The Armin
In 1858 Ernest and Augusta Meurer and their 1 year old daughter, Sophia, boarded the Clipper barque Armin for a journey to Australia. They were emigrating from Germany to Australia as bounty immigrants.
During the voyage Augusta gave birth to their second child, a daughter Frederica (Freda) Meurer.
An advert showing the departure of the new clipper Armin.
S H I P P I N G.
“MERSEY” Line of AUSTRALIAN PACKETS.
———-
10th June – FOR SYDNEY DIRECT, The new Clipper Ship “ARMIN,” 1300 Tons Register, will sail same time, and has elegant accomodation for a limited number of passengers. Apply to EDMUND THOMPSON, Drury-buildings, 17, Water-street, Liverpool.
The Armin arrived at Sydney on 13th November 1858. Soon after arrival the Meurer’s traveled by coastal steamer to the pioneer settlement of Grafton on the Richmond River, Grafton is north of Sydney and a little inland of the coast.
The Armin
The Armin was a German owned Barque, wrecked between Sooke and Port Renfrew August 23, 1864. All crewmen escaped, the Armin was a total loss.
This image is of a barque similar to the Armin, this image is of the British Barque EAST AFRICAN built 1895.
Builders details of the ‘ARMIN’
built by Alexander Stephen & Sons Glasgow, Yard No 132
Port of Registry: Bremen
Propulsion: Sail
Built: 1869
Ship Type: Barque
Tonnage: 849 grt
Length: 175 feet
Breadth: 32 feet
Owner History: D H Watjen & Co BremenArmin, 640 tons, Captain Somers
Clipper
A clipper was a very fast sailing ship of the 19th century that had three or more masts and a square rig. They were generally narrow for their length, could carry limited bulk freight, small by later 19th century standards, and had a large total sail area. Clipper ships were mostly constructed in British and American shipyards, though France, the Netherlands and other nations also produced some. Clippers sailed all over the world, primarily on the trade routes between the United Kingdom and its colonies in the east, in trans-Atlantic trade, and the New York-to-San Francisco route round Cape Horn during the California Gold Rush. Dutch clippers were built beginning in 1850s for the tea trade and passenger service to Java.
The boom years of the Clipper Ship Era began in 1843 as a result of the growing demand for a more rapid delivery of tea from China. It continued under the stimulating influence of the discovery of gold in California and Australia in 1848 and 1851, and ended with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.[1]
The Journey
For those who travelled to Australia in the nineteenth century, the journey was often long and dangerous. In calm weather a sailing ship might take as long as four months, while a well-run clipper ship with favourable winds could make the journey in a little over half this time. These ships represented the pinnacle of sailing ship technology. With their streamlined hulls and acres of sail designed to catch even the slightest breeze, clippers were built primarily for speed.
Life at sea was uncomfortable and often hazardous, particularly for passengers who travelled cheaply in ‘steerage’ (the lowest deck and below the water line). Storms were common in the Southern Ocean, but were not the only danger. Hygiene was poor at the best of times and worse in bad weather. ‘Batten-down the hatches’ meant passengers on the lowest deck were confined without ventilation or light in conditions that were ideal for the spread of disease. The use of candles or oil lanterns was restricted and sometimes forbidden—cramped conditions with timber, straw mattresses, hemp (rope) and tar caulking, meant a fire could spread with terrifying speed. A disaster at sea or shipwreck on the coast left little hope for rescue—few sailors or passengers could swim, and there were rarely enough life-boats for the numbers on board.
Regardless of the difficulties in getting to Australia, it had become an increasingly popular destination for free settlers. Convicts were no longer the major source of new arrivals to the colonies. With the discovery of gold in 1851 and a booming economy, people were now coming to Victoria and Australia by choice. People came from many countries, the majority from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, America, China and Germany.
