Self Hibernation Campaign - Nail in the Herald Coffin

By W. Earnest Lee

The Steamship - 'Herald'

Following on from our exhaustive coverage of 'The Herald Affair' in recent editions our investigations have now thrown considerable doubt on the veracity for Confederate States claims that the vessel was ever attacked  and sunk.

Researchers from this paper have been investigating the movements of the steamship 'The herald', subject of the recent allegations by the Confederate press and have identified serious gaps in the legitimacy of the story reported to date.

It would seem to indicate that Messrs. Tenholm and Co were executing an insurance fraud on a grand scale, for the steamship 'The Herald' has never plied the Caribbean waters and is in fact currently employed in legal commerce in Australia.

This author has visited Lloyds of London registry and found the registration documents for the steamship 'Herald', an iron paddle steamer, which was fabricated some 10 years ago in Liverpool before being shipped and finally assembled  in 1855 by Richard Johnson in Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, where she was registered.

Registration Documents

The Herald is one of the first iron paddle wheel steamers to be built in Australia, where she originally operated within Sydney Harbour, being used by the fledgling North Shore route between Dawes Point and Blues Point by the newly formed North Shore Steam Company.

However, due to not enough traffic to make her financially viable, she has often performed tug duties.

Eventually the North Shore Steam Company was wound up and 'The Herald' was put up for sale but has continued picking up business wherever it was available, operating as a tug, ferry, excursion boat and cargo vessel.

It is believed that the unscrupulous Confederate agents that have published the fake news about the sinking of this vessel, found the vessel's details on notices for sale documentation, these documents may have reached Trenholm & Co, where the conspiracy was hatched...