HOMEWARD BOUND.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 679, 1 November 1921, Page 7

HOMEWARD BOUND.

BIG WOOL SHIPS RACE TO LONDON. Because steamship freights are very high, and the price of wool is very low, sailing ships have once more been allowed a footing in the carrying trade from New Zealand to London, (states the Weekly Press). Time was when fleets of beautiful clipper ships screwed as many bales of wool as possible into their holds —sometimes carrying an overplus in spare rooms—and raced with the “golden fleece” to catch a London scale, Then came the age of steam. The regular lines sold off their clippers, built larger and faster steamships, and the reign of the sailer was at <m end. By 1907 the last sailing ship owned by ShawSavil, and Albion Company had passed into the hands of foreigners —the N.Z. Shipping Company had sold out of “sail” earlier. From the end of 1903 sailing ships in the wool trade were few and far between. The Welington firm of Scales generally loaded a few each year. Between December, 1903, and July, 1908, they despatched twenty-two sailing ships from Wellington (one completed at Timaru) for London, From July, 1908, till November, 1916, not a single “wind-jammer” loaded wool at any New Zealand port. The exigencies of the war gave the sailing ship another chance, and from 1916 to the end of 1919 quite a number of sailers, chiefly American, loaded wool and hemp at Wellington and Lyttelton for American ports. In July, 1919, the British ship Terpsichore left Wellington with a full cargo of wool for London. Until this year only two sailing ships had loaded wool at Lyttelton since the beginning of 1914. On February, 13th, 1904, the clipper ship Wellington left Lyttelton wool laden for London, and marked her last voyage under the Bjritish flag by a smart passage of 75 days to the Channel. Four years passed before another sailer loaded wool at Lyttelton, and on March 10th, 1908, the Liverpool ship Loch Trool sailed for London with a full cargo.

This year’s wool fleet to date numbered four ships—the Finnish ship Pampa, which loaded at Wellington and Timaru and is now 75 days out on her voyage to London, the French five-masted barque France loaded at Lyttelton and Wellington, the French ship Vercingetorix loaded aji: Wellington, and the New Zealand owned four-masted barque Rewa (ex Alice A. Leigh) loaded at Wellington aand Lytteitort, Between them, these ships are taking between 30,000 and 40,000 bales of wooi to London. The cargoes of the France, which is the largest sailing ship in the world, and the Rewa, which is the largest British sailing ship afloat, are by far the largest ever carried from a New Zealand port by sail. The Rewa loaded 11,798 bales cf wool, 400 casks of tallow, and a quantity of sundries at Wellington, and 2576 bales of wool at Lyttelton, making a total of 14,374 bales, a “record” shipment by sailing ship interest in shipping circles attaches to the departure of the three ships from New Zealand for London. The France left Wellington on the morning of Monday, the sth inst, and according to a wireless message received from her a week later was 1000 miles away* so that she had made a very fair run. The' Vercingetorix cleared Wellington Heads on September 10th, and on September 16th started from Lyttelton. In charge of Captain T. M. Hunter, first pilot, the big ship left the wharf at 11 a.nv, and was given a good send-off as she towed out The wind was drawing up the harbour, and proved to be a Light southeaster when she cleared the Heds. Setting all her fore and aft canvas, the vessel towed well to sea, and the tug cast off the tow-rope, when abreast of Long Look Out Point. aft»r giving her charge a good offing. With her lower topsails and staysails drawing well, the Rewa made a splendid picture as she stood out to sea. Soon after the tug left her, her crew had the upper topsails set, and were busy with the top-gallant sails. She passed out of sight about dusk. She is in good trim for sailing, n r l given anything like a favourite breeze, captain Kennedy can be relied upon to drive his ship along to overtake his rivals. There is every prospect of a keen race between the three big ships which may be expected to arrive at London some time in December.