About the 'Queen Margeret'
 

Squeegee's post Ps_20 shows the Queen Margaret alongside at Tacoma. Lubbock
lists her voyages so we know she has come from Hong Kong in Dec 1900 and she
is there loading Wheat and bound for Antwerp. he also gives an account of
her end, wrecked off the Lizard.

Trying plain text here.

Tim w


The Lovely "Queen Margaret."



This four-mast barque was considered by experts to be one of the fastest and
most beautiful of the carriers of the nineties. Indeed, many seamen declared
that she was the equal in speed to that wonderful pair, Muskoka and Oweenee.
Like them she had the clipper rig for a four-mast barque, namely, three
skysails over royals and single topgallant sails.



Her reputation for smartness and good treatment was equal to that of her
sailing powers. I have a vivid memory of her in San Francisco in 1899, when
the officers and crews of every other sailing ship in port were envious of
her beauty, and told tall yarns about her speed, whilst the apprentices of
hungry ships told one with bulging eyes that her "hard bargains" actually
had eggs and bacon for breakfast.



Her first commander, Captain D. F. Faulkner, was a splendid type of a
windjammer seaman. He was a Blue-nose from Nova Scotia, a giant of a man who
stood 6 ft. 4 ins. in his socks.



Although the Queen Margaret had such a reputation for speed she was a large
carrier, as we shall see from the following epitome of her first seven
voyages, which I have taken from the office books kindly lent me by Mr. A.
A. Stuart Black of John Black & Co., her owners.



First Voyage.

Left Greenock April 8, 1893 arrived Philadelphia Aug. 22, 1893 ..
45 days

(In ballast)

left Philadelphia Sept. 12, 1893 . arrived Calcutta Jany. 24, 1894
... 134 days

Cargo 87,000 cases petroleum

Rate 16 cents

Freight (less commission and brokerage £120) £2780* * Neglecting shillings
and pence.

Left Calcutta April 8, 1894 arrived Boston Aug. 6, 1895 .. 120
days

Cargo 2052 bags saltpetre (150 tons) 15,331 bales jute (4027 tons)

Rate 4rs. 75 per 40 cubic feet

Freight (less commission £242) £3764

(Queen Margaret had 100 tons of iron kentledge as ballast in her hold.)



Analysis of Voyage.

Insurance (ship valued at £18,000)

Wages £1358 (Captain's wages were £20 a month)

Running expenses and management £250

Profit on voyage £1500.



Second Voyage.

Left Boston Aug. 30, 1894 arrived New York same day

Left New York Oct 1, arrived Shanghai Mar. 8 1895.. 158 days

Cargo 87,000 cases petroleum

Rate 21 cents

Freight (less commission and brokerage £312) £3478.

Left Shanghai Mar. 25 arrived Hongkong Mar. 31 6 days

(Bottom scraped and painted in dry dock at Hongkong)

Left Hongkong May 28 arrived San Francisco July 26 .. 59
days

Freight 10,000 dollars

Left San Francisco Sept. 20. arrived Liverpool Feb. 7, 1896 .. 140
days

Cargo 1084 tons wheat 503 tons barley 1751 tons general

Rate 26/3

Freight (less commission and claims £343) £4041 Profit on voyage £2754.



Third Voyage.

Left Liverpool Mar. 9, 1896 arrived Cardiff Mar. 12 ..
3 days

Left Cardiff Mar. 30 arrived Nagasaki July 27 .. 119 days

Cargo 3390 tons coal

Rate 15/6

Freight £2627

Left Nagasaki Aug. 7 arrived Yokohama Aug. 18 .. 11 days

Left Yokohama Sept. 14 arrived San Francisco Oct. 16 .. 32 days

(In ballast)

Left San Francisco Nov. 21 arrived Queenstown Mar. 12, 1897 .. Ill
days

Left Queenstown Mar. 18 arrived Fleetwood Mar. 19 1 days

Cargo 3365 tons wheat

Rate 27/6

Freight (less commission and claims £358) £4268

Profit on voyage £1134.



Fourth Voyage.

Left Fleetwood April 9,1897 arrived Barry April 11 .. 2 days

left Barry April 30 arrived Nagasaki Aug. 12 .. 103 days

(Was dry docked and had bottom painted at Cardiff.)

