Leaving Jervis bay

Rob Slater - April 2nd 2019

Sailing by Plantation Point on their way across the bay into the rising sun.

Rob Slater - April 2nd 2019

Passing Point Perpendicular before heading out into the Tasman Sea.

Whaling Jervis Bay

As can be seen from this short and not complete list of whaling ships which came into Jervis Bay,  the bay was at one time a very busy location for the whaling industry.

1870 - The Hobart Town Barque Alladin towed two sperm whales into Jervis Bay to secure the blubber and boil down.

1871 - The barque Othello cast anchor with 65 tons of sperm oil.  She took a 10 sperm whale off Jervis Bay two day before anchoring in the bay..

1871 - The whaling barque Metaris came into the bay to try out a large sperm whale.

1871 - The American whaling barque Eliza put in to Jervis Bay for water. She carried 1400 barrels of oil.

1872 - The Sydney whaling barque Metaris, had been at sea for 10 months before putting into Jervis Bay to recruit. She had sixteen tons of sperm oil.

1872 - The whaling barque Waterwitch put into the bay to recruit. She carried twenty tons of sperm oil.

1872 - The barque Alladin put into the bay, she carried twenty tons of sperm oil.

1872 - The American whaling barque Asmanby has put in to recruit. She has been twelve months out, and has 700 barrels of black oil and 300 of sperm oil.

1872 - The whaling brig Louissa, 5 months at sea put in to recruit with 5 tons of sperm oil.

1872 - The barque Sea Shell towed two sperm whale into the bay for processing, they had been caught thirty miles off the bay.

1872 - The American whaling barque Three Brothers put into the bay to recruit, with 1400 barrels of sperm oil aboard.

1872 - Melbourne whaling barque Mary Hamilton 3 months at sea put into Jervis Bay to repair a lost bowsprit, she carried no oil.

1872 - The brig Velocity, four months at sea put into the bay with 4 tons of sperm oil.

1873 - The brig Velocity put into the bay to recruit. She reported green water and drift wood eighty mile offshore.

1873 - The Whaling barque Runnymede, 9 months at sea, put into Jervis Bay to recurit. She carried nine tons of sperm oil.

1873 - The barque Waterwitch put into the bay, fourteen months at sea, she carried 14 tons of sperm oil. During the voyage crew member Joseph Williams from Hobart, he fell from aloft and was instantly killed.


Continue on to more information about the whaling industry in Jervis Bay.

Huskisson

Owen Street Huskisson, The last building on the left was the original Huskisson Hotel. There was no problems with traffic in those days.

Huskisson

The entrance to Currambene Creek Huskisson showing the original swimming baths and wharf.

Cattle Steamer S.S Anerley 1900

 

The advent of steamers meant larger hauls of livestock could be transported over longer distances at quicker speeds. In  Australia, sheep and bullocks were transported long distance across the oceans of the world.  Australia had strict regulations to ensure the safe passage of animals,  bullocks being the biggest trade were either tethered to the deck of the vessel or held in wooden stalls in the hold.  
 
On average losses of stock on long trips were relatively low, but long overseas voyages could result in cattle arriving at their destination in an appalling condition, this affected the price the investors would get for their stock, sometimes investors lost money. 
 
Loading and unloading livestock could be a challenge in itself. The better ships and wharves were set up with ramps, giving relatively easy access onto the ship, others slung the beasts on and off the ship using overhead cranes. Where the dock facilities were inadequate or non-existent the vessel would stand offshore,  the cattle were hoisted over the side into the water then swim to shore. The success of this method often relied on the health of the animal, drownings were common, others were taken by sharks attracted by the activity.

Many things influence the welfare of the stock, their condition at the time of loading, how many were carried, the distance they were transported,  by far the biggest factor which could affect the health and safety of the animals was the weather.

The following story is about the struggle of one ship against the ferocity of nature, the survival of the vessel, the crew and the stock rested on a knife edge for 4 long days.

The weather was fairly good.

May 25 - Spirits must have been high for Captain Robertson and his crew as they cleared Newcastle harbour bound for South Africa, The 1887 ton steamer Anerley was almost new and fitted with the best equipment. The weather was fine and the ship was fully laden with some of the finest cattle in Australia.  Not far into the voyage the mood quickly changed.  A strong southerly gale and what was described at the time as a " strong hurricane" engulfed the vessel.  The seas rose quickly threatening to sink the ship and all on board, it was so bad she rolled from side to side almost rails under.  Captain Robertson put her head into the teeth of the gale and reduced her speed, although scarcely moving ahead, great volumes of water thundered over the forecastle and deluged her fore and aft.

