01/06/1858 - 20/09/1858

Ship Summary

Vessel

Masters

Journey

Origin

Depart Date

Monday, May 31, 1858

Destination

Arrive Date

Sunday, September 19, 1858

Journey Notes

Some idea of the size of this vessel may be formed when we state that she is chartered to take to Europe 2,500 tons of timber from India. She arrived in the Gulf on Monday night, in command of Captain Robertson (already so favourably known while in charge of the wool trader Granton). She is a North American-built vessel , and had only crossed the Atlantic prior to being chartered for the conveyance of emigrants to this colony. Her passage has occupied 112 days, but the untoward circumstance of being dismasted, on July 12th, considerably lengthened it. The extract from the log describes the occurrence in 6°8'S.lat., and 31°10'long. The breeze freshened and blew strong from the S.E., rendering it advisable to reduce canvas, and the royals, topgallantsails, and other sails were taken in, until it became imperative to reef the topsails, and in performing this manoeuvre the eyebolt securing the topsailtie drew, causing the strain to fall on the topmast, which carried away just above the cap, taking with it the jib and flying-jibboom, and parting several stays and other gear. It was a very fortunate circumstance that the emigrants were all below at the time of the accident, as had they been on deck some lives would no doubt have been sacrificed by the falling spars. The want of this portion of her upper gear so crippled the vessel that ship rolled heavily in the cross sea which ran; indeed it was with imminent risk and difficulty that the wreck was cleared away during the ensuing day, but such strenuous exertions were used that on the 14th July the new topmast was sent up and the damages repaired. The passage throughout has been made with the usual varieties of weather; and only one other startling incident occurred to break the usual routine and monotony of an emigrant ship. It was on Tuesday Sept. 9th, in lat.40°32'S., long.109°E., that a coloured seaman, named John Waite, was discovered to be missing from the forecastle, and although every exertion was used to discover him, no traces of him could be found, and it could only be supposed that he had fallen overboard unobserved while the hands were reefing topsails. On the arrival of the Frenchman at the anchorage she was taken in charge of by the pilot, and being of light draught of water the steam-tug was called into requisition, and she was towed into harbour yesterday and moored in the stream berths. Register 23/9/1858

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