City of Ragusa: Difference between revisions
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|infobox caption= ''City of Ragusa'' |
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{{Infobox ship career |
{{Infobox ship career |
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|Ship country=United Kingdom and United States ensigns flown |
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|Ship namesake=[[Dubrovnik|Ragusa]] |
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|Ship owner=Nikola Primorac (1869–1872)<ref>{{cite news |title=Across the Atlantic in a twenty feet boat |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002561/18700512/052/0003 | |
|Ship owner=Nikola Primorac (1869–1872)<ref>{{cite news |title=Across the Atlantic in a twenty feet boat |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002561/18700512/052/0003 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Northern Ensign and Weekly Gazette |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=12 May 1870 |page=3 col.2}}</ref> |
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|Ship fate=Bombed at [[World Museum|Liverpool Museum]], 1941 |
|Ship fate=Bombed at [[World Museum|Liverpool Museum]], 1941 |
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|Ship type = yawl,<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> ex-ship's boat |
|Ship type = yawl (in 19th-century terms),<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> ex-ship's boat |
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|Ship tons burthen=1.75 |
|Ship tons burthen=1.75 |
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'''''City of Ragusa''''' of [[Liverpool]] was a {{convert|20|ft|m|0|adj=on}} yawl,<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> owned by Nikola Primorac, which twice crossed the Atlantic in the early days of 19th-century small-boat ocean-adventuring. She carried the |
'''''City of Ragusa''''' of [[Liverpool]] was a {{convert|20|ft|m|0|adj=on}} [[yawl]] (in 19th-century terms),<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> owned by Nikola Primorac, which twice crossed the Atlantic in the early days of 19th-century small-boat ocean-adventuring. She carried the former alternative name of [[Dubrovnik]], the birthplace of her owner. She was originally a [[ship's boat]] of a [[merchantman]]. The 1870 east-west trip between [[Ireland]] and the [[United States]] was crewed by John Charles Buckley, a middle-aged [[Irish people|Irishman]] with seagoing experience, and Primorac, a [[Croats|Croatian]] and [[tobacconist]]. The crew on the west–east return trip of 1871 were Primorac and a "lad" called Edwin Richard William Hayter from [[New Zealand]], who had been a [[Seafarer's professions and ranks#Steward's department|steward]] on the [[Steamship|steamer]] ''City of Limerick'' of the [[Inman Line]]. |
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Following each trip, the ship and crew were the subject of much international public attention, and [[Ulysses S. Grant|President Grant]] viewed the ''City of Ragusa'' after she reached America. From 1872, the ship was exhibited in various places in [[England]] including [[the Crystal Palace]], and finally at [[World Museum|Liverpool Museum]] where she was destroyed in 1941 when Liverpool was bombed. After the adventure, Primorac resumed his life as a tobacconist in Liverpool, and ultimately died in [[Rainhill Hospital|Rainhill Asylum]]. Hayter returned to New Zealand, and Buckley made at least one other ocean adventuring trip at the end of 1871: a cargo-ship race involving the ''Hypathia''. |
Following each trip, the ship and crew were the subject of much international public attention, and [[Ulysses S. Grant|President Grant]] viewed the ''City of Ragusa'' after she reached America. From 1872, the ship was exhibited in various places in [[England]] including [[the Crystal Palace]], and finally at [[World Museum|Liverpool Museum]] where she was destroyed in 1941 when Liverpool was bombed. After the adventure, Primorac resumed his life as a tobacconist in Liverpool, and ultimately died in [[Rainhill Hospital|Rainhill Asylum]]. Hayter returned to New Zealand, and Buckley made at least one other ocean adventuring trip at the end of 1871: a cargo-ship race involving the ''Hypathia''. |
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===''City of Ragusa''=== |
===''City of Ragusa''=== |
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[[File:Signatures of John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac.jpg|thumb|right|Details of the ship, and signatures of Buckley and Primorac, on the back of Buckley's photo, 1870]] |
[[File:Signatures of John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac.jpg|thumb|right|Details of the ship, and signatures of Buckley and Primorac, on the back of Buckley's photo, 1870]] |
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The ''City of Ragusa'' of Liverpool, no. 2,020,<ref name="The Graphic 11 June 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/9000057/18700611/040/0020 | |
The ''City of Ragusa'' of Liverpool, no. 2,020,<ref name="The Graphic 11 June 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/9000057/18700611/040/0020 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=The Graphic |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=11 June 1870 |page=20 col.1}}</ref> carried the old name of [[Dubrovnik]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Historical facts about Dubrovnik |url=https://www.dubrovnik-online.net/english/history.php |website=dubrovnik-online.net |publisher=Dubrovnik Online |access-date=28 October 2020 |date=18 October 2019}}</ref> the city of Nikola Primorac's birth.<ref name="Crown Croatia" /> She was originally a [[clinker (boat building)|clinker]]-built [[ship's boat]]. By 1870 the boat had been decked, and "yawl-rigged" (in 19th-century terms),{{refn|The term, "yawl" underwent change mid-19th century. In 1870, regarding square-rigged vessels, it could refer to something like a sloop rig, or a (former in this case) ship's boat which once had oars. Normally the mizzen would be stepped behind the tiller, but the Ragusa rig was complicated due to the position of the pump and propeller controls which remained after the windmill was removed. See [https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803125258124 Oxford Reference: Yawl]|group=nb}}<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> which allowed "[[Square rig|square sails]] on both masts, spreading altogether {{convert|70|sqyd}} of canvas, in eight or nine sails."{{refn|The surviving images of the ship show a spar for one square sail on the mainmast, and gaff sails on the top of the main mast and on the mizzen mast, plus staysail and jib.|group=nb}} Before the [[mast (sailing)|mizzen]] mast was a [[windmill]] which powered a two-bladed screw [[propeller]]. Should the wind fail, the screw could be powered by hand; it could also be raised to prevent reef-damage. The same hand-worked mechanism also pumped water out of the ship. Her [[Water tank|tanks]] took {{convert|100|impgal|L|abbr=off}} of fresh water, and she could carry three months' [[Victualler|victuals]]. At this point she was described as a ship (albeit "diminutive") by the press. She was "strongly built, double-floored inside, and [was] decked over, leaving a small cockpit aft, so that there [was] a cabin {{convert|3|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} wide, and {{convert|4.5|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} high from floor to roof."<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /> She was double-floored and had a ballast of {{convert|3360|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}} of iron, a condenser for [[Distillation|distilling]] drinking water from [[Saline water|saltwater]], and there was coal on board, although cooking was done with a [[Alcohol burner|spirit lamp]].<ref name="Warder and Dublin WM 18 Jun 1870" /> |
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The 1870 yawl conversion was undertaken in Liverpool under the supervision of J.C. Buckley,<ref name="Warder and Dublin WM 18 Jun 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001425/18700618/090/0007 | |
The 1870 yawl conversion (in 19th-century terms) was undertaken in Liverpool under the supervision of J.C. Buckley,<ref name="Warder and Dublin WM 18 Jun 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001425/18700618/090/0007 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Cork Herald, quoted by Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=18 June 1870 |page=7 col.5}}</ref> who received much local support in the form of victualling for the expedition.<ref>{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000197/18700602/199/0009 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Liverpool Daily Post |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=2 June 1870 |page=9 col.2}}</ref> ''The Graphic'' reported: "The ''City of Ragusa'' is the smallest vessel ever cleared at the Liverpool [[Custom House, Liverpool|Custom House]], and the gentleman who performed that duty for her also cleared the ''[[SS Great Eastern|Great Eastern]]''."<ref name="The Graphic 11 June 1870" /> The ship carried the English ensign in 1870, and the US ensign in 1871.<ref name="Crown Croatia" /> Throughout the two transatlantic trips, the ship had the option for one square sail on the main mast, and all the rest would be gaff sails, plus staysail and jib. According to the ''Cork Daily Herald'' in June 1871, "She is yawl rigged, and returns to Ireland just as she left it, except that a gaff topsail is added, and that her sails have been enlarged. She bears all the traces of her long passage, being coated green with what sailors call "sea grass."<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> |
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In 1872, following the 1871 transatlantic crossing, the ship was exhibited at [[ |
In 1872, following the 1871 transatlantic crossing, the ship was exhibited at [[the Crystal Palace]], but there was an accident. When lowering the ship to allow visitor boarding, the [[jackscrew]] holding the stern gave way, and the keel fell on Primorac's leg, causing a compound fracture. No help came. Hayter managed to lift the boat little by little, as Primorac gradually inserted wood under the keel. Primorac, bleeding profusely, was eventually taken to [[Guy's Hospital]].<ref name="Morning Post 24 July 1872" >{{cite news |title=Shocking accident at the Crystal Palace |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18720724/015/0005 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Morning Post |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=24 July 1872 |page=5 col.6}}</ref> The ship was acquired by Mrs Simms, and was displayed at the Royal Castle Hotel, Chester Road, [[Tranmere, Merseyside]]. She then presented it to [[Birkenhead Park]] for use on the lakes. Following repairs, the ship "remained a prominent feature in the lower park for some years."<ref name="Robert Lee 2018" >{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Robert |title=The challenge of managing the first publicly funded park: Edward Kemp as the "fixed" superintendent of Birkenhead Park 1843–91 |url=http://thegardenstrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/GH-46-9_Lee1.pdf |website=thegardenstrust.org |publisher=The Gardens Trust |access-date=7 September 2020 |page=163 |date=2018}}</ref> On 22 July 1875 "a small boat with red bottom and two top [[strake]]s painted white, name on stern ''City of Ragusa, Liverpool''," was picked up by Captain Hewett of the [[schooner]] ''Success'', {{convert|15|nmi|km|1|abbr=on}} off [[Douglas Head]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Reports and casualties: a small boat |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000289/18750726/023/0004 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=26 July 1875 |page=4 col.1}}</ref> The ship was later displayed in the [[World Museum|Liverpool Museum]], until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1941.<ref name="Crown Croatia" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Livepool buildings blitzed (with photo on page 4) |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000771/19410515/134/0003?browse=true |access-date=7 September 2020 |work=Liverpool Evening Express |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=15 May 1941 |page=3 col.2}}</ref> |
