The year 1847 began with great promise for shipyards from Baltimore to Maine. Larger and faster packets were being launched in many yards.
The shipyard of Samuel Hall in East Boston was busy, as Europeans, desperate for fast sailing ships to compete with American firms, clamored to buy them.
These were boom times brought on by the rapidly expanding railroad lines that brought the growing harvests of wheat to New York, where it was loaded on fast sailing packets for the European markets, thus opening up the American bread basket to the world.
Many of the New York yards were busy building bigger and faster steam-powered side-wheelers for both the river and transatlantic trades.
William Webb built the United States, a side-wheeler of 2600 tons, for Charles H. Marshall & Co.
The Ocean Steam Navigation Company commissioned Westervelt & MacKay to build the 1700-ton side-wheelers: Washington and West Point.
Enoch Train wanted to get into the China tea trade in 1847, so he withdrew the Joshua Bates from the transatlantic trade, and ordered Captain Stoddard to set sail for Canton via the Cape of Good Hope. At last, a McKay packet would get the chance to go up against the New York tea clippers on the China run.
The prominent New York firm of Zerega & Co. commissioned Donald McKay in the spring of 1847 to build a 700-ton packet, the A.Z., to supply the English market with southern cotton and bring emigrants back on the return trip. The A.Z. was so fast and successful that they ordered another larger packet, the L.Z., of 897 tons register.
Work on the Samuel Russell soon began at the Brown & Bell yard in the spring of 1847 under the watchful eye of Captain Nat. The little Houqua had delighted the Lows and they had eagerly given Captain Nat the go ahead to design another larger, faster ship. Not to be outdone by the Sea Witch, Captain Nat designed the Russell with a slightly larger hull, but she carried one-fifth less canvas.
Waterman and Palmer were very different kinds of sailors. Waterman would run up sail right up to the point of risking disaster for his ship and crew. He was known to have kept padlocks on the topsail sheets and rackings on the topsail halyards for and aft. This was to prevent cowardly sailors from trying to second-guess Waterman's orders by letting go sheets and halyards by the run.
Captain Nat was the more prudent of the two. He instinctively stayed within the limits of safety and never berated his crew with his own frustrations, unlike many captains of the day. He treated his crew decently and fed them well which was unusual for the period.
Captain Nat by then was held in very high esteem by the Lows who sought his wisdom in all matters concerning the building of each new vessel for the China trade. Along with his know-how, he brought along his younger brothers, Alexander and Theodore, to serve the firm.
Alexander excelled at navigation and could take lunar and solar observations, but it was said of him that he was overly suspicious of his crew whom he often thought were talking and conspiring against him.
Theodore, or Captain Ted, the youngest Palmer brother, was a hot-tempered sailor who had worked his way up to command on the transatlantic Liverpool trade. Captain Ted had a brutal way in dealing with the Liverpool packet rats under his command and this did not endear him with his older brother. The three brothers feuded constantly while ashore, much of the time in the presence of the Lows who after a while got used to this amusing spectacle of sibling rivalry.
The Sea Witch sailed on down the stormy North Atlantic on a remarkably fine southward run under the command of Bob Waterman and his handpicked crew; a number of whom had sailed with him on the Natchez. Some of the others sailing for the first time would soon enough get their chance to prove their seamanship or face Waterman's wrath..
The Sea Witch made Rio de Janeiro in 25 days, the Cape of Good Hope in 42 days, and passed Java Head in 70 days, 10 hours to set the record. They ran up against the monsoon winds in the South China Sea and arrived in Hong Kong in 104 days, two days longer than the Rainbow's maiden passage. 302 miles was her best day's run. On one ten-day stretch she averaged 248 miles a day. Regardless of the weather, Waterman kept the ship moving forward all the time. Ringtails and studding sails caught every puff of wind. Waterman enjoyed shaking her out just to see what she could do.
With a cargo of China tea, the Sea Witch beat her way against the monsoon down the South China Sea and set another record of 62 days from Anjier to the Cape of Good Hope. This time, on the return passage, her best day's run was 312 miles, with a best 10 day average of 264 miles a day.