Cargo 3360 tons coal

Rate 20/6

Freight (less commission and brokerage £246) £3198.



The Queen Margaret was in the Straits of Sunda with about a dozen large
sailing ships all crowding sail to the eastward. The only-one of these ships
which could stay with her was the well-known Shire liner Cromartyshire. The
two ships sailed neck and neck up the China Sea for 10 days. They were
separated by bad weather off the south end of Formosa, Cromartyshire, which
had left Barry on April 26, also arrived at Nagasaki on August 12, though a
few hours behind the Queen Margaret, which anchored at noon.



Left Nagasaki Sept. 13 arrived Portland, Or. Oct. 20 ..
37 days

(In ballast)



The Cromartyshire left Yokohama on September 27, and reached Portland,
Oregon, on November 4, 38 days out.

Left Astoria Nov. 12 arrived Dunkirk Mar. 16, 1898.. 124 days

Cargo 3339 tons wheat

Rate 26/9

Freight (less commission and brokerage £335) £4131 Profit on voyage £1813.



It is interesting to note that the speedy Cromartyshire left Astoria on
December 2, also for Dunkirk, where she arrived 152 days out.



Whilst rounding the Horn on her passage to Dunkirk the Queen Margaret passed
close under the stern of the outward bounder Springburn. Mr. Forbes Eadie,
who was an apprentice aboard the latter, has given a vivid pen picture of
this incident, which I have taken the liberty of transcribing from the
P.S.N. Co. magazine Sea Breezes. He writes:-



In the winter of 1897 the writer's ship was lying hove to, weathering out an
ex*ceptionally heavy Cape Horn snorter. The long grey seas were running
high and with such irresistible momentum that all one could see of the old
ship was four masts sticking out of the water. We were under a mizzen lower
topsail only (the weather had to be bad when we were snugged down to such a
spread) and were making very heavy weather of it.

It was about noon when Queen Margaret came into view, out on our starboard
beam. What a magnificent sight she made! Flying six topsails, a reefed
foresail, and a big main topgallant sail, she seemed as if she were daring
the savage hail-laden blasts to take the sticks out of her. The amount of
sail might seem small, but when one takes into consideration the extensive
fury of the frequent squalls, it seemed to us to be verging on
foolhardiness. Closer and closer she came, a smother of spray from fo'c'sle
aft to her mainmast. In a very short time she was up to us, and easing off a
point or two to round under our stern we read her name, Queen Margaret,
without the need of binoculars. She passed not more than forty yards from
us. The thought that came uppermost in my mind was the magnificent steering
witnessed. Two men were at her wheel, and the one on her weather wheel
grating was indeed a master helmsman.

It was thrilling to watch the mountains of water chase the ship, just
falling short of pooping her, then suddenly divide and rush alongside,
gaining in height and bulk until momentum was exhausted. As the sea ran past
her, down would go her stern into an abyss from which one thought she would
never emerge. Up to the heavens raked her jibboom, and her fore-foot and
keel showed clear almost aft to the foremast. It was difficult to estimate
her speed, but if any ship ever topped sixteen knots the beautiful Queen
Margaret was doing it then. Despite/the shriek of the gale we could hear the
thrash, of her as she swept past. Two oilskin-clad figures (presumably her
commander and mate) were on the weather side of her poop, and they must have
pitied us lying wallowing "outward bound."



Mr. Eadie goes on to declare that it was the greatest example of "cracking
on" that he had ever seen, and that the wonderful sight of the great white
ship steeple-chasing over the Cape Horn greybeards so impressed the crew of
the Springburn that it was the talk of that ship for months afterwards.



Fifth Voyage.

Left Dunkirk April 3, 1898 arrived Cardiff April 6 3 days

(Dry-docked at Cardiff)

Left Cardiff June 17 arrived New York July 29 .. 42 days

(In ballast)

Left New York Sept. 17 arrived Hongkong Mar. 5, 1899 .. 169 days

Cargo 88,000 cases oil

Rate 23 cents

Freight (lees commission and brokerage £340) £3963.



The Queen Margaret put into Cape Town on December 1, when Mrs. Faulkner and
her child were landed, the vessel leaving again on December 5.