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==Transatlantic crossings== |
==Transatlantic crossings== |
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===Liverpool to Boston, 1870=== |
===Liverpool to Boston, 1870=== |
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On 2 June 1870 the ''City of Ragusa'', crewed by Captain John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac, left [[Liverpool]] for [[New York City|New York]].<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Sailing of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000076/18700604/014/0008 | |
On 2 June 1870 the ''City of Ragusa'', crewed by Captain John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac, left [[Liverpool]] for [[New York City|New York]].<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Sailing of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000076/18700604/014/0008 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Leeds Mercury |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=4 June 1870 |page=8 col.4}}</ref> Between Liverpool and [[Cobh|Queenstown, County Cork]] they hand-wound the propeller once. The log said: "Shipped propeller and worked it by hand for six hours, and gained thereby two knots per hour."<ref>{{cite news |title=Arrival of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000425/18700613/007/0002 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Cork Examiner |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=13 June 1870 |page=2 col.4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003182/18700613/015/0002 |access-date=10 September 2020 |work=Cork Daily Herald |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=13 June 1870 |page=2 col.2}}</ref> They stopped en route between 12 and 16 June at Queenstown due to the [[stuffing box]] of the [[Drive shaft|prop shaft]] leaking, and they probably removed the [[windmill]] gear from above decks at that point.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /><ref name="Times 5 October 1870" >{{cite news|title=Title unknown |work=The Times |date=5 October 1870}}</ref> The trip had its share of pranks from the public. For example, on 12 June 1870, a bottle was found on the shore near [[Bootle]]. It contained a message in pencil, saying: "''City of Ragusa'' June 4th 1870. Off the coast of Ireland making for [[Waterford]]. Captain Buckley washed overboard." The document was taken to the police office, but when the ''Ragusa'' arrived at Queenstown on 12 July the note was recognised as a forgery.<ref>{{cite news |title=Messages from the sea |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000285/18700615/010/0003 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Shields Daily Gazette |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=15 June 1870 |page=3 col.4}}</ref> The ship arrived at [[Cork (city)|Cork]] on 18 June, becoming the "centre of attraction" there.<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /> Buckley did not mind the attention, but Primorac tended to lose patience, "and for all the visitors knew might have more than once consigned them to all sorts of future pains and sufferings."<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> |
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The Press monitored the ship's progress via reports from transatlantic vessels which spoke her at sea. For example, the [[Cunard Line|Cunard]] [[Steamship|SS]] ''Russia'', and SS ''Abyssinia'', spoke her on 13 August, off the Banks of [[Newfoundland]]. At that point, Primorac was introducing himself as "Antonio Romano, a native of Ragusa."<ref>{{cite news |title=Tidings of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000425/18700820/011/0002 | |
The Press monitored the ship's progress via reports from transatlantic vessels which spoke her at sea. For example, the [[Cunard Line|Cunard]] [[Steamship|SS]] ''Russia'', and SS ''Abyssinia'', spoke her on 13 August, off the Banks of [[Newfoundland]]. At that point, Primorac was introducing himself as "Antonio Romano, a native of Ragusa."<ref>{{cite news |title=Tidings of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000425/18700820/011/0002 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Cork Examiner |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=20 August 1870 |page=2 col.6}}</ref> According to the log, on one day of the passage, the ''Ragusa'' ran {{convert|153|nmi|km|1|abbr=on}}; the slowest day covered {{convert|11|nmi|km|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Shields DG 23 Sep 1870" /> They had a dog on board, but it died on 29 August.<ref>{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa, extraordinary voyage across the Atlantic |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000425/18700922/026/0003 |access-date=10 September 2020 |work=Cork Examiner |agency=British Newspaper Archive |page=3 col.4|date=22 September 1870}}</ref> They reached [[Boston]] on 8 September,<ref name="Times 5 October 1870" /> the 1870 Atlantic crossing having taken 92 or 98 days. "There were strong westerly winds almost from the beginning of the journey, and two or three heavy gales."<ref name="Times 5 October 1870" /> The ''Cork Constitution'' reported that:<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> <blockquote>All things considered, she made a capital voyage across the Atlantic, and became the admiration of the nautical men of New York. No doubt was cast on the voyage of the ''City of Ragusa'', and Captain Buckley reaped the full reward of the honours he had earned by his enterprising and extraordinary voyage. Whatever may have been the object or intent of the voyage of the tiny craft, one thing would seem certain as already published, that Capt. Buckley with his man reached the harbour of New York without aid or assistance.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /></blockquote> |
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''Ragusa'' suffering a "serious leakage", the crew took her to Boston for repairs first, then to New York, where she remained on exhibition over winter.<ref name="Shields DG 23 Sep 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000285/18700923/011/0003 | |
''Ragusa'' suffering a "serious leakage", the crew took her to Boston for repairs first, then to New York, where she remained on exhibition over winter.<ref name="Shields DG 23 Sep 1870" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000285/18700923/011/0003 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Shields Daily Gazette |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=23 September 1870 |page=3 col.3}}</ref> The ship continued to attract attention for a while, then Buckley returned to Liverpool by [[Steamship|steamer]].<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> He said "he [was] glad the journey [was] over, and, although he never had any serious doubts about being successful, he [did] not care to undertake the experiment again.<ref name="Dublin EP 16 November 1870" /> In 1878 Hayter wrote to ''The Times'' to say,<ref name="Flintshire Observer 9 August 1878" /> <blockquote>The ''City of Ragusa'' was visited in America by [[Ulysses S. Grant|President Grant]] and all the State officials of [[Boston]] and by the Governor and ex-Governor of [[Rhode Island]], and was seen by Admiral Northcott and many other officers of Her Majesty's Navy and over 400,000 persons at the Crystal Palace. She ... now lies at Liverpool ... I hope next year to have her on view at my boat house [at [[Maidenhead]]]. E.R.W. Hayter.<ref name="Flintshire Observer 9 August 1878" >{{cite news |title=A perilous voyage |url=https://papuraunewydd.llyfrgell.cymru/view/3749909/3749912/13/LIVERPOOL |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Flintshire Observer |date=9 August 1878 |page=col..2–3}}</ref></blockquote> |
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===New York to Liverpool, 1871=== |
===New York to Liverpool, 1871=== |
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[[File:Inman Line - SS City of Limerick 001.jpg|thumb|right|SS ''City of Limerick'' on which E.R.W. Hayter served before shipping with the ''City of Ragusa'']] |
[[File:Inman Line - SS City of Limerick 001.jpg|thumb|right|SS ''City of Limerick'' on which E.R.W. Hayter served before shipping with the ''City of Ragusa'']] |
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After Buckley returned to Liverpool from New York in 1870, Primorac remained with the ship as Captain, looking for a replacement [[Chief mate|mate]] for the return trip to Ireland. The first potential crew member agreed to take the job on 20 May 1871, but when he saw the size of the ship he mutinied and left. A second man was offered the position, but he "refused his duty" in the same manner. Primorac then took on Edwin Hayter.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001646/18710630/086/0002 | |
After Buckley returned to Liverpool from New York in 1870, Primorac remained with the ship as Captain, looking for a replacement [[Chief mate|mate]] for the return trip to Ireland. The first potential crew member agreed to take the job on 20 May 1871, but when he saw the size of the ship he mutinied and left. A second man was offered the position, but he "refused his duty" in the same manner. Primorac then took on Edwin Hayter.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001646/18710630/086/0002 |access-date=31 August 2020 |work=Cork Constitution |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=30 June 1871 |page=2 col.6}}</ref> The ''Cork Daily Herald'' gives another view of those events:<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> <blockquote>[Buckley's] retirement elevated his crew Primorez – to the position of captain, and this brave man spent the entire spring in cruising about New York and up the [[Hudson River|Hudson]], and to the principal cities on that part of the coast, where extreme anxiety existed amongst the people for a glimpse at the extraordinary craft. No better idea of her apparent sea going powers could be gleaned from anything than the fact that four experienced sailors who were successively engaged to work her under the directions of Capt. Primorez, and who were anxious to give her a trial. left her on a trip up the Albany river, as they became afraid to risk their lives in her, even in the smooth inland waters.<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" >{{cite news |title=Arrival of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003182/18710630/014/0002 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Cork Daily Herald |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=30 June 1871 |page=2 col.4}}</ref></blockquote> |
