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Before the rise of the Clipper Ship Era, America launched
its maritime conquest of the seas in another way.
It began
with a merchant in Philadelphia- who well knew the costliness
of idle ships and errant departure schedules -which played
havoc not only with the transport of perishable farm products
overseas, but with the timely delivery of cotton for England's
mills.
The result: His
creation of a forever moving line of ships, sailing between
New York and Liverpool, England.
The idea
took the world by storm, and soon these ''Packet Ships,''
as they were called, grew from just 400 tons in size, to 1,700
tons and more.
Unfortunately,
however, there was a price to pay. Given the unforgiving schedules,
the terrors of winter crossings, and the high death rates
among the crews, a nightmarish new figure appeared - a figure
known as the ''Packet Rat." As one eminent historian
put it "The Packet Rat was the incarnation of all the
toughness and evil and malice that have clustered through
the ages about the reputation of sailors."
Enter
the ''Men of Iron," the legendary captains who could
tame such crews, and all the violence and mutinies they engendered.
Allen
Knowles, eldest son of Winslow L. Knowles, was one of these
''Men of Iron." As a member of this elite profession,
he shared in all the glamour and privileges this exhaled position
entailed. And as part owner of one of the great Clipper/Packets
of the time - the Chariot of Fame (Pictured Above) - he somehow
held these crews down during his fantastic voyages to virtually
every corner of the globe.
(Please
see Inn guidebook for full story)
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