Chapter XXI: Part IV: The New Zealand Trade (1)

The age of dear tradition has gone by
And steam has killed romance upon the sea,
The newer age requires the newer men,
And dying hard in corners of the world,
The old hands pass forgotten to their graves.
The old Colonial clipper is no more,
Denied the wool freights homeward, she must seek
For nitre on the South Pacific slope.
She need not go to China ports for tea,
She need not haunt the Hooghly for the jute,
Nor beat the Gulf of Martaban for rice,
Her time has come and she must pass away;
Yet still she holds the passage of the Horn,
And when the waterway of Panama
Makes islands of the two Americas,
She’ll hold the bleak old headland for her own,
And round its pitch she’ll fade away and die.—
JOHN ANDERSON, in _Nautical Magazine_.

The “Mayflowers” of New Zealand.

The _Mayflower_ is a name which every school-child in the United States is taught to reverence. In this part of _Colonial Clippers_ I shall deal with the _Mayflowers_ of New Zealand—the beautiful sailing ships which brought the settlers from the Old Country to the wonderful New Country.

The memory of these ships and their swift passages round the Cape and through the roaring forties is still green in the hearts of many a man and woman who travelled out to an unknown land with a stout heart and nothing much else, and is now a prosperous and happy member of a great nation. Only lately there was a reunion of all those who had travelled out in one of these ships, that the anniversary of their great adventure might be suitably kept. The name of this ship has already been mentioned in these pages. _The Chariot of Fame_; a name of comfort and good omen it must have been to those who heard the whistle and scream of the mighty westerlies in her rigging on many a dark and sobbing night when the heart of the exile is low and the spirit of the brave pioneer begins to quiver.

Truly running down the easting in a little 1000-ton clipper with a hard driving skipper and big fisted, stony-hearted mates was a fine bracer for the emigrant, who had perhaps never seen salt water up to the date of sailing and who was bound to a country which could only be wooed and won by a clear brain, stout heart and strong arm.

At first the ships in the New Zealand trade were not even 1000 tons in burthen, being mainly little 400 and 500-ton ships and barques, which mostly flew the flag of Shaw, Savill & Co.

The “Edwin Fox.”

Of such was the _Edwin Fox_, a country-built Indiaman from Calcutta, built as far back as 1853, with teak decks, quarter galleries, coir running gear and all the quaint characteristics of the East. The hull of this “old timer” is still to be seen, being now used as a landing stage for the freezing works at Picton.

“Wild Duck.”

Another favourite passenger ship in the early days was the _Wild Duck_, commanded by Captain Bishop. She was a main skysail yarder with Cunningham’s patent reef single topsails. Though rather short for her beam she had fine ends and made very regular passages.

Shaw, Savill & Co.

The well-known firm of Shaw, Savill & Co. started sending ships to New Zealand about 65 years ago, making 15 sailings a year. At first the outward passage took four or five months, and it was not until the sixties that there was any marked improvement in the time between England and New Zealand, but by the end of the sixties Shaw, Savill had several fast little iron ships, the best known of which were the _Crusader_, _Helen Denny_ and _Margaret Galbraith_.

The following is a rather incomplete list of their earlier ships:—

1853 _Edwin Fox_ wood barque 836 tons.
1856 _Chile_ iron barque 768 „
1858 _Dover Castle_ wood barque 1003 „
1858 _Adamant_ iron barque 815 „
1859 _Bebington_ iron barque 924 „
1862 _Bulwark_ wood ship 1332 „
1863 _Chaudiere_ wood barque 470 „
„ _Euterpe_ iron ship 1197 „
„ _Himalaya_ iron barque 1008 „
„ _Trevelyan_ iron ship 1042 „
1864 _Golden Sea_ wood ship 1418 „
„ _Soukar_ iron ship 1304 „
„ _Saint Leonards_ iron ship 1054 „
„ _Glenlora_ iron barque 764 „
1865 _Anazi_ composite barque 468 „
„ _Crusader_ iron ship 1059 „
1866 _Helen Denny_ iron barque 728 „
1867 _Forfarshire_ composite ship 1238 „
1868 _Margaret Galbraith_ iron ship 841 „
1869 _Elizabeth Graham_ composite barque 598 „
„ _Hudson_ iron barque 705 „
„ _Langstone_ iron ship 746 „
1869 _Pleiades_ iron ship 997 „
„ _Schiehallion_ iron barque 602 „
„ _Zealandia_ iron ship 1116 „
„ _Halcione_ iron ship 843 „
1870 _Merope_ iron ship 1054 „

Space forbids more than a few odd notes on the best known of these ships.

The “Crusader.”

The _Crusader_ was a very handsome little ship, as is well shown in her photograph, and she was considered by many to be the fastest ship in Shaw, Savill’s fleet. She was built by Connell, of Glasgow, and launched in March, 1865, her registered measurements being:—Net tonnage 1058; gross tonnage 1058; length 210.7 ft.; breadth 35.1 ft., depth 21.4 ft.

In 1877, when commanded by Captain Renaut, she ran from Lyttelton, N.Z., to the Lizard in 69 days, and on her next outward passage in 1878 she went from London to Port Chalmers in 65 days, a performance which has never been beaten. She was eventually sold to the Norwegians for £2950 and was still washing about the seas, rigged as a barque, at the outbreak of the Great War.

“Helen Denny” and “Margaret Galbraith.”

The little _Helen Denny_ was the last of the fleet to remain under the British flag. She once ran from the longitude of the Cape to New Zealand in 23 days, a really remarkable feat for a small iron barque. She was built by the great Robert Duncan, of Port Glasgow, and was eventually sold by Shaw, Savill, to Christie, of Lyttelton, N.Z., who resold her to Captain F. Holm, of Wellington, N.Z.; she ran regularly in the inter-colonial trade until the end of 1913, being latterly commanded and owned by Captain S. Holm, a son of Captain F. Holm. She was finally converted into a coal hulk.

