Golden West (clipper)
Encyclopedia
The Golden West was an 1852 extreme clipper
built by Paul Curtis
. The ship had a very active career in the California trade, the guano
trade, the coolie trade
, the Far East, and Australia. She made a record passage between Japan and San Francisco in 1856.
Boston to San Francisco, Captain Samuel R. Curwen, 124 days, 1852
San Francisco to the Chincha Islands
, for a load of guano; arrived at Hampton Roads, Jan. 20, 1854; 69 days from Callao.
Philadelphia to San Francisco, 145 days, 1854
Sailed with Golden State, which had left 4 days earlier, from the Horn to the equator.
San Francisco to Manila, 55 days
Manila to New York, 99 days, 1855
Struck a reef in Gaspar Strait
; jettisoned 200 tons of hemp
to get off it.
New York to San Francisco, Capt. Putnam, 175 days.
Sustained damage to rig off Cape Horn
; spent 26 days in Valparaiso
for repairs, 111 days out.
Valparaiso to San Francisco, 39 days-- very fast run.
San Francisco to Hong Kong via Honolulu, 56 days.
Hong Kong to San Francisco, Capt. Folger, 47 days, 1856
Japan
to Farallon Islands
(off San Francisco), 4876 mi., 20 days. This was the record passage to date.
San Francisco to Hong Kong, Capt. Putnam, 62 days
Bangkok to Shanghai, with a cargo of rice, 1857
Shanghai to New York, 103 days, 79 days from Anyer, 1857
New York to Sydney, Capt. Curwen, Feb. 25-Aug. 8, 1858
Sydney to Hong Kong, 40 days, a fast time.
Hong Kong to San Francisco, 60 days
San Francisco to New York, Capt. Pinkham, 126 days, 1859
New York to London, Capt. McKenzie
London to Melbourne, 100 days
Trade in the Far East, under Capt. Lunt, until 1862
Shanghai to New York, Capt. Crandall, 101 days, 1863
New York to Liverpool, 1863
, owner J.G. Ross, Captain Jewett, master.
between China and Peru.
Extreme clipper
An extreme clipper is a clipper designed to sacrifice cargo capacity for speed. They had a bow lengthened above the water, a drawing out and sharpening of the forward body, and the greatest breadth further aft. Extreme clippers were built in the period 1845 to 1855.-Medium and extreme clippers:From...
built by Paul Curtis
Paul Curtis (shipbuilder)
Paul Curtis was an American shipbuilder who built ships in Medford, Massachusetts .-Background:Shipbuilding was one of the two big businesses at Medford in the mid-19th century...
. The ship had a very active career in the California trade, the guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
trade, the coolie trade
Coolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
, the Far East, and Australia. She made a record passage between Japan and San Francisco in 1856.
Voyages
Golden West sailed under many different captains, making trips between New York, San Francisco, the Far East, Liverpool and Australia. An outline of her voyages is as follows:Boston to San Francisco, Captain Samuel R. Curwen, 124 days, 1852
San Francisco to the Chincha Islands
Chincha Islands
The Chincha Islands are a group of three small islands 21 km off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco,...
, for a load of guano; arrived at Hampton Roads, Jan. 20, 1854; 69 days from Callao.
Philadelphia to San Francisco, 145 days, 1854
Sailed with Golden State, which had left 4 days earlier, from the Horn to the equator.
San Francisco to Manila, 55 days
Manila to New York, 99 days, 1855
Struck a reef in Gaspar Strait
Gaspar Strait
Gaspar Strait separates Belitung and Bangka islands in Indonesia. It connects the Java Sea to the South China Sea.These straits, formed between the large islands Banca and Billiton, are generally called Gaspar Straits, after the Spanish captain from Manila, who passed through them in 1724; but...
; jettisoned 200 tons of hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
to get off it.
New York to San Francisco, Capt. Putnam, 175 days.
Sustained damage to rig off Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
; spent 26 days in Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
for repairs, 111 days out.
Valparaiso to San Francisco, 39 days-- very fast run.
San Francisco to Hong Kong via Honolulu, 56 days.
Hong Kong to San Francisco, Capt. Folger, 47 days, 1856
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to Farallon Islands
Farallon Islands
The Farallon Islands, or Farallones , are a group of islands and sea stacks in the Gulf of the Farallones, off the coast of San Francisco, California, USA. They lie outside the Golden Gate and south of Point Reyes, and are visible from the mainland on clear days...
(off San Francisco), 4876 mi., 20 days. This was the record passage to date.
San Francisco to Hong Kong, Capt. Putnam, 62 days
Bangkok to Shanghai, with a cargo of rice, 1857
Shanghai to New York, 103 days, 79 days from Anyer, 1857
New York to Sydney, Capt. Curwen, Feb. 25-Aug. 8, 1858
Sydney to Hong Kong, 40 days, a fast time.
Hong Kong to San Francisco, 60 days
San Francisco to New York, Capt. Pinkham, 126 days, 1859
New York to London, Capt. McKenzie
London to Melbourne, 100 days
Trade in the Far East, under Capt. Lunt, until 1862
Shanghai to New York, Capt. Crandall, 101 days, 1863
New York to Liverpool, 1863
Sale of the ship
Golden West was sold at auction to British buyers in 1863. As of 1864, she was listed with a home port of LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, owner J.G. Ross, Captain Jewett, master.
Coolie trade
In 1866 Golden West was in the coolie tradeCoolie
Historically, a coolie was a manual labourer or slave from Asia, particularly China, India, and the Phillipines during the 19th century and early 20th century...
between China and Peru.
External links
- The New Clipper Ship Golden West, of Boston, Boston Daily Atlas, Nov. 25, 1852
- Golden West of Boston, Outward Bound, painting by William BradfordWilliam Bradford (painter)William Bradford was an American romanticist painter, photographer and explorer, originally from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, near New Bedford....
- Clipper Ship Golden West entering New York, oil by Joseph B. Smith, Peabody Museum