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This time the ''Ragusa'' was ballasted with "a kind of new patent American brick," which Primorac wanted to exhibit at the [[Annual International Exhibitions (London 1871–74)|London Exhibition]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002957/18710705/070/0004 | |
This time the ''Ragusa'' was ballasted with "a kind of new patent American brick," which Primorac wanted to exhibit at the [[Annual International Exhibitions (London 1871–74)|London Exhibition]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002957/18710705/070/0004 |access-date=8 September 2020 |agency=British Newspaper Archive |issue=Kilkenny Moderator |date=5 July 1871 |page=4 col.3}}</ref> At 5am on 23 May 1871 the crew let go the [[Sandy Hook Pilots|Sandy Hook]] pilot and started for Queenstown with a northerly heading.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /><ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" /> The ''New York Herald'' called it a "foolhardy adventure," and said, "with the exception of the bark of the dog, she is probably the smallest bark that ever attempted such a trip."<ref>{{cite news |title=A foolhardy adventure |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001110/18710610/087/0004 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=New York Herald, quoted in Fife Free Press, & Kirkcaldy Guardian |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=10 June 1871 |page=4 col.3}}</ref> This return trip took 36 days. The ''Cork Constitution'' reported:<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> <blockquote>During the voyage the weather was rather rough, and at times squally, but the tiny craft kept on her course well, making an average in good weather seven [[knot (unit)|knot]]s, and in bad weather 4.5 knots per hour. Her best speed, and one extraordinary for so small a boat, was 160 miles on the third day after leaving her moorings. The [[Logbook|log]] of her voyage could not be obtained, and many statements have been made respecting her voyage, none of which it would be safe to give as representing the whole facts. On [22 June 1871] the little craft made 120 knots during the day, which was the second-best day's running since her starting.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /></blockquote> |
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The ''Illustrated Police News'' reported:<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" /> <blockquote>Bad weather set in off the banks of Newfoundland, and for ten days a series of gales tossed them about in a terrific sea. The gale subsiding, the captain was able to set his vessel's head to the eastward. Icebergs were frequently seen in that latitude at that time, and a sharp look-out had to be kept. The ice was avoided, and the ship continued her course. The weather remained exceedingly heavy, and there were rare periods of calm. A succession of heavy gales came on, and as it was impossible to [[Celestial navigation|take observations]] the course was taken by [[dead reckoning]] throughout. From the beginning to the end of the passage the captain saw the sun rise and set only once, and during the remaining days the weather was too thick to permit him to make observations ... off Fastnet ... they amused themselves with catching a young shark. While following a piece of beef a noose was slipped round his tail and he was pulled on board. His tail was hung at the [[bowsprit]], where it is still to be observed ... The captain has kept a careful log of the whole voyage, which he intends publishing.<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" /></blockquote> |
The ''Illustrated Police News'' reported:<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" /> <blockquote>Bad weather set in off the banks of Newfoundland, and for ten days a series of gales tossed them about in a terrific sea. The gale subsiding, the captain was able to set his vessel's head to the eastward. Icebergs were frequently seen in that latitude at that time, and a sharp look-out had to be kept. The ice was avoided, and the ship continued her course. The weather remained exceedingly heavy, and there were rare periods of calm. A succession of heavy gales came on, and as it was impossible to [[Celestial navigation|take observations]] the course was taken by [[dead reckoning]] throughout. From the beginning to the end of the passage the captain saw the sun rise and set only once, and during the remaining days the weather was too thick to permit him to make observations ... off Fastnet ... they amused themselves with catching a young shark. While following a piece of beef a noose was slipped round his tail and he was pulled on board. His tail was hung at the [[bowsprit]], where it is still to be observed ... The captain has kept a careful log of the whole voyage, which he intends publishing.<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" /></blockquote> |
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The ''City of Ragusa'' arrived at Queenstown at midnight on Wednesday 28 June 1871, "firing a gun as she entered." According to Primorac's report, he only had time to wash himself once during the voyage, but managed to change his clothes four times. He said that the pair took six-hour [[Watchkeeping|watches]], but once during a gale Primorac did a thirty-hour watch. He added that they caught a shark near [[Fastnet Rock|Fastnet]], and indeed they arrived in harbour with what was left of the fish on board.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> That included the jaws, teeth and backbone. The ''Ragusa'' was flying the Austrian and British flags when she arrived.<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> On 29 June "a number of people visited the little craft, and several boats laden with spectators sailed around her."<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> The ''Irish Daily Telegraph'' was one of those spectators:<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" /> <blockquote>We saw the little thing at Queenstown, but 19 feet long, and [1.75] tons measurement, rocking to every wave of the passing stream, bending to every puff of wind, which scarcely stirred the flags of her sisters around her; we looked in wonder at her, and very few could realise that she had made two long voyages across the Atlantic; had ridden out, off the coast of Newfoundland, two severe storms; had seen large vessels dismasted, and herself surrounded with the ''debris'', which was more dangerous to her than the contending elements. If the vessel is wonderful, the crew more so ... The owner and master, a quiet looking man, with no sign of the hero about him – with nothing to shew that patient, invincible courage, which he must possess to brave many dangers for so long a time ... The dog ... looks thoroughly miserable ... They carried no boat, nor any other means of escaping a sinking ship ... We have welcomed and admired her, and now wish her ''God speed.''<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000921/18710715/005/0003 | |
The ''City of Ragusa'' arrived at Queenstown at midnight on Wednesday 28 June 1871, "firing a gun as she entered." According to Primorac's report, he only had time to wash himself once during the voyage, but managed to change his clothes four times. He said that the pair took six-hour [[Watchkeeping|watches]], but once during a gale Primorac did a thirty-hour watch. He added that they caught a shark near [[Fastnet Rock|Fastnet]], and indeed they arrived in harbour with what was left of the fish on board.<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> That included the jaws, teeth and backbone. The ''Ragusa'' was flying the Austrian and British flags when she arrived.<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> On 29 June "a number of people visited the little craft, and several boats laden with spectators sailed around her."<ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> The ''Irish Daily Telegraph'' was one of those spectators:<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" /> <blockquote>We saw the little thing at Queenstown, but 19 feet long, and [1.75] tons measurement, rocking to every wave of the passing stream, bending to every puff of wind, which scarcely stirred the flags of her sisters around her; we looked in wonder at her, and very few could realise that she had made two long voyages across the Atlantic; had ridden out, off the coast of Newfoundland, two severe storms; had seen large vessels dismasted, and herself surrounded with the ''debris'', which was more dangerous to her than the contending elements. If the vessel is wonderful, the crew more so ... The owner and master, a quiet looking man, with no sign of the hero about him – with nothing to shew that patient, invincible courage, which he must possess to brave many dangers for so long a time ... The dog ... looks thoroughly miserable ... They carried no boat, nor any other means of escaping a sinking ship ... We have welcomed and admired her, and now wish her ''God speed.''<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" >{{cite news |title=The City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000921/18710715/005/0003 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Irish Daily Telegraph, quoted in Cardiff Times |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=15 July 1871 |page=3 col.2}}</ref></blockquote> |
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The ''City of Ragusa'' left Queenstown for Liverpool on 10 July 1871.<ref name="Lib C19 Photography" >{{cite web |last1=Frecker |first1=Paul |title=Nicholas Primoraz and Edwin Hayter |url=http://www.19thcenturyphotos.com/Nicholas-Primoraz-and-Edwin-Hayter-126544.htm |website=19thcenturyphotos.com |publisher=The Library of Nineteenth-Century Photography | |
The ''City of Ragusa'' left Queenstown for Liverpool on 10 July 1871.<ref name="Lib C19 Photography" >{{cite web |last1=Frecker |first1=Paul |title=Nicholas Primoraz and Edwin Hayter |url=http://www.19thcenturyphotos.com/Nicholas-Primoraz-and-Edwin-Hayter-126544.htm |website=19thcenturyphotos.com |publisher=The Library of Nineteenth-Century Photography |access-date=7 September 2020 |date=2020}}</ref> |
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==Crew== |
==Crew== |
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===Captain John Charles Buckley=== |
===Captain John Charles Buckley=== |
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John Charles Buckley was born in [[Limerick]], Ireland, and had also lived in [[Millstreet]], [[County Cork|Cork]], where he had relatives.<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /> By 1870 he was "middle-aged."<ref name="Dublin EP 16 November 1870" >{{cite news |title=The voyage of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000435/18701116/058/0003 | |