_Margaret Galbraith_ was another little Duncan beauty, and for many years a regular passenger ship to Otago. It is surprising to think of these little ships carrying passengers right up to the eighties. Their measurements were:—

_Helen Denny_, 728 tons; 187.5 feet length; 31.2 feet beam; 19.1 feet
depth.

_Margaret Galbraith_, 841 tons; 198.5 feet length; 32.2 feet beam;
19.9 feet depth.

The _Margaret Galbraith_ was sold to the Manica Trading Co., of London. She left Colonia on 26th March, 1905, for Buenos Ayres with a cargo of grain and crew of 13 all told; and whilst in charge of a pilot grounded on Farollon reef, and as she was badly holed her captain abandoned her.

End of Some of Shaw, Savill’s Earlier Ships.

_Zealandia_ was a Connell built ship. After being sold to the Swedes, she was resold to the Russians, and her name changed to _Kaleva_. She was stranded in March, 1911, but refloated and again sold to Charles Brister & Son, of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

_Pleiades_ was built by McMillan, of Dumbarton. As late as 1893 she made a good run from New Zealand to the Lizard. She was wrecked at Akiteo, when bound round in ballast from Napier to Dunedin to load wool home.

The _Halcione_ was specially built for the New Zealand trade with ⅞ iron plates backed with 3 feet of cement, her saloon was insulated with charcoal, and she had 200 tons of cement stiffening. She was built by Steele, of Greenock, and was lost in 1895 in Fitzroy Bay near Pincarrow Heads, outside Wellington.

The _Euterpe_ was sold to the Chileans, and for some years was to be seen in the South Pacific rigged as a barque. Then the Alaska Packers bought her and renamed her _Star of India_. I believe she is still afloat.

The _Himalaya_ was also sold to the Alaska Packers Co., and renamed _Star of Peru_.

The _Soukar_ was sold to the Spaniards and registered at Barcelona under the name of _Humberto_. She has been broken up.

The _Glenlora_ went to the Scandinavians and was still afloat at the outbreak of the Great War. The _Hudson_ is also a Scandinavian barque at the present time.

The _Merope_ was burnt whilst homeward bound, being off the Plate at the time. Another well-known early Shaw, Savill emigrant ship to be burnt at sea was the _Caribou_, of 1160 tons; she was a wood ship and her cargo of coal caught fire in the year 1869. The Shaw, Savill ships were rather unlucky with fires and collisions, their worst disaster being, of course, the loss of the _Cospatrick_, Dunbar’s old frigate-built ship, which they bought in 1873 for £10,000. The tragedy happened on her second voyage under Shaw, Savill’s house-flag.

The Loss of the “Cospatrick.”

The _Cospatrick_ sailed from London for Auckland on the 11th September, 1874, with general cargo, 429 passengers and a crew of 44 men under Captain Elmslie.

Tuesday, 17th November, found the ship to the south’ard of the Cape, the wind being very light from the nor’west. And here is the tragedy as it was given by Henry Macdonald, the second mate, one of the three survivors. He stated that after keeping the first watch, he had not been long below when he was aroused by the cry of “Fire!” Without stopping to dress, he rushed on deck and found that dense clouds of smoke were pouring up from the fore peak, a fire having broken out in the bosun’s locker, which was full of oakum, rope, varnish and paint.

The first thing to do was to get the ship’s head before the wind, at the same time the fire engine was rigged, and soon the fore part of the ship was being deluged with water. But somehow or other the ship was allowed to come head to wind, which drove the smoke aft in suffocating clouds. From this moment all discipline seems to have been lost; flames began to burst forth in the ’tween decks and out through every scuttle and air vent, and they were soon roaring up the tarred shrouds, so that within an hour and a half of the discovery of the fire the flames had got such a hold that the ship was doomed.

The emigrants now took panic, and, shouting and screaming, made a rush for the boats. The starboard quarter boat was lowered down, but immediately she touched the water such a crowd of demented emigrants swarmed down the ship’s side into her that she was capsized. Whilst the longboat was being swung out of her chocks, her bow caught fire, and in the end only the port and starboard lifeboats got safely away from the ship’s side, the one with 42 and the other with 39 people.

_Photo by De Maus._]

The two boats stayed by the ship until the afternoon of the 19th, when she sank beneath the waves, a blackened, charred and smoking hull. One can scarcely imagine the horror of the scene during this weary waiting for the end of the ship. The people in the boats watched the main and mizen mast fall, and heard shrieks from the crowded after part of the ship, as many luckless wretches were crushed in their fall. Then the stern with its old Blackwall quarter galleries was blown out by the flames and smoke. Lastly the captain was seen to throw his wife overboard and spring after her himself.

