On September 12, 1854, the James Baines sailed from Boston on her record-breaking run to Liverpool in 12 days, 6 hours, remarkably fast time considering the light breezes encountered over many of those days as the log will attest. Captain McDonnell thought the clipper could have made the run in eight days with stronger winds.
Upon her triumphant arrival on the Mersey, Baines had the James Baines fitted out and furnished in "almost lavish splendor" with pilasters and mirrors everywhere below deck, all under the supervision of Messrs. James H. Beal and brother.
The James Baines was such a powerful ship that while moored at Liverpool Baines had her main-skysail masts lengthened and her moonsail-yards crossed just as was done to the Lightning.
The city sang her praises and claimed the James Baines to be "the most perfect sailing ship that had ever entered the Mersey."
A Liverpool newspaper ran the following article:
Before the mainmast there are three gallows frames, upon which her spare boats are stowed, bottom up, and over the sides she carries quarter boats, suspended in iron divits. She has copper-chambered pumps, six capstans, a crab-winch on the foc's'le, a patent windlass, Crane's self-acting chain stoppers, a patent steering apparatus and a large variety of other improvements of the most modern kind.
There was, or course, a déjeneur held aboard the James Baines and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the noted author and American consul in Liverpool at the time, was among the 500 or so guests in attendance and noted in his diary that the James Baines was "a splendid vessel surely and magnificently fitted up, though not with consummate taste."
It seems that James Baines & Co. had overdone it a bit with the gilding and all. Hawthorne always felt ill-at-ease at such formal occasions and the free flowing champagne undoubtedly helped him get through it with an eloquent delivery of his toast to the assembled guests as noted in his diary.
1400 tons of cargo were loaded aboard the James Baines by the 8th of December, along with 350 sacks of mail for Melbourne. All the British mail steamers were called into service transporting troops and supplies to the Crimea and the mail contracts were taken over by the Black Ball Line and her White Star Line rivals. They agreed to forfeit money back to the Government for every day over 65 that it took to make the passage to Melbourne.
A large number of sheep, pigs, fowl, and ducks, along with a bullock, would join 700 emigrants for the passage to Melbourne.
A pilot and tug accompanied the James Baines down the Mersey on December 9, 1854, with Captain McDonnell in anticipation of making the passage within the allotted time. The light winds that they encountered slowed her early progress and by the seventh day out the James Baines was just off St. Ives Head.
At last the winds came on, fair and strong, and sent the James Baines romping down to St. Vincent, where ten days out she had to tack.
Adverse winds blew off Cape St. Roque and it took the James Baines 18 hours to beat around that treacherous place. 19 days out they were spoken in 3°° N. 28' W.
The main-skysail and stunsails flew the whole time and although it was a light weather passage, when the James Baines reached the "roaring forties," she was making amazing 24-hour runs. Her best day run was 423 miles on February 6th.
54 days out, the winds died off the Otway, within a day's sail of Hobson's Bay, and the clipper was delayed from reaching port for a week. The James Baines reached Port Phillip Heads on February 12th, with a passage of 63 days, 18 hours, and 15 minutes. In his log McDonnell wrote "Had I only had the ordinary run of winds I would have made the voyage in 55 days."
The James Baines had beaten the steamer Pacific that had sailed from Plymouth fifteen days before the James Baines had departed Liverpool. The steamer Argo had steamed the entire distance in 62 days. The crack clipper Indian Queen had arrived 12 days earlier after a passage of 79 days.
Painting is entitled The James Baines on the Mersey
Tooth is 5.5-inches & 12.4-ounces.
Tooth was obtained in England.
Antique and Antique Collecting
Antiques have always lured those with a passion for the past and its cultural significance. Antique collecting though is a serious hobby which requires the hobbyist to posses a great deal of information on the history and other correlating facts if they are to land a reasonable purchase. Most often if not antiques make their way into the mainstream market via simple garage sales, auction houses etc. wherein the owner would have overlooked the significance of these precious collectables.
A reflection and testimony of the glorious past, Antiques are undoubtedly rare. Perhaps that is why Antiques have been collected and preserved for over thousands of years as a souvenir and tribute to what has been and gone. After all, those heard are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter!
Antique collecting has been in the books since the 16th century, gaining momentum through the 18th century to grow into what is now a healthy international business thats on par with the art industry. Some individuals prefer to collect antiques from a specific era, while most are into specific objects and aim at a timeline based collection such as vintage cars or clocks from the 1950s for example. The purchase of antiques is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effort that goes into their maintenance. Most objects would be anywhere in the range of 50 to 100 years old. The biggest culprit to an antiques degradation is exposure to natural elements, even the air in most cases!
Over the years, antique collecting has taken another curious twist as certain home décor trends these days reflect on a retro feel. For this reason a lot of long lost furniture and clothing styles from half a century ago have found their way back into the current world with small changes that help them amalgamate into the 21st century. This trend of commercially viable antiques has had a negative impact on the market as replicas of famous antiques have been making the rounds and authenticity issues are far too common. Examples for the same would be pendulum clocks, bone china and the 1970 – 1979 contemporary modern furniture.
When it comes to venturing towards a purchase, its best for an individual to take assistance from the nearest antique dealer organization as it would guarantee both its authenticity as well as cover any legalities. Most often the replica market supplies the same antiques at a much lower price and the buyer could suffer serious repercussions on purchasing from such sources as these pieces are not officially accounted for. Antique collecting needs to be met with diligence and maturity in order to successfully sustain the past in the present.
