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(Source W.A. Laxon & F.W. Perry.)
By F.J. Waddington. Research: Terry Robins. |
James Nourse was born in County Dublin in 1828 and after serving the required time at sea sat for his Master’s Certificate of Competency in London in 1851, the same year he attained his first command aboard Token for W.N. Lindsay of London. His retention with the company was only to last until the following year when he joined Foley, Aikman & Co of Glasgow as Master aboard Aberfoyle. James served in the ship for three years before it caught fire when in Calcutta on the 28th of August 1855 after completing a voyage from Mauritius. To extinguish the flames Aberfoyle had to be scuttled and after being raised and repaired was sold out of the company. The company attached no blame for the incident to Nourse and he was duly appointed to captain their ship Tasmania where he remained until 1861.
Unlike other captains who had aspirations to ownership James Nourse decided to acquire new tonnage as opposed to that of second hand and along with his co-owner Mr A. Sword purchased from the builders Pile, Hay & Company of Sunderland an 839 ton iron hulled sailing vessel. The ship, Ganges, was owned in forty-eight parts by Captain Nourse with the remaining sixteen parts by Mr Sword and was registered at Greenock, Scotland. Shares traditionally were owned in sixty-fourth parts and a ships ownership, for instance wholly would be deemed as 64/64ths, not one hundred per cent or even two fiftieths. Also traditionally the ships captain was actively encouraged to own at least 1/64th on the principle that the commercial interests of all partners were best served if the ships master had a direct involvement in his ships labours. All parties being agreeable it was possible to buy any number of sixty fourths and your outgoings and income was directly attributable to parts owned, the principle spread both losses and profits very equitably, so much so that the system is still applicable today. For her time Ganges would have been considered a large vessel and her figurehead beneath the bowsprit represented ‘Mother Ganges’ a symbol of fertility. She was the first of many Nourse Line vessels to be given nomenclature of rivers.
Ganges on completion sailed out to India to commence trading between Calcutta and Australia where James Nourse made acquaintance with the principals of Sandbach, Tinne &Company.; The company were importers and exporters, shipping and estate agents mainly concerned with sugar, coffee, rum and molasses but also in ‘prime Gold Coast Negroes’, or slaves to you and I! Nourse foresaw future needs and trends in these trades and decided to relinquish his command of Ganges and to concentrate on management itself. Consequently he went ashore and acquired an office at the centre of banking and shipping in Fenchurch Street, London in 1864, he was joined by J.R. Foley a former employer, George Saxon and others as his business associates. A former partner in their ship Ganges, Mr A. Sword, relinquished his quarter holding in the said vessel the same year.
Having observed the carriage and possible profits to be gained from the carriage of “Coolies” James Nourse entered into negotiations with the Crown Agents for the Colonies, his proposed service was to be between India and Mauritius, the West Indies and Fiji. Once the contracts were secured James Nourse bought India, an iron barque of 912 tons from Cowie & Company of Liverpool and chartered from T.O. Harrison of London, the Adamant in 1865. By way of explanation, a Coolie was of Indian or Chinese nationality, indentured labourers, who were hired for work in foreign lands, the word Coolie is traceable to a tribe from the West of India known as the Koli. Sadly the term became synonymous with cheap labour and they did in fact replace the African slaves whose use was outlawed in British possessions in 1834. In the main James Nourse’s passengers came from north central and northeastern India though some came from the Tamil and Telugu speaking regions of the south. The terms of contract were that they agreed to work for a defined number of years, five, in one of the colonies and in return they earned return passage but were paid extremely low wages, but, perhaps more importantly, were fed and housed. The Chinese Coolies were employed under exactly the same terms and it should come as no surprise to anyone that this form of indentured labour explains why the Indians and Chinese populate virtually every country in the world.
INDIAN COOLIES FAMILIES.
