Courtesy of TROVE Northern Star, Saturday 25 January 1947
SAGAS OF THE EARLY DAYS by WINDSOR LANG.
The Schooner “LISMORE” is Launched
MR. MATTHIAS LEWIS, father of Mr. Thomas Lewis, who lives at present in Cherry Street, Ballina, bought the barque “Fox,” which had become a total wreck on North Spit on January 7, 1871. He stripped her of all her gear and rigging, and burned the hull to enable him to secure the copper and iron work. Mr. Lewis repeated the performance with the schooner “Australia” when she became a total wreck on the South Spit on February 14, 1874. At various times other wrecks were bought for their “breaking up” yields. The schooner “Lismore” was launched at Lismore in the early “70’s”. After years of useful service she was taken to Mobbs’ Bay and broken up for her fittings. Several river-trading boats of later years at the end of their services passed into the “breakers’” hands at Mobbs’ Bay.
Mr. William Tudor Yeager had the three-masted schooners “Neptune,” of 221 tons, and the “Emu,” of 165 tons, engaged in the timber-carrying trade from the river, in addition to two stout punts for carrying hardwood timber down the river.
During the 60’s, Mr. Yeager had the steamer “Amphitrite,” of 120 tons, engaged in his timber-carrying business between the Richmond and Sydney. He also had the 18-ton steamer “Vesta” for the necessary tug and delivery work connected with his saw-milling activities. In later years, when he had other steamers engaged in his ocean-borne general-cargo service between the river and Sydney, the “Vesta” was used by him for doing droghing work, along the SouthArm, specially.
It was when the “Vesta” was returning to Coraki from Irvington on one of these droghing trips with a full cargo, chiefly maize, that Captain William Yabsley met his death. The maize had shifted, and the boat was capsized. Captain Yabsley was returning from attending the District Court at Casino, and was drowned after some of the cargo had fallen on him.
Captain Thomas Fenwick had the following sailing vessels carrying timber between the river, Sydney, and Melbourne: “Lady Franklin,” “Edie More,” and the ketch “Sir George.”
I believe that the “Lady Franklin” was the last of the sailing ships to trade to this river. I can recollect seeing her, on more than one occasion, half a century ago, being towed both up the river, and down the river, and I saw her moored for quite a long time at Ballina, during the early years of this century.
For the first 20 years following the coming of the “Sally” in 1842, all sea-borne communication with the Richmond had been by sailing boats. The treacherous nature of the river crossing, the sparsity of the population, the lack of much really firmly established settlement, and the scarcity of available steamers, each operated to render it inopportune for the introduction of steamers to the river trade.
The first steam-driven vessel in use was that of Mr. Henry Fulton, of the United States of America, in 1803, and the first steamer to come into Australian waters was the “Sophia Jane.” She arrived in Australia from England in 1830. Incidentally, the “Sophia Jane” carried cargo from Wollongong to Sydney in 1834, and ran a regular service between Sydney, Newcastle and Morpeth for years, and later on, was used in the South Coast service, between Sydney and Jervis Bay, but a regular service by steam-driven craft was not instituted on the Richmond until 1863.
As against that, the Clarence had been visited by the steamer King William IV, in 1839. A party of land-seekers had chartered this vessel, and proceeded to the Clarence (Big River) after calling at Greenhills (Morpeth), and Port Macquarie on the way. Not only did they enter the Clarence, but steamed over the shallows, and round all the bends to the mouth of the Orara, although she did run aground on more than one occasion in so doing. The men on the steamer included Captain Parry, Messrs. Girard. William Williams, Biggs, Foss, George and William Bowman, and Milson (from whom the name Milson’s Point comes).
Again, on the Clarence the Grafton Steam Navigation Coy. had been formed in 1857. Ships that were in its fleet were “Phoenix,” “Grafton,” “Urara,” and “Agnes Irving.” This company became the “Clarence and Richmond Rivers Steam Navigation Coy.,” in 1860. Eventually, it developed into North Coast Steam Navigation Coy., operating today, absorbing the several rival companies trading on the North Coast.
Although the “C. and R.R.S.N. Coy.” was not formed until 1860, the following extract from the shipping notes of the “Clarence and Richmond Rivers Examiner” of December 6, 1859 indicates that the company supplied some measure of service immediately prior to 1860. The extract I select comes from notes that I received from Mr. Arthur Cousins recently: –
“The C. and R.R.S.N. Coy’s steamer s.s. Fenella will sail from Sydney with Richmond River goods and passengers on, or about, 14th December, 1859, returning via Grafton.”
If this announcement had raised cheerful hopes amongst the Richmond River dwellers, those hopes were fated to be soon dashed, because the trip to the Richmond did not eventuate, as the “Fenella” did not run further north than Grafton on that trip.
(Extract from “Sydney Morning Herald,” 8/6/1864.)
“On Saturday, 28th May, 1864, the “Rainbow” left the Richmond River at 8 a.m. There were then light winds which shifted to the S. East. During the night she stood out to sea using fore and aft canvas. On Sunday at 8 a.m. she steered south. On Monday, the weather was fine with a fresh southerly. The steamer sought shelter at Trial Bay, anchoring and remaining there till Wednesday at 2 p.m. when she got under way. On Thursday she was obliged to seek, shelter in Seal Rock Bay. The night was dark and stormy. The wind suddenly chopped round. Steam had to be kept well up. The engineer went to the engines intending to get out if possible. The ship was headed to sea. She was rolling heavily. The port chain snapped. In trying to get to sea she was almost driven on the rocks. The anchors were let go and her head brought to sea. The sea was heavy; breaking right abreast, and driving in the port bulwarks, forecastle gangway and everything else before it. The only chance was to go ashore. An attempt was made to get to the little bay, but the vessel was driven on the rocks and wrecked. There were seven people drowned-Mr. Rankin (first Head Teacher of Lismore National School), Mrs. Rankin, Signor Teste, Mr. Hunter (chief engineer), Mr. Rawes (steward), A. Elliott, and another seaman. The mate and crew had to walk to Port Stephens 30 miles away.”
(To Be Continued.)