But the tragedy was far from finished with the sinking of the ship. Owing to the panic and confusion the 81 survivors in the boats had only their night clothes and were without food or water, mast or sail, and the starboard lifeboat of which the second mate took command had only one oar. The rest of the horrible story is best told in Henry Macdonald’s own words, and the following is his statement, given at the inquiry afterwards:—

The two boats kept company the 20th and 21st, when it commenced to
blow, and we got separated during the night. I whistled and shouted,
but when daylight came we could see nothing of the other boat.
Thirst began to tell severely on all of us. A man named Bentley fell
overboard while steering the boat and was drowned. Three men became
mad that day and died. We then threw the bodies overboard. On the
23rd, the wind was blowing hard and a high sea running. We were
continually bailing the water out. We rigged a sea anchor and rode
to it; but it was only made fast to the end of the boat’s painter,
and we lost it. Four men died, and we were so hungry and thirsty that
we drank the blood and ate the livers of two of them. We lost our
only oar then. On the 24th, there was a strong gale, and we rigged
another sea anchor, making it fast with anything we could get. There
were six more deaths that day. She shipped water till she was nearly
full. On the 25th there was a light breeze and it was awful hot. We
were reduced that day to eight, and three of them out of their minds.
We all felt very bad that day. Early on the morning of the 26th, not
being daylight, a boat passed close to us running. We hailed but got
no answer. She was not more than 50 yards off. She was a foreigner.
I think she must have heard us. One more died that day. We kept on
sucking the blood of those who died. The 27th was squally all round,
but we never caught a drop of water, although we tried to do it. Two
more died that day. We threw one overboard, but were too weak to lift
the other.

There were then five left—two able seamen, one ordinary, myself and
one passenger. The passenger was out of his mind. All had drunk sea
water. We were all dozing, when the madman bit my foot, and I woke
up. We then saw a ship bearing down upon us. She proved to be the
_British Sceptre_, from Calcutta to Dundee. We were taken on board
and treated very kindly. I got very bad on board of her. I was very
nigh at death’s door. We were not recovered when we got to St. Helena.

So ends the second mate’s statement. The passenger and ordinary seaman both died a day or two after they were rescued, thus, out of 473 souls on the _Cospatrick_, only three men were saved, the second mate and the two able seamen.

The Loss of the “Avalanche.”

The _Avalanche_ was another Shaw, Savill ship which took down all but three of its company. She was outward bound to Wellington with 60 passengers, under Captain Williams, in September, 1877. At 8.45 p.m. when off Portland, she was on the port tack, the wind blowing strong from the S.W., when a red light was sighted on the starboard bow. The officer of the watch gave the order “hard up” and “brail in the spanker,” but the other ship, which was evidently running up Channel, came straight on, and as the _Avalanche_ fell off struck her right amidships on the port side. Three of the crew of the _Avalanche_ managed to clamber aboard the other ship, which was the _Forest of Windsor_, Nova Scotia, and these three, the third mate named Sherrington and two A.B.’s, were the only ones saved. The _Forest_ also sank, but managed to launch four boats in safety. These were picked up by fishermen the following morning and landed at Portland.

_Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers._]

_Lent by Captain T. S. Angus._]

Patrick Henderson’s Albion Shipping Company.

The chief rival of the Shaw, Savill before the advent of the New Zealand Shipping Company was Patrick Henderson, who owned the Albion Shipping Company. But in the early days he was also in the China and Rangoon trades. His first ships in the New Zealand emigrant trade were fine, comfortable wooden vessels without any special turn of speed, such as the _Agnes Muir_, _Pladda_, _Lady Douglass_, _Jane Henderson_, _Vicksburgh_ and _Helenslee_. But he had some very fast wood and composite clippers, which during the sixties were mostly in the Shanghai trade, and later took their turn at carrying emigrants to New Zealand.

The “Wild Deer.”

The fastest of these China ships was the _Wild Deer_. She was launched from Connell’s yard in December, 1863, being his thirteenth ship; and was composite built with iron topsides, teak planking to turn of bilge and elm bottom. She had a beautiful figure-head of the goddess “Diana,” and was altogether a fine example of an out and out tea clipper.

Her measurements taken from Lloyd’s Register were as follows:—

Tonnage net 1016 tons.
Tonnage under deck 955 „
Length 211 feet.
Breadth 33.2 „
Depth 20.7 „

Her poop was 42 feet long, and her foc’s’le-head 31 feet. She came out in 1863 with Cunningham’s patent single topsails, but owing to her dismasting was one of the earliest ships to send aloft double topsail yards.

The following are the original spar measurements of her mainmast:—

Mainmast—deck to truck 130.6 feet.
Lower mast—deck to cap 64 „
Doubling 13.6 „
Topmast 46 „
Doubling 8 „
Topgallant mast 25 „
Royal mast 17 „
Mainyard 75 „
Topsail yard 61 „
Topgallant yard 46 „
Royal yard 34 „

_Wild Deer_ was taken from the stocks by Captain George Cobb, a well-known racing skipper in the China tea trade who had previously commanded the _Robin Hood_. Her complement consisted of 3 mates, 3 apprentices, carpenter, sailmaker and bosun, 16 A.B.’s and 3 ordinary seamen, it being intended to ship 4 more A.B.’s in China in the event of her getting into the race home with the cracks.

On her maiden passage she lost her foremast in the North Atlantic, owing to the want of angle irons, as _Titania_ did a few years later, and this lost _Wild Deer_ her chance of loading the first teas of the season. She had to put into Lisbon to refit, and came out of the Tagus with a very mixed sail plan; on the foremast she had an old-fashioned single topsail with three rows of reef points, on the main double topsails and on the mizen her original Cunningham’s patent single topsail.

Her first two tea passages from Shanghai were good average runs, but nothing remarkable, her best work being 72 days from Anjer in 1865.

In 1866 she left London on 16th April and arrived at Shanghai on 29th July, 104 days out. Again she did not succeed in getting away with the first ships, but leaving Shanghai on 10th September she made Portland on Christmas Day. A fine S.S.W. breeze was blowing and _Wild Deer_ was romping along under all plain sail and starboard fore topmast stunsail, when the American schooner yacht, _Henrietta_, the winner of the first ocean yacht race, hauled out from the land and, closing on the clipper, hoisted her colours and asked her name. The late Gordon Bennett, her owner, was on board the yacht, and evidently wished to try her paces against the tea ship, as the _Henrietta_ held on in company with _Wild Deer_ for an hour or two, then bore away for the Needles.

