CALCUTTA PASSAGES. 1876 Calcutta to London 90 days. 1878 Calcutta to Dundee 98 „ 1879 Penarth Roads to Calcutta 98 „
FRISCO AND W.C.N.A. PASSAGES. 1883 Frisco to Lizard 105 days. 1885 Frisco to Hull 125 „ 1888 Portland, Ore., to Queenstown 98 „ 1889 Frisco to Queenstown 104 „ 1890 Swansea to Frisco 113 „ 1890 Frisco to Lizard 109 „ 1892 Frisco to Queenstown 101 „
CROSS PASSAGES. 1878 Melbourne to Calcutta 48 days. 1880 Calcutta to Melbourne 49 „ 1882 Sydney to Frisco 55 „ 1884 Sydney to San Pedro 66 „ 1884 Frisco to Newcastle, N.S.W. 45 „ 1886 Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco 50 „
On her third voyage she encountered the cyclone of 31st October, 1876, near the Sandheads. Captain E. C. Bennett, foreseeing the approach of the cyclone, stood over to the east side of the Bay of Bengal, and considered himself lucky to escape with the loss of his topgallant masts.
Lashed on top of his main hatch, he had a large kennel containing a pack of foxhounds for the Calcutta Jackal Club. When the cyclone began, the hounds were let out of the kennel, to give them a chance to save themselves; and shortly afterwards the kennel was washed clean over the lee rail without touching it. The hounds had meanwhile disappeared and everyone thought that they must have gone overboard; but when the weather cleared they all came out, safe and sound, from under the lower foc’s’le bunks, where they had taken refuge.
This cyclone wrought havoc amongst the Calcutta shipping, and cost the underwriters over £100,000. _Thessalus_ was lucky to get off with a repair bill of £380.
The _Thessalus_ was lucky with live freight. On her seventh voyage she took horses from Melbourne to Calcutta and landed them all alive and in prime condition. Shortly afterwards the _Udston_ arrived with only four horses alive. She had had bad weather in the Bay of Bengal, the horses had broken loose and in their fright kicked each other to death. On this voyage, _Thessalus_ returned to Melbourne with wheat bags, wool packs and camels. The camels also arrived in good condition. At Melbourne she loaded wool for London at a penny per pound.
Her best wool passage was in 1896, when she left Sydney on the 17th October and was only 75 days to the Start, where she signalled on 31st December. She had left Melbourne in company with _Cimba_ and _Argonaut_. _Argonaut_ made a long passage, but _Thessalus_ and _Cimba_ were twice in company, concerning which Captain Holmes of _Cimba_ wrote:—