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Tales of Banks Peninsula

No. 32.—Captain James Bruce

page 247

No. 32.—Captain James Bruce.

A short record of the life of Captain Bruce, mentioned in the last article, would come in well here. One of the premier hotels in Akaroa still bears his name, and enjoys the distinction of being built on Section No. 1 Canterbury District. As his name betokens, Captain Bruce was a seafaring man, and came to New Zealand in the early forties. He enjoyed the distinction of being the first captain to take a versel into Port Chalmers, The boat he owned was named the Magnet, and he brought her in 1842 to one of the whaling stations on the south side of the Peninsula, where he had the misfortune to have his boat wrecked in a small bay still called Magnet Bay after his ill-fated vessel. As told in the previous article, Captain Bruce set to work to mend his fortunes ashore, and started the Bruce Hotel, of which a good description is given in the foregoing pages. Ill-fate seemed to pursue Captain Bruce, for another misfortune befell him some years after he lost the brig Magnet. He bought a small schooner or cutter, and set out for Dunedin with three hundred sovereigns to send to Sydney for a stock of spirits and stores. The schooner was caught in a gale when inside Akaroa Heads and sank, and the precious three hundred sovereigns are lying there yet, Captain Bruce, like so many sailors could not swim, but a Maori woman on board swam with him to the rocks, thereby saving his life. Captain Bruce was not the man to forget the debt he owed the Maori woman, and he kept her in food and clothes till she died. She left a small girl, and Captain Bruce undertook the child's education, sending her up to Wellington, where she died at an early age. In article No. 9, entitled "Early Reminiscences," mention is made of a wreck in which Captain Bruce was a sufferer, but apparently the account; is wrong, being a sort of jumble up of the two wrecks. The Magnet wreck occurred when Captain Bruce first came to the Peninsula, and we know that took place in Magnet Bay. Continual reference is made by the early settlers to Captain page 248Bruce, who appears to have won the esteem and respect of all. He was a liberal minded man, and did all he could to help along the new comers. He never married.