OLD-TIME SHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 172, 22 July 1922, Page 17

OLD-TIME SHIPS.

■ m POPULAR CRAFT AND SKIPPERS CAPTAIN -WILLIAM ASHBT. 'FIRE OX THE CITY OF AUCKLAXD.

| (By HENRY BRETT.)

IV. The most popular commander up till 1872 was Captain William Ashby, who made more voyages from London to Auckland than any other skipper. He came out first in the old Mary Ann to Auckland. His next ships were the -Maori and Siam, and then the City of Auckland. Captain Ashby claimed to have carried more passengers to and from Xew Zealand than any other commander. None of the passages, either out or Home, could be called records. He considered his passengers, and did everything possible to make them comfortable, At the same time lie never exceeded the' 100 days from London in the City of Auckland, the average being 02. When Captain Ashby retired from the sea in 1572, he started a shipping agency in London, and most of the New Zealanders returning to Auckland booked thro U crh Ins agency. After the death of his f,r°st wire, who generally travelled with him, he married the widow of Mr. J. X. Crombie, who was one of the leading photographers in Queen Street, Auckland, during the sixties. Captain Ashby's first trip here was in ISSB in the barque Mary Ann, a wellknown trader between the Old Country and Xew Zealand. In 1860 this vessel made a trip round to the Kaipara, the first large ship to cross the Kaipara Bar, and loaded up with kauri spars for the Admiralty. Captain Ashby's next vessel was the Maori, and later he took command of the ship Siam. Mention of this ship recalls stirring times, as in 1860 when the British troops were withdrawn, she was chartered -while in Auckland to lake some of the lltli Regiment across to Hobart Town. BUILT FOR THE TRADE. Captain Ashby left the Siam to superintend the building of the ship City of Auckland, which was specially built for the London-Auckland trade. She -was a composite vessel, having iron framing,

sheathed with 5A inch' teak, copper fastened throughout. She was specially finely fitted up. On a scroll at the break of the poop were carved the lines by Campbell: "Her march is o'er the mountain waves, Her home is on tbe deep." The "City" arrived in Auckland on her maiden voyage on January 29, 1870, and the reception given her and her popular commander was typical of the way Auckland received her favourite skipper. So popular was Captain Ashby that he was referred to as ■ a "citizen of Auckland." There was a perfect flotilla of boats on the harbour to greet the new-comer, which beat up the Waitemata against a strong westerly, and anchored off Queen Street wharf. It is interesting to note that on this trip she brought the first quartz-crushing machinery that bad come to Auckland. There was just the same sort of demonstration when the vessel took her departure. Hundreds assembled on the wharf to see her off, and many toasts were drunk in the cabin to the success of tbe voyage and the health of the gallant skipper and his wife, who frequently accompanied him. An interesting fact connected with the ship's arrival in Auckland on December 11, IS7O (her second trip), was the

CAPTAIN WILLIAM ASHBY. One of the most popular skippers that ever traded between London and Auckland in the days of sail. Aucklanders thought the world of him and his beautifully-kept ships—first the Mary Ann, then the Maori, Siam. and, lastly, the City of Auckland—and his arrival in port was always the scene of a mild ovation, and columns of nice thing* is the new-paper*.

appearance of the name W. F. Massey on the passenger list, our present Premier being then a young man direct from the North of Ireland. SCUTTLED TO SAVE HER. On January 24 of the following year, at between two and three in the morning, when the City of Auckland was practically a full ship, a fire broke out as she lay alongside the old Queen Street wharf. Valiant efforts were made to.suppress the outbreak, but it was soon seen to be hopeless, and the ship was taken out into the stream and scuttled. Two days later she was raised and taken alongside the wharf again. Mr. Beddoes, a well-known shipbuilder of that time, was entrusted with the work of repairing the damage, and a splendid job he made of it. Xew decks and a new skin were put in where the fire had eaten its way through. Tt was many months before she was read} r for sea. When the fire broke out there was a £20,000 cargo under hatches, and forty passengers had engaged berths. It was believed that the trouble was started among the flax—a material which has been blamed several times since for causing the same sort of mysterious