She carried 10 tons of fodder,  a hull laden with coal, and 330 head of cattle tethered to her decks and in pens below, most of them of the very best stock.  Each time a sea came onboard the beasts on deck were carried, with their fittings, either along the deck smashing into the ship's machinery or over the side of the ship, dead cattle were strewn across the ship.  The noise of the violent storm was overlaid with the sounds of the death groaning, the moaning, and the sickening, piteous outcries of helpless beasts.

The depiction of a scene such as the Anerley must have experienced. - Amazon.

May 27 - The hurricane showed no signs of abating,  the steamer still drove her nose into the oncoming swell, each approaching mountain of water threatened to engulf her.  Dead and maimed bullocks lay about the deck in heaps,  but still, nothing could be done. Barely a dozen of the original consignment held their footing. As night approached the stench from the hold ventilators was so terrible the officers could hardly remain on the bridge.  
 
With the decks awash with constant water, much of which was finding its way below. Captain Robertson directed his crew to batten down the holds which had been left open for ventilation for the poor beasts below. Battling hurricane force winds, mountainous seas and a steeply pitching deck while fighting the fear of being washed overboard or crushed by untethered bullocks at any time, these tough men strained to lash down the hatches. This action exasperated the blight of the animals in the hold, dashed about in their wooden pens suffocating in the thick air, one can only feel pity for the terror these animals suffered.

Out of 330 animals, only 65 remained alive on board, and these were by no means in good condition. In their endeavours to save the animals and the ship from disaster Captain Robertson and his crew were exhausted with anxiety and fatigue. They could have scarcely held out much longer.

The long slow haul down the coast now found the vessel standing off Jervis Bay where she signalled to the Jervis Bay Lighthouse keepers that she had lost a large number of bullocks overboard. 

May 28 - The weather moderated and the hatches could be taken off, revealing a revolting spectacle below,  a stench absolutely overpowering arose through the open hatches. Carcases of beasts lay strewn about, timber stalls were broken and scattered like matchwood. The moderating weather allowed the captain to enter the sheltered waters of Jervis Bay.  During this ordeal, the Anerley had only travelled 140 miles at the rate of a knot and a quarter an hour. The news of which shocked the shipping industry and could hardly be believed.

This gives us some insight into the extreme conditions the ship and crew faced.

During the ordeal, Captain Robertson tried in vein three times to reach the safety of a port, but the conditions were so bad he was forced to keep the ships head toward the sea for fear of foundering.

After a nights rest the steamer left the bay and headed for Williamstown, the crew cleared her decks and hold of the carcases on the journey, arriving on the following Saturday,  two hundred and sixty cattle had been cast overboard. Sitting alongside the wharf, the Anerley attracted a lot of attention from onlookers, she was a sorry sight, displaying all the signs of a fierce battle against the elements.

"As the vessel lies at Williamstown pier she does not look anything like the taut and trim steamer she did when she left Newcastle, almost new on Friday week."

"In the history of cattle shipping, it has rarely happened that such a disaster has overtaken a vessel off this coast."

Unlucky steamer.
June 7 - After the experience of almost losing the ship and the dreadful loss of cattle, you wonder how these men could put back to sea. But shortly after arriving in Melbourne, repairs to her holding pens was carried out, the Anerley's hold was loaded with horses and cattle and coal and she set off for South Africa, when she arrived in Durban news was received that 210 animals had been lost on the voyage. Another disastrous voyage for the Anerley, her owners,  and the poor creatures involved in the live animal trade.


1904 - Steamer wrecked.
The steamer Anerley, owned by Messrs. Watts, Watts, and Co., had been trading to Japan for some little time, she went ashore on a voyage from Japan to Fusan, and became a total loss.


Continue reading about dead cattle strewn acroos the shore of Jervis bay.

Continue reading about the terribel ordeal of the Ship City of Melbourne and the loss of prize race horses.





 

Ships in the bay – HMAS Brisbane (III)

March 26 - 2019

As the sun rose above the horizon the soft hazy silhouette of a large warship could be seen approaching Jervis Bay, with the training ship Sycamore moving across the bay in the foreground.

Photo Rob Slater 2019

As the warship approached Point Perpendicular, two small boats from HMAS Creswell could be seen heading towards the still unidentified ship. The ship made several sharp turns as the smaller craft came in close. When the warship turned towards  Honeymoon Bay flares could easily be seen floating in the sky over the ship.

Photo Rob Slater 2019

Looking through my camera, I could make out the number 41 on the bow of the warship identifying her as HMAS Brisbane (III)

HMAS Brisbane (III) continued to make some quick turns as the two smaller craft weaved around the ship. I had seen this type of action before and was told by navy personel they were conducting defensive exercises against attack from small vessels.

Photo Rob Slater 2019

HMAS Brisbane (III) is the second of three ships of the Hobart Class guided missile destroyers. Her sister ships will be Hobart (III) and Sydney (V). The keel of Brisbane was laid down on 3 February 2014 and was launched by Mrs Robyn Shackleton on 15 December 2016.

Her last turn was an impressive site, she laid right over as she powered through a tight 180-degree turn. Shortly after, the small vessels left for HMAS Creswell and Brisbane continued crisscrossing the bay at a more leisurely pace.

Photo - Rob Slater 2019

A friend of mine who served as a stoker during his career in the navy told me of the excitement felt onboard as a large warship did sharp turns under full power.

Continue reading about HMAS Brisbane(III)

Sea King leaving Huskisson.

The early morning sunrise washes over the fishing trawler Sea King as she leaves Huskisson for another day of fishing outside Jervis Bay.

Photo - Rob Slater March 22nd 2019

Steamer S.S.Boveric rescued off Jervis Bay - 1903

S.S. Boveric - Courtesy of - http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=19728#v

12.10 am - September 1903 – At 3987-tons the steel screw steamer S.S.Boveric was the largest steamer in the Howard Smith fleet, built by Russel and Co of Glasgow in 1898. Passing Jervis Bay in ballast from Melbourne to Newcastle  she suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Investigation found her propeller was carried away leaving the vessel totally disabled.

3.30 am - The Melbourne Shipping Company steamer S.S.Perth travelling from Melbourne responded to signals for assistance from the crippled Boveric. Hawsers were securely fastened between the steamers in preparation for towing.

6.10am - The ships entered the safety of Jervis Bay without incident.

 S.S.Perth - http://collections.anmm.gov.au/objects/92482

7.30am -  Leaving the Boveric at anchor in the bay she continued her voyage south from Sydney to West Australia.

News of the mishap was conveyed to Mr Howell in Sydney, manager of the company, Howard Smith,  from the Jervis Bay Lighthouse. He immediately arranged for the steamer Duckenfield to proceed to Jervis Bay, travelling overnight arriving in the bay the next morning she took the Boveric in tow and headed out of the bay for Sydney, where repairs would be carried out.

On examination, it was found the end of the tail shaft had carried away. The Duckenfield carried a spare tail shaft and propeller which were quickly fitted, allowing the Boveric to continue her journey to Newcastle the same night.

S.S. Duckenfield - http://collections.anmm.gov.au/objects/27382/ss-duckenfield-darling-harbour;jsessionid=D80C2448DCAD1BDB569AA62D5DFFCB19

The Boveric before the incident, had completed a journey from Java to Adelaide and Melbourne, with a cargo of sugar.


Ref.
image link - http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ref=19728#v
Duckenfield credit - http://collections.anmm.gov.au/objects/27382/ss-duckenfield-darling-harbour;jsessionid=D80C2448DCAD1BDB569AA62D5DFFCB19
Perth - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gorgs8/28860949220/
Perth - http://collections.anmm.gov.au/objects/92482

Comberton Grange

This picture was sent to us by Dee. Her family has a long history in the Shoalhaven. The picture is of Simon Jennings of Comberton Grange.

Comberton Grange located at Falls Creek on the far western end on the northern banks of Currambene Creek was at one time regarded as the centre of dairy farming in the Shoalhaven.




The farm has been in use since the 1830s. The original farmhouse was constructed between 1843  and 1847 by John Terry Hughes using convict labour. The bricks used in the construction were also made onsite by convicts.

