NORTH COAST SHIPBUILDING – PAST AND PRESENT.
Written for the “Northern Star” by N.C. Hewitt. Courtesy of Trove 31 January 1917
The launching of another fine river passenger steamer at Oakland, Coraki, on Saturday last is an event of considerable interest to this district, reminding us of the importance of these Northern Rivers as a shipbuilding centre in the early days and of their future possibilities—at least as far as river passenger craft and small wooden ocean going boats are concerned. If the average resident today were asked whether a vessel had ever been built on the Richmond, he would, probably reply “Yes, one—the “Mystery,”—and it will ever remain a mystery how they launched her from the stocks.” Indeed, it was this circumstance that gave rise to the name of the smart little craft.
But the answer gives but half the truth, for probably not less than fifty vessels have been built on the Richmond River alone, some of which made a name for their builders, the river and its timbers. And in passing it is significant that this fine passenger vessel was launched from the stocks at Oakland, the home of that great man, the late Captain W.T. Yeager, whom we shall see was the pioneer of river passenger service on the Richmond. His home was named after his birthplace, Oakland, in California, and his name recalls those of other great men of the period, the late Captain Wm. Yabsley, Messrs. G.W. and B.B. Nicoll, M.L.A., Captain Thomas Fenwick and others, whose claims to a never-fading remembrance rest on a sure foundation. Veritable giants they were — great, because they attempted great things. In a lesser degree might be mentioned the late Mr. Robert Pyers, M.L.A., and Mr. F.G. Crouch, M.L.A., both of whom built several useful river steamers. All these were men of indomitable courage and energy. Before proceeding to write of the productions of these men it is necessary to take a brief survey of the river as it was even as late as the seventies, in order to understand the difficulties of river navigation and the dangers that beset them.
In the fifties and sixties travelling through the Clarence and Richmond River districts was mostly accomplished by pulling boat, and a long and tedious voyage it was. <snip> In the South Arm small boats went nearly to Casino, and ocean going vessels to the Pelican Tree station (called Whoram), 50 miles from the Heads. On the Richmond they repeated the Clarence (where they copied the Hunter) in the names of places presenting difficulties to navigation, such as the Broadwater, Rocky Mouth (Woodburn), The Fig Tree Bend (Gundurimba) and the Devil’s Elbow. This place was between Coraki and Woodburn, where the river in a prehistoric age took a new turn and left its old bed, and where a sheet of water three miles long cut off from the present stream still bears witness to its ancient course. It was named by the sailors on account of its intricate channel and tortuous elbow.
THE PIONEER RIVER STEAMER. To the late Captain Yeager belongs the honor of having owned the first river steamer, to turn a screw or a paddlewheel in the waters of the Richmond River. Mr. Yeager, who in 1871 had a small store, started on the river conveying goods in a small pulling boat. Being a far-seeing man he saw the possibilities of steam power, and his boat, the “Keystone,” arrived on the river in July, 1863 — almost 54 years ago. She was a stern paddle-wheel steamer of a modest 8-ton burthen, built by Capt. Rowntree, the then well-known builder (and later dock owner), of Balmain. She ran a trip to near Casino. Her horse-power was only ten. This was just one year and eight months after the first river steamer, the “Ulmarra,” arrived on the Clarence from Sydney. As our pioneer river steamer we are naturally proud of the “Keystone,” which could steam with wind and tide no less than five miles an hour! The “Keystone” had a long and useful career of 27 years, being finally broken up on this river in 1890. The next river boat of which there is any record is the drogher built by Mr. J. Edye Manning (brother of Sir Wm. Manning), at Wyrallah in 1869 – 48 years ago. Mr. Manning at that time had the “Waimea” trading to the Richmond River. As the first river boat to be built on this river the “Wyrallah Myee,” deserves special mention. Doubtless she was classed 100-A1 at the local Lloyd’s, but one early writer describes her as being “fast and furious when tied up to a wharf.” Shortly after this a small screw steamer, the name of which the writer has forgotten, commenced running on the lower river but she was not a success. In some respects she resembled that celebrated boat the “Mississippi,” of which Mark Twain wrote that every time she blew her whistle she stopped, whose sides were held together by rust, which one day cracked and she sank. So it was with the local “Mississippi.” She had no safety valve on the boiler and one day, when near Broadwater or Woodburn, the rust did crack, and the boiler, which was held together by rust, burst and the vessel blew up. A commercial traveller, the only person aboard besides another man who was captain, engineer, fire man and deck hand, all four rolled into one, was killed. The engineer was blown over-board. The remains of the boat were visible for some years afterwards. Next came the double paddlewheel steamer “Catherine,” of and imported by the late Mr. James, of Wardell (then known as Blackwall). The “Catherine” was for some years a ferry boat in Sydney Harbor and hence was double ended. In later years she was owned by Mr. W. Yabsley, of Coraki sawmills, and is now doing duty for C. Hetherington, of Horwood, as a floating irrigation pumping plant. In 1871 the “Despatch” was brought around from the Clarence River and commenced running as a passenger boat on the Richmond. In 1873 the “Bee,” a screw steamboat, was built for the passenger trade of this river and occasionally ran to Lismore. An early photograph shows her at the river bank next the old fig tree above Fawcett bridge. She was 69ft. in length, with a beam of 15.5ft, of 12 h.p., and capable of carrying 10 tons. All these vessels of those early years, which would today be referred to as of the mosquito class, were practically without awning or protection for passengers from the weather, and it did rain in those times!
