![]() ![]() Under Captain Moore, the Cutty Sark set off from London for a wool cargo in July 1883. P149 Australia, which still lay beyond practical reach of steamers, was exporting more than a million tons of wool annually to the textile factories of England. A narrow, shoal-strewn passage of no use to sailing vessels, the canal promised to make the tea trade a viable proposition for steamers by eliminating the circuitous run around the Cape of Good Hope it would shorten the distance between the British Isles and China by almost 4,000 miles. However, shippers were about to get a new gateway to the Orient: The Suez Canal was being dug to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. About the only ports then beyond the reach of steamships were those of Australia and the Far East - too distant for steamers to reach on the supply of coal they could carry from Europe. P 130: In 1869, when she was a-building, merchants who dealt in foreign goods were turning more and more to steamships to transport their cargoes. Quotes of interest to my genealogical research: That the Cutty Sark had as captain an amateur photographer also tied in with my interest in photography - including its historical development. It would have made the visit far more interesting. I also wish I had read this book before I visited the Cutty Sark back in 1989. I'm not sure exactly what type of ships they travelled on from Scotland and England to Australia, but there was enough background and general information in this book that I gained a reasonable understanding of what their trip would have been like and what the state of travel was at the time. A fascinating read which answered many of my questions regarding the journey of my ancestors to Australia in the 1870's. ![]()
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