The property went through various non-occupying owners who employed overseers to run the farm until the  Jennings family purchased the property in the 1850s. 

Simon Jennings is listed as the first owner/occupier. The farm was eventually passed onto Bob Jennings, becoming the third generation to occupy the property until sold in 1963.


Ron Jennings and Tenants.

The old farmhouse was listed on the National Trust’s register in 1981, but in 1989 when the home was owned by Shoalhaven City Council, it was burnt to the ground, leaving only the chimney and a few walls standing. In 1996 the draft local environment plan identified the ruins as being a heritage item of local significance.

Despite the listing,  bricks from the site were steadily being removed between 1990 and 2006 and were sold by the Shoalhaven Council in a clearance sale. Two months later the Council listed the property for sale.

https://www.southcoastregister.com.au/story/102756/auction-the-final-indignity-for-the-historic-homestead/?cs=203

The property was owned by the people of the Shoalhaven, care of the Shoalhaven City Council until recently,  the Council has sold the property to an overseas group who intend to build a large Shoulin Temple and housing tourist facility on the historic site.

Comberton Grange has some interesting stories associated with the property.
Here are just a few.

1844 - George Faulks was born on the property at 8 pm on the 11 April 1844.

The Faulks family were farmers trying to grow tobacco on a property at Woollamia. The family homestead and all their belongings were destroyed by fire. With the help of neighbours and local Aboriginals, they were rowed across Currambene Creek to Comberton Grange. A few sheets of bark were stripped and a "gunyah" built, two days after the destruction of the home George Faulks was born in the "humblest of humble bark humpies." on the banks of Currambene Creek.

George died in Nowra on the 24th May 1936, one month after celebrating his 92nd birthday.

At that time a Mr Mackay carried on extensive dairying operation at Comberton Grange.

1884 - Flying Foxes a voracious Pest. "We hope that everyone who has an orchard will send a shooter."
A large Flying Fox colony was discovered on the property, word quickly spread through the local Shoalhaven Telegraph. A large party of shooters were to assemble at the gates of Comberton Grange and proceed to exterminate what was then regarded as noxious orchard destroyers.

1899 - Mr Fitzgerald operated a profitable sawmill on the property.

1990 - A proposal to turn the 380 hectare Comberton Grange into a Japanese agricultural college was treated with a great deal of suspicion by the local Council Alderman thinking the proposed Australian-Japanese cultural exchange school could become a "de facto tourist resort."  The proposed residential college would house up to 300 Japanese students aged between 16 and 18 years and give them a background in Australian agriculture. The proposal included recreation facilities, a swimming pool, tennis court, boating facilities, cycle paths and sporting fields.

Alderman Baker..
"It is not desirable to create deliberate enclaves of people from other countries without positive programmes to have them involved with people of the area."

Ironic considering present day proposals.

1950 - Impassable road - The ongoing problems with access to Comberton Grange dating back to the 1840s culminated with thousands of gallons of milk being wasted because of the road into
Comberton Grange was in such a bad condition it was impossible to get even a horse and cart through.

1990 - The government looked at Comberton Grange as a possible location to relocate their munitions depot from Sydney. Eventually regected.

1990 - Shoalhaven alderman Greg Watson proposed a 10000 people housing development which would include a marina, golf course and tourist facilities. A marina would require extensive dredging of Currambene Creek. Local residents and environmentalists, along with a qualified coastal geomorphologist were against the proposal. The proposal was eventually dropped.

Blog Comment

We received this interesting email, correcting one of our posts.


Dear Archivists,
Maybe I can help with some of your houses.  The photos below are of two different houses on Bowen St. which I remember from childhood. The top house was at 41 or 43 Bowen Street and the property at the rear included fruit trees and lawns going down to the creek.  It belonged to my grandmother, Mrs Amelia Jennings (d 1929)  who m2 William George Dent (d 1939) of Huskisson. The photo was taken at time of sale in 1950s by my mother and had been unoccupied for some years. The purchaser built a motel on the site. My mother’s grandparents were all original settlers to Nowra and the Shoalhaven .
Regards Dee Boys, Mrs
USA

Continue to the original post...Owen Street Huskisson 1916.

Cape St George Lighthouse - The building had to be taken down to ground level.

