Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

The Merwanjee Framjee

The Merwanjee Framjee.

A Remarkable Run to Auckland.

the Merwanjee Framjee, which I should imagine must have been named after some Indian nabob, was built on the Clyde by Reid in 1863 for Johnstone and Co., of Liverpool, and her registered tonnage was 1,079. This vessel was within a few hours of wresting the palm from the Loch Awe for the record trip to Auckland. Her 76 days 4 hours still holds good.

The hour of the Merwanjee Framjee's departure from Gravesend is not given, but assuming that she left at about noon, then she made the passage in 76 days 12 hours. This fine performance was put up in the early part of 1876, and in calculating the number of days one must not forget that that year was a leap year, which, of course, gives an extra day in February. It will be remembered that the Vanduara's passage, Gravesend to Auckland, was made in 77 days, so there was really only a few hours between these three ships, and their performances have never since been beaten by any sailing ship running between London and Auckland.

Seventeen Days To The Line.

the Merwanjee Framjee only took seventeen days from Start Point to the equator, or nineteen from Gravesend, and this was a sterling performance. The famous Thermopylae, when racing the Cutty Sark out to Australia in 1877, did the run from the Lizard to the line in exactly the same time—seventeen days—while the Cutty Sark took 22 days. The Thermopylae, which was bound to Melbourne, took 74 days, and the Cutty Sark did the voyage from the Lizard to Sydney in 72 days. When the Loch Awe made her record passage to Auckland, she took 21 days from Start Point to the equator, and the Vanduara took 24 days from Deal.

To return to the Merwanjee Framjee, she dropped anchor in the Waitemata on March 21, 1876, and her appearance caused much surprise in the city, as, giving her average time for the trip, she was not expected for another three weeks. Gravesend was left on January 4, and two days later she was off Start Point. In seventeen more days she was across the Line, and the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was crossed on February 17, 44 days after leaving Gravesend. When the ship was away down in the South Indian Ocean, below the Crozets, she passed several icebergs, one of which made a magnificent spectacle. It was estimated to be two miles long, half a mile wide, and of an average height of 300 feet. This monster had a number of smaller bergs round about it.

the Merwanjee Framjee did not make what may be termed sensational runs when running down her Easting. The log showed that on the 12th and 13th February she made 305 and 303 miles; on the 20th of the same month she recorded 297; the 28th 272, and on the 4th and 5th March 290 and 295.

A Friendly Call.

In spite of the speedy passage he made, the skipper of the Merwanjee Framjee (Captain Bidwell), who had been in command of the ship from the day she was launched, found time to not only hail a passing ship, but go aboard and "have a tot." It was in the South Atlantic, off the coast of South America, that this incident (which would be quite impossible in these hurried days of steam) happened. The stranger was the American barque Chatanooga, and the day she was spoken was beautifully fine and calm, so the Merwanjee Framjee's "old man" was tempted to put off to her in a boat.page 196He was a man who looked after the pleasure and amusement of his passengers, and he took a small party of them with him. They clambered up the side of the Yankee craft and enjoyed the captain's hospitality.

Driven Mad.

There was one terribly sad incident connected with this fast passage of the strangely-named ship, and that was the fate that overtook a married woman whose husband and family were also passengers. She was expecting her confinement, and seemed to dread having to go through it on board ship. This so preyed on the poor woman's mind that she tried to take her life. She was found endeavouring to squeeze herself through one of the portholes, and after that she was put under careful restraint. By the time the ship reached Auckland the woman was raving, and she had to be put under proper care when She was brought a shore. The doctors that examined her were Drs. Philson and Kenderdine, two names very well known in early Auckland.