Tempestuous Voyage.

the Zealandia had a most eventful passage in 1882. Captain Sellars described it as the worst he had met during an experience of thirty years in the Southern Ocean. the Zealandia sailed from Gravesend on July 9, and all went well until the ship reached latitude 42.1 S., longitude 65.19 E., when she encountered a cyclone of hurricane violence, during which both lower topsails were blown away, and the ship ran under bare poles, while tremendous seas broke on board, and carried away the forecastle and head rails, pig pens, front of the deckhouse, and washed the contents of the galley entirely out. The doors of

The New Zealandia At Port Chalmers.

the deckhouse were burst in, the water tanks were stove in, and the sheep pens smashed in two; while a considerable portion of the top-gallant bulwarks and the rail were carried away. During the gale the barometer fell to 28.70. Captain Sellars stated that the ship behaved splendidly throughout, but owing to the sea being so high and cross, she had very little fair play. The weather moderated on September 18, and all hands were employed in repairing damages and bending fresh sails. Thence she experienced fresh to light breezes, accompanied by a very heavy S.W. swell, and was constantly shipping great quantities of water.

On September 28, in latitude 45.2 S., longitude 120.1 E., the barometer began to fall very rapidly, and the wind came out W.N.W., increasing to a heavy gale. The vessel was put under her two lower topsails and run before it. The gale increased to frightful violence on September 30, attended by a high cross sea, which broke on board, filled the main deck and washed away everything movable, so that by noon nothing was left. Several heavy following seas were then encountered, which carried away the poop stairs and wing closets, and flooded the saloon—the water finding its way to the lazaret and doing considerable damage. At about 2 p.m. two tremendous seas came on board, washing away the bridge and boat skids and smashing one of the boats, bursting in the starboard door of the saloon, in which the third-class passengers were berthed, and driving the occupants completely out of their compartment into the body of the saloon. Another terrific sea then pooped her, breaking the skylights and forcing its way into the saloon, creating the greatest fear amongst the passengers, who were in a miserable plight; while the front of the forecastle was completely stove in and the seamen's chests washed overboard. Indeed, Captain Sellars stated that during the continuance of the September moon the weather was decidedly the worst, and the two gales the heaviest in all his thirty year's experience in the Southern Seas, and only to be compared with that which at times prevailed in the Bay of Bengal. The barometer, during the gale of Sep-page 109tember 30th, fell to 27.80, the sympesometer to 27.90. After passing Tasmania on 3rd October the wind freshened to another strong gale on the 5th, compelling the ship to heave to under her main topsail. The wind suddenly fell calm, and later light favourable winds enabled her to reach port on the 10th October. the Zealandia made her easting between the parallels of 42 and 43 shouth latitude. Notwithstanding the buffeting the ship received the passage was completed in 93 days, or 84 land to land.

Mrs. F. A. Davies (nee Goodwyn), of Kingsland, Auckland, states that she came to Auckland on the Zealandia in 1881, and that the voyage was no less eventful than the passage made by Captain Sellars in 1882. "We had a similar experience, the captain remarking to me that he had never passed through a more anxious time. We had a cargo of gunpowder and a large number of third-class passengers, many of whom, I remember, as soon as the storm abated, were carried from their (all but) living tomb and laid upon the poop deck in a state of exhaustion."

Of the passage from London to Port Chalmers in 1892, Captain Bate, who previously commanded the Langstone, reported having encountered a succession of heavy gales, mainly from W.N.W., and mountainous seas after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, which continued right across the Southern Ocean, during which a large portion of her gallant bulwarks and 40ft of her washboards round the poop were carried away. Under the circumstances the ship did well to arrive at Port Chalmers only 94 days from anchor to anchor, and 89 land to land.

the Zealandia had another rough experience when bound for the Bluff in 1897. Captain Bate reported that while the ship was hove-to during a fierce gale on August 8 the fore tower topsail was blown away, foretopmast staysail split, and the mizzen storm staysail split. The ship was stripped to bare poles and thrown on her beam ends.

the Zealandia also encountered terrific gales in 1888, when bound for Auckland.

the Zealandia, after completing 31 voyages to New Zealand, was sold to the Russians. She was stranded in 1911, and sold to a firm in Nova Scotia.

Here follow the Zealandia's records: