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

The Stracathro

The Stracathro.

Interesting Facts aboul an Immigrant Ship.

An interesting souvenir of the days of sail is an old circular of the year 1881 of the New Zealand Shipping Company that has been sent me. It advertises the "dispatch as a special passenger ship to Auckland" of the "magnificent iron clipper Stracathro, 2000 tons burthen, 100 Al at Lloyd's, T. B. Peters, commander, for the conveyance of settlers about to proceed to the Te Aroha lands, under the auspices of Messrs. Grant and Foster, the Lincolnshire Farmers delegates to New Zealand." Saloon fare was £42, second saloon £25, and steerage £15 to £18. Second class passengers were required to provide themselves with "bedding, knives and forks, table and tea spoons, one or two deep metal plates and dishes, a hook teapot, cups and saucers or tin drinking vessels, a water can, washing utensils, towels, etc."

Further interesting particulars about this fine craft are contained in a manuscript description loaned me. For instance, she carried a crew of 28—master, three mates, two cooks, two stewards, one carpenter, one sailmaker, one boatswain, twelve able seamen, two ordinary seamen, and three apprentices. Her registered tonnage was 1159, not the "2000" round figures of the circular. She carried skysails on both main and foremasts. The mainmast was 140 feet, the foremast the same height, and the mizzen was 100 feet from the deck. Her main yard measured 77 feet, and the spread of her foreyard and studding-sail booms was no less than 129 feet, Nautical men will be interested in com-page 304paring paring these measurements with the length of the barque, which was 230 feet. She had a beam of 35 feet, and the depth of her hold was 21 feet. Including passengers, she carried 72 soul on her 1881 voyage from London to Auckland. The livestock carried for cabin purposes was 144 fowls, 50 ducks, 13 sheep, and nine pigs.

Dirty Weather.

the Stracathro made four voyages to New Zealand, three being to Auckland and one to Dunedin, In 1879 she left London on November 26, and arrived in Auckland oil March 1, 1880, the passage taking 95 days from Gravesend. She again visited the Waitemata in 1881, leaving the Docks on July 29, and making port on October 28, the time occupied being 90 days port to port or 83 days land to land, On neither of these passages was there anything of an unusual nature during the voyage, but in 1880 she had a very stormy trip. Leaving the Docks on May 13 she did not reach Auckland until August 30, a passage of 109 days. She started out in had weather, but matters improved and continued so until the Southern Ocean was reached, and there she was dogged by a succession of gales that sorely tried the patience of the passengers, of whom there was a large number on board. In latitude 43.40 south a series of heavy gales was met. High confused sea caused the vessel to roll heavily, and the decks were frequently filled with water. This unpleasant weather lasted until July 31, when the wind blew with greater force, and was accompanied by hail, sleet, and snow. At times the wind reached hurricane force, and the ship was able to carry lower topsail only. There was a mountainous sea, which repeatedly filled the decks to the rails, and during the height of the gale the parrel of the maintopsail yard (it holds the yard to the mast), which had once before parted, again carried away. On August 7, when running before a heavy gale, a sea was shipped over the poop. It broke on board with great violence, smashing the wheel, and knocking down and seriously injuring the man at the wheel. During tills gale the ship was hoveto for thirty hours.

The last passage of the ship to New Zealand was that to Dunedin. She left Gravesend on May 4, 1878, and reached Port Chalmers on August 3, a passage of 91 days. Captain Millar was in command in 1880 and 1878. Captain Peters, who was chief officer in 1880, commanded when the ship visited Auckland in 1881, and Captain Smith was in command on the passage she made in 1886.