I have uncovered a bit more about the 'Light of the Age' sailing ship. Hmmmm.....
A Captain John Williams was her Master for some years with no apparent problems. I have found a speech he gave at Surrey Hills in Sydney to the Australian Band of Hope where it is said that he had been a teetotaller for 43yrs. In his speech, he said 'The only safe path of the young was the path of Virtue' and he was listened to with 'Great Attention'.[love that]
Next Captain I find is Thomas Reid Porter, Master of the Vessel from 1861 to 1868 which was when my ancestors John and Mary would have sailed with him in 9.12.1865 - 26.3.1866. On a trip to Sydney on 4.2.1864, 4 seaman were charged with disobedience and remanded by water police. Next day a John Davis and John Smith were convicted and fined 40s. John Smith was also charged with the assault of the Chief Officer and fined 5 pounds. When asked why he did it, 'I don't know I was drunk at the time'. [haven't heard that one before!]
By now things are starting to fall apart somewhat. The Black Ball Shipping Company had to sell two-thirds of it's fleet, mainly because of a failed Liverpool Bank and a shipping slump, and the boat was purchased by the White Star Line [Titanic] but was still under the command of Captain Thomas Reid Porter.
Another report on the boat was when it arrived in Moreton Bay [date unknown] the Health Officers and Surgeons reported 'unsanitary conditions, leaks from the Galley, poor ventilation and Lighting,
and to top it all off ...... water closets constantly wetting some of the Steerage Births!'
This is something else I didn't know. After each voyage, the sailing ships had to be fitted out. e.g: When leaving Britain with Migrants, the berths, lighting and ventilation, lavatories and hospital had to be built [fitted], and when they arrived all of that had to be knocked down to carry back wool etc.
But not so for Steamships as everything was built in.
So it looks like the Black Ball Sailing Company were nearly broke and had not enough money to give the passengers a decent comfortable passage and took short-cuts and a lot of passengers died or took very Ill. So alas it looks a forgone conclusion that my ancestors are smack in the middle of this time frame, and many more, travelled in swill almost. The other drawback with this type of travel was that the food was preserved provisions and fresh water was carried in tanks and casks.
The next piece of information about the ship occurs on the 16th January 1868 when it runs ashore in Port Philip Bay, Victoria. There were 42 passengers and 34 crew aboard with cargo worth 12,000 pounds. To cut a long story short, yes, you guessed it, Captain and crew were all drunk!!! So drunk in fact, that rescuers that came aboard had to pick the Captain up off the floor as he couldn't stand
upright and some of the crew were the same. The tugboat pilots came to the rescue and managed to get everyone off safely, even the Captain Thomas Reid Porter and the drunken crew.
The last piece of information I have about the boat is the salvage. Whatever she was carrying in the cargo holds apparently made a chemical compound mixture that sealed the hatches on the holds, so a few days later they came with divers, boats, workers and dynamite. The divers set the charges and BOOM, blew the boat and everything to pieces and the two divers and six people in the small boats that were assisting died.! She still sits there on the bottom today on the sea bed and is dived today. They say you can still find broken pieces of china there.
All the passengers and drunken crew were saved but eight salvage workers died. WOW, how incredible is that? Like a keystone cops movie if it weren't so sad.
Now onto what happened when they all went to work on the Railway Line. More drama? I hope not.