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

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The beautiful clipper Merope was built in 1870 for the Shaw, Savill Co., and after completing eighteen voyages to New Zealand was destroyed by fire when Homeward bound from Lyttelton in 1890. She was a full-rigged ship of 1050 tons until early in the eighties, when she was rigged as a barque.

the Merope sailed mostly from London Docks, but on several occasions departed from Glasgow.

When the ship was launched in 1870, Captain Henry Rose was placed in command and on the passage out the following year he made a sensational run to Lyttelton. the Merope left Gravesend on the 9th June, and was off Start
the Merope Anchored At Gravesend.

the Merope Anchored At Gravesend.

Point on the 12th. The Equator was crossed on the 15th July, and the meridian of the Cape on the 24th of the same month. Tasmania was reached on the 17th August, and Stewart's Island on the 20th. Five days later the ship anchored in Lyttelton Harbour at 2 a.m.—the passage having occupied only 76 days from London, and 69 from land to land. The following year, 1872, Captain Rose brought the ship out in 85 days to Lyttelton.

In 1890 the Merope, after discharging a portion of her outward cargo at Dunedin, proceeded to Wellington, where she loaded for London, taking on board a cargo consisting of 654 bales wool, 197 casks tallow, 2000 bales of flax, etc.

She was then under the command of Captain Thomas. She left Wellington on April 11, and had a good run until within two miles of the Western Islands, when the cargo fired spontaneously. Every effort was made to subdue the fire but it gained a rapid hold upon the ship, and being caught by the wind, soon spread beyond the possibility of subduing it. Captain Thomas and the crew stood by the ship until it was dangerous to remain any longer, when they abandoned the vessel and launched two of their boats, the others being destroyed by fire. When they left the ship nothing could be done to save her from complete destruction. The flames by this time had taken complete possession and had burned away the fore and main-mast, a portion of the mizzen-mast being the only spar standing.

The crew was rescued in the first instance by the American ship Servia on June 27th, and later seven of the crew were transferred to the American ship W. F. Babcock, bound from San Francisco to Liverpool, and landed at Queenstown on July 12th. Captain Thomas and the remainder of the crew landed at Deal on the 15th July. They were in a destitute state and were temporarily received by the Chaplain to the Downs and were sent on to London the same evening.

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