My husband's family are very fortunate as his great grandfather, Jacob Scheef travelled on holiday to Germany from Armidale, NSW from May to September 1885. While visiting remaining members of his family he sent many letters back to Australia and kept a diary of his time away from home.
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| Jacob Frederick Scheef, personal collection |
Ismalie
John Elder
the 20 June 1885
My Dear Wife and Children
I am going to let you know how we are going on since I wrote
last to you from Aden we left the next morning again
first I must tell you that Aden is in Arabia and a more
desolate country you can have no idea of nothing but high
precipitous hills with not a vestige of vegetation neither trees
grass or bushes could be seen anywhere only either bare
rocky hills sand or black burnt soil it is impossible to
describe it on paper it has to be seen to know what it is
after we left we thought it would become better but it
remained the same right through to Suez Suez you must know
lies in the end of the Red Sea where the Suez Canal comes into the
Red Sea here the first news we heard was that the canal was
blocked up as one of the dredges that is a boat which keep
the canal in order by removing the sand which is continually
washed in was run down and sank so that the delay would be
at least until this day and the report did not belie us as we are
still here in the middle of the canal but we expect to leave
here tomorrow and go to Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea
from Suez to here is a Sandy Desert on both sides of the canal
but there is a splendid Garden of the Kedives of Egypt here which
is planted in raw sand and every variety of trees as well as fruit
trees and vegetables grown side by side it is watered by a canal
from the Nile our harbour is a lake of bitter water about two miles
square and there are close on 40 steamships waiting here to get
through and on the other side the report goes that there are over
100 steamers awaiting passage. I will post this letter tomorrow
at Port Said if we get away. My health is splendid and I have
a good appetite for better as when I left. it often surprises me what
a quantity I can eat. My knee which I hurt last winter does not
improve as I thought it would in Sydney I am longing to
hear from you but I know it will be another week or perhaps
a fortnight before I can do so because I must be in
Germany before I can hear from you in the meantime I must
only hope that you are all well as well as I am myself
Your most affectionate
Husband and Father
Jacob F Scheef
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| The cause of the delay Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904), Saturday 20 June 1885, page 13 |
It is most unfortunate that the delay at the Suez Canal would have robbed Jacob of valuable time with his family. He had not seen them since he emigrated to Australia 30 years previously.
Amongst the cargo on the John Elder were Australian grapes bound for England. Unfortunately the voyage and possibly the extended stay at the Suez Canal meant the grapes, although packed in cotton wool, arrived as "little better than a mass of corruption".
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Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 5 September 1885, page 4 |
Jacob's journey (Google Map)
early May - Armidale
12 May - left Sydney
16 May - Melbourne
16 May - Cape Otway
17 May - Largs Bay, Adelaide
24 May - Cape Leeuwin - Western Australia
2 June - Diego Garcia
8 June - Aden
approx. 9 - 20 June - Suez Canal
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