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STEAM BOAT. The real development in the river passenger craft may be said to date from the arrival here in 1875 of the “Victoria,” a screw steamer 69ft. long and 13.9ft. beam. She was built in Sydney, was 18 h.p., and could carry 30 tons. The old “Vic,” as she was called, was a favorite boat. A press report describes her arrival: “Yesterday was a proud day for the Richmond River, a day that ought to be placed high in the calendar of her improvements, a day to which her sons and daughters, if alive to the true interests of their district, will in future years look back with exaltation.” The “Vic” in time gave place to a larger and faster boat, another importation of Messrs. J. and T. Fenwick, boat owners, the “Sarah L. Hixson,” which, built in Sydney in September, 1878, arrived here under her own steam. She was 81.4ft. in length, 13.8ft. in breadth and depth 6.1ft., of 25 h.p. and 39 tons register. She was moulded on beautiful lines, with compound engines, and at her trial trip did 13 knots. For some years the “Sarah” was a larger and a faster boat than any river steamer on the Clarence, and her record trip of six hours (including four stops) from Ballina to Lismore (and this included a run back from Ballina factory to the wharf for a shovel that had been left behind) has never been equalled by any other boat before or since. She was also one of the most successful boats the firm has owned and though she has made several trips to the bottom of the river she is still in commission, and good for some years to come.
Next came the “Vesta,” 43 tons, built at Brisbane Water in 1879 for Mr. W.T. Yeager and now owned by Davis Bros. and Burgess, Ltd. This boat’s advent to the trade was marred by a dreadful catastrophe. Whilst proceeding down South Arm on January 21st, 1880, laden with 500 bags of maize and passengers, the “Vesta” struck a sand-spit and capsized, no less than five passengers, including Captain Wm. Yabsley, losing their lives. The captain was committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter. The “Pasha” (the first) came to the river to Mr. E. Carter, Wardell, having been built at Port Stephens in 1879. She was employed only as a drogher. Her dimensions were: Length 84ft., 20ft. breadth, 12 h.p., and 63 tons register. The subsequent history of this celebrated drogher will be told later. The “Triton” and the “Glossariel” were built for the late Mr. Robert Pyers. Other river steamers about his time were the “Firefly” and the “Casino” (both about 1882) and the “Jinnie Rush,” which came around from the Clarence in that year and traded between Coraki and Casino.
In 1882 the firm of J. and T. Fenwick placed the “William Langford” to run alternate trips to Lismore with the “Sarah Hixson.” This boat, built in 1881, was 60ft. in length, with only 8ft. beam and 15 h.p., and could do 11 knots and carry 13 tons or 150 passengers. Finally on September 14th, 1894, whilst being used as a tugboat, she capsized on the Richmond bar, as a result of which Captain T. Fenwick and engineer Lomax very nearly lost their lives. In 1880 the “Florrie” made her appearance. She was built for Mr. F.G. Crouch, of Casino, at Brisbane Water, of wood, her dimensions being length 67ft., breadth 13.2ft., and was afterwards owned by Capt. T. Fenwick, who for many years ran her in the river passenger trade to Lismore. In 1904 she was sold to Mr. G. Dorrough, and later the B.A.T. Co. on acquiring the business, completely remodelled her. Then there was the “Platypus,” which did many years of service on the Parramatta, and subsequently for a number of years on the Clarence River and afterwards on the Richmond River. This boat ended her floating career by taking a fatal dive at Coraki in August, 1882 or 1884. In a subsequent article the evolution of the river passenger steamer will be concluded, and reference made to the large number of ocean-going vessels and river steamers that have been sent on the river. It will be interesting to trace the transition from the wind jammers (as the sailors were called) — those tiny, cranky coracles which did duty in the early days, and were by courtesy called ships, and river passenger boats, to the well-equipped and elegant fitted up passenger craft of today.
