:: Natal Direct Line ::

THE NATAL DIRECT LINE

Steamer of the Natal Direct Line

The founders of the Natal Direct Line were Captain Samuel BULLARD and Captain Daniel KING. Owned by the firm of Bullard, King & Co. of London, the Line was represented in Durban by Messrs King and Sons.

Photographs attached here show the standard of interior appointments of this fine fleet of steamers, which included the Umfolosi, Umsinga, Umtata, Umgeni, Umvoti, Umtali, Umfuli, Umhloti and others.

Promenade Deck of a steamer of the Natal Direct Line

Smoking room of a steamer of the Natal Direct Line

Dining Saloon of a steamer of the Natal Direct Line

Steerage passengers were not carried by any vessels of this Line. Most of the ships were built at the Sunderland yard of James Laing.

The first steamer of the Line was the Pongola (1,449 tons), which made her maiden voyage in 1879, the year of the Anglo-Zulu War. She received the champagne christening treatment from the wife of Captain BROWN. On her initial arrival off the Bluff on November 16th of that year she carried only 7 passengers, and became stuck on the Bar for a while before finally negotiating the Channel and tying up at the wharf. The local press remarked that the accommodation was splendid and that each cabin was lighted with candles so that passengers were not subject to the unpleasant smell proceeding from oil lamps, as was the case on most steamers. She was followed by the Congella in 1882.

Pongola and Congella at Durban

Then came the Limpopo and the Umtata - the latter was wrecked in 1891 and replaced by the new Umtata in 1898.

The size of all these early steamers was kept to the minimum especially so as to avoid problems with the Bar and to enable goods and passengers to be landed alongside the wharf at Durban instead of in the "roads" outside. No other ocean-going steamships offered a similar service in the 1880s. In earlier days, passengers risked life and limb - and dignity - being landed by winched basket and other such contraptions.

Passengers entering the basket

In 1888 the Indian service was commenced between India and Natal, with the Pongola as the pioneer vessel of the route. Prior to that, all traffic between Indian and Natal had been by sailing vessels only. In 1889 the company acquired the government Immigration contract for transporting Indian labour from India to Natal. The hulls of the Eastern line ships were painted white, whereas those of the London-Natal steamers were of chocolate hue to begin with, later also white, but eventually grey was adopted as more serviceable. When Indian immigration ceased in 1911, the ships were employed in repatriating those labourers whose indentures had expired.

In 1898, the Umbilo was chartered to carry DINIZULU, who had been banished to St Helena in 1887, back to Natal. This royal passenger brought with him two wives, six donkeys, 10 dogs, some rabbits, a piano and a harmonium. The chieftain's entourage of 31 persons was accompanied by Miss COLENSO, daughter of the Bishop.

The Natal Direct Line by the 20th century afforded two distinct services, between London and Natal direct, and between Natal, East African and Cape ports, Ceylon, India and the Far East. The steamers on the Home trade performed a regular fortnightly direct service between London and Natal, Delagoa Bay and Beira, calling en route at Las Palmas or Teneriffe. This had the advantage of avoiding tedious delays at the Cape ports.

The Line had an excellent record in both the seamanship of its officers and the seaworthiness of its vessels. There was considerable rivalry between the Natal Direct Line and Rennie's Aberdeen Direct Line - they being the only two direct lines between England and Natal.

One of the unprecedented measures taken by the Natal Direct Line was in making use of Natal coal. Thirty years passed from the discovery of coal in Natal before it was properly developed for industrial use. Until the first coal mines opened railways and shipping were dependent on imported coal which was shipped in small sailing vessels. Steamers of the Natal Line started using Natal bunker coal in 1890. Later in the same year, the Castle Line began trying Natal coal too.

Another important part was played by the Line during the Anglo-Boer War when she maintained regular communication between Natal and the Cape.

In January 1914 the Umgeni, sister ship to the Umtata, made headlines by taking on board the 9 leading agitators in the great Rand strike, who were deported from South Africa to England by the Union Government. Messrs Bullard King and Co were paid a thousand pounds to compensate for the loss of freight - plus the fares of Umgeni's notorious passengers. This ship was eventually wrecked in a gale in December 1917 off the west coast of Ireland; few details are known as there were no survivors.

During WWI the Bullard King steamers went into Government service, carrying troops or cargo. Only two ships were lost during hostilities, Umvoti and Umgeni.

In 1919 the fleet was sold to a Company under Lord Kylsant and became known as Bullard King and Co. Ltd, the Natal Line becoming a unit in the Kylsant Group.

What would a maritime story be without a Sea Serpent? The Natal Direct Line vessel Umfuli apparently met and gave unsuccessful chase to such a creature in December 1893, when on the way to South Africa under the command of Captain CRINGLE. According to his report, the serpent was 80 feet long, its head stood 15 feet out of the water, and the jaw was 7 feet in length. Newspaper reports poured ridicule on the Captain and he refused to discuss the subject for years afterwards.