John Charles Buckley was born in [[Limerick]], Ireland, and had also lived in [[Millstreet]], [[County Cork|Cork]], where he had relatives.<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /> By 1870 he was "middle-aged."<ref name="Dublin EP 16 November 1870" >{{cite news |title=The voyage of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000435/18701116/058/0003 |access-date=9 September 2020 |work=Dublin Evening Post |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=16 November 1870 |page=3 col.3}}</ref> The ''Illustrated London News'' reported in 1870:<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" >{{cite news |title=The smallest ship of the ocean |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001578/18700625/083/0021 |access-date=5 September 2020 |work=Illustrated London News |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=25 June 1870 |page=21 col.2}}</ref> <blockquote>He formerly served in the army of the [[Holy See|Papal Government]] and was taken prisoner, in 1860, during the short campaign of [[Castelfidardo]] and [[Spoleto]], by the invading forces of [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|King Victor Emmanuel]]. He served the Pope three years, and is a Knight of the [[Order of St. Sylvester]]. He has since been the officer of an American [[Steamship|passenger-steamer]], and lately master of a large vessel in the China trade. He has been rewarded with the honorary silver medal of the [[Royal Humane Society#Medals|Humane Society]] for saving two lives on our coast near [[Hythe, Kent|Hythe]].<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /></blockquote> |
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At [[Trafalgar Square]], London, on 12 January 1859 the Humane Society awarded J. Buckley of the Royal Limerick [[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]] a silver medal "for saving the lives of Sergeant M. Mahony and Private J. Bastow of the same corps ... who went to bathe in the sea, and venturing out too far would no doubt have met a watery grave, had not Buckley, after the most desperate exertions, succeeded |
At [[Trafalgar Square]], London, on 12 January 1859 the Humane Society awarded J. Buckley of the Royal Limerick [[Militia (United Kingdom)|Militia]] a silver medal "for saving the lives of Sergeant M. Mahony and Private J. Bastow of the same corps ... who went to bathe in the sea, and venturing out too far would no doubt have met a watery grave, had not Buckley, after the most desperate exertions, succeeded in bringing both of them ashore."<ref>{{cite news |title=Royal Humane Society |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000082/18590113/008/0003 |access-date=10 September 2020 |work=Morning Chronicle |agency=British Newspaper Archive |page=3 col.6|date=13 January 1859}}</ref> The rescue occurred on 22 September 1858 at [[Hythe, Kent]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Royal Humane Society |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000051/18590113/014/0003 |access-date=10 September 2020 |work=London Daily News |page=3 col.3|agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=13 January 1859}}</ref> |
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Unlike Primorac and Hayter, Buckley did not retire from adventure. He crewed under Captain Scott on the John S.D. Wolfe sailing ship ''Hypathia'', which left the [[River Mersey|Mersey]] on 18 September 1871, arriving at [[Philadelphia]] after 37 days, beating the four ships which accompanied her. Leaving Philadelphia on 4 December for [[Le Havre|Havre]], she encountered "terrific westerly gales" but reached her destination after 17 days. The trip involved running before the gale, with water sweeping the decks, hands lashed at the pumps, lifelines in use, and two men at the wheel.<ref>{{cite news |title=A fearful voyage, rapid ocean sailing |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000433/18711230/035/0004 | |
Unlike Primorac and Hayter, Buckley did not retire from adventure. He crewed under Captain Scott on the John S.D. Wolfe sailing ship ''Hypathia'', which left the [[River Mersey|Mersey]] on 18 September 1871, arriving at [[Philadelphia]] after 37 days, beating the four ships which accompanied her. Leaving Philadelphia on 4 December for [[Le Havre|Havre]], she encountered "terrific westerly gales" but reached her destination after 17 days. The trip involved running before the gale, with water sweeping the decks, hands lashed at the pumps, lifelines in use, and two men at the wheel.<ref>{{cite news |title=A fearful voyage, rapid ocean sailing |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000433/18711230/035/0004 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=Dublin Evening Mail |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=30 December 1871 |page=4 col.3}}</ref> |
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<gallery mode=packed heights="200px"> |
<gallery mode=packed heights="200px"> |
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===Nikola Primorac=== |
===Nikola Primorac=== |
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[[File:19th-century Dubrovnik 001.jpg|thumb|right|Primorac's place of birth: [[Dubrovnik]], 1876]] |
[[File:19th-century Dubrovnik 001.jpg|thumb|right|Primorac's place of birth: [[Dubrovnik]], 1876]] |
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Nikola Primorac ([[Dubrovnik]] 27 July 1840 – [[Liverpool]] 1 March 1886)<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Crown Croatia" >{{cite web |last1=Eterovich |first1=Adam |last2=Žubrinić |first2=Darko |title=Nikola Primorac Croatian captain of City of Ragusa craft sailing from Liverpool to New York and back in 1870 |url=http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10423/1/Nikola-Primorac-Croatian-captaian-of-City-of-Ragusa-craft-sailing-from-Liverpool-to-New-York-and-back-in-1870.html |website=croatia.org |publisher=Crown, Croatian World Network | |
Nikola Primorac ([[Dubrovnik]] 27 July 1840 – [[Liverpool]] 1 March 1886)<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /><ref name="Crown Croatia" >{{cite web |last1=Eterovich |first1=Adam |last2=Žubrinić |first2=Darko |title=Nikola Primorac Croatian captain of City of Ragusa craft sailing from Liverpool to New York and back in 1870 |url=http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10423/1/Nikola-Primorac-Croatian-captaian-of-City-of-Ragusa-craft-sailing-from-Liverpool-to-New-York-and-back-in-1870.html |website=croatia.org |publisher=Crown, Croatian World Network |access-date=7 September 2020 |date=18 June 2013}}</ref> (anglicised as Nicholas Primovez), otherwise known as Pietro di Costa, was a tobacconist and stationer by trade. He was [[Croats|Croatian]], but when using the alias Pietro di Costa assumed [[Austrians|Austrian]]-[[Italians|Italian]] identity. The ''Illustrated London News'' was informed that he had a wife and two children, but that they drowned as passengers on an Austrian [[merchant ship]] when it was wrecked on the [[Goodwin Sands]], and that he was [[master (naval)|master]] of the ship at the time.<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" />{{refn|No corroboration has yet been found, that Primorac had previously been master of a ship.|group=nb}} |
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Primorac had a dog, Boatswain, who accompanied him on the 1871 return crossing. The dog was described by the ''Illustrated Police News'' as a "splendid brindled [[Bull Terrier]] which bore all the suffering of the long journey with as much fortitude as his fellow passengers." There were two dogs on the voyage; Hayter's [[Labrador Retriever|Labrador]] was swept overboard, and Boatswain survived.<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" >{{cite news |title=Arrival of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000072/18710708/013/0003?browse=true | |
Primorac had a dog, Boatswain, who accompanied him on the 1871 return crossing. The dog was described by the ''Illustrated Police News'' as a "splendid brindled [[Bull Terrier]] which bore all the suffering of the long journey with as much fortitude as his fellow passengers." There were two dogs on the voyage; Hayter's [[Labrador Retriever|Labrador]] was swept overboard, and Boatswain survived.<ref name="Ill Police News 8 July 1871" >{{cite news |title=Arrival of the City of Ragusa |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000072/18710708/013/0003?browse=true |access-date=7 September 2020 |work=Illustrated Police News |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=8 July 1871 |page=3 col.6}}</ref> |
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However Primorac and Boatswain each came to an unfortunate end in Liverpool. On 27 December 1878, the ''Liverpool Mercury'' reported:<ref name="Liverpool Mercury 27 December 1878" /><blockquote>Yesterday forenoon, the inhabitants in the neighbourhood immediately adjoining the |
However Primorac and Boatswain each came to an unfortunate end in Liverpool. On 27 December 1878, the ''Liverpool Mercury'' reported:<ref name="Liverpool Mercury 27 December 1878" /><blockquote>Yesterday forenoon, the inhabitants in the neighbourhood immediately adjoining the Sailor's Home [in Duke Street, Liverpool] were rather startled by seeing a man rushing about the streets with loaded firearms, evidently intent upon shooting some one. His name was found to be Nicholas Primoraz, [[tobacconist]] and [[Stationery|stationer]], carrying on business at 56, Duke-street, and with considerable difficulty he was secured and locked up. As he is evidently out of his mind, he will be taken to a [[lunatic asylum]]. Primoraz is the man who a few years ago sailed across the Atlantic in a tiny boat named the ''City of Ragusa'', his only companion being a dog. This dog yesterday attempted to bite a police constable who snatched a pistol from its master, and was afterwards shot with the same weapon. The faithful animal was not killed by the shot, but was afterwards drowned at the Jordan-street [[Animal pound|pinfold]].<ref name="Liverpool Mercury 27 December 1878" >{{cite news |title=Sensational "scene" in Duke Street |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000081/18781227/025/0006 |access-date=7 September 2020 |work=Liverpool Mercury |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=27 December 1878 |page=6 col.6}}</ref></blockquote> |
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According to the ''Liverpool Albion'', Primorac was shooting at a man who in due course took over his tobacconist shop.<ref>{{cite news |title=Extraordinary scene in Duke Street |work=Liverpool Albion |date=27 December 1878}}</ref> On 16 January 1879 Primorac was incarcerated in [[Rainhill Hospital|Rainhill Asylum]], and on 1 March 1886 he died there.<ref name="Lib C19 Photography" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=ALoQNKuLF3jGWbgSHnUDlA&scan=1|title=Index entry| |
According to the ''Liverpool Albion'', Primorac was shooting at a man who in due course took over his tobacconist shop.<ref>{{cite news |title=Extraordinary scene in Duke Street |work=Liverpool Albion |date=27 December 1878}}</ref> On 16 January 1879 Primorac was incarcerated in [[Rainhill Hospital|Rainhill Asylum]], and on 1 March 1886 he died there.<ref name="Lib C19 Photography" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=ALoQNKuLF3jGWbgSHnUDlA&scan=1|title=Index entry|access-date=7 September 2020|work=FreeBMD|publisher=ONS}} Deaths Mar 1886 Primoraz Nicola 43 Prescot 8b 561</ref><ref>1881 England Census: M.P. or N.P. age 38, unmarried, sailor, Rainhill Asylum, Liverpool, lunatic.</ref> |