Between 1866 to 1869 the company built four ships, all to James Nourse’s specifications and all with the carriage of Coolies taken into account, Indus by Denny & Rankin, Jumna & Syria by William Pile and Neva by J.G. Lawrie The carriage of Coolies dictated that for each one and a half registered tons equalled the carriage of one Coolie, later it was measured in covered deck space. The medical requirements of those travelling was monitored by a Surgeon Superintendent, they all had food and water allowances overseen by the ships Purser and both Officers were paid by a capitation grant for those successfully completing the voyage. Two further ships were acquired in 1872/3, Stockbridge, which was bought outright, and Jorawur that remained owned by J. Fleming, 42/64’s and D.K Mair 22/64’s.
INDUS.
Built: 1866 by Denny and David Rankin, Dumbarton.
Launched 13th of July and completed a week later.
She sailed from Calcutta on the 7th of January 1873 bound for St Helena and Demerara with a cargo of rice and Coolies and was never seen again.
James Nourse at this time would not be considered a wealthy man by any stretch of the imagination and consequently was heavily in debt with most of his ships carrying mortgages, however undeterred his fleet expansion continued apace buoyed by extremely prosperous trading during the early seventies. By 1874, encouraged even further by the companies increasing fortunes he ordered five new ships, Foyle & Bann from T.R. Oswald of Sunderland and Liffey, Boyne and Lee from Oswald, Mordaunt & Co of Southampton. The latter shipbuilding company was the successor to the former.
FOYLE.
Built: 1874 by T.R. Oswald & Co, Sunderland.
Tonnage: 1662 grt, 1610 nt.
Yard No 141.
Launched 12th September 1874, registered 21st October same year.
She transferred to C.A. Hampton & E. Bromehead on the 19th of May 1897 and was sold to Norwegian owners in 1903 becoming Jarlen. She left Lobos d’Afuera, Argentina bound for Antwerp on the 16th of June 1908 and disappeared with all hands.
BANN.
Built: 1875 by T.R. Oswald & Co, Sunderland.
Tonnage: 1719 grt, 1650 nt.
Yard No 147.
Bann was launched on the 3rd of July 1875 and first registered on the 23rd of August the same year. Went to C.A. Hampton & E. Bromehead of London on the 19th of May 1897. Sold to James Nourse Ltd of London on the 20th of March 1903. A year later she was sold to O.D. Ahlers of Bremen and renamed Hildegard and in 1911 became a coal hulk at Port of Spain in Trinidad.
The service operated by Nourse Line was a virtual round the world voyage initially sailing from London for European ports where a general cargo was loaded before heading for Calcutta. After discharge a cargo rice would be back loaded and her passengers of coolies would embark for the voyage out to the West Indies, Mauritius or Fiji. The ships that voyaged to either Mauritius or Fiji would normally then travel to Australia to load coal. Those on the West Indian route after discharging their coolies and cargo would proceed up to the east coast of the United States to load grain or case oil for Europe. Prior to the carriage of case oil Kerosene had been transported aboard sailing ships in wooden casks, this proved not only wasteful of space but also dangerous because of leakage. Various American exporters improved the transport of their oil by packing their product into cases, each case contained two five-gallon tins making it infinitely easier for the recipients to handle and store. The next progressive stage was to fit the sailing ships with large storage tanks placed in their holds leading of course to the eventual building of ships for the sole transportation of oil.
Nourse Line in the eighteen eighties increased the size of its fleet by some fifteen vessels, Allanshaw, The Bruce, Hereford, British Peer and Rhone all of which were second hand, the remainder, new, and all but two being built at the Glasgow yard of Russell & Co.
GANGES.
Built: 1882 by Osbourne, Graham & Co, Sunderland.
Tonnage: 1529 grt, 1443 nt.
Yard No 55. Iron Barque.
Launched on the 25th of March 1882 and first registered on the 27th of May in the same year. Transferred to Hampton & Bromehead of London on the 19th of May 1897 and to James Nourse in 1903 prior to sale out of the fleet. She survived with various Norwegian owners until being sank as Asters by UC-55 when 150 miles west by north of the Scilly Isles when on a voyage from Le Havre to Philadelphia on the 28th of May 1917.
