yard were carried away in the storm. With her forward rigging compromised the carpenter and sail maker had to work hard to make repairs as the barque was brought into the wind north of the Cape Verde Islands. The Island of Boa Vista was passed on January 7th and the equator was not passed until the 19th. The Loch Sloy had covered just 350 miles in 8 days due to her reduced sail and adverse weather conditions that saw her drift through the doldrums for several days. The calm weather allowed the crew to affect proper repairs which then benefited the clipper when she again picked up the north-east trade winds. Having crosses the equator the loch Sloy eventually grabbed onto the southerly monsoon and surged ahead on he southerly run making for the Cape of Good Hope. It was while heading towards the Cape that she passed the 1140 ton Norwegian barque Halgerda bound for Barbados. The two vessels hove to for a time so that news and mail were exchanged before both Captains sent their ships onwards.

On reaching the 38th parallel the winds shifted to the west as the Loch Sloy caught the southerly trades. In 41 days out of the 53 it took to cover the easting most days the winds were from the north and east so for two weeks the vessel covered less than 100 nautical miles a day. On the 23rd of February the clipper fell in with the 2200 ton steel ship ‘Winscombe Park’ from Liverpool bound for Sydney. The two craft stayed together through the blustery conditions and it was on that night that tragedy struck once again aboard the Loch Sloy. One of the apprentices James McCulloch, the son of the harbourmaster of Oban, was aloft with the watch on the upper foretopsail yard attempting to bring in sail. The canvas caught the wind and bellied over the yard pushing him out wards, causing Robert to lose his grip and fall. His tumbling body struck the mainrail and rebounded into a heaving sea. Captain Wade immediately ordered a shortening of all sail and the vessel although running before a howling gale at 12 knots was brought to the wind. The ship travelled 2 to 3 miles before she came to a halt and by then it was obvious to all that any attempt at a rescue would be a futile risk of more lives in the roiling and mountainous waves and howling winds. After being hove-to for a time Captain Wade ordered more sail put on and the Loch Sloy resumed her course. James McCulloch’s death cast an awful pall over the entire crew that lasted for several days. The south westerly gales continued and on March 2nd the wind tore away mainroyal yard causing another flurry of cutting of rigging and daredevil repairs aloft in high winds and heavy following seas. The meridian of Cape Leeuwin was finally reached 101 days out from Greenock. The Southern Ocean was crossed between the 44th and 45th parallels to avoid the ice hazards encountered during the previous year’s voyage to Australia. Cape Borda was passed on the 31st of March but baffling winds delayed the Loch Sloys arrival at the Semaphore anchorage until April 1st.

The steel ship 'Wiscombe Park', 2228 tons, under sail. State Library of South Australia.

After unloading a small portion of her cargo in Port Adelaide the Loch Sloy continued on to Port Melbourne, passing through Port Phillips Heads on the evening of the 7th of April and sailed through the night, reaching the Hobson’s Bay anchorage on the morning of the 8th. Almost immediately she was towed up river to her Yarra berth to begin unloading. Upon discharge of her cargo the ships agents and Captain Wade immediately contracted to take on 1600 tons of wheat for London. Sitting alongside the Loch Sloy was the four masted windjammer ‘Bracadale’ also loading a cargo of 2000 tons of wheat. By the 12th of May the two vessels had finished loading, the Loch Sloy carried 15000 bags of wheat in her hold all of which had been presold in London at 5s6d per bushel. She set sail the next day arriving in London on the 2nd of September 1898. The trip returned a handsome profit for all concerned as a drought in California had pushed up the price of wheat futures. Upon arrival back in Glasgow captain William Wade walked away from the Loch Sloy and a life at sea. It may have been the birth of his daughter, the appalling storms that nearly sank the barque on numerous occasions or perhaps even the rising death toll on his increasingly unlucky ship. However whatever the reason, the Loch Sloy was without a captain once again.

William Wade the former first officer of the Loch Etive did not simply abandon the Loch Sloy. He learned that his former first officer, Peter Nicol, who William Wade replaced as first mate of the Loch Etive when he gained command of the Firth of Dornoch, was between ships. Both men had served under Captain Stuart and both were equally well regarded. It seemed a logical choice for James Lilburn to appoint Peter Nicol to the command of the Loch Sloy. This happened in early December 1898 as the barque was loading for Adelaide and Melbourne. He was not the only person making ready to sail aboard the increasingly luckless and aging clipper.

The four masted iron barque 'Bracadale', 2015 tons, at anchor. A. Stephens and Sons, Glasgow. Owners J. & A Roxburgh. State Library of Victoria.