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===Edwin Richard William Hayter=== |
===Edwin Richard William Hayter=== |
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Edwin Richard William Hayter (or sometimes Heyter) was from an expatriate English family, and was born in [[New Zealand]].{{refn|The ''Illustrated London News'' stated that Hayter was born in Newfoundland, but that is a misprint.|group=nb}} He had been a steward serving on the ''City of Limerick'', a steamer of the [[Inman Line]].<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" /><ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> After the 1871 passage he spent some years in [[Maidenhead]], [[Berkshire]] as a "boat owner and letter of boats on hire", then went [[Bankruptcy|bankrupt]] in 1879.<ref>{{cite news |title=In the County Court of Berkshire |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24764/page/5632/data.pdf | |
Edwin Richard William Hayter (or sometimes Heyter) was from an expatriate English family, and was born in [[New Zealand]].{{refn|The ''Illustrated London News'' stated that Hayter was born in Newfoundland, but that is a misprint.|group=nb}} He had been a steward serving on the ''City of Limerick'', a steamer of the [[Inman Line]].<ref name="Cardiff Times 15 July 1871" /><ref name="Cork Constitution 30 Jun 1871" /> After the 1871 passage he spent some years in [[Maidenhead]], [[Berkshire]] as a "boat owner and letter of boats on hire", then went [[Bankruptcy|bankrupt]] in 1879.<ref>{{cite news |title=In the County Court of Berkshire |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24764/page/5632/data.pdf |access-date=7 September 2020 |work=The London Gazette |date=23 September 1879 |page=5632 col.2}}</ref> In 1893 he left for [[New Zealand]], and in 1934 died there.<ref name="Lib C19 Photography" /> Hayter was possibly Edwin Richard Hayter (born New Zealand ca.1852), who appears in the 1891 England Census as a boot and umbrella repairer, living at 34 Water Lane, [[Lambeth]].<ref>1891 England Census RG12/412 p.3 schedule 64</ref> The ''Cork Daily Herald'' said of him, "Heyter ... is a fine young man, a native of New Zealand but of English parentage, and during his time he has been almost in every part of the world."<ref name="Cork DH 30 June 1871" /> |
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==Gallery== |
==Gallery== |
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==Other 19th-century, small-vessel, Atlantic crossings== |
==Other 19th-century, small-vessel, Atlantic crossings== |
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{{main|List of crossings of the Atlantic Ocean}} |
{{main|List of crossings of the Atlantic Ocean}} |
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* ''[[Red, White and Blue (ship)|Red, White and Blue]]'' (1867): lifeboat; 26 ft [[Length overall|LOA]]; 34 days.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" >{{cite news |title=The Little Western |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000495/18800804/033/0004 | |
* ''[[Red, White and Blue (ship)|Red, White and Blue]]'' (1867): lifeboat; 26 ft [[Length overall|LOA]]; 34 days.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" >{{cite news |title=The Little Western |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000495/18800804/033/0004 |access-date=7 September 2020 |work=Hampshire Advertiser |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=4 August 1880 |page=4 col.1}}</ref> |
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* ''John T. Ford'' (1867): capsized off [[Cork (city)|Cork]]; 3 out of 4 crew drowned.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" /><ref>{{cite news |title=The wreck of the John T. Ford |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0002702/18670905/089/0006?browse=true |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=Perthshire Constitutional & Journal |agency=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription |date=5 September 1867 |pages=6–7, cols 6, 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Another ocean experiment |url=https://archive.org/details/harpersweeklyv11bonn/page/341/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=Harper's Weekly |date=1 June 1867 |pages=341, 342, 349}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The yacht John T. Ford |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/91190871/the-little-yacht-john-t-ford/ |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=Richmond Dispatch |agency=Newspapers.com |date=3 September 1867 |location=Richmond, Virginia |page=3}}</ref> |
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* ''John Ford'' (1868): capsized off [[Cork (city)|Cork]]; 3 out of 4 crew drowned.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" /> |
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* '' |
* ''Centennial'' (1876) crewed by [[Alfred "Centennial" Johnson|Alfred Johnson]]; 60 days.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" /> |
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* ''The Little Western'' (1890): American [[dory]] of [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]]; |
* ''The Little Western'' (1890): American [[Dory (boat)|dory]] of [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]]; 16 ft 7in LOA; [[beam (nautical)|beam]] 6 ft 7in; [[Draft (hull)|draught]] 6 ft 7in; 45 days.<ref name="Hants Ad 4 Aug 1880" /><ref name="NYT 1880">{{cite news |title=The Little Western's Voyage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1880/08/21/archives/the-little-westerns-voyage.html |access-date=27 December 2021 |publisher=New York Times |date=21 August 1880 |page=3 |quote=Among the attractions just now at the Aquarium is the "dory" boat Little Western, in which two young American seamen, named G.P. Thomas and Frederick Norman, have just completed a risky passage across the Atlantic.}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* {{ship||Mystery|lugger|2}}, a [[lugger]] which sailed from England to Australia, 1854–55. |
* {{ship||Mystery|lugger|2}}, a [[lugger]] which sailed from England to Australia, 1854–55. |
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==Further research: Mother-ship ''Breeze''== |
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The precise origin of the ''City of Ragusa'' is not yet established. According to the ''Illustrated London News'', the 20-foot ''City of Ragusa'' originated as the [[ship's boat]] of a ship named ''Breeze'' which had been lost in the Irish Channel at some time before 1870. It was possibly from the [[brig]], ''Breeze'', which [[Shipwrecking|foundered]] in a storm in the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|Irish Channel]] or [[Irish Sea]]. The ''Illustrated London News'' said that this boat was employed to save fourteen crew by ferrying them through bad weather to the [[Isle of Man]].<ref name="ILN 25 Jun 1870" /> |
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===Some possible origins of ''City of Ragusa''=== |
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No evidence has been found which exactly fits the above ''Illustrated London News'' story. However, there were several ships of the name, ''Breeze'', which foundered during the decades before 1870. One story says that the ''Ragusa's'' mother-ship ''Breeze'' was a [[whaler]] which was lost in November 1869.<ref name="Robert Lee 2018" /><ref name="Crown Croatia" /> The brigantine ''Breeze'' 42,819, of Liverpool, skippered by Davidson and owned by J.S. Detvoy & Co., of Liverpool and H. Smith of [[Douglas, Isle of Man]], was wrecked off [[Ramsey, Isle of Man]], on 12 November 1869, but she was not a whaler. She was carrying coal from Liverpool to Trinidad, when she "shipped a sea ... and was abandoned in a sinking state, about 3 leagues south of Mangold Head." The eight-man crew escaped in the ship's lifeboat, landing near the [[Point of Ayr]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ramsey I.M. 13th Nov. |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000861/18691116/032/0005 |accessdate=8 September 2020 |work=Lloyd's List |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=16 November 1869 |page=5 col.3}}</ref> The wreckage washed ashore a month later at [[Workington]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Liverpool 15th Dec |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000861/18691216/020/0003 |accessdate=8 September 2020 |work=Lloyd's List |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=16 December 1869 |page=3 col.5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Loss of a Liverpool brigantine |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000081/18691116/010/0003 |accessdate=8 September 2020 |work=Liverpool Mercury |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=16 November 1869 |page=3 col.7}}</ref> "The men saved but a small portion of their clothing, and the captain lost everything except the ship's papers. She was not insured." At Ramsay they were assisted by the [[Shipwrecked Mariners' Society]]. The fate of their lifeboat was not mentioned by the ''Isle of Man Times'' which reported this.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foundering of a vessel in Ramsey Bay |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000168/18691120/008/0005 |accessdate=8 September 2020 |work=Isle of Man Times |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=20 November 1869 |page=5 col.5}}</ref> |
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On 28 May 1860, the 102 ton [[brigantine]] ''Breeze'' of London, carrying pig iron from [[Ardrossan]] to [[Llanelly]], was damaged in a hurricane off [[Wicklow Head]]. The foremast fell sideways, damaging the ship so she took in water. The [[steamship]] ''Vasco de Gama'' began to tow her towards [[Holyhead]] in a high sea, but ''Breeze'' was filling with water and the skipper cast off the towrope. Captain Ducat of the ''Vasco de Gama'' and his crew, using their own boat, made several heroic rescues of the crew of the Breeze, saving five people but losing one boy. The brigantine was lost. The ''de Gama'' crew were later rewarded for their bravery by the [[Board of Trade]] Marine Department.<ref>{{cite news |title=Presentation by the Board of Trade to the master, mate and crew of the S.S. Vasco de Gama |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000060/18600713/015/0005 |accessdate=8 September 2020 |work=Glasgow Herald |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=13 July 1860 |page=5 col.1}}</ref> |
