black friday.
A spot of history:
In the 1850s when the merchant house of Barry and Nephews dominated trade in the Overberg area, it was found that three full weeks were needed for wag
ons to transport goods to Cape Town. The Breede river was obviously perfectly navigable in its lower reaches, and the enterprising firm acquired a fleet of small sailing vessels and built a
store at Malgas.
The Breede river mouth is in San Sebastian Bay, with Cape Infanta
on its south side. The bay offers litttle protecti
on from the prevailing south-easterly winds which can be violent. The river mouth is wide but blocked
by the sandbanks usual in rivers. Sailing vessels had a tricky time entering what was called Port Beaufort. Once across the bar into the river, navigati
on was more simple, but if the wind was in a treacherous mood a sailing vessel
could suddenly find itself becalmed at an awkward point and end up
on the beach.
To over
come this problem, the Barrys had a special steamer built
on the Clyde. Named the Kadie, this perky little 150 t
on coaster arrived at the mouth of the river
on her maiden voyage
on 26 September 1859. She steamed across the bar without difficulty and from the banks of Port Beaufort picked up everybody of importance in the district. With flags flying and all
on board very merry
on good wine and brandy from the Breede river valley, the ship steamed upriver to Malgas and there unloaded cargo and those passengers who
could find their way home. It was a very happy occasi
on on the Breede river.
For the next six years the Kadie carried to Cape Town cargoes of butter, bitter aloes, wool, sheep and grain valued at many thousands of pounds and brought back trade goods to stock the Barry
stores. The Kadie crossed the bar
on 240 voyages. Then
on 17 November 1865, she struck the rocks
on the west bank of the river and was totally wrecked. The ship's bell and some salvaged
furniture are in the Barry home in Swellendam, the Auld House.
Other
coasters c
ontinued the trade to Port Beaufort. The last was a famous little ship named the Chubb, 172 t
ons with a draught of a little over a meter. Built originally as a waterboat for Sim
on's Town, she was bought in 1933
by Dart and Howes for 100 pounds. The new owners removed the water tanks an put the ship
on the Breede river run, carrying fuels, oils and other cargoes for the farmers and traders. The railways so
on complained that the trade was 'unfair'
competiti
on, and the Chubb was transferred to the run to Port Nolloth. She ended up the shore at Paternoster.
Nowadays
only pleasure craft and fisherman sail across the bar of the Breede river...
Extract from 'Dis
covering Southern Africa',
by T.V Bulpin
C Wilks Photo # 1a Entrance to Old Fort Western: This Fort was established in the 1700s in Agusta, Maine.
Old Fort Western, Augusta Maine, is the last standing wooden forts existing today. A visit to this great historical locati
on would reveal history taking us back to the 1700s. This site has great historic relevance in that it was a vital aspect in the Quebec War, in which the place was used for staging and warehousing, which c
ontributed to the victory in the Quebec War. Henry Dearbom and Benedict Arnold are just a few well known people who stayed at the Old Fort Western. Ideally located
on the Kennebec River, the Fort stood as a perfect locati
on for the Army to carry its stocks down stream, and it was a great look out for soldiers to see if their enemies were
coming downstream. A present day tour would reveal a two story, multi bed and bath room building. General Howard bought the Fort and c
onverted it into a
store where it was a great locati
on for shippers traveling the the east
coast, going to Spain and the Caribbean. After a few years, General Howard and his family moved into the fort. Furniture in the Fort dated back to the 1700s and are still is in superb c
onditi
on. This place is rich in history. The c
onstructi
on though entirely wood and primitive looking, was enough in that time period to defend against enemy attacks. This Fort Western is
one of the very few all lumber Forts still erected in America.