On this passage whilst crossing the Indian Ocean in the S.E. trades, _Wild Deer_ made three consecutive 24-hour runs of 312, 312 and 327 miles.

On the outward passage in 1867, Captain Cobb had to be landed ill at Anjer and died shortly afterwards. His place was taken by a Hollander skipper. The Dutchman took _Wild Deer_ on to Shanghai and loaded tea, then leaving Shanghai in August he took the Eastern Passage, but when he had cleared Dampier Straits took it into his head to alter his course for Anjer. This absolutely spoilt _Wild Deer’s_ chance of a quick passage, as she had to thread her way up the Java Sea through a succession of light airs and calms, and actually took 84 days to Anjer.

This was a great pity for she made a splendid run home from the Straits of Sunda, arriving in the Thames in January, only 68 days from Anjer, but 152 from Shanghai.

In 1868 her wings were cut, 3 feet being taken off her lower masts.

She was then handed over to a Captain Smith; unfortunately Smith was a regular old woman, but she was fortunate in getting Duncan as mate. This man had served in _Ariel_ and _Titania_ as chief officer, and was one of the best mates in the China trade, being specially noted for his skilful handling of sails in bad weather.

_Wild Deer_ got away from London at the end of March, and left Shanghai with a tea cargo towards the end of July, a week behind one of Skinner’s beautiful little ships, the _Douglas Castle_. In spite of Duncan’s remonstrances, Captain Smith, who was frightened of the Caspar Straits, determined to go east about; but the _Wild Deer_ had so good a start south through the Formosa Channel that old Smith plucked up his courage and held on for Gaspar.

The very first day after he had changed his mind, _Wild Deer_ ran into the S.W. monsoon and had to be braced sharp up. The following morning about daybreak a ship crossed her bows on the other tack. This proved to be the _Douglas Castle_, and the two ships were in company all the way to Gaspar, except whilst passing Tamberlan Islands, which _Wild Deer_ went east of, and the _Douglas_ west.

The ships were evidently very well matched in light winds, but the _Wild Deer_ was handicapped by the want of courage in her skipper. The night before the Straits were made it was clear moonlight, the sea dead smooth and there was a nice little breeze blowing; both ships were close-hauled on the port tack, with _Wild Deer_ about a quarter of a mile to windward, neither ship gaining an inch.

Then at the change of the watch at midnight, old Smith backed his mainyard, clewed up his light sails and waited for morning, but young Captain McRitchie of the _Douglas Castle_, a far smarter man and the real sort of skipper for a tea clipper, held on, with the result that when the _Wild Deer_ filled away again at daylight the _Douglas Castle_ had a lead of several miles. Soon after sun up another ship was observed getting under weigh close to Billiton, where she had evidently anchored for the night; this proved to be the _Peter Denny_ from Foochow—another of Patrick Henderson’s ships. All three ships now had a fine trial of strength in the beat through Gaspar Straits. In this windward work the _Peter Denny_ showed up best, being by far the quickest ship at going about, but she was commanded by a very smart sailorman, Captain George Adams, who had everything arranged for quick working, whilst old Smith was specially slow at getting the _Wild Deer_ round—he was generally late with his commands and always hauled his mainsail up, though Captain Cobb always used to work his mainsail in tacking.

At 10 a.m. the _Douglas Castle_ kept away for the Macclesfield Channel, and about noon _Wild Deer_ made for Clements Channel, whilst the _Peter Denny_ held on for the Stolze; this would save her tacking again once she was clear of the Straits, as the S.E. monsoon was blowing steadily in the Java Sea. Thus the ships were parted for a time. That night was another clear moonlight night with a nice little breeze. During the first watch the Brothers were sighted on the _Wild Deer_, and Duncan reported them to Captain Smith, who was lying asleep on the skylight. Smith, however, had none of the alertness of a crack China trader and went off into a heavy sleep again, then during the middle watch he woke up like a bear with a sore head and asked the big Highland second mate if he had seen the Brothers yet. Of course the second mate said he had not seen them, as they had been passed whilst his watch was below. At this old Smith got in a panic; the mainyard was backed, the courses hauled up and the royal yards lowered down. On coming on deck at 4 a.m. Duncan found to his amazement that the ship was hove to, and to his disgust that one of the others had passed her during the night whilst she lay with her head under her wing. On finding out the reason from the second mate, he roused out the “Old Man” and reminded him that he had reported the Brothers during the first watch. And you may be sure that it was “jump and go” for the crew until the _Wild Deer_ was off again.

The wind fell light as the ship approached Sunda Straits, and as _Wild Deer_ crawled towards Anjer the other two ships were sighted ahead, almost becalmed.

_Wild Deer_ managed to avoid the calm patch by going to the norrard of Thwarttheway Island and Krakatoa, and thus stole a march on her rivals; however, they finally came out of the Straits, neck and neck. Just before dark the S.E. trade came away. _Wild Deer_ was still leading, but the _Douglas Castle_ was so close astern that each crew could hear the other singing out as they trimmed sail for the run across the trades.

The next morning found _Wild Deer_ still in the lead with the other two ships one on each quarter, and the following day the three ships separated until they were off the Cape. Then, on a day of baffling and squally winds the _Wild Deer_ and _Douglas Castle_ passed each other on opposite tacks, the _Douglas_ signalling that she had spoken the _Denny_ that morning.

The _Wild Deer_ found a head wind in the mouth of the Channel, but eventually after two days’ beating a fine slashing breeze came out of the south-west. At Dungeness the pilot had no news of the other two ships; but just as the _Wild Deer_ was making fast to her buoy at Gravesend the _Douglas Castle_ came up, and, as she passed, hailed to say that the _Peter Denny_ was close astern.