1859 - 5th July
The Department of Land and Public Works advertised for tenders for builders willing to contract for the erection of a Light House at Cape St. George. Tenders had to state the time within which it was
proposed to complete the work.  A bond to Her Majesty of £500 was required to secure the tender, otherwise, the tender would not be taken into consideration.

Just 40 years later the controversially located lighthouse was decommissioned and was ready to be demolished.


1899 - 9th October
The Department of Public Works advertised for the sale of Building materials from the dismantling of Cape St George Lighthouse. Disposal of all materials included within the lighthouse and residences, together with all outbuildings and fences. Anyone sending in their application had to include the sum of 2 pounds as a guarantee of good faith. which would be forfeited by the successful tenderer if he failed to complete the purchase in fourteen days of notification of the acceptance of his tender.
The building had to be taken down to ground level.


Continue reading about Cape St George Lighthouse.

The mystery of the disabled steamer.

1898
The installation of a telegraph line went someway to end the isolation of Cape St George Lighthouse.  Before the telegraph line was connected it could take days before news from the lighthouse would reach authorities by horseback. The line owned and controlled by the government was used almost exclusively by the lighthouse keepers to report the passage and status of passing ships as well as the  weather in the vicinity of Jervis Bay.  The line ran its path through rugged terrain suspended on poles. Adverse weather and falling trees could break the line at any time,  the lack of communication would cause great concern for the shipping agents and owners in Sydney. 

1915  - A report in the Daily Telegraph in Sydney described Jervis Bay "as one of the most important signal stations on the South Coast." 

The mystery of the disabled steamer.
13 January 1898 - A telegraph reached Sydney from Jervis Bay stating that a three-masted schooner-rigged steamer, with a yellow funnel, was towed into the bay at 8.15 on the same morning. The steamer signalled, "machinery disabled". When these sort of incidents happened,  it was important for owners and agents to know the name of the vessel, where it came from and where it was going.  If a name wasn't easily discernable, ships could usually be identified by shape, the number of masts, funnels and colours.

 

And that's where this mystery begins.

What was the name of the vessel, where did she come from and where was she going?

Sea travel was the most convenient and important form of transport at the time.  Newspapers were in contact with shipping agents and monitored the agent's notice boards daily. All ship movements were reported and sometimes could occupy multiple pages in a paper.  Any news of an incident involving a vessel would get the immediate attention of newspapers.  In this case, the news reporter after his investigation was left perplexed about the identity of the vessel.  His inquiries showed there wasn't any steamer of her description expected at Sydney or Newcastle, or known to be bound north or south from either of those ports. At first, it was thought it may have been the German mail steamer,  I.G.M.S.Konigin Luise from Bremen,  but this was quickly discounted as the German vessel was a lot bigger and was a two-masted fore-and-aft-rigged vessel,  very different from the description of the vessel at Jervis Bay.

Konigin Luise - Arrival of 'Königin Luise' in Fremantle, W.A. - 3 August 1919

It was then thought she may have been an Adelaide Co,'s steamer as they are denoted by yellow funnels, but there were no three masted steamers in the current fleet.
The mystery caused a good deal of interest in shipping circles, but because the telegraph line was only for the purposes before-mentioned and controlled by the government, investigation by paper correspondents was met with frustration, finding out which vessel was in distress was made almost impossible. The journalist in his efforts approached "official circles" but was met with what he described as a "remarkable ignorance of the fact."

The mystery ship remained that, a mystery, much to the frustration to all those with an interest in shipping matters, and to the newspaper correspondent and its readers.

No further details are known.

Captain Point, Jervis Bay

The year was 1913, Jervis Bay was about to see the most dramatic change since the arrival of Europeans.  After years of heated debate the decision of the location for the new Australian Naval College was finally made by the Government.

1913 - Work on the Naval College began, the bush was cleared, men were being employed in all the trades required for building.  A tent city for the workers had sprung up in the bush at Captains Point. The conditions were hard and wearing on the workers.   The project was having trouble attracting the highly skilled engineers they needed for the project because the wage the government was willing to pay for their service was well below what they could earn in the private sector.

January 15 – Steamers were the vital link between Captains Point and the outside world. The steamer Hillsmead was loaded at Port Kembla with 16000 bricks ready to be shipped to the Naval College.

June 1913 - After a long search, a new engineer from Tasmania accepted the position at 450 pounds per annum, quite a considerable difference to the 1200 pounds he could make for a few months work in the private sector.

