The “Beltana,” and Captain Richard Angel.
The _Beltana_, which raced the _Yatala_ in 1871-2, was a composite clipper, belonging to A. L. Elder & Co., a well-known firm in the Adelaide trade and the agents for the celebrated _Torrens_. Built by Laing, of Sunderland, in 1869, the _Beltana_ measured:—
Registered tonnage 734 tons. Length 172.5 feet. Beam 33.6 „ Depth 19.2 „
She was a beautiful little ship, a fine sea boat with a good turn of speed. In 1872, when running her easting down, she did a day’s work of 335 miles under foresail, three lower topsails and fore topmast staysail. She made her reputation as a heeler under Captain Richard Angel, a sail carrier of the most determined character, as the following anecdote will prove.
The _Beltana_ was rounding the Horn, homeward bound and reeling along before a heavy westerly gale under topgallant sails, when a vessel was sighted ahead, head-reaching under three close-reefed topsails, though bound the same way as the _Beltana_. Angel, to show his contempt of such caution, immediately bore down on the stranger, and passing ahead of him, put his helm down and brought his yards on the backstays. As the _Beltana_ came up to the wind, she lay right down until the amazed crew of the stranger could almost see her keel, and momentarily expected to see her capsize or her masts go overboard. But the little ship bore this harsh treatment in the bravest manner, and, though her rail was fathoms deep in the scud to leeward, never stranded a ropeyarn. Having crossed the stranger’s bows, Angel rounded to close under her stern, then squared his yards and raced ahead again. This manœuvre of “sailing round a vessel” was not one that most men would care to attempt in Cape Horn weather.
[Illustration: “TORRENS” at Port Adelaide.]
Indeed, hardly was the _Beltana_ on her course again before Angel’s trembling mate approached his captain with a request to be allowed to shorten sail, only to be met by the scornful order of:—“Get the royals on her; and then, if you can’t find anything else to set, go below and ask Mrs. Angel to lend you her petticoat.” Such an order was worthy of Bully Forbes himself.
Captain Richard Angel lost the command of the _Beltana_ on the voyage that she raced the _Yatala_. On his passage out he ran the _Beltana_ ashore on Kangaroo Island, but got her off and did not report the accident. He loaded wool at Port Augusta, but on getting to sea the ship leaked so much that he had to take her in to Port Adelaide. Here the wool was discharged, and the _Beltana_ hauled up on the slip and repaired, whilst Angel got his dismissal and a Captain Blanch took his place. _Beltana_ caught fire when loading wool in Port Lyttelton, and her end was one of the biggest ship fires in New Zealand.