Unfortunately for _Wild Deer_ she remained under the command of Captain Smith for several more voyages, during which she was not allowed to show her paces and usually arrived home in such a condition that Captain Sellers, the ship’s-husband (a good old name for the present day shore superintendent) used to declare that she was a disgrace to the Albion fleet.

However, on Captain Smith’s death Captain Cowan had her for two voyages, carrying emigrants to New Zealand; on Cowan leaving her to take the _Wellington_ from the stocks, Captain Kilgour, who had been mate in her, was given command, and in 1881-2 she came home from Otago in 82 days, arriving on 30th January.

Then Captain Kerr had her; this man had been carpenter of the _Peter Denny_ years before, and mate of the _Christian McCausland_, one of Henderson’s first iron ships. He was a very steady man, but no sailor.

On 12th January, 1883, when outward bound with emigrants, he piled the poor old _Wild Deer_ up on North Rock, Cloghy, County Down, and she became a total loss.

Duncan’s Method of Taking in Sail.

It may be of interest, perhaps, to describe the method used by Duncan, the crack racing mate of _Ariel_, _Titania_, and _Wild Deer_, when taking in sail. For a topgallant sail he sent as many men as were available to the lee buntline and leachline; one hand, generally an apprentice, stood by the clewline, and another attended to the weather brace. Duncan himself would ease away a few feet of the halliards, then sing out:—“Let go your lee sheet!” Away would fly the sheet, followed by Duncan letting go the halliards; the hands on the buntline and leachline hauling away for all they were worth, the yard would run down and round itself in so that the boy on the weather brace only had to take in the slack. With smart hands on bunt and leachlines, the lee side of the sail would be spilt and up on the yard before it was well down and the apprentice on the clewline had only to get in the slack and make it fast. The lee side of the sail being well up, there was no trouble with the weather side. A hand in the top was almost unnecessary as the lee sheet needed no lighting up—it did that itself quick enough. The success of this method, of course, depended on the smartness of the hands on the bunt and leachline, but there were not many indifferent sailormen in a tea clipper’s foc’s’le.

In taking in a course Duncan used to man the lee bunt and leachlines well, with two hands only on the clew garnet; on the sheet being eased away bunt and leachlines were hauled smartly in, the sail was at once spilt and hauled up to the yard without a flap, the slack of the clew garnet being rounded up; then there was no trouble with the weather side.

This is also the method advocated by Captain Basil Hall in his _Fragments of Voyages_. Everything depended, of course, on having the necessary beef on the bunt and leachlines.

“Peter Denny.”

The _Peter Denny_ was built by Duthie, of Aberdeen, of teak and greenheart with iron knees in the ’tween decks, and measured 998 tons.

She was not a very fast ship, her best run in the westerlies being 285 miles, but she was a very handy-easy working ship and, still better, a very comfortable happy ship. She was also well run and beautifully kept under Captain Adams.

The Albion Shipping Company, 1869 Ships.

In 1869 Duncan, of Glasgow, built the two fine little composite ships, _James Nicol Fleming_ (afterwards renamed the _Napier_) and the _Otago_, for Patrick Henderson. They were sister ships of 993 tons register. Their top strake and bulwarks were of iron, but their bottoms were of wood with pure copper sheathing.

The _Otago_, by the way, must not be confused with a little iron barque of 346 tons, which was owned in Adelaide and at one time commanded by Joseph Conrad.

Patrick Henderson’s _Otago_ was eventually sold to the Portuguese and renamed _Ermilla_. She was torpedoed and sunk by the Germans early in the war.

It was in 1869 that Patrick Henderson made his first venture in iron ships, Scott, of Greenock, building him the two sister ships _Jessie Readman_ and _Christian McCausland_, of 962 tons register. These were fine handy little ships, good for 11 knots on a taut bowline, and equally good off the wind. They made very good outward passages with their ’tween decks full of emigrants, and loaded wool home. In those early days all the New Zealand wool was pressed on board before being stowed; this was generally done by a temporary crew of beachcombers, as it was the regular thing for a crew to run on arrival in the Colonies, however comfortable the ship was. The crew picked up for the run home was usually a fine one, of real sailormen, who had tired of the land after a short spell of working ashore.

The “Christian McCausland” Loses her Wheel.

In 1873, on the run to the Horn, when homeward bound loaded deep with wool and tallow (it was just before the days of Plimsoll) the _Christian McCausland_ had her wheel washed away, and the incident, as showing what a beautiful steering ship she was, is worth recording.

Being very deep, she was making a wet passage of it running before the high westerly seas, and taking a good deal of heavy water aboard, especially in the waist. About eight days after leaving port she was running before a fresh gale on the starboard quarter, under reefed foresail, reefed upper topsails, and fore topmast staysail, the only sail set on the mizen being the lower topsail.

Soon after the change of the watch at 4 a.m., two heavy seas broke over the poop in quick succession, and washed away the wheel, which with the helmsman clinging to it was only brought up by the rail at the break of the poop.

The mate, whose watch it was, ran forward, singing out for all hands, and as he went, let go the topsail halliards. The ship, however, made no attempt to broach to, and ran along as steadily as if someone was at the helm.

As soon as possible the relieving tackles were rigged, and it was found that with five men on each tackle the ship could be steered without any difficulty. So the topsails were hoisted again and away she went.

The gear connecting the wheel to the rudder head was the usual right and left handed screws, which were luckily undamaged. These no doubt acted as a brake on the spindle and had a good deal to do with stopping the ship from coming up in the wind when the wheel went. The wheel and helmsman were found at the break of the poop, the man unhurt, but the wheel with every spoke broken through close to the nave as if cut by a saw.