Left Hongkong June 16 arrived San Francisco Aug. 2 .. 47 days

Freight £1882

Left San Francisco Sept. 8 arrived Antwerp Jany. 19, 1900 .. 133
days

Cargo 3338 tons barley

Rate 30/9

Freight (less commission £260) £4743 Profit on voyage £3074.



Sixth Voyage.

Captain Robert Logie took over the command on January 28, 1900.

Left Antwerp Feb. 24, 1900 arrived New York April 4 .. 39 days

Cargo 687 tons cement

Rate 1/-

left New York May 15 arrived Hongkong Oct. 3, .. 141
days

Cargo 87,000 cases oil

Rate 24 cents

Freight (less commission and brokerage £344) £3980

(Dry-docked and bottom scraped and painted at Hongkong)

Left Hongkong Oct. 31 arrived Port Towns'd Dec. 21 .. 51 days

Arrived Tacoma Dec. 24

Left Tacoma Feb. 8, 1901 arrived Antwerp June 24 .. 136
days

Cargo 3327 tons wheat

Rate 37/6

Freight (less commission and brokerage £468) £5770 Profit on voyage
£3208



Seventh Voyage.

Left Antwerp July 22, 1901 arrived New York Aug. 31 .. 40 days

(In ballast)

Left New York Oct. 14 arrived Shanghai Feb. 28, 1902 .. 137
days

Cargo 87,000 cases oil

Rate 27 cents.

Freight (less commission and brokerage £388) £4482

Left Shanghai Mar. 22 arrived Taltal June 26 .. 96 days

(In ballast)

Left Taltal June 27 arrived Caleta Buena June 30 .. 3 days

Left Caleta Buena Sept. 5 arrived Marseilles Dec. 30 .. 116
days

Cargo 3324 tons nitrate

Rate 25/-

Freight (less commission and brokerage £207) £3913

Profit on voyage £1543.



Captain Logie gave up command at the end of this voyage and was succeeded by
Captain T. F. Morrison, who had the Queen Margaret until 1905, when he
handed over to W. J. Scott. Scott remained in command until 1910, when R.
Logie took the ship again for a voyage. Her last master was Captain
Bousfield, and the dates of the Queen Margaret's last passages we-

Left Barry July 25, 1912 arrived Monte Video Sept. 18 .. 55 days

Left Montevideo Oct. 16 " Sydney Dec. 11 ..56 days



On January 17, 1913, the Queen Margaret left Sydney with 4500 tons of wheat
for the Channel. After a very fine passage the ship arrived off the Lizard
at daybreak on May 5, being 108 days out. Here Captain Bousfield received
orders to go to Limerick for discharge. As there was a head wind blowing the
captain sent a telegram to ask if he might engage a tug, and took the ship
close in to the Lizard in order to be able to read the signals.



At 8 o'clock, when it was about half-tide and the Queen Margaret was about a
quarter of a mile off-shore from the lighthouse, there was a slight jar and
the ship stopped, having evidently struck on an outlying rock. Captain
Bousfield threw all aback and tried to work the ship off stern first, but it
was no use, and the sails were hastily clewed up.



Soon after this the water was reported to be up to the 'tween decks in the
forepeak, and Captain Bousfield immediately ordered the crew to swing out
the boats. The weather was clear and fine, and there was no danger of life.
Nevertheless, the Lizard life-boat came out and took the captain's wife and
little boy ashore. She was followed by the ship's company in their own
boats.



The poor old Queen Margaret gradually listed over to port until her rail was
level with the water. By this time there was a French steamer standing by as
well as the Lizard lifeboat and the Falmouth tugs Victor and Triton. Captain
Bousfield remained on board the wreck until she had listed so far that he
was able to slide down an oar into the lifeboat from the deck.



The rocks round the Lizard have accounted for a number of beautiful sailing
ships in their day, and the only one which I can remember being salved was
the French ship Socoa, a few years before.



From the first it was seen that the Queen Margaret was done for. In fact, by
May 8 all her masts had disappeared, the deck was gaping open, and she was
fast breaking up. There can seldom have been a more stupid and unnecessary
end to a ship than that of the beautiful Queen Margaret.