The Sea Witch arrived back in New York to great fanfare on July 25, 1847, in 81 days, a record against the monsoon; but three days longer than the all time record that Robert Waterman had set with the Natchez. As usual, swarms of sea lawyers soon converged around Pier 9 on the South Street wharves whenever a ship commanded by Robert Waterman sailed into New York. These legal gents were all too eager to help any seaman with grievances against their captain and assist them in suing their captain for damages; much of the time taking a rather substantial commission for their efforts. Sea lawyers were held in rather low regard with many captains and to be called a "sea lawyer" by another sailing man was considered to be a very derogatory insult.
Waterman wasted little time in leaving the Sea Witch for his usual haunts. Waterman told his friends that he was "just getting her shaken down for the next scamper." Soon, word came to him that some of his seamen were already suing him for damages and that policemen were seeking him out to serve him with papers. Robert Waterman suddenly then disappeared from sight and managed to evade his pursuers until the Sea Witch set sail again.
Cordelia Waterman decided to sail with her husband on the next voyage in early August 1847, and already was aboard the Sea Witch on the date of departure. Waterman and one of his mates were across the street at the Howland & Aspinwall counting house at 55 South Street, meeting upstairs with Gardner G. Howland and William H. Aspinwall and other members of the firm. Word suddenly came to him that a policeman and a sea lawyer were downstairs waiting for him at the door to serve him with legal papers. After a brief consultation, the mate discreetly returned to the ship and Waterman made his way to the roof. He threw down a rope to a waiting crewman who ran across the street to the ship. Soon, he had rigged a block and tackle that ran from the top of the building over South Street to the foremast of the Sea Witch. He called on his crew to send over a bosun's chair and soon was riding far above the cobblestone-street and onto the ship. She immediately cast off, and with her pilot headed down the East River to the bay and the open sea. His getaway was perfectly timed to take full advantage of the tide. The sea lawyers would have to wait for Robert Waterman another day.
The New York Herald published the following account:
REMARKABLY QUICK SAILING-The Canton Packet Sea Witch, as the whole world knows, has made a remarkably quick passage to China; but the rate at which she sailed yesterday beat anything she ever performed.
She left out port in charge of Mr. John Hyer, of the New York pilot boat John E. Davison and, incredible as it may appear to persons not acquainted with her, she got to sea, a distance of nineteen miles in the extremely short time of one hour and three minutes. It was said that she was "sailing some."
Ironically, on the same day the Sea Witch "escaped" from New York, the Samuel Russell was launched.
She was named in honor of a friend of the Low Brothers, Samuel Russell, a senior member of the American firm of Russell & Co., operating in China, who was a one time partner of the Lows. The "Russell" as she soon would be called by many, was 174 feet in length, 34 feet, 4 inches in breadth with a depth of hold of 20 feet. A red and white ribbon streak ran along the waterline of the Russell's black hull.
Captain Nat had turned over command of the Houqua to his brother Alexander and remained at the Brown & Bell shipyard in New York to design and supervise the building of "a larger Houqua." Captain Nat would draw upon his three years experience in the China trade, along with the building of the Houqua, to make refinements in the "Russell's" model and rig to try and make her "the fastest and most powerful ship in the China trade."
She was of 50 tons greater register than the Sea Witch. This time, Captain Nat drew upon some of the lines of the later Western Ocean packets in designing the hull. The Samuel Russell was sharper with the same pronounced deadrise of the earlier packets. Captain Nat made further refinements to suit the Russell for the China run which usually involved a lot of close-hauled sailing in light winds. The Russell combined many desirable sailing qualities that would prove readily adaptable for all weather conditions. The Russell was said to be a strikingly beautiful ship; towering, with well proportioned spars and with a dashing man-of-war air, but even with the extra length and tonnage, Captain Nat had shied away from daring to match Griffiths' Sea Witch aloft.