The new college required the shipment of large amounts of building material. When the building work commenced there was no direct and passable road link, most goods arriving by steamer.

June 1913 -  two steamers were in the bay, the S.S. Seagull and the S.S. Hillsmeads, the latter was built by the Dents at Huskisson in 1907. The local agent Captain Bavestock was kept busy supervising the delivery of goods at both Captains Point and Huskisson wharf. The vessels carried a large and mixed cargo, Bricks, timber and cement being the main load, the cement would be contained in casks numbering up to 300.

By June the site was undergoing a complete transformation. The once quiet untouched bush was giving away to buildings.  The ring from anvils, clangs from hammers, the shriek from saws and machinery rang out all over the point and across the bay.

The Government store on site stocked everything needed for the building, locks, ironmongery, timber.

April 1913 - With the completion of the road survey work would soon start on the much-needed road link from Jervis Bay to Captains Point  The building of the college attracted the attention of speculators, sites for business were designed and measured. At the time a trial survey of the proposed rail line between Jervis Bay and the site for the Federal Capital was being considered.

September 1913 - As work continued the isolation for the men was broken from time to time with visits from the Nowra contingent of the Salvation Army who would entertain the men with song and music, a welcome distraction from the isolation and hard work.

While construction was being carried out, many of the men working on the project had their wives and children staying at the site. A temporary teacher was appointed to the Captain's Point site, with a permanent teacher and building to be allocated when the Naval College was complete.


1914 - Another year had passed and work was well underway with many of the building nearing completion,  Despite the well-used road link to Jervis Bay and Nowra, steamers were still the most economical and easiest way to ship large quantities of goods to Captains Point.

December 1914 - six or seven shiploads of machinery arrived on site. By years end there were 400 men working at the site.


Work continued.

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James Craig – Cape St George Lighthouse

20Feb 2019.

I was recently standing atop the cliff in front of the ruins of the Cape St George Lighthouse and was lucky enough to get a photograph of the 19th Century square rigger James Craig passing by on her voyage from Hobart to Sydney.  This sort of scene would have been common to the original lighthouse keepers manning the lighthouse from 1860 until it's decommissioning in 1899.  Besides maintaining the lighthouse the keepers had the responsibility of monitoring all passing ships. Communication between the ships and the lighthouse before wireless was via flags of different designs and colours hoisted high on the ships rigging and displayed on the flagstaff which stood in clear view beside the lighthouse near the cliff edge.  When the telegraph was connected they reported all ship movements to Greenwell Point Pilot Station, from there the information was passed on to Sydney.  Many of the ship movements were posted in the Sydney newspapers.


Continue reading about Cape St George.

A Sailors plight.

Jervis Bay, known for its beautiful serenity has had its share of tragic incidents which has resulted in the death of sailors.  

Marked by a headstone, the most well known would be the grave of the 19-year-old sailor Robert Johnson who drowned in Jervis Bay in 1892.  The headstone sits atop the small headland known as Tapalla Point ( sailors by the locals) and is passed every year by hundreds of people walking along the footpath winding its way around the top of the shoreline.

At this time there are two known graves sites in the grounds of the Trinity Church in Huskisson, possibly more.  One was reported to be of King Billy the chief of the Jervis Bay Aboriginal tribe, he died in the 1920's. The other is of Carl Niclasson a sailor off the whaling ship Loc Tay who died under mysterious circumstances.  The graves have disappeared over the years. Quite recently I went looking for the graves, I hunted around the grounds of the church, I spoke to people associated with the church, but no one I spoke to knew where they were located.

Carl Niclasson.
Searching for information on his death I came upon a newspaper article written in the Nowra Leader in 1912., about the death and subsequent burial of Carl Niclasson.

Carl Carl Niclasson, aged 33, a native of Golsburg, Sweden,  was a seaman aboard the whaling factory ship Loch Tay.  in 1912 the whale factory ship Loch Tay and her smaller whale hunting ships were operating from Jervis Bay.

