The Nanzing - competition among steamers

The dock area of Jemulpo Port in the late 19th century. Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

• Published Sep 12, 2020 12:15 PM KST
• Updated Sep 12, 2020 12:15 PM KST

By Robert Neff

In the early 1880s, Jemulpo [modern Incheon] was one Korea's three open ports. In the beginning, only two Japanese-subsidized steamships visited the isolated port ― generally once or twice a month ― and, unsurprisingly, they were expensive to utilize. But in the late summer of 1883, a competitor appeared ― the British-owned Nanzing. It was a small steamer ― only 808 tons ― commanded by Captain C. R. Balbernie assisted by four or five European officers and a small Chinese crew.

The Nanzing proved quite popular. Most Europeans and Americans traveling to Jemulpo and Fusan (modern Busan) preferred to travel on it, as did many Chinese merchants, who were tired of the Japanese steamships' high prices and biased service. Naturally, the Japanese continued to patronize their government steamers but not always ― sometimes the lure of cheap tickets and early departures overcame nationalistic pride.

Trade, especially at Jemulpo, was still in its infancy and there really was not enough to justify three steamships. Despite costly advertisements in the Japanese and Chinese newspapers, these ships often sailed with holds only half-full and sometimes nearly empty. Drastic cutthroat measures were sometimes taken. In the spring of 1884, the Nanzing's agent at Jemulpo reported that the Japanese steamer was due in a day or two so he managed to persuade two Japanese merchants to ship their goods on the British steamer.

“I put down the rate for both cargo + passengers, so as to secure what might be going,” he boasted and then added that he had done the same the previous trip and had “cleared the market of passengers,” some of whom had tickets for the Japanese steamship but canceled them so that they could leave on Nanzing, which was leaving a day earlier.

Captains sailing along the Korean coast in the 1880s were naturally a cautious group. Much of the coast was still poorly charted and many ships ― including European warships ― were wrecked or damaged on shoals and reefs. In inclement weather, a captain required more than caution, he required a great deal of intestinal fortitude. Apparently Captain Balbernie possessed all he needed.

In the late hours of December 15, 1883, the Nanzing left Fusan bound for Jemulpo. As was too common, the ship was relatively empty ― only general goods, charcoal and timber ― and carried only a few passengers (James Mitchell and probably a handful of Japanese merchants the captain had managed to poach at the last moment).

It was “an unusually dark night” and Balbirnie looked anxiously for Pinnacle Rock ― a jagged stone menace to shipping that the Korean government had pledged to build a beacon upon so that it would “form a good guide to ships going in or out of the harbor, instead of a source of danger.” In the darkness, the captain saw what he thought was the rock and steered to avoid it. Unfortunately, it was “some fishing apparatus floating on the top of the water” ― and the Nanzing ended up grounded on the obstacle it sought to avoid.

The morning tide helped refloat the ship. A quick examination revealed that one of the propeller blades had snapped off and there was minor damage to the hull and rudder, but the ship was deemed seaworthy and, later that afternoon, continued on with its voyage.

Throughout the afternoon and the following day, the Nanzing slowly made its way along the Korean coast. The captain was becoming increasingly concerned because the weather was worsening and the waves were getting higher and higher. It was about 100 kilometers south of Jemulpo when everything went wrong. The hastily-patched leaks to the hull caused by the earlier grounding at Fusan reopened and the pumps could not keep up. There was no choice but to seek a sheltered bay or ground the ship on land.

On December 23, nearly a week late, the Nanzing finally arrived at Jemulpo in “a very damaged condition.” The ship had been forced to ground itself, but fortunately James Mitchell was one of the passengers. Mitchell was a ship-builder with docks in Shanghai and Nagasaki. According to the Nanzing's agent at Jemulpo, Mitchell “was of every assistance to [the captain] when the steamer was ashore.” The captain's own conduct was equally praised. “[The captain] seems to have done his utmost for the benefit of all concerned and the passengers he had on board speak of him in the highest terms.”

After unloading what little cargo could be easily accessed, the Nanzing proceeded to Shanghai where it received extensive repairs and was back in service a little over a month later. The accident had cost the company a fair amount of money, but not all accidents exacted a financial cost.

On April 9, 1884, while at Jemulpo, a careless sailor got his hand caught in some of the ship's machinery and, despite the efforts of his fellow sailors to free him, his hand was horribly mangled. He was immediately taken ashore to the Japanese hospital where the doctor promptly amputated the hand. According to a witness, the “lad [was] doing well” and would remain in Jemulpo ― receiving treatment: daily bandage changes ― until it could be determined what to do with him.

Although the Nanzing never really made a profit, some of its cargo and passengers were rather interesting ― as we shall see tomorrow.