'CLEOPATRA'
130 First, 120 Second and 60 Third Class passengers.
The total value of the ship is upwards of £40,000.
5th September 1852. Sailed from the Downs for Plymouth.
6th September 1852. Arrived at Plymouth and shipped a quantity of live stock and other stores, among which were two cows, 100 sheep and pigs, 750 fowls, as well as a large quantity of fresh provisions and vegetables.
7th September 1852. Sailed from Plymouth, Captain H. R. Cumming, with 185 passengers, a number of whom were German Jews, Frenchmen, and Scotch farmers. She had also a full cargo of British manufactured goods, and £160,000 in coin for Australia.
13th September 1852. Arrived at Madeira to replace her coals.
15th September 1852. Sailed from Madeira after a two day delay.
30th September 1852. Arrived at Ascension, after a two day delay at St Vincent, took in coals.
4th October 1852. Sailed from Ascension after a 5 day delay.
25th October 1852. Arrived at the Cape of Good Hope.
30th October 1852. Sailed from the Cape of Good Hope. No coal’s available.
7th December 1852. A vessel recently arrived at Sydney passed the ‘Cleopatra’ under canvas in a light wind, and to all appearance disabled.
9th December 1852. Arrived at Adelaide with only four hours supply of coal. On her outward voyage her screw flange being two feet out of the water. The passengers had arrived in safety, a few miles from the port. It wasn’t the company’s responsibility to land the passengers. The passengers had to find their own way to shore, or having to pay the company for every extra days stay. In Mr. Heirn’s family there were twelve in all. They hired a water-tank boat and with all the people, plus the Heirn’s, and luggage on top of the tank, the little boat was unstable, with just a little way from the port, a large swell tipped it over, the Rev. Mr. Henry Heirn, his son (Denis Wood Heirn), and Henry Holloway, were drowned. The doctrine is that passengers have no claim to be landed especially when the vessel is anchored several miles from the shore.
11th December 1852. Captain Cumming refused to deliver the mails to the properly authorised person. He asked the Postmaster-General to see his authority; but the mailman said it was with him in the boat. Captain Cumming would not look at it, and would release the mails if the Pilot went on board. Captain Cumming was fined £1 for his contumacy.
18th December 1852. Sailed from Adelaide for Melbourne and Sydney after a delay caused by the difficulty of obtaining and embarking coals. She was sufficiently manned from Adelaide and the quality of coals obtained there was most execrable. She was only enabled to procure fuel by the assistance of the government.
22nd December 1852. Arrived at Melbourne, with 150 passengers. During her passage she had to stop her engines for 2 hours due to fog off Wilson’s Promontory.
5th January 1853. Arrived at Sydney.
17th January 1853. The ship held an open day for people to make a full inspection of the ship. It was determined to charge one shilling for each person going on board, and the proceeds will be divided between the Benevolent Asylum and the Infirmary. About 600 persons visited the ship and the proceeds were £30.
21st January 1853. Sailed from Sydney. Had been detained on account of fuel. Regards to Sydney coal, “The colonial coals supplied at Sydney proved to have been of the worst possible description; two of the fires required constantly to be cleaned to withdraw clinkers of 28lbs to 56lbs weight from each; so that instead of getting from 10lbs to 12lbs pressure of steam with fair ordinary coals, the ‘Cleopatra’s average with every exertion has not exceeded 4lbs to 5lbs pressure.”
24th January 1853. Arrived at Port Phillip Heads.
28th January 1853. Sailed from Melbourne for Adelaide.
4th February 1853. Due to sail, but there wasn’t enough water over the bar.
5th February 1853. Sailed from Adelaide.
9th February 1853. Arrived at Melbourne with 318 passengers.
15th February 1853. Sailed from Port Phillip. Captain Francis Cadell.
18th February 1853. Arrived at Sydney from Melbourne via Adelaide.
23rd February 1853. Sailed from Sydney for Melbourne and Adelaide. When she sailed she had a race with the Paddle Steamer ‘Shamrock’ – Paddle v Screw.
26th February 1853. Arrived at Melbourne from Sydney.
3rd March 1853. Sailed from Melbourne for Adelaide.
7th March 1853. Steamed from the anchorage near the Lightship into the harbour, and swung her head round ready for another start.