blaze. The fire on the City of Auckland occurred at the time of the famous •Cyrus Haley scare, but it is not now considered likely that that notorious lire-raiser could have started the fire on the City of Auckland. GOOD PASSAGES. Captain Ashby retained command of the "City" until 1872, and up till then she made four •successful voyage s to Auckland in two year s two months and twenty-one days. On her last round trip she did the return voyage to Auckland in seven months 14 days, having sailed in that time no less than 30.212 miles. Her run s from London to Auckland while Captain Ashby was in command were respectively 98 days, 84 days, 96 days, and SS days. The "City*" on her £rst voyage out to Auckland showed a good turn of speed and logged on several occasions; as much as 20S miles and ..01 miles for the twenty-four hours. The latler figure works out at a little over 124 knots. Stewart and Simpson of London were •the owners of the ship, Captain Ashby having a £5000 interest in her. "STAR" PIGEONS GO TO SEA. "Most of the early Aucklander.. that went home for pleasure and tho?e that had business in the Old Country used to try and fit" in their arrangements so as to sail with Captain Ashby. This was an additional reason why the Auckland people of fifty years ago used to take such a personal interest in thi s fine seaman and his ships. Not content with giving the "City" a wonderful send-off Auckland wanted to know how the passengers were finding their sen-legs, and just half a century back the "Star" anticipated wireless by sending some of its famous carrier pigeons out to sea with the popular skipper. On December 7, 1872, for instance, there is a message dated from the City of Auckland "63 miles eastward of Tauranga." A second message was sent when the -vessel was nearing the East Cape. Four birds were given to Captain Ashby, and two never returned lo the ''Star" lofts, but a couple of years later Captain Kennedy, of the Tawera schooner, brought word of a pigeon in a kainga at the East Cape. The Maoris had made a pet of the bird, but an offer of £1 induced them to relinquish their claims in the foundling, which proved to be one of the missing quartet. The Maoris had kept the message which was tied round the bird's leg when it came ashore at East Cape, and it proved to be from Captain Ashhv. 260 m iles out. wishing Auckland farewell and telling of the sufferings of the passengers from inal de mer durin« hcavv weather.

THE FAVOURITE IDA ZEIGLER. A SKIPPER WHO "CRACKED ON." A very well-known vessel which brought many early New Zealanders to these shores wa s the ship Ida Zeigler, which for several years was commanded by Captain Abraham L. Reynolds, and then by a gentleman of the same name but not related, both of whom had hosts of friends in this port. Towards the end of 1866 this vessel made her eighth voyage to Auckland. Some of her runs were: 1861, 90 days; 1862, 88 days; 1564, 96 days; 1865, 83 days; 1866, 88 days; 1567,"97 days; 1868, 97 days. During her voyage out to Auckland in the spring of i*S65 the "Ida" struck a heavy storm when about twenty-one days from the New Zealand coast, and the second mate and two seamen were washed overboard from the wheel. The sea carried away the binnacle and some other fittings. In spite of the heavy sea that was running the boats were promptly lowered and the men were rescued. Captain Abraham L. Reynolds, the first commander of the Ida Zeigler, had the reputation of .carrying on when he

had a chance, but he was popular with his passengers. Although the ship never made a record run to Auckland she on one occasion docked in London after a splendid passage of 74 days. In 1864 Lady Wynyard (wife of Governor Wynyard), with her family, were oassengers to England in the "Ida." On this occasion Mr. William Mann was chief officer and Mr Henry Neville second officer. In later years Captain W. Best, for some years harbour master at Tauranga and the Thames, was chief officer on the "Ida." As mentioned above Captain Reynolds was succeeded by another very popular commander of the same name. This gentleman married an Auckland lady, Miss Fitzgibbon, daughter of Mr. Fitzgibbon, who was chief postmaster for many years. The Ida Zeigler was eventually driven on to the beach during a heavy gale and became a total wreck at Napier.

FAST SAILING. MORE ABOUT THE HUIA. A correspondent, Mr. Andrew Jamieson, writing from Waihi, has supplied mc with some .further details of the fast sailing schooner dealt with in the first of my articles on colonial clippers. He says:—"l was engaged on this vessel with Captain McKenzie when she made the sensational runs across the Tasman Sea. In addition to the run of i_ days

CAPTAIN ABRAHAM LEWIS REYNOLDS. A hard-sailing skipper of the old school, who, in spite of his character for cracking-on, was popular with his passengers, and is pleasantly remembered in many Auckland kpm.i.

from Sydney to the Kaipara, her best turn of speed was 16J knots. She cleared the Knobbys light and forty-eight hour 3 after was 510 miles clear of land. Then followed a thrash to windward of 600 miles in nine days, the trip being accomplished in eleven days. On the following trip she logged 16 knots from Kaipara to Sydney. When nearing Sydney Heads we almost ran down the Newcastle passenger steamer, and would have done so had not Captain G. McKenzie thrown the schooner aback. It was a close shave, as only from t_n to fifteen feet separated the vessels. The passengers and crew of the p.s. Sydney have to thank Captain McKenzie for his superb handling of his schooner in such a tight corner. The incident happened about 9 p.m., when the "Huia" was reeling off over 14 knots. I often thought a yacht built on the ltne s of the "Huia" would pick up the America Cup, with a man like George McKenzie handling her, for without a doubt her all-round speed was exceptional." Mr. Jamieson also states:—"On one occasion the brig Vision made the run from Newcastle to Auckland in seven days. She carried westerly gales all the way across." I have not been able to verify this, but I have no reason to doubt its correctness. / GOOD VOYAGES BY COLONIAL CLIPPERS. In the list of fast passages to and from Auckland which appeared last week a good passage by the Silver Eagle was omitted. In March, 1866, she arrived in Auckland 84 days out from London. I also omitted to mention the City of Auckland,-84 days, and Jda Zeigler, 83 days from London. The Ida Zeigler made one very fast passage from Auckland to London, her run occupying only 74 days. (To lie continued next Saturday.)