CHAPTER 8/ 9

ON THE HOOF

For almost a century, the ISCSN Co was a lifeline for producers on the NSW South Coast and adjoining tablelands. The regular transport link was instrumental in promoting economic development of the region between Sydney and Eden, with vessels delivering the necessities that couldn’t be provided locally while connecting the area to the metropolitan and international markets needed by local producers.

Company vessels carried an array of goods - wool and hides; coal and blue metal; cedar, wattle bark, sleepers, and other timber products; agricultural and
pastoral produce; and livestock shipped “on the hoof” such as cattle, horses, poultry and, of course, pigs, all drawn from the coast and tablelands.
 
During the 1920s and 30s, the Merimbula and then the Cobargo had an incredibly skilful winchman named Wally, who was adept at timing the slings of cargo to the roll of the ship. He could drop a bundle of “shooks” (prefabricated butter boxes) straight onto the back of a wagon without missing, using, it was said, the cargo derrick like a fishing rod.

It was the value of livestock, especially the countless thousands of squealing pigs, that earned the company its nickname. Generally known as the “Pig and Whistle Line” by the 1890s, the ships gained a reputation of waiting an hour for a porker but not a minute for a person. The second part of the name referred to the liberal use of ships’ whistles by the various masters who reportedly sounded it at any opportunity. Company captains also had a habit of saluting the Sow and Pigs Reef with the whistle as they entered Sydney Harbour, the pigs on the deck responding by squealing and thus the reputation remained until the end. Pigs played a significant part in the company’s operation, not only in freight income but also by minimising catering accounts - the combination of the ship’s motion on the sea and the livestock smells did much to quell passenger appetite for the culinary offerings of the galley.

New employee Bob Harrison had a harsh introduction to coastal shipping when he was told to load the pigs on his first trip. After putting about 125 on board, he improvised a barrier to keep them out of the accommodation section. Unfortunately, it didn’t stand up to the porkers, who broke it down during the night, taking free rein over the ship. Poor Bob awoke to find two large pigs asleep on his cabin floor - a bizarre arrangement given the tiny company cabins and hefty size of the animals.