ELBE.
Built: 1887 by Russell & Co, Port Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1693 grt, 1616 nt.
Yard No 172.
Launched on the 21st of June 1887 and first registered on the 21st of June in the same year. In 1896 she ran aground when under tow from London to Liverpool at Bembridge. She transferred to Hampton & Bromehead of London on the 15th of May 1897 and was sold to James Nourse Ltd of London on the 20th of March 1903. Sold for breaking in 1907 to Cia. Transatlantique of Paris, France for £5,600.
RHONE.
Built: 1875 by John Elder & Co, Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1768 grt, 1678 nt.
Yard No 184.
Launched on the 5th of April 1875 for G. Gilroy of Dundee as Gilroy. Transferred in 1881 to Gilroy, Sons & Co of Dundee retaining her name and eight years later was bought by James Nourse and renamed Rhone. She transferred to Hampton & Bromehead of London on the 19th of May 1897 and was sold to James Nourse Ltd also of London on the 20th of March 1903. Sold to Norwegian owners in 1905 becoming Dybvaag and was wrecked at Escoumains, St Lawrence on the 19th of November 1906.
Under the guidance of James Nourse the company continued to build sailing ships until well into the nineties when most other owners had made the transition to steam, his reasons were two fold, one, he preferred and understood them, and two, they were economical for the trades in which they served. Nourse Line continued to purchase a balance of both new and second hand vessels, his finest of the period being the five built at Charles Connell’s yard in Glasgow and the company’s final sailing ship completed by Russell & Co at Port Glasgow.
DANUBE.
Built: 1890 by Grangemouth Dockyard Co, Alloa.
Tonnage: 1459 grt, 1345 nt.
Launched on the 4th of June 1890 and completed in the July, registered on the 29th of the same month. She left Guadeloupe on the 2nd of February 1892 bound for New York and was lost with all hands.
LENA.
Built: 1891 by J.E. Scott of Greenock.
Tonnage: 1709 grt, 1632 nt.
Yard No 3.
Launched as Baron Colonsay for J. MacCunn & Co of Grenock on the 4th of August 1875. Sold to Bain & Johnston in 1885 to J. Grieve of Greenock in 1886 and to J. Neil also of Greenock in 1887, on each occasion retaining her name. Bought by James Nourse in 189I and became Lena on the 7th of April. She transferred to Hampton & Bromehead of London on the 19th of May 1897 and in 1903 was sold to James Nourse Ltd of London on the 20th of March 1903. Sold to Tassara of Genoa in 1906 and was finally scrapped at Genoa in 1913.
ARNO
Built: 1893 by Charles Connell & Co, Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1825 grt, 1721 nt.
Yard No 199.
Launched on the 19th of January 1893, completed the following month and registered on the 15th. Grounded at West Hartlepool when under tow from Bremen in 1896. Transferred to Hampton & Bromehead on the 19th May 1897 and sold to James Nourse Ltd of London on the 20th of March 1903. Sold to Norwegians in 1910 and when on a voyage to Pernambuco, Brazil, was lost with all hands in 1913.
FORTH.
Built: 1894 by Charles Connell & Co, Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1829 grt, 1713 nt.
Yard No 212.
Launched on the 27th of April 1894 and completed in the May, first registered on the 2nd of June. Transferred to Hampton & Bromehead of London on the 19th of May 1897. Sold to James Nourse Ltd on the 20th of March 1903. In August of 1907 she rescued survivors from the Currie Line steamer Fortunatus and landed them at Mauritius. Sold out of the fleet to Norwegians in 1910 and on the 27th of September 1915 she was abandoned when in ballast after sustaining damage and foundered.
MERSEY.
Built: 1894 by Charles Connell & Co, Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1829 grt, 1713 nt.
Yard No 213.