During the morning watch the weather moderated and the carpenter was able to unship the nave of the wheel, and it was found that one of the main winch handles fitted the spindle as if made for it. This was put on the spindle, and the ship was actually steered by turning the winch handle, the helmsman facing the ship’s side and looking over his shoulder at the compass. Later on, the captain improved this curious method of steering, by lashing a small handspike to the vertical arm of the winch handle, which gave the helmsman much more command and also allowed him to stand upright. And in three days the carpenter fitted the rim of the wheel and nave with a new set of stout elm spokes, and made such a good job of it that it was not found necessary to replace them on arrival in London. The rest of the passage was uneventful, the Horn was rounded in fine weather, and the _Christian McCausland_ finally brought up at Gravesend close astern of the Russian royal yacht, which had just brought over the Czar Alexander on a visit to England.

_Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers._]

After having four ships on the stocks in 1869, Patrick Henderson remained content with his fleet until 1874. His ships were always painted black with gold stripe and gingerbread work, whilst Shaw, Savill’s were painted green. When the two firms amalgamated in 1882, all their ships came out with painted ports and lead colour under the ports.

The Origin of the Albion House-flag.

The Albion house-flag, a French flag with a small Union Jack in the centre, is supposed to have originated during the Crimean War. It is said that one of their early vessels carried both French and British troops at the same time, and for this reason flew a Union Jack and a French tricolour side by side on separate flagstaffs on the stern—this being later improved upon by the well-known Henderson house-flag.

The New Zealand Shipping Company.

During the early years of the Colony Shaw, Savill and P. Henderson had practically all the carrying trade in their hands. Occasionally an outsider took a load of emigrants out to New Zealand, such as the White Star liner _Chariot of Fame_, but the big Liverpool emigrant ships were really too big for the small volume of trade at that time. However, as both emigration to and trade with New Zealand increased, it was felt that the service of ships could well be improved, and at last in 1873, with this object in view, a number of merchants and run holders in the Colony decided to go in for shipowning and managing, and formed themselves into a company under the style of the New Zealand Shipping Company.

Full of enthusiasm, push and go, the promoters of the N.Z.S. Co. were determined from the first to have a line worthy to class with the Blackwall frigates of Green & Wigram. They had, of course, a great deal to learn, and mistakes were made but never repeated; and so great was their energy that in the first three years of their existence they chartered and despatched no less than 150 ships, carrying 28,675 passengers to the Colony. And before the company was ten years old it owned 16 up-to-date iron clippers, most of which had been built specially for them.

From the start the N.Z.S. Co. proceeded on generous lines, their ships being always well found, well manned and most liberally kept up. Their officers, also, considered themselves the aristocrats of the trade and rather looked down on the more economical Shaw, Savill and Albion clippers, whom they nicknamed the “Starvation Stars,” in allusion to the stars in their house-flag, which by the way is the proper New Zealand flag which Queen Victoria presented to the Maoris.

The ships built for the N.Z.S. Co. were none of them specially fast; they aimed chiefly at safety and comfort for their passengers.

All these ships were built of iron, the finest and fastest of the fleet being the beautiful little _Turakina_, which originally belonged to George Smith of the well-known City Line, being then called the _City_ _of Perth_, I shall deal with her in more detail presently.

LIST OF THE NEW ZEALAND SHIPPING COMPANY’S SAILING FLEET.
+-----+--------------------+----+------+-------+-----+-------------+
|Date | Ship |Tons|Length|Breadth|Depth| Builders |
|Built| | | Feet | Feet |Feet | |
+-----+--------------------+----+------+-------+-----+-------------+
|1855 |_Pareora_ | 879| 203·3| 32·8 | 20·9|At |
| |(ex-_White Eagle_) | | | | | Glasgow |
|1863 |_Waitara_ | 833| 182·4| 31·4 | 20·9|Reid, |
| | | | | | | Glasgow |
| „ |_Rangitiki_ |1188| 210·0| 35·0 | 22·7|Samuelson, |
| |(ex-_Cimitar_) | | | | | Hull |
|1868 |_Turakina_ |1189| 232·5| 35·4 | 22·2|Connell, |
| |(ex-_City of Perth_)| | | | | Glasgow |
| „ |_Waimea_ | 848| 194·3| 31·7 | 19·0|Goddefrog, |
| |(ex-_Dorette_) | | | | | Hamburg |
| „ |_Mataura_ | 853| 199·4| 33·3 | 20·3|Aitken, |
| |(ex-_Dunfillan_) | | | | | Glasgow |
|1873 |_Rakaia_ |1022| 210·2| 34·0 | 19·2|Blumer, |
| | | | | | | Sunderland |
|1874 |_Waikato_ |1021| 210·5| 34·1 | 19·2|Blumer, |
| | | | | | | Sunderland |
| „ |_Waimate_ |1124| 219·7| 35·1 | 20·7|Blumer, |
| |(ex-_Hindostan_) | | | | | Sunderland |
| „ |_Waitangi_ |1128| 222·0| 35·1 | 20·8|Blumer, |
| | | | | | | Sunderland |
|1875 |_Hurunui_ |1012| 204·1| 34·2 | 20·0|Palmers Co.,|
| | | | | | | Newcastle |
| „ |_Orari_ |1011| 204·1| 34·2 | 20·0|Palmers Co.,|
| | | | | | | Newcastle |
| „ |_Otaki_ |1014| 204·1| 34·2 | 20·0|Palmers Co.,|
| | | | | | | Newcastle |
| „ |_Waipa_ |1017| 204·1| 34·2 | 20·0|Palmers Co.,|
| | | | | | | Newcastle |
| „ |_Wairoa_ |1015| 204·1| 32·2 | 20·0|Palmers Co.,|
| | | | | | | Newcastle |
|1876 |_Opawa_ |1076| 215·2| 34·0 | 20·4|Stephen, |
| | | | | | | Glasgow |
| „ |_Piako_ |1075| 215·3| 34·0 | 20·5|Stephen, |
| | | | | | | Glasgow |
|1877 |_Wanganui_ |1077| 215·3| 34·0 | 20·4|Stephen, |
| | | | | | | Glasgow |
+-----+--------------------+----+------+-------+-----+-------------+

The _Pareora_ was broken up in 1889.

