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HOME OF THE LADY DENMAN - Local history isn't always about the big story - the everyday story of life in the early development of the region can be a fascinating, entertaining and educational journey.

29 March 2018

The Schooner Result – 1890's

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The story of the Schooner Result and it's connection with the Jervis Bay region starts with a South Coast Pioneer, Mr Alexander Mathie. JP., A native of Whitburne, Linlithgow, Scotland he arrived in Australia with his parents in 1857 being 10 years of age. The settled in the Shoalhaven District and engaged in farming and dairying pursuits with success.

He was described as a man of ' dogged perseverance" and soon became possessed of considerable lands in the vicinity of St Georges Basin. The local timber industry had stagnated when Mr Mathie recognising the value of local timber for shipbuilding and the ever growing Sydney market started a sawmill and engaged in the timber trade.  With dogged determination he built his business into a financial success..

Slipping ships was an expensive undertaking, having to take ships to Sydney, costs could amount to 3 pounds per day, so Mathie set about and built his own large modern slipway on the western side of the Basin under the lee of Tallyan Point in close proximity to Tallyan wharf where the schooner usually took in her deck cargo.

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By 1987 he had bought the Schooner Result from New Zealand. The Result was the first vessel to slip on his newly established slipway. Winched clear of the water for maintenance, the schooner was used to ship timber from his Basin mill to Sydney.

Alexander Mathie  died at Tomerong on June 26 from complications from a apoplectic attack.

The fore and aft Schooner Result.
The Result was a huge centre board kauri built boat, 56 tons, without a hold of any kind with only fore and aft cabins below deck for the crew.  The Result was built for shallow waters, havinga  keel that could be raised, her shallow depth and lightweight kauri construction suited the shallow Basin and the ever-changing Sussex Inlet bar.  The timber was loaded onto the deck of the vessel.  The Result would on average make fortnightly trips between ports, she was a very busy ship which required regular maintenance, which was carried out on the Mathie slips.

1891 - She was pulled from the water for some time and completely overhauled.  On her completion a gathering of local people attended the relaunch, with an el fresco supper provided by the ladies.  The blocks were pulled away and the vessel gracefully slipped into the Basin amidst the cheers of the gathering, guests were welcomed aboard and taken on a cruise across the Basin.

By 1891 the Result had shipped over 3 million feet of timber between the Basin and Sydney, mainly shipping ironbark, turpentine, black butt, woolly bark and spotted gum. She was well suited to the trade.  The run to Sydney in favourable conditions taking around 24 hours.  She kept 10 men continuously employed.

1892 The Result had been operating without serious incident for 6 years but was now sitting on the bottom of the sea near the entrance to Sussex Inlet.

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While trying to enter the bar on a moonlit night around 9 p.m. she struck rocks and was holed, hauling clear of the rocks she quickly sank in deep water without loss of life.
Six weeks later she was refloated and taken 7 miles up the river to her moorings inside St Georges Basin waiting to be hauled up onto the slip for repairs. The accident was first blamed on Mr Mathie who was on board at the time and had suggested to the mate, who was steering, to take a shortcut, which in the dusk appeared to be smooth water but turned out to be a flat reef.
Later the reports were changed with no blame being on the channel, or on the part of any person on board, but because in "wearing" the schooner, she refused to come around fast enough, and was carried upon the rocks by the tide. It was expected the repairs would take three months.

The following year the Result made her final voyage.
1893 September 30 The vessel was on a return trip in ballast from Sydney to St Georges Basin.

12.30p.m The schooner left Sydney under a fresh N.E wind the course steered being S.S.W.

7.45 p.m She passed Kiama the same day where the weather became thick, with a nasty south – east-swell developing, accompanied by a squall from the east.
 
8 p.m The captain relieved the man at the wheel, altered course for half an hour to the south and then brought her out to S.S.W.

10.30 p.m. The captain sighted land and found that the schooner was in the bight at Abrahams Bosum near Jervis Bay.  He at once called all hands up, and three times they attempted to stay the vessel. She missed each time, however, and the anchor was then dropped, It did not hold, and a minute later the schooner grounded, and ultimately became a total wreck.

The crew affected a landing without incident, taking all their belongings. They remained by the wreck until Sunday and succeeded in securing a quantity of gear from the vessel. The Result was uninsured.
The crew were returned to Sydney by the Steamer Coomonderry.

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Marine enquiry.
Barnard Sholbert, the only witness called, stated that he was the mate of the Result when she went ashore. He had been in her for 13 months, and the last nine months under the present master,  The crew consisted of three all told, the captain, himself and the cook. Passing Kiama the vessel was well off the land, and the green light could hardly be seen. The only reason he could advance to account for the loss of the vessel was the conduct of the captain. The vessel was, he thought, steered on the correct course. He did not know there was any whisky onboard until abreast of Kiama when the captain called told him. After going below, the captain called him up to shorten the sail. The vessel was running wing and wing, and he went forward, took in the square sail, lowered the centreboard and shortened the canvas. When he went to the wind the land was on the weather bow,  She was then put about,  and came close inshore, the captain endeavoured to put her about again,  She missed stays three times, and an anchor and about 30 fathoms of chain let go. Thye anchor, however, would not hold and the vessel drove onto the beach, that was on Saturday night.  The sea was then too heavy
for them to do anything and the vessel became a total wreck on Tuesday. The captain seemed to do all he could to prevent the vessel going ashore. Witnesses had never known her to miss stays before. The captain had been drinking whisky at the time of the wreck, but witnesses could not say he was drunk. The captain had a bottle of whisky on his bunk which the cook said they had better throw overboard.

The captain was not present at this hearing.


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The Marine Board's Decision.
The Marine Board this afternoon concluded its inquiry into the loss of the fore-and-aft schooner Result, which went ashore and was wrecked off the southern coast on September 30. The board found that the wreck was caused by Walter Graham, the master, in carelessly navigating his vessel by allowing her to run into the Shoalhaven Bight in place of steering her towards her destination along the coast. Captain Graham was, therefore, cited to appear before the board the following day to show cause why his certificate should not be dealt with.

Meaningstay. To tack, to bring the ship's head up to the wind for going about; hence to miss stays, is to fail in the attempt to go about.
Centreboard schooner - A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable keel which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat
Wearing - To turn the ship away from the wind in order to change tacks downwind. All of the rigging turns and rubs during the maneuver, causing the gear to wear.


Two other ships of note have come to grief in this location.
T.S.S Merimbula -  Continue reading.
S.S Plutus –
Continue reading.

As mentioned above, the steamer Commonderry had a colourful exciting life – Continue Reading





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26 March 2018

Ketch Tullyvallin

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26th March 2018
This morning the ketch Tullyvallin was moored near the Currambene Creek rivermouth. The ketch tried to enter the river the day before but ran aground on the shallow sand spit at the entrance requiring the Coastal Patrol to pull the vessel free.
She was designed by the famous yacht design innovator Nathanael Greene Herreschoff, and built in 1992/1996 near Ballina.   The Tullyvallin is a beautifully built Spotted gum timber vessel.  She left Sydney on Friday 23rd and is on her way to Eden.



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In the 1900's ketches were used extensively for shipping cargo between ports right around the coastline of Australia. Jervis Bay was a safe harbour for these hard-working little yachts which punched well above their weight when it came to travelling across the open ocean often laden with heavy loads. Here are just a few examples of Ketches using Jervis Bay for shelter in unfavourable conditions around 1879, There are many more.

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19 March 2018

16 March 2018

Ships in the bay

The bay has been very active with ships over the last few weeks. This morning HMAS Adelaide (L01) Canberra-class landing helicopter dock was crusing back and forth across the bay in the early light.

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14 March 2018

Green Cape Lighthouse

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The Green Cape Lighthouse is a lighthouse located at the tip of Green Cape, a headland forming the northern boundary of Disaster Bay, in southern New South Wales, Australia. It is the southernmost lighthouse in New South Wales and Australia's first lighthouse built in concrete. At 29 metres (95 ft) it is also the second tallest lighthouse in New South Wales.

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13 March 2018

John Hill

john hillIn what has been a shock to his many friends John Hill passed away this week from complications during surgery.
I met John Hill in 2013 when I started volunteering at the Lady Denman  Heritage Complex (as it was known then), and as he still liked to refer to it.  We immediately hit it off with a common interest in videoing, editing and photography.  He worked tirelessly for the "Denman" 5 days a week,  always opened the complex early, and was instrumental in installing, updating and repairing the museums computer systems.  He hand built the museums sophisticated interactive maps which are still on display today, and installed the video monitor displays.  He was the go-to man when it came to keeping the museums lighting, electronic, and computer systems running,  saving the museum many thousands of dollars in maintenance fees.   His contribution to the day to day running and installation of the changing displays at the "Denman" were instrumental in the museum receiving the many awards it has won over the years.  He would be seen at every market day recording the day's events on video.  He had a lifelong interest in flying, and when flying drones came onto the market he quickly bought himself one. We would spend many sunny calm mornings on the museum wharf flying his drones around and over the Denman.   Recently we had be making plans to film some of the historic sites around Jervis Bay and putting together a video.   He was a good friend and will be greatly missed by all his friends and colleagues... RIP John.