Launched in the May of 1894, completed in the June and first registered on the 28th. Transferred to Hampton & Bromehead on the 19th of May 1897. Sold to James Nourse Ltd on the 20th of March 1903. Sold to White Star Line on the 12th of May 1908 and was utilised as a cadet training ship for sixty apprentices and made six round trips to Australia. Fitted with radio in 1914 and the following year was sold to Norwegian owners, in all she had five and became Transatlantic, Dvergso during her remaining years, sold for breaking in 1923.
CLYDE.
Built: 1894 by Russell & Co, Port Glasgow.
Tonnage: 1813 grt, 1654 nt.
Yard No 365.
This ship was to be James Nourse’s final sailing vessel and was launched on the 25th of July 1894, completed in the August and first registered on the 16th. Transferred to Hampton & Bromehead on the 19th of May 1897 and sold to James Nourse Ltd on the 20th of March 1903. Ran aground on the 9th of March 1906 at Cape Hatteras and suffered sufficient damage to warrant repairs in New York. On completion of repairs she was sold to brokers G. R. Clover of London who in turn sold her on to Norwegian owners of which she had three before being scrapped in 1924.
WRECK OF BRITISH PEER.
British Peer had been completed at the yard of Harland & Wolff, Belfast in 1865 and was a three masted iron hulled ship. When built and termed as a windjammer she was amongst the fastest of her type but in later years she underwent conversion that reduced her speed considerably. James Nourse bought her in 1883. Thirteen years later when on a voyage from London to Cape Town carrying a cargo of liquor, cork, candles, gunpowder, piano’s, building materials and baths she ran aground and was wrecked on the 8th of December 1896 in Saldanha Bay, forty five miles north of Cape Town. Her crew comprised the Captain, a Welshman called Jones, seven other Britons, seven Swedes, three Norwegians, three Germans and two Finns.
With a calm sea running, the sky clear and a moderate breeze British Peer had just passed Dassan Island and with Table Mountain visible in the distance all but those on watch turned in for the evening at 2000 hrs. At 2300 hrs all were woken by a thundering crash as British Peer drove onto a reef and began to flounder. Her second mate, Mr Herbert Balfour called for all hands on deck and soon the Captain was shouting for the ships pumps to be manned. Within minutes it was clear that British Peer was about to sink and those on the pumps quickly transferred their labours to the lifeboats in an attempt to launch them. They managed to release just the one and with only one man scrambling onboard the rest made their way aft as the ship began to sink by the bow. Those in the stern commenced to burn blue lights and fire off the distress rockets but it was all too late as first the masts came crashing down and then the deckhouse was swept away. A fortunate few had presence of mind to don their lifejackets were kept in the lazaretto and as the ship began to break up spilling its cargo into the sea those remaining found themselves washed overboard along with it. Caught in the current the crew were forced south were most were dashed against the rocks, only four managed to fight their way ashore.
At a later Court of Enquiry held on the 7th of January 1897, which was presided over by the Resident Magistrate, Mr Jan Cambier Faure, assisted by ships Captains, George William Stanton and Philip Moignard it was determined, after consideration that the fault of the wreck lay with her Captain. The basis for the judgement was founded on the statements from two of her survivors who claimed that British Peer was far too close to the shore, however both of these witnesses, along with the rest of the crew were below at the time of the collision. After being discharged the four survivors made their way back to London, the youngest, Joseph Olsen later went on to command his own vessel; of the other three there are no records. Initially fourteen of the crews bodies were recovered with eight being positively identified including that of her Captain, all were buried where they were found.
Much later, in November of 1991 two of her crew were unearthed during building work, the ‘Ganzekraal Skeletons’, after extensive investigation it was thought that one of them might have been the ships steward, Mr George James White, the other unfortunately was impossible to identify. They were re-interred at the nearby farm of Bokbaai.
James Nourse died in April of 1897 and his executors C.A. Hampton who was Mr Nourse’s principal creditor and E. Bromehead assumed control of both his affairs and the fleet. The ships continued to trade, as before, but on The 19th of February 1903 they became part of a limited liability company called James Nourse Ltd and all the ships were registered as such on the 20th of March. The capital of the company was £160,000 at £10 a share and Mr C.A. Hampton became its first chairman.