On September 14, 1847, Captain Nat took the Samuel Russell out to sea to chase after the Sea Witch, amidst great fanfare that steadily grew with each new launching. That day, crowds of "water-gazers" suddenly appeared all along the waterfront, some of them high up in the rigging of harbor ships, to cheer the Russell on as she rode the tide on down the East River with her pilot for what was to be a memorable maiden voyage.
In her run to Hong Kong, the Russell sailed away from scores of vessels on the same tack. For Captain Nat, it was a remarkable 114-day run to Hong Kong; arriving on January 5th, 1848, but not quite fast enough to beat the Sea Witch on her second voyage in which she had arrived at Hong Kong on November 17, 1847, a 105-day sail from New York.
The Sea Witch had already set sail on December 29th and spent New Year's day roaring down the South China Sea.
Captain Nat waited around for three weeks for the tea prices to come down, knowing full well that the Russell would reach New York with their precious cargo of tea before all the other ships on the China run, except perhaps the Sea Witch.
On January 24, 1848, the Russell was at the Whampoa docks loading up the last of her cargo under the watchful eye of Captain Nat, expecting to set sail in a couple days for what would be a remarkable 83-day run back to New York. On that same day, the Sea Witch was in the Indian Ocean past Java Head catching some good winds and setting another record of 25 days from Java Head to the Cape of Good Hope. The little Houqua, having been dismasted on her fifth outward bound voyage in the Indian Ocean by a fierce storm on January 18th, was sailing under jury rig on January 24th and did not reach Hong Kong for another 49 days. In early November 1847, the Rainbow, under the command of Captain Hayes, had sailed from Canton down the South China Sea and under double reefed topsails, she beat it through the Sunda Straits in a remarkable feat of seamanship. On January 24th, 1848, she was in the South Atlantic in the vicinity of St. Helena. On that day, a gold nugget was discovered by a workman at Sutter's Mill, California, and this would be the catalyst that would usher in the most glorious age of sail the world has ever seen.
The rest of the Rainbow's voyage was not all that noteworthy and she arrived in New York, after an 88-day voyage, on February 29, 1848. While not a record run, it was considered a good one. Captain Land turned over command of the Rainbow to Captain Hayes and took over command of the Natchez. For Captain Hayes, this was to be his last voyage before retirement.
Then in March, off Hatteras, the Sea Witch, with her Chinese dragon leading the way, staggered against a roaring Northwest gale; driving her sheer poles under as she steadfastly clawed her way up the Atlantic coast.
Robert Waterman was counting the days, racing to beat his old record in the Natchez and anxious to get home. He would get there ahead of the news of the gold discoveries in California.
The Sea Witch reached the East River docks on March 15, 1848 in 77 days; breaking the old record Waterman had set five years earlier in the Natchez by a day. There to greet him upon his arrival, were the usual crowds of water-gazers and sea lawyers, as the city went wild.
It was a memorable day on the waterfront. Two days later on March 17, 1848, the Rainbow, under the command of Captain Hayes, set sail. She never reached Valparaiso. It is believed that she foundered off Cape Horn. A sorry end had come for such a wonderful ship. She had made four voyages to China in her three short years, a most remarkable run.
Some of the South Street wags, particularly the old salts, made their usual clucking sounds, feeling at last vindicated in their belief that a big crashing wave would drive the Rainbow under.
By 1848, there were a number of fast sailing China Clippers incorporating variations of Griffith's clipper bow that were chopping weeks off the China run. Most of the skeptics had been converted by then.
Cordelia Waterman decided not to accompany her husband to sea again because she did not like the side of her husband that she saw when he had confrontations with his crew. On April 27, 1848, Waterman took the Sea Witch on its third voyage to China. This time he charted a westward run that would take the Sea Witch around Cape Horn for the first time with a cargo to deliver at Valparaiso. Then on up the South American coast to Callao before making the run to China across the Pacific, arriving there in early December after 121 sailing days at sea.
Waterman waited at Whampoa for several weeks for the early tea pickings to be loaded aboard the Sea Witch and then sailed over to Hong Kong to load the last of his precious cargo, before sealing the hatches for the long voyage back to New York. On the evening of January 9, 1849, the Chinese harbor pilot was discharged around 7:30 p.m. and the Sea Witch caught a fine northeast breeze as Waterman piled on sail and charted a swift course down the South China Sea. On this, his third homeward passage in command of the Sea Witch, Waterman was determined to make a record run.