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Another possibility is that it could be the [[brig]], ''Breeze'' of [[Sunderland]], bound from [[Alexandria]] to [[Lytham St Annes]], which ran aground {{convert|3|nmi|km|1|abbr=on}} south of Lytham in 1858.<ref>"Ship News". The Times (22925). London. 24 February 1858. col F, p. 11.</ref> When grounded she was carrying wheat, and was described as "grounded on a middle bank," being left "at high water, straining."<ref>{{cite news |title=Lytham |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000243/18580227/042/0008 |accessdate=4 September 2020 |work=Newcastle Journal |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=27 February 1858 |page=8 col.5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lythiam 22nd Feb |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000861/18580223/010/0003 |accessdate=4 September 2020 |work=Lloyd's List |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=23 February 1858 |page=3 col.3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lythiam |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000082/18580224/042/0007 |accessdate=4 September 2020 |work=Morning Chronicle |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=24 February 1858 |page=7 col.6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Breeze brig |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000284/18580225/148/0009 |accessdate=4 September 2020 |work=Shields Daily Gazette |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=25 February 1858 |page=9 col.5}}</ref> She was an A1, British-built, 165-ton [[clipper]] [[brig]]; a [[Cargo ship|cargo vessel]] previously skippered by Captain Murdoch between [[Buenos Aires]] and [[George's Dock]], England.<ref>{{cite news |title=Line of packets for the River Plate |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001300/18530212/118/0008 |accessdate=4 September 2020 |work=Liverpool Mail |agency=British Newspaper Archive |date=12 February 1853 |page=8 col.4}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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* {{cite web |title=Item No. J07.20320. City of Ragusa (yacht) crossing the Atlantic, undated |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/view?style=oac4;doc.view=entire_text;docId=c8hm5f30;query=wrangel;dsc.position=50001 |website=oac.cdlib.org/ |publisher=Online Archive of California (OAC) | |
* {{cite web |title=Item No. J07.20320. City of Ragusa (yacht) crossing the Atlantic, undated |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/view?style=oac4;doc.view=entire_text;docId=c8hm5f30;query=wrangel;dsc.position=50001 |website=oac.cdlib.org/ |publisher=Online Archive of California (OAC) |access-date=9 September 2020}} (Black and white negative captioned: "The City of Ragusa, Two Tons Burden, Now Crossing the Atlantic" (undated, but probably 1871). |
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* {{cite web |title=Limerick County Militia, 1797–1846 |url=https://www.limerick.ie/discover/explore/historical-resources/limerick-archives/archive-collections/limerick-county-militia |website=limerick.ie |publisher=Limerick: discover | |
* {{cite web |title=Limerick County Militia, 1797–1846 |url=https://www.limerick.ie/discover/explore/historical-resources/limerick-archives/archive-collections/limerick-county-militia |website=limerick.ie |publisher=Limerick: discover |access-date=17 September 2020 |ref=IE LA P10}} (For further research: links to copies of Limerick militia records, which may help to identify John Charles Buckley by giving birthdate, birthplace etc.) |
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[[Category:19th-century sailors]] |
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[[Category:19th-century ships]] |
[[Category:19th-century ships]] |
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[[Category:Adventure travel]] |
[[Category:Adventure travel]] |
Latest revision as of 08:59, 7 October 2024
City of Ragusa at Queenstown, County Cork, 1870. The windmill was removed for the crossing.
| |
History | |
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United Kingdom and United States ensigns flown | |
Namesake | Ragusa |
Owner | Nikola Primorac (1869–1872)[1] |
Laid down | before 1869 |
Fate | Bombed at Liverpool Museum, 1941 |
General characteristics | |
Type | yawl (in 19th-century terms),[2][3] ex-ship's boat |
Tons burthen | 1.75 |
Length | 20 ft (6 m) |
Beam | 6 ft (1.8 m) |
Propulsion | sail. (Windmill or hand-powered 2-bladed prop removed June 1870) |
Sail plan | One square sail on main mast, otherwise gaff sails throughout, plus staysail and jib. |
Complement | 2 |
Notes | (1) Origin: Boat from brig Breeze (which foundered); (2) Drawings show British naval ensign and US flag; (3) registered Liverpool 2,020 |
City of Ragusa of Liverpool was a 20-foot (6 m) yawl (in 19th-century terms),[2][3] owned by Nikola Primorac, which twice crossed the Atlantic in the early days of 19th-century small-boat ocean-adventuring. She carried the former alternative name of Dubrovnik, the birthplace of her owner. She was originally a ship's boat of a merchantman. The 1870 east-west trip between Ireland and the United States was crewed by John Charles Buckley, a middle-aged Irishman with seagoing experience, and Primorac, a Croatian and tobacconist. The crew on the west–east return trip of 1871 were Primorac and a "lad" called Edwin Richard William Hayter from New Zealand, who had been a steward on the steamer City of Limerick of the Inman Line.
Following each trip, the ship and crew were the subject of much international public attention, and President Grant viewed the City of Ragusa after she reached America. From 1872, the ship was exhibited in various places in England including the Crystal Palace, and finally at Liverpool Museum where she was destroyed in 1941 when Liverpool was bombed. After the adventure, Primorac resumed his life as a tobacconist in Liverpool, and ultimately died in Rainhill Asylum. Hayter returned to New Zealand, and Buckley made at least one other ocean adventuring trip at the end of 1871: a cargo-ship race involving the Hypathia.
Ship
[edit]City of Ragusa
[edit]The City of Ragusa of Liverpool, no. 2,020,[4] carried the old name of Dubrovnik,[5] the city of Nikola Primorac's birth.[6] She was originally a clinker-built ship's boat. By 1870 the boat had been decked, and "yawl-rigged" (in 19th-century terms),[nb 1][2][3] which allowed "square sails on both masts, spreading altogether 70 square yards (59 m2) of canvas, in eight or nine sails."[nb 2] Before the mizzen mast was a windmill which powered a two-bladed screw propeller. Should the wind fail, the screw could be powered by hand; it could also be raised to prevent reef-damage. The same hand-worked mechanism also pumped water out of the ship. Her tanks took 100 imperial gallons (450 litres) of fresh water, and she could carry three months' victuals. At this point she was described as a ship (albeit "diminutive") by the press. She was "strongly built, double-floored inside, and [was] decked over, leaving a small cockpit aft, so that there [was] a cabin 3 ft (0.9 m) wide, and 4.5 ft (1.4 m) high from floor to roof."[2] She was double-floored and had a ballast of 3,360 lb (1,524.1 kg) of iron, a condenser for distilling drinking water from saltwater, and there was coal on board, although cooking was done with a spirit lamp.[7]
The 1870 yawl conversion (in 19th-century terms) was undertaken in Liverpool under the supervision of J.C. Buckley,[7] who received much local support in the form of victualling for the expedition.[8] The Graphic reported: "The City of Ragusa is the smallest vessel ever cleared at the Liverpool Custom House, and the gentleman who performed that duty for her also cleared the Great Eastern."[4] The ship carried the English ensign in 1870, and the US ensign in 1871.[6] Throughout the two transatlantic trips, the ship had the option for one square sail on the main mast, and all the rest would be gaff sails, plus staysail and jib. According to the Cork Daily Herald in June 1871, "She is yawl rigged, and returns to Ireland just as she left it, except that a gaff topsail is added, and that her sails have been enlarged. She bears all the traces of her long passage, being coated green with what sailors call "sea grass."[3]
In 1872, following the 1871 transatlantic crossing, the ship was exhibited at the Crystal Palace, but there was an accident. When lowering the ship to allow visitor boarding, the jackscrew holding the stern gave way, and the keel fell on Primorac's leg, causing a compound fracture. No help came. Hayter managed to lift the boat little by little, as Primorac gradually inserted wood under the keel. Primorac, bleeding profusely, was eventually taken to Guy's Hospital.[9] The ship was acquired by Mrs Simms, and was displayed at the Royal Castle Hotel, Chester Road, Tranmere, Merseyside. She then presented it to Birkenhead Park for use on the lakes. Following repairs, the ship "remained a prominent feature in the lower park for some years."[10] On 22 July 1875 "a small boat with red bottom and two top strakes painted white, name on stern City of Ragusa, Liverpool," was picked up by Captain Hewett of the schooner Success, 15 nmi (27.8 km) off Douglas Head.[11] The ship was later displayed in the Liverpool Museum, until it was destroyed by a bomb in 1941.[6][12]
Transatlantic crossings
[edit]Liverpool to Boston, 1870
[edit]On 2 June 1870 the City of Ragusa, crewed by Captain John Charles Buckley and Nikola Primorac, left Liverpool for New York.[2][13] Between Liverpool and Queenstown, County Cork they hand-wound the propeller once. The log said: "Shipped propeller and worked it by hand for six hours, and gained thereby two knots per hour."[14][15] They stopped en route between 12 and 16 June at Queenstown due to the stuffing box of the prop shaft leaking, and they probably removed the windmill gear from above decks at that point.[16][17] The trip had its share of pranks from the public. For example, on 12 June 1870, a bottle was found on the shore near Bootle. It contained a message in pencil, saying: "City of Ragusa June 4th 1870. Off the coast of Ireland making for Waterford. Captain Buckley washed overboard." The document was taken to the police office, but when the Ragusa arrived at Queenstown on 12 July the note was recognised as a forgery.[18] The ship arrived at Cork on 18 June, becoming the "centre of attraction" there.[2] Buckley did not mind the attention, but Primorac tended to lose patience, "and for all the visitors knew might have more than once consigned them to all sorts of future pains and sufferings."[16]
The Press monitored the ship's progress via reports from transatlantic vessels which spoke her at sea. For example, the Cunard SS Russia, and SS Abyssinia, spoke her on 13 August, off the Banks of Newfoundland. At that point, Primorac was introducing himself as "Antonio Romano, a native of Ragusa."[19] According to the log, on one day of the passage, the Ragusa ran 153 nmi (283.4 km); the slowest day covered 11 nmi (20.4 km).[20] They had a dog on board, but it died on 29 August.[21] They reached Boston on 8 September,[17] the 1870 Atlantic crossing having taken 92 or 98 days. "There were strong westerly winds almost from the beginning of the journey, and two or three heavy gales."[17] The Cork Constitution reported that:[16]
All things considered, she made a capital voyage across the Atlantic, and became the admiration of the nautical men of New York. No doubt was cast on the voyage of the City of Ragusa, and Captain Buckley reaped the full reward of the honours he had earned by his enterprising and extraordinary voyage. Whatever may have been the object or intent of the voyage of the tiny craft, one thing would seem certain as already published, that Capt. Buckley with his man reached the harbour of New York without aid or assistance.[16]