9th March 1853. A gala was held on board.
10th March 1853. Sailed from Adelaide.
13th March 1853. Arrived at Melbourne.
16th March 1853. Sailed from Melbourne.
19th March 1853. Arrived at Sydney.
20th March 1853. Off Moore’s Wharf, Sydney. In consequence of Messrs. M’Kean, M’Larty, and Co., of Liverpool, having obtained the Canadian Mail Contract for 10 years, for £25,000 per annum, and suitable steamers not being procurable in England to build or charter, this fine ship is obliged to leave the colonies on the 27th April.
26th March 1853. Sailed from Sydney for Melbourne and Adelaide, with a cargo of 3 wool presses, and one horse.
30th March 1853. Arrived at Melbourne. The intention of sending the vessel to England about the end of next month has been given up; it is probable she will go about the middle of July. In the mean time she will continue in the southern trade.
2nd April 1853. Sailed from Melbourne.
12th April 1853. Arrived at Melbourne.
16th April 1853. Sailed from Port Phillip Heads at which time the ship ‘Winchester’, lying there, was one mass of fire from taffrail to bowsprit end. The masts had fallen, and she was then burnt close to the water’s edge; she was from Melbourne, bound to Newcastle for coals. She later sunk.
19th April 1853. Arrived at Sydney from Melbourne with 247 passengers.
22nd April 1853. A Ball was held for the Officers.
27th April 1853. Sailed from Sydney with 235 passengers.
11th May 1853. Arrived at Melbourne.
11th June 1853. Arrived at Sydney with 155 passengers.
18th June 1853. Sailed from Sydney, for Melbourne with 10,000 bricks and 149 passengers.
22nd June 1853. Arrived at Melbourne. Later to proceed to Launceston to have her bottom painted , plus a complete repair internally; her engines will be thoroughly over-hauled, standing and running rigging put in proper order, and the vessel in every way prepared for a long voyage.
3rd July 1853. Arrived at Sydney with 104 passengers.
7th July 1853. Sailed from Hobson’s Bay, but met with a very heavy gale after leaving the Heads, compelling her to lay to off Cape Paterson.
18th July 1853. Sailed off from Cape Paterson for Sydney with Captain T. S. Beal, late of the ‘Hellespont’, in charge.
31st August 1853. Cleared to sail for Liverpool. Captain Beal.
1st September 1853. Sailed from Sydney for Liverpool, via Melbourne. Captain Hunt. Was detained seven hours in Bass’s Straits with an accident to the feed-pipes.
6th September 1853. Arrived at Melbourne from Sydney with 106 passengers.
15th September 1853. Sailed from Melbourne. Captain Thos. S. Beal.
23rd September 1853. Arrived at Adelaide.
8th October 1853. Sailed from Adelaide, for Port Wakefield to take in copper ore as dead weight.
12th October 1853. Sailed from Port Wakefield. She was delayed in consequence of the strong winds. During three days it was almost impossible to put on board any portion of the cargo.
15th October 1853. Sailed from Adelaide for England via Cape Horn.
30th January 1854. Arrived at St. Vincent. Coaling.
24th February 1854. Arrived at Liverpool with 45,000 ounces of gold, equal to £180,000 sterling.
1854. Sold to the Canadian Steam Navigation CO., Liverpool. Made three round voyages Liverpool – Portland, Liverpool – Quebec – Montreal.
1854/5. Crimean War Transport.
1856. Sold to the African Steam Ship Company.
1862. Been employed in conveying troops and stores to Halifax.
14th March 1862. Arrived at Liverpool from Falmouth, and has been discharged from the transport service.
24th June 1862. Sailed from Liverpool for the West Coast of Africa. Late letters and newspapers will be despatched if posted at the receiving-house on the Landing stage, bearing a late fee of 6d, before eight a.m. Captain Delamotte.
13th July 1862. Sailed from Sierra Leone.
19th August 1862. Lost on her homeward voyage on the bar, at the entrance to the Shebar River, south of Sierra Leone. The passengers were saved in a lifeboat, and the officers and crew on rafts. The chief engineer, Mr. Webster, was drowned, and also a crew of five men who put off from Sierra Leone to help and were lost.