Niclasson was onboard a small motor launch travelling between Huskisson wharf and the Loch Tay.  He had been drinking and was in fine spirits and good health the night before.  Niclasson was sitting down in the launch with two other men when he dropped down from the seat, this didn't alarm anyone on board, thinking he was still under the influence of alcohol.   On reaching the Loch Tay he was carried on board and placed in the room set apart for sailors.   Captain Egeness looked at him and felt for a pulse.  Prior to this Captain Egeness sent the launch to the beach to find the doctor of the ship (Jorg. B. Kolfiaath) who had gone fishing.

On the doctor's return, he examined Niclasson and pronounced him deceased.

Niclasson had been onboard the Loch Tay for six to seven months and was regarded as a good worker, he had never suffered from illness during his time on board, but was known to have a slight "heart disease"The official inquiry was held at Cambourne's Hotel Huskisson on Monday 24 November 1912, before the coroner (Mr C.J.B. Watson).

The first hotel at Huskisson.


The burial.
The body of the deceased was in a wooden shell made on board the Loch Tay, he was interred at a quiet spot close to the church at Huskisson, alongside the grave of a seaman drowned 42 years before. The coffin was draped with the Norwegian colours was borne to the grave by a number of the deceased late comrades. The Church of England burial service was read by the Rev. A. G. Perkins, followed by an impressive Norwegian service, conducted by Captain Egeness.

Dr, Albert Bobart (Government medical officer)  "I have seen the body of the deceased, Carl Niclasson It bears no marks of violence, In my opinion, the cause of death was heart disease."

The church is no longer used and sits on a large open piece of prime real estate which is earmarked for development. This will require the graves to be moved to another location.  I hope they are given a location befitting a sailor.

It was believed Niclasson at the time of his death only had one living relative, a married sister living in Sweden.


Continue reading about the Loch Tay, a factory whaling ship stationed in Jervis Bay.

Continue reading about Robert Johnson.

Continue reading about King Billy and Queen Mary.

Steamer breaks down in cyclonic gale - Jervis Bay.

December 13 1920 -  A gale described as "cyclonic" was ravaging the south coast centered between Wollongong and Jervis Bay. Vessels caught at sea were having a very hard time and those that could looked for shelter, while others had no choice but to battle on.  The weather was so severe all coastal shipping was suspended forcing vessels to stay in port.

The Patric Steam Ship Company steamer Timaru heading to Sydney with a cargo of Tasmanian timber found herself in the grip of the storm and was forced to seek shelter in Wreck Bay.  She became disabled when one of her engine shafts was broken by the sheer strain of negotiating the seas.  Her captain using the wireless signalled for immediate assistance.

December 14 - The weather quickly abated, the steamer Sea Lark was dispatched from Jervis Bay to the Timaru, upon arriving at the scene,  Captain Johnson of the Timaru, informed the master of the Sea Lark that his services would not be required, provided the weather stays settled. The company decided to send the tug Bermagui to assist the Timaru just in case of further trouble.

December 14 - The steamer Bermagui arrived and took the Timaru in tow and proceeded to Sydney arriving in the harbour around midday. While she was connected by tow line to the Bermagui, the Timaru made the journey under her own steam. She remained in Sydney while repairs were carried out.


150ft 2in long, Timaru was an iron steamer of 459 tons gross, built in 1883 at Sunderland.

Samuel Elyard.

Susan Capel, art dealer and restorer from Sydney, sent us two images by Samuel Elyard depicting scenes of the Shoalhaven. One is a beautiful image of the Cape St George Lighthouse located in the Booderie National Park on the south side of Jervis Bay. The lighthouse was a favourite subject for Elyard, he made the long rough journey by horseback and buggy to the lighthouse on many occasions. The museum has several in its collection. The other is an unidentified homestead in the Shoalhaven.

"Cape St. George Lighthouse, Jervis Bay, N.S.W." (c.1890)

watercolour & bodycolour

37.5 x 50.5cm

unsigned

"Country Homestead, Shoalhaven, N.S.W." (1883)

watercolour & bodycolour

39 x 39cm

signed lower right

Continue reading about Samuel Elyard, a prolific painter and photographer who lived in the Shoalhaven in the 19th century. You will also find some interesting comparison photograph I have done of his original paintings compared to the actual scene today...
http://jervisbaymaritimemuseum.blogspot.com/search?q=samuel+elyard

Both of these images are for sale from Belle Epoque Fine Art and Antiques.
https://www.belleepoqueantiques.com/samuel-elyard
https://www.belleepoqueantiques.com/