The _Waitara_ came to her end by colliding with the _Hurunui_ in the English Channel on 22nd June, 1883.

The _Rangitiki_ was sold to the Norwegians and renamed _Dalston_. She was resold in 1909 for £1500 and went to New Caledonia as a hulk.

The _Waimea_ was sold to the Norwegians and wrecked on the South African Coast in 1902.

The _Mataura_ brought the first cargo of frozen meat from New Zealand, arriving on 26th September, 1882, being fitted with Haslam’s patent dry air refrigerator. She was then rigged as a barque. She was eventually sold to the Norwegians and renamed _Alida_. On 24th August, 1900, she was dismasted in the Pacific and abandoned.

The _Raikaia_ also went to the Norwegians and was renamed _Marie_. She was again sold, to Boston shipowners, for 4850 dollars, and is once more sailing the seas under her old name.

The _Waikato_ was sold to the Germans and her name changed to _J. C. Pfluger_. They sold her in 1900 to Californian owners, who sailed her out of Frisco rigged as a barquentine. She is now a hulk disguised under the name of _Coronado_.

The _Waimate_, from noon on 26th November to noon 27th November, in 1881, covered 354 miles in the 23½-hour day running the easting down in lat. 47° S. In the p.m. the sea was smooth and the wind gradually freshening, Captain Mosey who was making his first voyage in the ship, hung on to his main royal until the first watch, the wind being on the port quarter. By daybreak the wind was dead aft with bright sunshine and a clear sky, but with a very big sea running.

Her best week’s run was from the 27th November to 3rd December, being 1807 miles.

_Waimate_ was a skysail yarder, and with the wind abaft the beam could be made to travel, but she was nothing extraordinary with the yards on the backstays.

She was once in company with Shaw, Savill’s _Marlborough_ off the Snares. With the wind free she had the best of it, but as soon as they hauled up to stand along the New Zealand Coast the _Marlborough_ passed her without any trouble.

Two years later _Waimate_, with Captain Mosey still in command, ran from Lyttelton to the Scillies in 71 days. She was sold by the N.Z.S. Co. to the Russians and renamed _Valkyrian_. She went missing in 1899.

_Waitangi_ is still afloat flying Norwegian colours under the name of _Agda_.

_Hurunui_ is also, I believe, still afloat under the Russian flag, her name being _Hermes_.

_Orari_ was sold to the Italians in 1906 and converted into a hulk in 1909.

“Otaki’s” Record Passage Home.

_Otaki_ is famous for her wonderful run home in 1877. She left Port Chalmers with Captain J. F. Millman in command at 4 p.m. on 11th March; was becalmed for four days off the New Zealand Coast; was then 22 days to the Horn; reached the Lizard 63 days out from her departure, and docked in London 69 days out. During this passage she only had eight hours of head winds. _Otaki_ was nothing special in the way of sailing and never made more than 10 knots, so her passage must really be put down to amazing good luck. She was bought by the Germans and renamed _Dr. Siegert_, being wrecked in 1896.

_Waipa_ went to the Norwegians in her old age, and I believe she is still afloat under the name of _Munter_.

_Wairoa_ was bought by the Russians and renamed _Winnipeg_. She went missing in 1907 whilst bound from Pensacola to Buenos Ayres.

_Opawa_ and _Piako_ were two beautiful little ships. In 1877 _Opawa_ went from the London Docks to New Zealand and home again with wool in 6 months 9 days. And in 1893 she made the passage New Zealand to Liverpool in 83 days. She was still afloat in quite recent years under the name of _Aquila_ and Norwegian colours. The sister ship _Piako_ went missing in 1900 on a passage from Melbourne to the Cape, being then German owned.

The _Wanganui_, last ship built for the firm, was still afloat when the war started as the Norwegian barque _Blenheim_.

“Turakina” ex-“City of Perth.”

I have left the _Turakina_ to the last, as she deserves a longer notice, being one of the most beautiful little iron ships that ever left the ways. She was built of extra thick plates and launched in May, 1868, for Smith’s famous City Line to Calcutta.

The following interesting account of her in her early days appeared in the _Nautical Magazine_ in 1917:—

I sailed in this vessel when she was three years old, under Captain
Beckett, a native of Saltcoats, Firth of Clyde. Captain Beckett would
have no foreigners or negroes sail with him, either as officers or
sailors, and he was one of the most upright and good-living men I
ever sailed under, and I went to sea first in 1858. His policy was
the same for the men as for the cabin, with plenty of good food, no
allowance, sufficient without waste, and plenty of work to keep the
scurvy out of the bones, as the sailors said.

We left the Clyde at latter end of September, 1871, with a general
cargo for Calcutta. We soon got out of the St. George’s Channel, and
got all the studding sail gear rigged ready for the first favourable
wind, and that occurred in lat. 43° N., long. 14° 15′ W. We then set
topgallant, royal, topmast, and square lower stunsails, watersails,
ringtail and ringtail watersail, Jamie Green and save-alls every
place where a sail could be set; wind N.W. but gradually increasing
to a gale.

