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CAPTAIN
SAMUEL BROOKS
1831-1904
by
Robert A. Priestley
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Memorial
to Captain Brooks at Cross Stone |
At
the age of 6 years I was taken to Cross Stone Burial Ground
to see this incredible monument to Captain Brooks. It towered
above me, blackened by pollution. I was most impressed.
Sadly, the elements did their work and the monument had
to be replaced by a simple slab.
Born
in 1831, Samuel was the eldest son of John and Charlotte
Brooks of 48, York Street, Todmorden. John Brooks was a
carrier and flour dealer. There were 6 other children: Emma,
Alice, Ann, William, Ellen and Martha.
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| Samuel
had one ambition, and that was to go to sea. Father was pestered
until he agreed that Samuel should have a nautical career.
Taking the advice of a relative who was a coast guard in Cornwall,
it was arranged that Samuel, in 1846, aged 15 years, be apprenticed
as a cabin boy aboard the schooner 'Patriot' , 114
tons, under the command of Captain B. Hooper of Plymouth.
Sailing between Liverpool and Naples the 'Patriot'
was engaged in the Mediterranean fruit trade; oranges, lemons
and almonds. |
The
Schooner 'Patriot'. Not to scale
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| During
the years 1846 to 1850 Samuel travelled some 25,000 miles,
lucky to be on a ship of this kind, it meant short and therefore
healthier journeys. Captain Hooper would also have more time
to supervise his education in seamanship. |
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The
Brig 'Bessie'. Not to scale.
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On
completion of his apprenticeship, Samuel joined the brig 'Bessie'
of Bristol as an able seaman before the mast. In 1850,
the 'Bessie' began a voyage to the pacific coast
of Panama, a hazardous journey involving passage round Cape
Horn, the southern tip of South America. Five per cent of
all ships making this passage were lost, and the 'Bessie'
was a small ship. |
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The
voyage was full of misadventure and disaster. Twice they
nearly starved for want of food and water. After leaving
Panama for the homeward journey, first the Captain and then
the First Officer died of Yellow Fever. Meeting a British
man o' war they asked for help. The help they were offered
was to have a Royal Navy Officer with some sailors to sail
them home, or choose a member of their own crew to do the
job. It says a lot for Samuel, as he was preferred over
the Naval Officer. Aged barely 20, Samuel brought them safely
back to Britain.
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| After
studying for and obtaining his Master's Certificate, in 1852
Samuel joined the barque 'Kedegree' of Belfast as
Chief Officer. This ship was employed in the lucrative jute
trade, sailing between Belfast and Calcutta via the Cape of
Good Hope. |
The
Barque Kedegree. Not to scale
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| It
was during these two voyages that Samuel realised that steamships
were the ships of the future. So in 1854 he joined the Liverpool,
New York and Philadelphia Steamship Company, better known
as the Inman Line, and signed on as Second Officer on the
'City of Baltimore' . Although by rights a Captain,
he needed some experience in steamships, hence the slight
demotion.
The
'City of Baltimore' |
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The
Inman Line at pier 45 then |
The
two Richardson brothers and William Inman founded the Inman
Line in 1850. Inman was the driving force behind the company
and within 5 years had taken control. The company never used
sailing ships or paddle driven ships. Iron built, propeller
driven ships used less coal, had more space for cargo, so
more profit. Their first ships were the 'City of Manchester'
and the 'City of Glasgow'. Each weighed 1,600 tons.
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| At
first they only carried saloon and second-class passengers,
but in 1852 Inman ordered bunks, benches, tables and washing
facilities for 400 people to be installed in both ships. The
Inman Line was the first steamship company to carry emigrants
to North America. The ships were ordered to call at Queenstown
in Ireland to pick up passengers there and save them the journey
to Liverpool. |
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| Conditions
on board the ships were far superior to those on wooden sailing
ships, all food was found, 3 meals a day, washrooms with soap,
towels, mirrors and water, separate accommodation for families
and single people, men to the bows, women aft, all for £10.
You had to provide your own bedding and eating utensils, although
these could be purchased at the company's store. |
The
site of pier 45 now |
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| By
the time Samuel joined the Inman Line, the 'City of Glasgow'
had been lost at sea. Fire, storm or ice could have
been the cause, no one will ever know. A new ship, the 'City
of Philadelphia' was purchased. This ship left Liverpool
on August 9th 1854 and was wrecked 10 days later at Cape race.
Fortunately, all were saved. The company then bought the 'Kangaroo'
and had two unfinished ships on the stocks, the Cities of
'Baltimore' and 'Washington' .
At
the same time that Samuel had joined the company, the Crimean
War broke out. Inmans chartered the ships to the French Government
as troop ships, transports and hospital ships. The now completed
'City of Baltimore' was sent to Marseilles to ferry
troops to Constantinople, and once there was used as a hospital
ship.
On
April 23rd 1856 the 'City of Baltimore' , with Samuel
as Chief Officer, began trans-Atlantic crossings. Between
1856 and 1857, 85,000 people crossed the Atlantic, one third
of them in Inman ships. On Inman ships, first class paid £22.05.00d.,
second-class £14.05.00d., and emigrants £10. The
first class passengers were in the stern half, second-class
in the forward part, and emigrants, strictly segregated, were
under the water line. Rules had to be obeyed:
"Passengers
must be cheerful and must follow the rules cheerfully and
without grumble, there fore the bar will be open for the
sale of wines and spirits from 6am. And will close at 11pm."
Only
dogs suffered any real inconvenience:
"Dogs
are not allowed near the main mast".