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5 March 2018

The Oakland Gale – Jervis Bay

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Loch_Torridon_(ship,_1881)_-_SLV_H27568-105
May 1903.


The Loch Torridon was a well known 4 masted iron barque trading between London and Sydney renowned for her speed and admired for her grace and elegance. 
Before her latest voyage, she had been for a long time held in Sydney Harbour unable to secure a freight.  The competition from steamships cut badly into the supply of cargos for companies employing tall ships. After so long being port bound, Captain Mearns and his crew must have been happy when the Torridon finally secured a shipment and headed to sea. 

The Torridon left Port Jackson and proceeded to Port Pirie where she shipped a cargo of ore destined for Antwerp.

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Thursday, May 14 - Leaving Port Pirie,  via New Zealand before making her way around the Horn,   splendid progress was made until the vessel was 10 days out, when a heavy southerly gale was encountered.

Monday, May 25 - Labouring in the big seas she was struck by a tremendous wave which swept over the vessel.  Some 20 ft of bulwarks snapped off like twigs forward of the main rigging, while another 30ft aft was damaged. Fortunately, no water found it's way into the hold despite tons of water sweeping across her decks, one of the sailors was knocked over and badly injured.

Thursday, May 28 - Badly damaged and in the grip of the gale the Torridon had no choice but to make her way to Sydney.

Friday, May 29 - The steamer Clam passed the Torridon off Jervis Bay.

Saturday, May 30 - Concerns were raised for the Torridon in Sydney newspapers after the captain of the Clam which had now arrived at Sydney, reported passing the clipper off Jervis Bay in a dismasted condition. 

Sunday, May 31 - The Torridon suffered the heavy weather until Sydney, entering the harbour at
1 am, anchoring below Garden Island to await survey.


The Four-Masted Barque 'Loch Torridon'



The gale hit the southeastern seaboard hard putting many ships in danger of floundering.
The British Barque Shakespeare was towed into Port Jackson in a crippled condition.
The barque Caithness-shire lost two lifeboats and a lot of deck gear.
The Huddart, Parker steamer Zealandia arrived in Sydney in a battered state.
The ship Abby Palmer was in reported to be in tow from Newcastle to Sydney but because of the heavy weather was unable to enter.


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The vessel which suffered the most and after which the gale was named was the Steamer Oakland which foundered on May 27 taking 11 of the 18 crew including the Captain to a watery grave. The story of the Oakland is one of bravery and endurance against overwhelming odds.
Continue reading about the Oakland - http://waratahrevisited.blogspot.com.au/2018/02/steamer-oakland.html

Torridon Specifications
- 2000 Tons. Built at Glasgow 1881 She was 287.4ft in length, a beam of 42.6ft and 24ft in depth.

The  Loch Torridon survived until 1915 when she foundered near the entrance to the Channel in the last days of January, and it is possible that she was torpedoed by a German submarine.

In 1904 John Arthur Barry, the Australian writer, wrote of her:—“She is exceptionally lofty as to her masts, exceptionally square as to her yards.  She carries nothing above a royal, but her royal yards are as long as the topgallant yards of most vessels. Her lower yards are enormous.
The vessel is uncommonly well-manned with 20 hands in the foc’s’le, with the usual complement of petty officers, together with three mates and four apprentices aft.  Looking forward from the break of the poop, one is struck by the immense amount of clear room on her decks, giving a visitor a sense of spaciousness and freedom in a marked contrast to the often lumbered up decks of the average sailor.”
Ref - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52897/52897-h/52897-h.htm

Ref- https://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/PRG+1373/15/32
        https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-four-masted-barque-loch-torridon-95464#image-use




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1 March 2018

Ships in Jervis Bay

28 Feb 2018
Most of the Australian ships which have been conducting naval exercises off the south coast came into the bay and were anchored near HMAS Creswell. The closest being in only 16 meters of water, which is quite amazing for such large vessels. I took a few photos as the sun was setting,  casting a pink and yellow hue across the pale blue sky.

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1 March 2018
The following morning the ships had swung around to face into the slight southerly breeze. again the light was amazing. One of the Collins Class submarines cruised by the ships and headed out of the bay celebrated by the sounding of one of the ships horns.


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