Ragusa suffering a "serious leakage", the crew took her to Boston for repairs first, then to New York, where she remained on exhibition over winter.[20] The ship continued to attract attention for a while, then Buckley returned to Liverpool by steamer.[16] He said "he [was] glad the journey [was] over, and, although he never had any serious doubts about being successful, he [did] not care to undertake the experiment again.[22] In 1878 Hayter wrote to The Times to say,[23]
The City of Ragusa was visited in America by President Grant and all the State officials of Boston and by the Governor and ex-Governor of Rhode Island, and was seen by Admiral Northcott and many other officers of Her Majesty's Navy and over 400,000 persons at the Crystal Palace. She ... now lies at Liverpool ... I hope next year to have her on view at my boat house [at Maidenhead]. E.R.W. Hayter.[23]
New York to Liverpool, 1871
[edit]After Buckley returned to Liverpool from New York in 1870, Primorac remained with the ship as Captain, looking for a replacement mate for the return trip to Ireland. The first potential crew member agreed to take the job on 20 May 1871, but when he saw the size of the ship he mutinied and left. A second man was offered the position, but he "refused his duty" in the same manner. Primorac then took on Edwin Hayter.[16] The Cork Daily Herald gives another view of those events:[3]
[Buckley's] retirement elevated his crew Primorez – to the position of captain, and this brave man spent the entire spring in cruising about New York and up the Hudson, and to the principal cities on that part of the coast, where extreme anxiety existed amongst the people for a glimpse at the extraordinary craft. No better idea of her apparent sea going powers could be gleaned from anything than the fact that four experienced sailors who were successively engaged to work her under the directions of Capt. Primorez, and who were anxious to give her a trial. left her on a trip up the Albany river, as they became afraid to risk their lives in her, even in the smooth inland waters.[3]
This time the Ragusa was ballasted with "a kind of new patent American brick," which Primorac wanted to exhibit at the London Exhibition.[24] At 5am on 23 May 1871 the crew let go the Sandy Hook pilot and started for Queenstown with a northerly heading.[16][25] The New York Herald called it a "foolhardy adventure," and said, "with the exception of the bark of the dog, she is probably the smallest bark that ever attempted such a trip."[26] This return trip took 36 days. The Cork Constitution reported:[16]
During the voyage the weather was rather rough, and at times squally, but the tiny craft kept on her course well, making an average in good weather seven knots, and in bad weather 4.5 knots per hour. Her best speed, and one extraordinary for so small a boat, was 160 miles on the third day after leaving her moorings. The log of her voyage could not be obtained, and many statements have been made respecting her voyage, none of which it would be safe to give as representing the whole facts. On [22 June 1871] the little craft made 120 knots during the day, which was the second-best day's running since her starting.[16]
The Illustrated Police News reported:[25]
Bad weather set in off the banks of Newfoundland, and for ten days a series of gales tossed them about in a terrific sea. The gale subsiding, the captain was able to set his vessel's head to the eastward. Icebergs were frequently seen in that latitude at that time, and a sharp look-out had to be kept. The ice was avoided, and the ship continued her course. The weather remained exceedingly heavy, and there were rare periods of calm. A succession of heavy gales came on, and as it was impossible to take observations the course was taken by dead reckoning throughout. From the beginning to the end of the passage the captain saw the sun rise and set only once, and during the remaining days the weather was too thick to permit him to make observations ... off Fastnet ... they amused themselves with catching a young shark. While following a piece of beef a noose was slipped round his tail and he was pulled on board. His tail was hung at the bowsprit, where it is still to be observed ... The captain has kept a careful log of the whole voyage, which he intends publishing.[25]
The City of Ragusa arrived at Queenstown at midnight on Wednesday 28 June 1871, "firing a gun as she entered." According to Primorac's report, he only had time to wash himself once during the voyage, but managed to change his clothes four times. He said that the pair took six-hour watches, but once during a gale Primorac did a thirty-hour watch. He added that they caught a shark near Fastnet, and indeed they arrived in harbour with what was left of the fish on board.[16] That included the jaws, teeth and backbone. The Ragusa was flying the Austrian and British flags when she arrived.[3] On 29 June "a number of people visited the little craft, and several boats laden with spectators sailed around her."[16] The Irish Daily Telegraph was one of those spectators:[27]
We saw the little thing at Queenstown, but 19 feet long, and [1.75] tons measurement, rocking to every wave of the passing stream, bending to every puff of wind, which scarcely stirred the flags of her sisters around her; we looked in wonder at her, and very few could realise that she had made two long voyages across the Atlantic; had ridden out, off the coast of Newfoundland, two severe storms; had seen large vessels dismasted, and herself surrounded with the debris, which was more dangerous to her than the contending elements. If the vessel is wonderful, the crew more so ... The owner and master, a quiet looking man, with no sign of the hero about him – with nothing to shew that patient, invincible courage, which he must possess to brave many dangers for so long a time ... The dog ... looks thoroughly miserable ... They carried no boat, nor any other means of escaping a sinking ship ... We have welcomed and admired her, and now wish her God speed.[27]
The City of Ragusa left Queenstown for Liverpool on 10 July 1871.[28]
Crew
[edit]Captain John Charles Buckley
[edit]John Charles Buckley was born in Limerick, Ireland, and had also lived in Millstreet, Cork, where he had relatives.[2] By 1870 he was "middle-aged."[22] The Illustrated London News reported in 1870:[2]
He formerly served in the army of the Papal Government and was taken prisoner, in 1860, during the short campaign of Castelfidardo and Spoleto, by the invading forces of King Victor Emmanuel. He served the Pope three years, and is a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester. He has since been the officer of an American passenger-steamer, and lately master of a large vessel in the China trade. He has been rewarded with the honorary silver medal of the Humane Society for saving two lives on our coast near Hythe.[2]
At Trafalgar Square, London, on 12 January 1859 the Humane Society awarded J. Buckley of the Royal Limerick Militia a silver medal "for saving the lives of Sergeant M. Mahony and Private J. Bastow of the same corps ... who went to bathe in the sea, and venturing out too far would no doubt have met a watery grave, had not Buckley, after the most desperate exertions, succeeded in bringing both of them ashore."[29] The rescue occurred on 22 September 1858 at Hythe, Kent.[30]
Unlike Primorac and Hayter, Buckley did not retire from adventure. He crewed under Captain Scott on the John S.D. Wolfe sailing ship Hypathia, which left the Mersey on 18 September 1871, arriving at Philadelphia after 37 days, beating the four ships which accompanied her. Leaving Philadelphia on 4 December for Havre, she encountered "terrific westerly gales" but reached her destination after 17 days. The trip involved running before the gale, with water sweeping the decks, hands lashed at the pumps, lifelines in use, and two men at the wheel.[31]
-
Captain J.C. Buckley
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Buckley received a Royal Humane Society silver medal in 1859
-
He received the Order of St. Sylvester from the Pope in the 1860s
Nikola Primorac
[edit]Nikola Primorac (Dubrovnik 27 July 1840 – Liverpool 1 March 1886)[2][6] (anglicised as Nicholas Primovez), otherwise known as Pietro di Costa, was a tobacconist and stationer by trade. He was Croatian, but when using the alias Pietro di Costa assumed Austrian-Italian identity. The Illustrated London News was informed that he had a wife and two children, but that they drowned as passengers on an Austrian merchant ship when it was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, and that he was master of the ship at the time.[2][nb 3]
Primorac had a dog, Boatswain, who accompanied him on the 1871 return crossing. The dog was described by the Illustrated Police News as a "splendid brindled Bull Terrier which bore all the suffering of the long journey with as much fortitude as his fellow passengers." There were two dogs on the voyage; Hayter's Labrador was swept overboard, and Boatswain survived.[25]
However Primorac and Boatswain each came to an unfortunate end in Liverpool. On 27 December 1878, the Liverpool Mercury reported:[32]
Yesterday forenoon, the inhabitants in the neighbourhood immediately adjoining the Sailor's Home [in Duke Street, Liverpool] were rather startled by seeing a man rushing about the streets with loaded firearms, evidently intent upon shooting some one. His name was found to be Nicholas Primoraz, tobacconist and stationer, carrying on business at 56, Duke-street, and with considerable difficulty he was secured and locked up. As he is evidently out of his mind, he will be taken to a lunatic asylum. Primoraz is the man who a few years ago sailed across the Atlantic in a tiny boat named the City of Ragusa, his only companion being a dog. This dog yesterday attempted to bite a police constable who snatched a pistol from its master, and was afterwards shot with the same weapon. The faithful animal was not killed by the shot, but was afterwards drowned at the Jordan-street pinfold.[32]
According to the Liverpool Albion, Primorac was shooting at a man who in due course took over his tobacconist shop.[33] On 16 January 1879 Primorac was incarcerated in Rainhill Asylum, and on 1 March 1886 he died there.[28][34][35]
Edwin Richard William Hayter
[edit]Edwin Richard William Hayter (or sometimes Heyter) was from an expatriate English family, and was born in New Zealand.[nb 4] He had been a steward serving on the City of Limerick, a steamer of the Inman Line.[27][16] After the 1871 passage he spent some years in Maidenhead, Berkshire as a "boat owner and letter of boats on hire", then went bankrupt in 1879.[36] In 1893 he left for New Zealand, and in 1934 died there.[28] Hayter was possibly Edwin Richard Hayter (born New Zealand ca.1852), who appears in the 1891 England Census as a boot and umbrella repairer, living at 34 Water Lane, Lambeth.[37] The Cork Daily Herald said of him, "Heyter ... is a fine young man, a native of New Zealand but of English parentage, and during his time he has been almost in every part of the world."[3]
Gallery
[edit]-
City of Ragusa showing full sail, 1870. The crew are Captain J.C. Buckley and N. Primorac
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E.R.W. Hayter (L), Captain N. Primorac (R), and Boatswain, New York, 1871
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City of Ragusa using gaff sails only, but still with the square sail spar, 1871.