Meals
were at these times for 1st and 2nd class:
Breakfast......7-30am
Lunch..........12
to 1pm
Dinner..........4pm
Tea............
7-30pm
Supper.......
10pm
Third
class or emigrants:
Breakfast...........8am
Dinner...............1pm
Supper...............6pm
Oatmeal
gruel.....8pm
On
31st May 1859 Samuel married Harriet Elizabeth Holden of Myrtle
Street, Todmorden at St. Paul's Church, Cross Stone.
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The
City of Washington |
In
December 1859 Samuel became Captain of the 'Kangaroo'.
The Inman Line thrived, new ships were ordered, old ones
lengthened, and second hand ships bought. They were not
luxury liners. Over the following years Samuel was transferred
from one ship to another.
1860
'Edinborough'
1861
'City of Washington'
1862
'Etna'
1863
'City of Washington'
1866
'City of Boston'
1867
'City of London'
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The
City of Boston |
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The
City of London |
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| On
13th February 1869 Samuel became the Chief Captain of the
Line, and Captain of the brand new 'City of Brooklyn'
, the largest ship in the fleet. He was known as the
highly respected Captain Brooks. In January 1870 he was ordered
to take the 'City of Boston' for a return voyage
to the USA, but at the last minute he was transferred and
Captain Halcrow took command. The ship sailed, arrived safely
and departed New York January 25th with 177 souls on board
and was never heard of again. |
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The
City of Brooklyn |
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| In
1870 Inman Line ships carried 3,600 cabin and 40,500 steerage
passengers, exceeding the Cunard Line. During the 1870's,
the White Star Line began building luxurious ships, the first
being the 'Oceanic' . Inman countered this challenge
by building two new ships of 4,800tons and each being capable
of carrying 132 cabin and 1,310 steerage passengers. These
ships were the Cities of 'Chester' and 'Richmond'
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The
City of Chester |
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The
layout of the ships had changed; the first class accommodation
was in the centre of the ship. The saloon was between the
two funnels and ran the full width of 43 feet, decorated
with maple and walnut panels. The ceiling, a huge glass
roof, was decorated with gold mounting. Passengers sat on
individual revolving chairs. The curtains were crimson damask
and velvet. There were bathrooms with hot and cold water,
surgeons and barbers, two ladies' sitting rooms and a piano.
However, smoking was only allowed on deck, as fire was a
great danger.
The
term "floating hotel" began to be used to describe ships.
People began to travel for pleasure, Americans gong to Europe
for the Grand Tour, some looking for titled husbands. Magazines
described sea trips as "cures" for damaged emotions; those
left at the altar or for the jilted. For the British, holidays
in the USA were offered "25 days with 7 days in New
York and Niagara". Sea voyages could still be dangerous
so the magazines suggested that the saloon passengers should
dress sensibly but well because "a body washed ashore
in good clothes with good labels in them would receive more
respect and kinder care than if dressed in clothes fit for
the rag bag". This was true for the victims of the
'SS Schiller' but not for those of the 'SS
Atlantic'.
Other
advice was given to ladies: "Never sit on deck in the
dark ", "wear heavy skirts, no light frilly dresses
and sew weights in to the hems because ships are so windy
a lady would have no wish to cause embarrassment to the
sailors when going round corners".
Samuel
was in command of the 'City of Richmond' when
it made a record crossing of 7 days, 8 hours and 50 minutes.
On 4 th November 1873, whilst 4 days out of New York, the
engines became disabled, so they continued the journey under
sail. Great anxiety was felt because the ship was over due.
There was no way of calling for help, as radio had not been
invented. Fortunately, a ship the 'Kenilworth'
saw them and reported that all was well. Samuel became known
as "Brave Brooks".
In
1876 Samuel was in command of the 'City of Chester'
and remained so until his retirement in 1881. Whilst
on the 'Chester' three incidents occurred:
Four
hundred miles out of New York the rudder broke. He sailed
the ship back to New York. The propeller shaft broke eight
hundred miles from Queenstown, and they sailed the ship
along until they met the company's ship, the 'City of
Paris' , which took them in tow. During a storm, Samuel
left the bridge minutes before a huge wave carried it away.
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William
Inman died in 1881 and Samuel decided to retire, chiefly
because of rheumatism. By 1882 he had returned to
the sea, joining the Guion Line and taking command
of the 'Arizona'. In 1879 the ship had crashed at
full speed in to an iceberg in the dead of night.
No one was killed but many were injured. Twenty-five
feet of the bows were crushed, but the ship made it
safely to port where a temporary wooden bow was fitted.
The ship was very popular with nervous passengers
and was always fully booked.
Samuel
was a popular Captain on a popular ship. Amongst his
passengers he could number stars of the theatre including
Miss Ellen Terry, Lily Langtry, Dame Nellie Melba,
Madame Adelina Patti and many more.
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| In
1888 he entered a competition in Tit Bits Magazine as to who
had travelled furthest. He won £10. He had made 690
trans-Atlantic crossings and a mileage of 2,437,712 miles
in his entire career and never lost a passenger. He was described
as "of white hair and beard, of strong will and superior intelligence,
his appearance arrests attention". |
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Samuel
retired in 1894 when the Guion Line closed down and for
a short time he was a nautical assessor. He died on 17th
February 1904 at his home at Brampton Court, Claughton,
Charlesville, Birkenhead. He was buried at Cross Stone 2nd
February 1904.
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The
photographs of all the ships by permission of the Mariners' Museum,
Newport
News, Virginia,
USA
http://www.mariner.org/
and the photos of Captain Brooks with permission from Roger Birch
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