However we kept everything on her. On the second day after everything
had been set, about 11 a.m., we sighted a ship ahead of us; by 2 p.m.
we were up alongside of her. She was a New York full-rigged ship from
the Tyne for California.

The American captain asked us where we were bound from and where
bound to. The whole of his crew came and looked at us, and her master
cried to our captain that we were the prettiest sight he had ever
seen. Our ship was going fully 17 knots when we passed her, and in
three hours we had left her completely out of sight.

I have been in many ships in my time, but never one to equal her for
speed. She was built by Connell, on the Clyde, and she was certainly
that firm’s masterpiece. She was iron, and one of the most beautiful
models you could look at in the water. The _Thermopylae_ was the
largest of the China clippers. She was 948 tons, but the _City_ was
1189 tons. She was a far more powerful ship. I have been in many
cracks, but I never saw anything that could look at her in a strong
breeze, and as for running in a heavy gale she would run before the
heaviest gale that ever blew.

_Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers._]

_Lent by F. G. Layton._]

And he goes on to give the following week’s work from the N.E. trades to Sandy Hook.

Left Calcutta, 16th January, 1872, for New York. Arrived at New York
on 5th April, 1872. Below are the position and runs in nautical miles.

29th March, 1872, position at noon, lat. 28° 01′ N., long. 30° 00′ W.

30th March, 1872, position at noon, lat. 30° 40′ N., long. 35° 56′ W.
distance 298.

31st March, 1872, position at noon, lat. 32° 14′ N., long. 41° 44′ W.
distance 300.

1st April, 1872, position at noon, lat. 33° 55′ N., long. 48° 35′ W.
distance 363.

2nd April, 1872, position at noon, lat. 35° 30′ N., long. 55° 39′ W.
distance 350.

3rd April, 1872, position at noon, lat. 36° 51′ N., long. 62° 36′ W.
distance 350.

4th April, 1872, position at noon, lat. 38° 40′ N., long. 69° 10′ W.
distance 345.

5th April, 1872, position at noon, lat. 40° 29′ N., long. 73° 58′ W.
distance 342.

Time 170 hours. Nautical miles 2348.

I do not agree with all his distances, but anyhow it is a wonderful week’s work and probably the quickest run into New York from 28° N., 30° W., ever made by a sailing ship.

During the seventies Messrs. George Smith & Sons generally sent one or two of their fastest ships out to Australia for a wool cargo home; and in 1873, 1874 and 1875 _City of Perth_ went out to Melbourne and loaded wool home. Her outward passages ran to over 80 days, but in 1874 Captain Beckett made the fine run of 81 days to the Thames.

Owing to the exporters of wool insisting that her bottom was foul, she was docked, with her cargo on board, in the Alfred Graving Dock the day before she sailed. Her bottom was found to be clean, but Captain Beckett took the opportunity to give her a coat of tallow, and leaving on the following day, 15th November, he caught the February wool sales without any difficulty and eased the minds of the anxious wool exporters. It was his last passage in her, however, for in 1875 Captain Warden took her out to Melbourne in 88 days from the Lizard, but he ran his easting down in 38° S. and did not give her a chance. Again she loaded wool and this time was given a coating of Peacock & Buchan’s patent before sailing.

After this she went back to the Calcutta trade until 1881, when she left London under Captain McDonald for Canterbury, N.Z., and went on to Timaru and loaded wheat. She completed her loading, and on 13th May, 1882, was lying at anchor in the inner anchorage close to the _Ben Venue_, when it came on to blow with a big sea making.

8.30 a.m. on the 14th found the _Ben Venue_ with two anchors and the _City of Perth_ with three, riding out a furious gale. But the outlook was very bad especially for the little _Ben Venue_ which had a heavy list to starboard, being almost on her beam ends. Four hours later one of Ben Venue’s cables parted and she began to drag, and about 1 o’clock stranded in Caroline Bay.

About the same time _City of Perth_ was also seen to be dragging her anchors and soon afterwards drifted ashore to the north of _Ben Venue_, but further seaward.

Captain McDonald tried to send a boat ashore, but she capsized and the ship’s second mate and carpenter were both drowned and the mate had his leg broken. Meanwhile great rescue efforts were made from the shore, the lifeboat was launched, but she also capsized and six of her crew were drowned, including the harbour-master of Timaru. The gale had moderated sufficiently by the 19th to attempt towing the _City of Perth_ off, but without success. Her partner in misfortune, the beautiful little _Ben Venue_, had by this time become a total wreck, and the only gear salved, including some of her spars, was sold for £150.

After the failure to get the _City of Perth_ afloat her cargo was got out of her, and with an empty hold she was at last towed off successfully. She was then surveyed and sold, her hull and gear only fetching £900. She was next towed round to Port Chalmers and docked there on 1st July, when it was found that the rudder was carried away, with about 20 feet of the keelson and keel, besides five bottom plates very much damaged. It speaks well for the ship, considering the pounding she must have undergone, that the damage was not worse. Again she was sold privately for £500, I am not certain whether the N.Z.S. Co. bought her on this occasion or after her arrival in London after being patched up. If they did, they got a wonderful bargain, though they might have had a still better, for whilst she was lying stranded she was offered for sale by auction and only a few pounds bid for her.

After being repaired and refitted, she was sent to Invercargill to load for London; and she left Invercargill on 13th April, 1883, in charge of Captain McFarlane, arriving safely in the Thames on 8th July after a good passage of 86 days.

Here she had a thorough refit, and finally left London on 24th October, 1883, under a new captain, with the name of _Turakina_ on her stern and flying the N.Z.S. Co. house-flag. She arrived at Auckland on 19th January, 1884, 86 days out.

During the next few years we find her in charge of a Captain Power, who was evidently not a sail carrier, for she did nothing remarkable whilst he had her.