SAIL FROM LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 47, 24 February 1923, Page 17

SAIL FROM LONDON.

FAST RUNS TO AUCKLAND. MEKWAMJES FIUUNUXE'S TBXF. NEARLY EQUALS BBOOIH) OF TKE !' •'■' ;; ' Vi. nocp awe..;' •;; .."•■■, ;■' (By HENRY. BMBTT:) "';' no. xxvi. "■■' '," ' Iln reennnng tb« eeriee ol4rticl*e . , >«v tfce oldeaHing chips that wu ißt*rrupted by the Christmas and Ktm Year holidays, I should Iflce to explain that my intentipn is to gire tome account of fast passages that were made to Hew Zealand from the Old , Country. -After "• great deal of trouble I have been able to collect information concerning the arrivals at the four main ports of New Zealand from the year 1850 to the year 1900. At far as I «n aware this information has not been previously assembled; On going , over the data I haw.been * surprised at some of the information if gives. ~ I "rae very much astonished to find, for instance, ■ that a vessel'of which Tery few of *u s have h'eaTd, and'all of us eeem to have forgotten, was within a few hours of wresting the palm from the Loch Awe for the record ' trip between London and Auckland.] " When dealing with those speedy ship* the Loch Awe and the Vanduara, in my article that on July 8 of last year I oveVlooked another vcesel that made an exceptionally fa«t passage from London to :■' Auckland—the Blerwanjee Fiamjee, which I should imagine must have\ been named after some Indian nafocib. The Loch : Awe's. .76 days 4 hours, still holds good, for the record between London and Auckland, but it is only a matter of a. few hours between - her and the Merwanjee Framjee. Tbe hour of the Merwanjee Framjee's departure from Graresend is not given, 'but assuming that she left at about noon, then she made the passage in 76 days 12 hours. This fine performance was put up in the early part of 1876. and in calculating the number of days one must not forget that, that year wae a leap year, which of course, gives an extra day in February. It will be remembered -that the Vanduara'e passage. Graresend to Auckland, was made in 77 days, "io there was really only a few houre between, these three .ships, and their performances have never since been beaten by any sailing ship running 'between' London and this port. SEVENTEEN DAYS TO THE LINE. The (Merwanjee Fcamjee only took seventeen day* from Start Point to tbe equator, or nineteen from Graveecnd, and this was a sterling performance. Tire famous Thermopylae when racing the. Cutty Sark out to Australia in 1877, did the run from the Lizard to the line in exactly the same days— while the Cutty Sark took 22 days. The Thermopylae, which was bound to' Melbourne, took 74 days, and the Cutty Sark did the voynge from the Lizard to Sydney in 72 days. IMx. Basil Lubbock, ia hie interesting book "Colonial Clip-

iB TXXF.

pers," isays it was a pity the Thermopylae and the Cutty Sark did not run down their Easting on the same parallel. The Cutty Sark kept in 46 degrees south, whilst the -Thermopylae did not go higher than 4* degree* 30 minutes south. When the Loch Awe made her record passage to Auckland; .'she took 21 days from Start point to the equator, and the Vanduara took 24 days from Deal. To return to the Merwanjee Framjce, she dropped anchor in the Waitemmta on March 21, 1876, and her appearance caused much surprise in the city as, giving her average time for the trip, she was not expected for another three weeks. Graveeend was left on January 4, and two days later, she was off Start Point. In seventeen more days she was across the Line, and the meridian of. the Cape of Good Hope was crossed on February 17, 44 days after leaving Gravesend. When the ship wee away down in the South Indian Ocean, below the'Crozets, she passed numerous icebergs, one of which made a magnificent spectacle. It was estimated to be two miles long, half a mile wide and of an average height.of 300 feet. This monster had a number of smaller bergs round about it. The Merwanjee Framjee was- perhaps fortunate in making the smart passage of -10 days from Graveeend to the line, as, although above the average, she did not make what may be termed sensational Tuns when running down hen Basting. The log showed that on the! 12th and 13th February she made 303 and 303 miles; on the 20th of the same month she recorded 297; the 28th. 272,' and on the 4th and sth March 290 and 295. I A FRIENDLY CALL. In. spite of-the speedy passage he made' the skipper of the Merwanjee' Framjee (Captain Bid well) found time I to not only hail a passing ship, but go! aboard and "have a tot." Tt was in the South Atlantic, off the coast of South America, that this incident (which would be quite impossible in -these hurried days of steam) happened.) •The. stranger was the American, barque J Chntanooga, and the day she wasj spoken wae beautifully .fine and calm, so the Merwanjee Fra-mjee's "old man" was tempted to put off to her in a boat. He was a man who looked after the pleasure and amusement of his passengers, and he took a small party off with him. They clambered un the side of the Yankee craft, and as the renort of the voyage in the "Star" save, "They enjoyed the captain's hospitality." DRIVEN'MAD. There was one terribly sad incident connected with thie fast passage of the strangely-named ship, and that was the fate that overtook a married woman, whose husband and family were also passengers. She -was expecting her confinement, and seemed to dread having to go through it on board ship. This co preyed on the poor woman's mind that she tried to take her life. She was found endeavouring to squeeze herself through one of the portholes, and after that she was put under careful restraint. By the time the ship reached Auckland the woman was raving and she had to be put under proper care when she wae brought ashore. The doctors that examined her were Drs. Philson and Kenderdine, two names very well-known in early Auckland. The Merwanjee Framjee was a Clydebuilt iron vessel of 1079 tone, and she

wa* twelve years old wlien she made this fast passage to Auckland. Among , her passengers were Messrs. R. Armstrong, Arthur B. Wright, W. K. Robertson, Wm. Warren, Jos. B. Bridgnwtn, Hey wood. Chapman, and R. Plumbf idge.