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White Wings Vol II. Founding Of The Provinces And Old-Time Shipping. Passenger Ships From 1840 To 1885

Many Deaths On The Clontarf

Many Deaths On The Clontarf.

'"We have never had such a list of deaths to publish," stated the "Lyttelton Times," when reporting the arrival of the Clontarf (Captain A. W. Barclay) on March 16th, 1860. It was a bad weather passage, especially when the ship was approaching the New Zealand coast. The mortality among the twenty-eight children was appalling, nearly all succumbing to measles or whooping cough. In the long death roll there were five adults, one of them being an apprentice on the ship. Dr. Stone, who was the medical officer in charge of the passengers, did all he could during this very trying passage, and worked himself so hard that eventually he was laid up. The ship was 106 days on the voyage.

The Clontarf had paid a visit to Lyttelton the year before, having left Plymouth on September 20th, and reached port on January 5, 1859. She brought out 412 immigrants. Captain Allan was in command, and the vessel was sent out by Willis, Gann and Co., under contract with the Canterbury Provincial Government.