The Waitangi.

With twenty-five voyages to New Zealand to her credit, the New Zealand Shipping Company's ship Waitangi, 1128 tons, visited all the leading ports, and was one of the best known vessels of that company's fine fleet. Built by J. Blumer and Co., of Sunderland, she was a sister ship to the Shipping Company's Waimate, and although constructed on exactly the same lines, she could not claim a similar list of consistent runs, for on ten occasions she exceeded the 100 days on her outward trips. In the year 1883-4, however, the Waitangi ran, from Plymouth to Lyttelton in 77 days (73 days to the Snares) with Captain Triston in command. On that occasion

the Waitangi In Heavy Weather.

she brought out 312 passengers, mostly assisted immigrants, to the colony.

In marked contrast to the experience of the Oamaru, which left London fourteen days earlier, the Waitangi had almost uninterruptedly fine weather and favourable winds throughout. the Oamaru, on the other hand, experienced exceptionally severe weather right from the start. On December 19, the Waitangi spoke the crack Turakina bound for Auckland. The latter ship soon passed the Waitangi, and arrived at Auckland on January 16, four days after the Waitangi reached Lyttelton, but it must be remembered that the Turakina had to travel further north, and, moreover, she was delayed on the coast for several days by light winds and calms. the Waitangi crossed the equator 21 days after leaving port, the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope on December 10, Cape Leeuwin on December 31, and made the Snares on January 9.

Like all the ships owned by the New Zealand Shipping Company, the Waitangi was well found, had very fine accommodation for passengers, and was supplied with ample boats in case of accident. Mr. Basil Lubbock, in his book "Colonial Clippers," remarks:—"The officers of the company 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 their stars in their house flag, which, by the way, is the proper New Zealand flag which Queen Victoria presented to the Maoris." the Waitangi and the Waimate were each provided with six splendid large boats, two lifeboats, properly fitted up; two large pinnace boats, ready to launch at a moment's notice; one large cutter and a large gig.

the Waitangi had her full share of heavy gales during the many years she traded to the Dominion, the passage outpage 292 from London to Auckland in 1895 being an unusually stormy one. After rounding the Cape, she encountered a succession of heavy westerly gales accompanied by mountainous seas, which continued until passing the Leeuwin. Lifeboats were smashed, rails carried away, everything movable on deck washed overboard, and the saloon and cabins flooded. Frequently the ship was hove to. Another gale was met with off Tasmania, when several sails were blown away. These gales mainly accounted for the long voyage made on this occasion.

As was usual when a vessel carried a large number of passengers boat and fire drills were practised every week, and the latter exercise was nearly becoming painfully necessary when, on one voyage the dreaded alarm of fire was raised in real earnest. It proved to be in the forepart of the ship, in the 'tween decks, where part of the crew were berthed. The fire was supposed to have been caused by a bale of oakum igniting.

Mr. William Mackenzie, a passenger by the ship, in describing the incident, says: "There was considerable excitement when the alarm was given. Fortunately, when the real thing came the sailors and single men, all well drilled, promptly took up their respective positions. The duty of the single men was to get their blankets up, place them in water and then throw them over the fire, as was done on this occasion. The blankets were destroyed, and the men had no others during the passage. Fortunately the fire was soon got under, without any serious loss being sustained."

With the exception of a very heavy gale in the Bay of Biscay, which caused some damage, the Waitangi on her run out to Lyttelton in 1877 had an exceptionally fine passage, and the topsails were reefed only once. The ship passed the Leeuwin on September 19, and on this day she ran 312 miles, the longest day's run of the passage. She was 78 days land to land, and brought out 260 passengers.

On the passage out in 1880 the Waitangi encountered a terrific gale from the south-south-west, and for the safety of the ship and passengers, who spent a miserable time, she was run north. The poop had to be barricaded.

When steam drove the sailers out of the trade the Waitangi was sold to the Norwegians and renamed the Agda.

Following is the list of the Waitangi's passages to New Zealand:—