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

The Ship Portland

page 213

The Ship Portland.

Held the Record up to 1863.

A vessel that several correspondents have written to me about was the ship Portland, and one of them claimed for her the record passage to New Zealand. That she was an exception to the usual style of slow ships voyaging to Auckland in the early sixties is shown by the fact that in 1863 she did the passage from Gravesend in 83 days in command of Captain Thomas. Up to that time this passage certainly stood as a record, but it has been beaten frequently since. The next best passages up to 1863 were the 86 days of the ship Spray of the Ocean, Captain Slaughter, Deal to Auckland, the last-mentioned port being reached on September 1, 1859; and the 88 days which the Ida Zeigler, Captain Reynolds, took between Plymouth and Auckland, November, 1862.

It was on the Portland's first visit to Auckland that she did the voyage in 83 days. She left Gravesend on the last day of April, 1863, took her departure from the Lizard on May 2, and 20 days later had crossed the Equator. The meridian of the Cape of Good Hope was passed on June 15. Her experience on this trip is a good instance of the effect of great circle sailing—which is always more or less of a mystery to the landsman, as it seems the longest way round instead of what it really is—the shortest. the Portland, although bound for the top end of New Zealand passed to the south of New Zealand, and the first land she sighted was Castle Point, between Wellington and Napier. On July 22 she reached Auckland 83 days out, and her passage was such a good one that she arrived before the advices reached the consignees. On this trip the Portland brought 181 passengers and the usual general cargo.

Trouble With The Crew.

Next year the Portland again visited Auckland, arriving on August 31, 88 days from land to land, and 95 from Gravesend, which was left on May 28. On this trip the ship kept close to the south end of Tasmania and passed to the north of New Zealand, Cape Maria Van Dieman being sighted on August 28. Captain Peters was in command this trip, and he had a particularly trying time with his crew, who were most insubordinate. The men not only wilfully disobeyed orders, but they broached cargo, and were even guilty of assault. As a result six of the forecastle contingent had to appear before the Police Court when Auckland was reached, and they received varying terms in Mount Eden. There were 236 passengers aboard the Portland, comprising English, Scots, Irish and German immigrants, who had come out to seek their fortune.

the Portland's third trip to Auckland was a very protracted one, and there was considerable anxiety until on April 26, 1869, she turned up—139 days out from the Docks, which, were left on December 8 the previous year. Owing to boisterous weather right at the start Captain Smith put into Ryde and the ship didn't get away until January 9. During the ship's stay at this anchorage the master became ill, and Captain Coster took command. Light winds were mainly responsible for the ship's subsequent slow progress—the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope not being passed until March 16. Thence the Portland met with strong winds and frequent squalls.

Lonely Strangers.

Nowadays when immigrants are so well looked after right from the Docks practically to their new homes we may be forgiven if we fail to realise some of the trials of the early immigrants. The "New Zealander" has a paragraph in its report of the arrival of the Portland that illustrates what I mean. "Many of the passengers," says that paper, "were people who had been Home on a trip and were returning to their families, and while joyous greetings and affectionate congratulations were being interchanged between the members of such a family, others of the passengers who were not in that enviable position were watching the scenes with looks half sympathising, yet tinged with envy, the cordial greetings of the friends showing up all the more markedly the blank in their own friendless position in a strange country."

This was the last occasion on which the Portland came to Auckland. Under Captain Smith she made one passage to Lyttelton from London, arriving in New Zealand on April 12, 1874, after a run of 92 days from the Docks. the Portland made one passage only from London to Wellington, and that was in 1880. She left the London docks on January 4 under Captain Wood, and arrived at Wellington on April 7, 104 days port to port.