His winged clipper flew down the South China Sea with royals, studding sails, and kites flying, as her masts and running rigging hummed under the constant strain of catching the monsoon winds.
The winds died down eight days out as the Sea Witch carefully made her way past the treacherous uncharted reefs. Her crew kept a sharp eye out for equally treacherous Malay pirates as they approached the Sunda Strait. On the ninth day, they were in the strait and the usual Malay traders approached the Sea Witch in their sampans. The traders offered yams, coconuts, chickens, and ducks, along with tropical fruits. Luckily, no pirates were encountered this time around.
The winds blew hard on January 17th and Waterman sought refuge in the lee of an island and anchored for the night. In the dawn's early light, the weather had cleared and the Sea Witch resumed her voyage, carefully avoiding the last obstacle at the end of the strait, a rocky outcropping the sailors knew as "Thwart-the-way-Island." They were at last past Java Head in the deep Indian Ocean and with the first fresh breeze the full array of sails were soon hoisted as the Sea Witch found her wings again.
Soon the winds died down, but Waterman kept the Sea Witch moving through light airs for the next week. On January 25th a series of rain squalls arrived and the Sea Witch stretched out her wings again and began to fly across the Indian Ocean. She logged 276 miles that day. Two days later she logged 292 miles and kept this pace up consistently, logging 300 miles on one day, as she caught the "strong trades" and within two weeks the Sea Witch was off the Cape of Good Hope.
Cape pigeons and Albatrosses greeted the lofty clipper on February 16th as she rounded the Cape and entered the Atlantic. The southeast trade winds sent the Sea Witch flying to the northwest and she logged 308 miles that day, her best one day run on the voyage. But soon the winds died down again much to Waterman's displeasure. There was one more port of call to make, St. Helena, a tiny speck of an island out in the South Atlantic, before sailing on in the light prevailing winds. Still, Waterman was able to get the most out his clipper and his men as they crossed the Equator on March 7th.
On the evening of March 9th, a squall blew the Sea Witch far enough north to catch the northeast trades and flew on up the North Atlantic. And fly she did for the next 11 days.
A fierce squall out of the north-northwest bore down on the Sea Witch on March 20th heeling her hard over and plunging her jib-boom under. Still, Waterman managed to keep her close to the wind under double-reefed sails and reached Bermuda the following day where his clipper was greeted by another storm, a northeaster, and he was forced again to reef sail. As soon as the storm blew past, Waterman ordered all sails set. He resumed his voyage into a "horrid head sea," most anxious to reach the Gulf Stream.
There, he knew he would find the winds that he would need to catch on the final leg of the voyage from Hong Kong to New York in his race for the record time of the run and the laurels. Waterman instinctively knew that a record run was within his grasp and he ran up his full array of sails that filled the sky with canvas as the Sea Witch caught the winds up the North Atlantic for home.
* * * * *
The recent building frenzy of China clippers had produced a temporary surplus and most of the New York yards had turned to building paddle wheel steamers.
The rising demand for the paddle wheelers was brought on by the British Government's huge subsidy of $800,000 dollars a year to the Cunard line which brought steamer development in British shipyards to a standstill.
Only one sailing vessel was under construction in the New York yards.
Baltimore moved to the forefront in new clipper design with the Architect, Gray Eagle, and Grey Hound. All were fast ships used primarily for trade with Rio de Janeiro and not the China run. They would be among the first clippers to sail 'round the Horn taking gold-seekers to San Francisco in 1849.
In East Boston Donald McKay and Samuel Hall were busy building fast ships for the North Atlantic and the China run.
It was the lull before the whirlwind of shipbuilding activity to come.
Next: Sutter's Mill
The Era of the Clipper Ships
Bibliography / Sea
Witch / Directory / Maritime
Links
Home / McKay Clan / Ship's
Store / Introduction / Tradewinds