A Cumberland Endeavour Sample

Chapter Two
Growth and Development: 1873-1881
THE LAST QUARTER of the nineteenth century was a
period almost unique in the history of British
merchant shipping. Changes – political, economic,
technical and even geographical – began to
influence this giant of an industry. The American
Civil War ended in 1865 and left Britain’s main
competitor ‘hors de combat’, with its merchant fleet
in chaos. Civilian shipbuilding was almost at a
standstill in the United States at a time when
industry and commerce both sides of the Atlantic
were crying out for raw materials, manufactured
goods and fuel. The Suez Canal, which opened in
1869, sounded the knell for the era of the Tea
Clippers and the China trade, consigning the classic
“Windjammers” to the history and legend of sail.
Just as significantly, the first railway link across the
U.S.A. was completed in that same year, as was a
road across the Panama isthmus, allowing access to
the Western States and the Pacific without having
to ‘round the Horn’.
Two technical innovations deserve mention:
firstly, iron was being used more and more to build
sailing ships. Wire rope and iron tackle became
standard for standing and running rigging, as did
metal winches, windlasses and pumps. Ships thus
became more robust, watertight, and efficient in
construction.
Secondly, steam propulsion began make a real
impact as more and more scientific and practical
advances were made. Steamships were more
predictable and punctual on voyages, and could
therefore reserve berths in ports in advance. They
carried a smaller crew, yet thanks to steam-powered
winches and donkey engines they could achieve
rapid loading and unloading times. However, they
had to carry fuel – thus less space for cargo – and
they depended on stocks of coal being available in
foreign ports. Also, because of their high capital
cost, steamships were very expensive items when
not productively employed – for instance, if they
“Castle Holme”,
c.1880
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