Celestial Empire (clipper) facts for kids

Celestial Empire
Quick facts for kids History
United States
Name	Celestial Empire
Namesake	Celestial Empire (China)
Owner	C.H. Parsons & Co., New York City
Builder	Jotham Stetson, South Boston, MA
Launched	1852
Fate	Abandoned 1878, en route to New York from Hamburg
General characteristics
Tons burthen	1630 tons
Length	193 ft (59 m)
Beam	38 ft (12 m)
Draft	29 ft (8.8 m)

The Celestial Empire was a famous clipper ship built in 1852. Clippers were very fast sailing ships. This ship was known for its many adventures and challenges at sea. It sailed for many years, carrying goods across the oceans.

Another ship with the same name later helped create an important rule in law. This rule was about how much damage a ship could cause when docking.

Adventures of the Celestial Empire

A Challenging Voyage in 1874

In October 1874, Captain Barstow took command of the Celestial Empire. The ship was anchored near Battery Park in New York. It was heading to San Francisco, carrying coal and timber. The ship was already over 20 years old. Its crew of 26 came from many different countries.

The journey was not very fast for a clipper ship. Captain Barstow wrote about calm seas and strong storms. They faced rough weather, especially near Cape Horn. The ship finally reached Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California. This was near San Francisco. On March 22, 1875, the ship unloaded its cargo. Workers also fixed its bottom with new copper plates.

Crew Problems in Peru

After arriving in San Francisco, a new captain was supposed to take over. But he changed his mind. So, Captain Barstow stayed on board. On May 27, 1875, the Celestial Empire sailed to Callao, Peru. It was empty, ready to pick up a special cargo called guano. Guano is bird droppings used as fertilizer. The ship arrived in Callao on July 15, 1875.

Captain Barstow faced big problems with his crew in Callao. He reported that they were "very troublesome" and tried to run away. He had to keep a close watch on them. When they couldn't escape, they complained to the American Consul. The Consul came to the ship to investigate.

The American Consul sided with Captain Barstow. He said the crew had not been treated badly. Their behavior was almost like a rebellion. They had not followed their agreements. The Consul noted they had no complaints about food or work. He believed they just wanted to leave the ship.

After this, three new sailors joined the ship. They replaced those who had run away. On July 27, 1875, the ship left Callao. It sailed to the southern guano areas. It reached Point Lobos on August 12.

Loading Guano: A Dirty Job

For the entire month of September, the Celestial Empire stayed anchored. The water was rough, making it impossible to load the guano. Food supplies started to run low. Crews on other ships nearby were also causing trouble.

The closest place to get supplies was eight miles away. Sailors had to go by open boat to a place called Pabellon de Pica. This was a small village of simple huts. It had only been built recently, in January 1875. The village was on the beach, protected by a reef.

Loading guano was a very difficult and dirty job. The guano was put into small boats from the shore. It came down through canvas chutes from the rocks. Then, the ship's boats would tow these small boats to the Celestial Empire. The guano was then lifted onto the ship in tubs or baskets. It was a very dusty operation.

Runaway Sailors and a Ship Fire

On October 6, two of Captain Barstow's sailors had enough. They stole one of the ship's boats and left. Captain Barstow tried to find them. He followed their trail for 48 miles to Iquiqui. He couldn't find the men or the boat.

About ten days later, he found the boat. It was in a small fishing village south of Iquiqui. He got the boat back after a lot of trouble. He also had to pay the local Peruvian officials $25. This was half the value of the boat.

It took several more months before the ship could finally start loading. This happened in March 1876. But even then, there was another problem.

On March 15, a huge wave hit the ship around midnight. It broke a large kerosene lamp. This started a fire in the captain's cabin. Captain Barstow woke up to find his cabin in flames. Burning kerosene was rolling across the floor. He quickly grabbed blankets and coats. He used them to put out the fire. His cabin was damaged, and he got slightly burned. Much of his clothing was also ruined.

On July 8, the Celestial Empire finished loading its cargo. It had 2190 tons of guano. After being checked by a surveyor, it sailed to Callao for final paperwork. Captain Barstow again found that the next captain was not eager to take over. The story ends here, with some difficulties with local officials.

Helping Sailors with Bibles

In March 1853, the Celestial Empire received a special gift. It was given Bibles by the American Seamen's Friend Society. Many other ships also received Bibles at that time. These included famous clippers like Highflyer and Shooting Star.

The Ship's Final Days

The Celestial Empire was abandoned at sea on February 20, 1878. It was on its way from Hamburg, Germany, to New York.

Amazing Rescue by the Templar

The crew of the Celestial Empire was saved by Captain Rufus P. Trefry. He was the captain of the barque Templar. This rescue happened in February 1878, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The Templar was sailing from Ipswich, UK, to Delaware Breakwater.

Captain Trefry said he had seen a large ship several times over many days. On the morning of February 23, after a big storm, he saw the ship again. It was the Celestial Empire. Its masts were broken. The top of its mizzen-mast and its mainmast were gone.

The Templar went closer to offer help. But the captain of the Celestial Empire wanted to keep going. Even with one arm in a sling, he wanted to sail 600 miles to the Azores islands. He partly owned the damaged ship. Captain Trefry told him the Celestial Empire was in such bad shape, he wouldn't take it as a gift! The sea was too rough to take the crew off right away. The ship was rolling too much.

Captain Trefry said he would wait for a signal. At 2 AM the next morning, the seas calmed down. The Templar was able to rescue all 24 crew members. They also saved their dogs and hens! A lot of supplies were also moved from the Celestial Empire to the Templar.

Another storm hit that night. Two weeks later, sixteen of the rescued crew members were dropped off in Bermuda. The rest were taken ashore a week later, in Lewes, Delaware.

About three months later, Captain Trefry received a special message. It was from the owners of the Celestial Empire. They sent him a gold watch and chain. The watch had a special message on it. It said it was from the President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes. It thanked Captain Trefry for his brave actions. He had rescued the crew of the American ship Celestial Empire. The watch and chain were worth $300.

Other Ships Named Celestial Empire

Celestial Empire

View of Celestial Empire on the beach at Kyuquot on Vancouver Island, 1916

There were two other ships also named Celestial Empire. One was a wooden ship built in 1861. The other was an iron sailing ship built in 1877. The 1861 ship carried immigrants from Bremen, Germany, to New York in 1872. A piece of ash from the huge eruption of Krakatoa was kept from the deck of the 1877 ship.

Docking Mishap and a Legal Case

One of the Celestial Empire ships had a problem while docking. A tug boat was pulling it to a wharf. It was supposed to dock next to a schooner. But the Celestial Empire did not place its fenders correctly. Fenders are cushions used to protect ships.

Because of this, the schooner's side was damaged. A court case followed, called Wilsey v. The Celestial Empire. The court decided that the Celestial Empire was at fault, not the tug boat. This case is mentioned in a book about ship collisions from 1904.

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