Other 19th-century, small-vessel, Atlantic crossings
[edit]- Red, White and Blue (1867): lifeboat; 26 ft LOA; 34 days.[38]
- John T. Ford (1867): capsized off Cork; 3 out of 4 crew drowned.[38][39][40][41]
- Centennial (1876) crewed by Alfred Johnson; 60 days.[38]
- The Little Western (1890): American dory of Gloucester, Massachusetts; 16 ft 7in LOA; beam 6 ft 7in; draught 6 ft 7in; 45 days.[38][42]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ The term, "yawl" underwent change mid-19th century. In 1870, regarding square-rigged vessels, it could refer to something like a sloop rig, or a (former in this case) ship's boat which once had oars. Normally the mizzen would be stepped behind the tiller, but the Ragusa rig was complicated due to the position of the pump and propeller controls which remained after the windmill was removed. See Oxford Reference: Yawl
- ^ The surviving images of the ship show a spar for one square sail on the mainmast, and gaff sails on the top of the main mast and on the mizzen mast, plus staysail and jib.
- ^ No corroboration has yet been found, that Primorac had previously been master of a ship.
- ^ The Illustrated London News stated that Hayter was born in Newfoundland, but that is a misprint.
References
[edit]- ^ "Across the Atlantic in a twenty feet boat". Northern Ensign and Weekly Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 12 May 1870. p. 3 col.2. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The smallest ship of the ocean". Illustrated London News. British Newspaper Archive. 25 June 1870. p. 21 col.2. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Arrival of the City of Ragusa". Cork Daily Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 30 June 1871. p. 2 col.4. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The City of Ragusa". The Graphic. British Newspaper Archive. 11 June 1870. p. 20 col.1. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Historical facts about Dubrovnik". dubrovnik-online.net. Dubrovnik Online. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d Eterovich, Adam; Žubrinić, Darko (18 June 2013). "Nikola Primorac Croatian captain of City of Ragusa craft sailing from Liverpool to New York and back in 1870". croatia.org. Crown, Croatian World Network. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The City of Ragusa". Cork Herald, quoted by Warder and Dublin Weekly Mail. British Newspaper Archive. 18 June 1870. p. 7 col.5. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "The City of Ragusa". Liverpool Daily Post. British Newspaper Archive. 2 June 1870. p. 9 col.2. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Shocking accident at the Crystal Palace". Morning Post. British Newspaper Archive. 24 July 1872. p. 5 col.6. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ Lee, Robert (2018). "The challenge of managing the first publicly funded park: Edward Kemp as the "fixed" superintendent of Birkenhead Park 1843–91" (PDF). thegardenstrust.org. The Gardens Trust. p. 163. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "Reports and casualties: a small boat". Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 26 July 1875. p. 4 col.1. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Livepool buildings blitzed (with photo on page 4)". Liverpool Evening Express. British Newspaper Archive. 15 May 1941. p. 3 col.2. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "Sailing of the City of Ragusa". Leeds Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 4 June 1870. p. 8 col.4. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Arrival of the City of Ragusa". Cork Examiner. British Newspaper Archive. 13 June 1870. p. 2 col.4. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "The City of Ragusa". Cork Daily Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 13 June 1870. p. 2 col.2. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The City of Ragusa". Cork Constitution. British Newspaper Archive. 30 June 1871. p. 2 col.6. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ a b c "Title unknown". The Times. 5 October 1870.
- ^ "Messages from the sea". Shields Daily Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 15 June 1870. p. 3 col.4. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "Tidings of the City of Ragusa". Cork Examiner. British Newspaper Archive. 20 August 1870. p. 2 col.6. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The City of Ragusa". Shields Daily Gazette. British Newspaper Archive. 23 September 1870. p. 3 col.3. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ "The City of Ragusa, extraordinary voyage across the Atlantic". Cork Examiner. British Newspaper Archive. 22 September 1870. p. 3 col.4. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ a b "The voyage of the City of Ragusa". Dublin Evening Post. British Newspaper Archive. 16 November 1870. p. 3 col.3. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ a b "A perilous voyage". Flintshire Observer. 9 August 1878. p. col..2–3. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "The City of Ragusa". No. Kilkenny Moderator. British Newspaper Archive. 5 July 1871. p. 4 col.3. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Arrival of the City of Ragusa". Illustrated Police News. British Newspaper Archive. 8 July 1871. p. 3 col.6. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "A foolhardy adventure". New York Herald, quoted in Fife Free Press, & Kirkcaldy Guardian. British Newspaper Archive. 10 June 1871. p. 4 col.3. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b c "The City of Ragusa". Irish Daily Telegraph, quoted in Cardiff Times. British Newspaper Archive. 15 July 1871. p. 3 col.2. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b c Frecker, Paul (2020). "Nicholas Primoraz and Edwin Hayter". 19thcenturyphotos.com. The Library of Nineteenth-Century Photography. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "Royal Humane Society". Morning Chronicle. British Newspaper Archive. 13 January 1859. p. 3 col.6. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "The Royal Humane Society". London Daily News. British Newspaper Archive. 13 January 1859. p. 3 col.3. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ "A fearful voyage, rapid ocean sailing". Dublin Evening Mail. British Newspaper Archive. 30 December 1871. p. 4 col.3. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Sensational "scene" in Duke Street". Liverpool Mercury. British Newspaper Archive. 27 December 1878. p. 6 col.6. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "Extraordinary scene in Duke Street". Liverpool Albion. 27 December 1878.
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 7 September 2020. Deaths Mar 1886 Primoraz Nicola 43 Prescot 8b 561
- ^ 1881 England Census: M.P. or N.P. age 38, unmarried, sailor, Rainhill Asylum, Liverpool, lunatic.
- ^ "In the County Court of Berkshire" (PDF). The London Gazette. 23 September 1879. p. 5632 col.2. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ 1891 England Census RG12/412 p.3 schedule 64
- ^ a b c d "The Little Western". Hampshire Advertiser. British Newspaper Archive. 4 August 1880. p. 4 col.1. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "The wreck of the John T. Ford". Perthshire Constitutional & Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 5 September 1867. pp. 6–7, cols 6, 1. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Another ocean experiment". Harper's Weekly. 1 June 1867. pp. 341, 342, 349. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "The yacht John T. Ford". Richmond Dispatch. Richmond, Virginia. Newspapers.com. 3 September 1867. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "The Little Western's Voyage". New York Times. 21 August 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
Among the attractions just now at the Aquarium is the "dory" boat Little Western, in which two young American seamen, named G.P. Thomas and Frederick Norman, have just completed a risky passage across the Atlantic.
External links
[edit]- "Item No. J07.20320. City of Ragusa (yacht) crossing the Atlantic, undated". oac.cdlib.org/. Online Archive of California (OAC). Retrieved 9 September 2020. (Black and white negative captioned: "The City of Ragusa, Two Tons Burden, Now Crossing the Atlantic" (undated, but probably 1871).
- "Limerick County Militia, 1797–1846". limerick.ie. Limerick: discover. Retrieved 17 September 2020. (For further research: links to copies of Limerick militia records, which may help to identify John Charles Buckley by giving birthdate, birthplace etc.)