25/01/1858 - 28/04/1858

Migration to Australia - John Hammer HARRY 1858 Arrived Port Adelaide, South Australia John Hammer Harry at 20 years old and alone, emigrated to Australia aboard the ship ‘STORM CLOUD’ – Departed Plymouth 13th February 1858, arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia 28th April 1858. This was the 4th ship from England to S.A. with Government passengers for 1858. Average fare for the journey was about £14 but many assisted passengers were given free travel after the 2nd ship due to the high demand of certain skilled labourers in South Australia particularly Miners from the Cornwall districts to work in the copper mines in the State. Departure Notice: Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875) Friday 30 April 1858 The iron clipper ship Storm Cloud, Captain Campbell, sailed from Plymouth on February 15 for Adelaide. She took a large number of emigrants, consisting principally of miners, farm labourers, and domestic servants, who were selected by Mr. J.B. Wilcocks from the West of England, especially for this ship. For some months past the operations of the Emigration Commissioners In the selection of emigrants for Australia have not been called into requisition. In consequence of a very large number of persons resident in the colonies having availed themselves of certain colonial regulations, by which they could procure the free passage of their friends by paying a small deposit there. These applications, however, have been very limited, and the commissioners found it necessary to supply the deficiency their own and their agents' selection. The West of England emigrants embarked in the Storm Cloud are a fine robust, and healthy people and such as the colonies have been most desirous of obtaining. Arrival Notice: South Australian Government Gazette 12th August 1858 The iron ship of 907 tons, sailed from Plymouth on the 13th February and arrived here on the 28th April, the voyage being accomplished in 75 days. She landed in the colony 335 souls. Two births and two deaths were the casualties at sea. The ship arrived in excellent order, and was well adapted for emigrants ; she was well lighted and ventilated. The provisions were abundant and of good quality. The people expressed themselves well satisfied with their diet and treatment. Of the entire number who were landed, 203 were nominated and 132 were selected immigrants. The Storm Cloud was commanded by Mr. James Campbell, and Mr. Augustus Davies was the Surgeon-superintendent, this being his fifth voyage in charge of emigrants. From inquiries which I have made, I am led to believe that the persons who have arrived as nominated immigrants are, for the most part, of a class for which there is little demand in this Colony; ordinary labourers, who are unaccustomed to the details of farming operations, have difficulty in procuring employment. There is at present a supply of such a class in excess of the demand ; while persons who are really good ploughman and accustomed to the various operations of husbandry find ready employment. Good domestic servants are also in great demand. Excerpt from Passenger List: General Emigrants = GE and Nominee = N. GE Harry John 20 Miner - Cornwall Note – His listed age correlates with his date of birth at the time of the ships arrival. John was listed as an assisted passenger meaning that part of his fare was subsidised by the Government, however on this voyage records indicate that all assisted passengers had travelled for free but with an obligation to work for two years in South Australia before being able to travel and work outside that Colony. Because of the Victorian goldrush since 1851, there had been a severe drainage of both government and private workforces at that time which virtually closed down all industry in the Colony of South Australia. However, there was a sufficient return of miners from 1855 providing a suitable workforce to that industry. The Storm Cloud later departed Port Adelaide on 4th June, 1858 for direct sail to Guam, so it can be confirmed that John Hammer disembarked in Port Adelaide. In 1858, there were copper mining operations at Burra and Kapunda but no records of John’s whereabouts has yet been found. There were a lot of Cornish miners and employers at the large Burra site which was only 100 miles (10 days walk) North-East from Port Adelaide and John may have had some connection there. The Kapunda copper mine Managers prior to 1868 simply ran the mines as a business, letting them out to ‘Tribute Miners’ who paid the company a royalty on the value of the ores they raised. This practice had been quite common in Cornwall and would have been well known to John and to his liking. It is also not known how strict and thorough the authorities were at administering and checking upon this two year work obligation due to the manpower shortage and confusion with the general exodus of people from SA to the Victorian Goldfields. There was a legal fine of £100 for breaking the commitment to stay in the Colony. This was a considerable sum of money being equivalent to over $12,000 today. It is not known if John did carry out his obligation to stay in South Australia for those two years. However, the 1915 death certificate for John notes that he was in Victoria for 57 years which indicates he may have indeed left for Victoria shortly after his arrival in Adelaide in 1858. There were a number of ways to travel to these goldfields from Adelaide in those late 1850’s: 1. Paddle Steamer up the River Murray, starting at Goolwa on to Port of Echuca or further (possibly to Port of Wahgunya or Albury) and then overland to Beechworth. 2. By direct trail from Adelaide via walk/ride/cart to the goldfields. Note – The SA Government was offering a police escort for returning travellers from the Goldfields along an established safe route. 3. By ship or steamer from Adelaide to Robe, SA then walk/ride/cart to the goldfields. Although this route was mainly taken by the Chinese goldminers. 4. By ship or steamer from Adelaide to Hobsons Bay (Geelong) or Melbourne, Victoria, then walk/ride/cart to the goldfields. Wherever John may have gone to, has been researched but no records or references to him have so far shown up. Such research has been made into the goldfields of Castlemaine (Forest Creek), Ballarat (Buninyong), Bendigo and other central Victorian locations. Miner’s licences prior to the Eureka stockade (1854) were not recorded by authorities. Many diggers lived on or near their claims in tents or huts. Post 1854 the equivalent Miners ‘Right’ was recorded by the local authorities. John Harry has not shown up in any Shire Rates records, newspaper articles or company employee records prior to 1864. If John happened to complete his SA work commitment in 1860/61 he may have gone directly to the Ovens Goldfields near Beechworth where there was plenty of active alluvial prospecting in the early 1860s at the Ovens Goldfields along the Reedy and Woolshed Creeks between Beechworth and the downstream town of Eldorado. Also there was plenty of news about new gold discoveries in the nearby Indigo, Chiltern and Rutherglen areas which may have attracted him.