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

After The Rum

page 336

After The Rum.

There were some lively scenes on the beach when the wreckage came ashore. Unfortunately some rum was among the first of the flotsam to reach the beach, and some of the large crowd of people that had gone out from Napier and else-where to see the wreck got very tipsy, giving the police a lot of trouble. There was much pilfering, and the Customs officers had a bad time seeing that dutiable goods were not taken away. There is a good deal of the "wrecker" in most of us, if the truth were known, and it is to be feared that some of the people that "lifted" the Northumberland wreckage would have been very annoyed if you called their act by its plain unvarnished name.

The figurehead of the Northumberland was secured by a fisherman at West Shore, and was for many years a
Figurehead Of Northumberland.

Figurehead Of Northumberland.

prominent figure in his garden. Later this relic was taken out to Whakatu, where it again graced a small garden plot. Subsequently it was acquired by Mr. Frank Armstrong, sheep farmer, of Akitio, near Cape Turnagain, and is at present erected in his garden. This will probably be the last resting-place of this interesting relic.

When the Northumberland made her first voyage to Auckland in 1884 all on board were loud in their praise of Captain Todd and his officers, but none had a good word for the charterers of the ship, Messrs. Shaw, Savill and Co., and the Government. The ship brought out 186 cabin passengers and 159 Government immigrants, and on the ship's arrival a complaint was made to the Immigration Officer, who inspected their quarters and reported that they were in a wretched state, there being very little privacy in the emigrants' quarters. It was found they had been housed in the after-hatch in a dark and dingy hole. There were fourteen bunks in a space 12 by 8½. There was practically no ventilation or light in their so-called cabin when the door was closed, and when rain fell or the decks were washed the water came through the roofs and soaked the unfortunates in their bunks. It is astonishing that under the circumstances there were only six deaths during the voyage. When the Northumberland returned to England the berthing accommodation was improved and there were no complaints when she reached Auckland in 1885. There were two deaths during this passage.

The passages made to New Zealand by the Northumberland were:—

To Auckland.
Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days.
Dec. 10, '83 Mar. 18, '84 Todd 99
Dec. 13, '84 Mar. 25, '85 Todd 102
Jan. 21 Apr. 23, '86 Todd 93
To Lyttelton.
Jan. 3 Apr. 11, '87 Todd 98

There was another ship named the Northumberland, a vessel of about 1000 tons, which visited Auckland in 1861. She left Portland on May 21 and crossed the Line on June 13. On the 24th of the following month, during a heavy S.W. gale the ship's rudder head gave way and was completely wrung off. Captain Hawkins put the ship under easy canvas while repairing damages as well as circumstances would admit. On August 3 the rudder head again gave way during another hard gale which continued for 36 hours. Under the circumstances the ship did well in making the voyage in 114 days.

page 337