THE SAM MENDEL.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 239, 6 October 1923, Page 17

THE SAM MENDEL.

A YACHT-LIKE CRAFT. i FAST PASSAGE TO FORT CHALMERS.

(By HENRY BBETT.)

Lvm. The Sam ilendel was a handsome and exceedingly fast craft, but she did . t keep up her reputation in many of j } ■ r ;ns to Ne- Zealand. During her earlier career she was engaged in the Indian and Australian trade, and made I some remarkable passages irom London to Melbourne. She was a beautiful ship from all points, iron built, with the lines of a yacht. She had a long bow, with the cleanest of entrances combined with good bearings, and a fine run taat left but little dead water behinu it. She was both taut and square of rig, with raking masts, and carrie.. a great deal of canvas in her foretopgallants, the yards being particularly square, witi. corresponding hoist to the sails. Sh was a poop and topgallant-forecastle sirij, of 1034 tons, and was built at West Hartlepool, by Meesrs. Pilea, Spence, and Co., the builders of the celebrated Undine and other clippers. Her owner was Mr. J. Copland of Liverpool and she was chartered for the New Zealand trade by the Shaw, Savill Company. After sailing the seas for nearly 50 years this i .mous clipper was sold to Sweden and renamed the Charlonus. She was later sold again, and her name changed to Hanna. In 190S-9 she wr.s condemned at Genoa, and '. jken up..

• It has frequently been stated in the New Zealand Press that the Sam Mendel in 1576 made a record passage to Poi- Chalmers of 68 days. This is not correct. The fast passage was made in 1874, when she ran to Port Chalmers in 75 days, port to port, or 09 land to land. This, however, is not thr record passage, ■which is still held by the ship Westland. Still it was the second fastest run to Port Chalmers up till 1874. In lfc/0, as will be seen from t!"e records, the ship a: ived a: Aujkland, making the p.-ssage, port to port, in 80 uay3. . Her Seventy-five Day Passage. Touching the remarkable outward passage in 1874, Captain Hill reported having left London on May 9th. The ship was detained in the Channel by light westerly weather until May 14th, on which day she left the Lizard. After leaving the land she encountered a continuance of light and moderate westerly winds, and so was jammed away to the eastward, and had to pass between the Canary Islands and the mainland. On May 26th, when a littlo south of the Canaries she picked up the north-east trades, which were steady, and on Jane sth she met the south-east trades. The equator was crossed on the following day. Westerly winds then found the ship and sent her bounding along under a press of canvas. On June 18th she experienced a sudden change of wind to south-east, with severe thunder and lightning, and heavy squalls of sleet and haiL The change, however, proved of but transient character—the wind in a few hours backing again to south-west. After that unbroken westerly weather prevailed. The wind settled down to a steady blow, veering and hauling between north-west and south-west. The ship ran her easting down in about the 47th parallel, and was due south of Cape Leuwin on July 14th. Three days after that the breeze freshened to a tremendous gale from southwest, and raised a high and very confused sea. A great deal of water found its way on board, and the decks may be said to have been awash during the three days the gale lasted. The ship was kept before it under a press of sail, and on the whole made good weather of it. On July 22nd the high land of Stewart's Island was sighted, and the ship, having moderate weeterly weather along the coast, reached Port Chalmers on July 23rd, 75 days port to port, or 69 days hind to land. Loses Some Spars.' Like many other ships the Sam Mendel experienced some stormy passages in the Southern Ocean. Her worst experience was in 1881, when she was partially

a very heavy cross sea, which caused the ship to roll heavily, and had the effect of breaking off the foremast two feet below the main deck. So fnrious was the gale 'that the port rigging had to be cut away in order to save the mainmast. At this time the vessel was in latitude 48 south, longitude 32.20 east, and alterwaroa she encountered a succession of heavy gales from N.W. to S.W., with high cross seas and cold weather, several large icebergs being passed. The weather moderated on September 12 in latitude 47.29 south, longitude 153.20 east. Still keeping fresh westerly winds, she passed land sighted the Snares on September 15. I Thence she met light adverse winds and calms along the coast until her arrival at Port Chalmers on September 18. Her passage occupied 106 days, which may be considered very fast in face of the fearfully heavy weather she experienced, and the fact that for the last 3!) days she was under the disadvantage of being without a foremast and bowsprit.. Here follow the records of passages from London to New Zealand, port to port:—

TO AUCKLAND. Psiied. Arrived. Captain. Days. May 31 Aus. 30. '75 Steel May 28 Sep. 16,'77 Steel Mar. 19 June 15,'80 Cumminss Oct. Si, '82 Feb. 1, '83 Pearson Feb. 2 June 10,'S5 Pearson 90 ioe 88 102 127 TO PORT CHALMERS. May June 9 3 July 23, '74 Hills 78 Land to land 69 Sep. 19, '81 Crowell 107