Captain Moore’s logbook (4) – Communications

13 Sep 2016

By the 1880’s telegraphic communications were firmly established and there was a large network connecting cities and countries around the world.  

This was a boon for the ship owners and captains who were able to contact each other when their ships were in port. Messages were sent using Morse code and charges were most likely by the letter and were very expensive.

When Cutty Sark left New York in May 1882 her exit papers showed her next port of call was to be Anjer, West Java. She was carrying a cargo for Samarang and expecting to go on to Australia but a message sent to Captain Moore awaiting his arrival in Anjer instructed him to sail to Madras after off-loading his cargo. The telegraph enabled owners to arrange cargos in advance of their ships’ arrival and voyages could be changed accordingly to maximise the profitability of the voyage.

Documents connected to the thirteenth voyage of Cutty Sark show that extensive use was made of the telegraph system, particularly during the time she was moored at Madras. Agent’s accounts listed the places contacted and the cost of each message. An example of cost is a message to London at R11.0.0 (eleven rupees) and one for Bimilipitam at R1.0.0 (one rupee).

Copies of four of the messages written on paper still exist. All four are addressed to Balfour Batavia, now Jakarta. Reading the longhand messages is a little tricky but elements can be deciphered. The latest dated is written in a very clear hand and reads:‘26/9 Balfour Batavia – Cutty Sark probably ready to sail on or about Tuesday third October – Moore’.

Cutty Sark was actually moored in Samarang on this date. She left on 5 October, but why this information was sent to Batavia is not known, neither has Balfour been identified in any other context.

A problem with telegraph messages is often their brevity. The more words you use the more it costs to send. The recipient will understand the reason for the message but a bystander, like us, who doesn’t know the background, may not.

While in Madras there were twenty two messages recorded as sent, including six to London, and seven to Bimilipatam, Cutty Sark’s next port of call. Other messages went to Colombo, Gopaulpore (now Gopalpur), Cochin (now Kochi), Rangoon, Pondicherry (now Puducherry) plus a few others. Why these places were contacted is not known, Cutty Sark did not visit any of them during this voyage.

About Roger

“I have been a volunteer at Cutty Sark for eighteen years. Recently I was asked to research the log of Cutty Sark’s thirteenth voyage, which has formed the basis for this series of blogs.

Discovering this information in the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum was a real eye-opener. I was surprised at the level of sophistication that communications had reached by the 1880’s and that cargos were being arranged from London in advance of Cutty Sark reaching a port. In addition, these documents indicate that Cutty Sark’s tramping years were better organised than we had previously thought.”