Historical information

This document reveals the way in which Mission to Seafarers grew in response to demand. With increased shipping to Australia for all purposes, the need for the then existing Mission to grow to be conveniently located and to accommodate seafarers became increasingly evident. This document also shows the formal nature of documents and petitions in the 1890s and documents the names of twenty-two contemporaneous ships and their respective captains.
The Anna, Dharwar and Mermerus arrived in port at the end of July 1897. The Carmanina arrived on the 21 October 1897. The Loch Katrine, at the end of the list, arrived on 5 November 1897.

The letter was published in the Argus, 22 December 1897:

"APPEAL FOR SEAMEN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ARGUS.

Sir, I beg that in the interests of the Victorian Seamen's Mission you will be kind enough to publish the appended testimony of the ship masters who for many years have been trading to this port, and therefore have had many opportunities of judging the effects of his work. The mission has much need of monetary assistance, and, should any of your numenous leaders deem it worthy of support, the committee would feel most grateful for any help that may be given in this direction. It has been the pleasure of the committee as far as possible to supply the crews of all outward bound steamers and sailing vessels with literature for their use on the voyage. My former appeals through your columns for leading matter have always been liberally responded to, and I trust that should any of our booksellers have any surplus stock of periodicals, religious and secular, illustrated or otherwise, at the end of the year, they will kindly remember the Victorian Seamen's Mission and the sailors. Private individuals also who may have stacks of literature by them, if they would kindly send some to the Seamen's Institute, Beach street, Port Melbourne, would cause the cheering of many a dark and lonely hour in the seamen's life. From 900 to 1.200 parcels have hitherto been given to the sailors and firemen annually by this mission, and we should be extremely grateful to those who would place us in a position to continue such donations in the future.

Yours, &c. ,

E. JAMES, Chaplain to the Mission.
Seamen's Institute, Beach street, Port
Melbourne, Dec. 10."

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"To the Executive Committee of the Victorian Seamen's Mission, Melbourne.

"Ladies and Gentleman,

"We, the undersigned captains of several ships now lying at the Melbourne wharves think it most desirable that the Victorian Seamen's Mission, being the mission that has for so many years shown a most part their interest in the spiritual, moral, and social well-being of the seamen of all nationalities, shall him on the banks of the Yarra an institute such as that at Port Melbourne, where sailors of every grade could profitably and pleasantly spend their evenings.
At almost every other seaport in the world such institutions are being provided for seamen, and we are satisfied from our opinion of the Melbourne public that the matter needs only to be prominently brought under their notice to be accomplished.
We are confident that the good work of the mission is being hampered by its not having such a place near the shipping at the Melbourne wharves.
Our crews are at present placed at a great dis advantage through not having an institute more convenient to the scene of their labours than that at Port Melbourne, which, on a very wet or a very hot, is not easily reached.
If a site could be obtained immediately above the Gasworks but on the other side of Flinders street extension, that is to say, on the lower part of the land on which the Harbour Trust offices are built, it would be most convenient for the shipping on both the north and south side of the river.

Trusting that it may be possible to do some thing to meet this long felt want,

We suscribe ourselves,

Yours respectfully,

Geo.H Steven, master ship Dharwar;
Thos. Curd, master ship Narcissus;
James Horne, master ship Loch Garry;
T.Tait, master ship Loch Ryan;
T. Nilsen, master ship Hebe;
G. Ch Christian, master ship Anna;
R.E. Peasley, master ship Seminole;
Wm. Martin, master ship Loch Ness;
T.C. Martin, master ship Loch Tay;
W.H. Bennett, master ship Loch Vennachar;
J. Raglan Brodie, master s.s. Warrnambool;
James E. Coles, master ship Mermerus;
J. H. Walker, master ship Hinemoa;
R.J. Johns, master ship Ariel;
D. Gorchem (sic. Gerckens), master ship Matador;
H. Petersen, master ship Nesaia;
Wm. J. Reid, master s.s. Star of New Zealand;
A. F. Svhanstrom, master ship Hermes;
Alex. Smith, master ship Sophocles;
W. Y. Bunn, master ship Carmanian;
William Anderson, master ship Loch Katrine."

Significance

This petition is historically significant as it is documentary evidence of the need for a new facility for seafarers signed and presented by the captains of 21 ships, including several of the sister ships of the Loch Ard. The need for a new facility was a result of changes in shipping and the use of the Melbourne ports in the 1890's and this document supported the pressure on the Harbour offices to finally release land for an appropriate building in the early 20th C.

Physical description

Mounted hand-written petition to the Executive Committee of the Victorian Seaman's Mission Melbourne. The letter petitions the Executive Committee to create a facility on the wharves, "where sailors of every grade could profitably and pleasantly spend their evenings." This portion of the letter takes up three quarters of the document. The remainder has two lists, one of twelve captain's signatures and the other of the names of their ships. The list is continued on the reverse side with an additional nine signatures and corresponding ship names.

Inscriptions & markings

In cursive handwriting:
To The Executive Committee of the Victorian Seamans Mission', / Melbourne / Ladies and Gentlemen / we the undersigned captains....... We subscribe / ourselves respectfully,
Captain signatures and names of ships ( NB Ship names in upper case for this entry ):
Geo H. Stevens - DHARWAR / Thomas Curd - NARCISSUS; / James Horn - LOCH GARRY / T.Tait - LOCH RYAN ; / T.NIlsen - Hebe ; / G.C. Christians - ANNA ;/ R E Peasley - SEMIOLE ; / William Martin - LOCH NESS ; / T C Martin - LOCH TAY;/ W H Bennett - LOCH VENNUACHAR; / RJ Raglan Brodie - SS WARRNAMBOOL; ; / James E. Coles - MERMERUS; / ( signatures continue overleaf) J H Walker - HINEMORA ; / R J Johns - ARIEL; / D Gorchem - MATADOR; / H Petersen - NESAIA;/ William J Reid - STAR of N. ZELAND [sic] ; / TJ Sohanstrom - HERMES;/ Alex Smith - SOPHOCLES; / W Y Bunn - CARMANIAN;./ William Anderson - LOCH KATRINE;/
Handwritten in red ink on the front of the parchment:
"8182"
NB The second digit in the number sequence appears to have been written over and could also be a "9", an "8" or a "3".
paper Watermark "HERCULES".
Prior to conservation and taped to the glass on the reverse side of the parchment was a small piece of paper reading: "Letter written in 1897 and signed between the last week of October and the first week of November." T and C probably stands for Trade and Customs and 8382 is the file no." (H8.4 x W11.8)