THE EDWIN FOX.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 17

THE EDWIN FOX.

AN OLD EAST INDIAMAN. ONE OF THE EARLY FREEZERS. (By HENRY BKETT.) LXXIV. Lying in shallow water near the freezing works in Picton Harbour there is an old hulk that is picturesque even in her decrepitude, and, like a brokendown aristocrat, she bears about her unmistakable signs of having seen better days. Her eliptical stern, which once boasted square windows—a style that sufficiently suggest her age—still has the remains of the elaborate scholl-work with which the builders used to adorn the old wooden ships, and the name "Edwin Fox, Southampton," is still legible. Dismantled and stripped of everything, the old barque has defied the hand of time, and is likely to do so for many years to come, for she is built of good solid teak, and now, seventy years after she left the - launching ways in Calcutta, which was her birth-place, her timber is as sound as a bell. When first

taken to Picton, I believe she was used as a stage for passengers to cross a creek. She is now used as a storage hulk for coal and other materials of a non-edible nature for the New Zealand Refrigerating Co. She lies alongside the land, and a. railway line the width, and an opening made on the seaward side at the railhead. This allows small coastal vessels to come alongside and load or discharge cargo through the opening. Large coastal vessels of the coaling type come alongside and discharge their cargoes on the top deck by means of a winch hoist. For thirty-two years she sailed the seas, and if the old bull could speak it would be able to tell some interesting yarns. She was a full-rigged ship of 836 tons, built to the order of the famous East India Company. About the year 1873 she was bought by the Shaw, Savill Company, and in that year she made her first trip to New Zealand, Lyttelton being her port of call, with 140 immigrants. She arrived on June 27, after a rather tedious passage of 114 days

from Brest. Captain Johnston, who was in command, reported that on the voyage there had been six deaths—Dr. Langley, an A.B. killed when the Bay of Biscay was being crossed, three adults from fever, and one infant. She does not appear to have visited the colony again until 1885, and on October 19 of that year she arrived iv Port Chalmers under command of Captain Paterson, the passage out .having taken lie days. During her long sea life the Edwin Fox saw some stirring times. On one occasion, in the English Channel, she had a close call in a furious gale. The crew managed to get at some cases of spirits, and were nearly all druuk, so the passengers had to turn to, man the pumps, and do what they could to save the ship. Eventually, leaking badly, she was towed by the steamer Copernicus into Brest. On another occasion she grounded on the Goodwin Sands, but was successfully refloated from that grave of gallant ships and towed back to London for repairs. Once a Freezer. With such a sound old hull the Edwin Fox did not suffer the usual fate of the wooden craft, and she played rather an important part in the early days of the freezing industry of New Zealand. As those who have followed the history of the industry are aware, there were no land freezing works when the industry started. The freshly-slaughtered carcases were taken straight aboard the ship, and there frozen. Refrigerating plant was fitted in the Edwin Fox in London by the Shaw, Savill Company, and she was sent out to Dunedin to act as freezing and store-ship to the other vessels of the company that had been fitted up to carry frozen meat Home. This was in the year 1885. Still living at Napier, and in good health, is Mr. | J. Gibb, who was employed on the Edwin Fox in her new capacity. Mr. Gibb had then been in the employ of the company for sever*. ye»r», tailing is th« seventies |U fco«A___i_. fit the Nelson. __u| __£

Canterbury. When the Edwin S&X arrived at Port Chalbers in 1885 MrGibb was sent aboard to dismantle the superfluous gear, and get her ready for the ensuing season's freezing. After being used at Port Chalmers for a few; years the Pox was sent up to Lyttelton, then to Gisborne, and later to the Bftrff, and then finally she was sent to Picton under engagement to freeze for the Wairau Company. After two seasons the Christchurch Meat Company, now the New Zealand Refrigerating Co-, bought the Fox, and Mr. Gibb went with her. A season later the company built works ashore, and the old vessel was stripped and hauled up in shallow water, where she now lies, and is used as a coal hulk for the works.

LOSS OF MATOAKA.

Considering the number of voyages that w-ere made round the stormy Horn in the old sailing ship days the New Zealand trade was singularly free from disasters. Saddest of all epitaphs for a gallant ship is that of "missing." Thera is something so ominous and mysterioui about it, and one's natural grief at tha loss of relation or friend seems trebled when a disaster of that kind occurs. One of the few ships from New Zealand that have been posted ''missing" was tha

Matoaka, which was a well-known Willi-, Gann and Co. trader of the very early days. She was later purchased by tha Shaw, Savill Co. She and her skipper (Captain Stevens) were very well known in the colony, and particularly in Canterbury, five out of the eight voyages the ship made to New Zealand being to Lyttelton. Captain Stevens was a very popular man in Christchurch and Auckland. The Matoaka, a ship of 1092 dons, was trading to New Zealand from 1859 to 1869. On May 13 of the latter year she left Lyttelton for London, Captain Stevens being in command, but she was never heard of again. It was conjectured that the ship struck an iceberg during the night, and foundered with all hands. As an instance of the trying time ships sometimes had among the ice, an experience of the Matoaka's may be cited. ' On the run out from London to Lyttelton in 1867 she fell in with.a great number of bergs when away down in the South Indian Ocean in about the same latitude as Kerguelen Island, and not quite half-way between" that spot and

the bottom end of New Zealand. It was Christmas Day. As far as the eye could reach from the masthead there were bergs extending north and south. As night came on sail was shortened, and the ship passed several bergs from 300 ft to 400 ft in height. The following day and night the ship was still among bergs, and the last one passed was 320 miles from the large group. Captain Stevens was In the Matoaka for seven years, and during that time he made fairly fast runs out and home, never exceeding _~> days port to port. In '62 the ship did the run from Bristol to Lyttelton in 82 days, that being her best passage in the trade. Captain "Stevens was specially interested in bringing out song birds for the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society. Owinc to the unremitting care bestowed on them he landed in a healthy condition a large number of songsters on several occasions. The ship's records outwards were:—

TO Al Arrived. Captain. Dsj-3. Pailed. •June 13 Sep. Sβ,'59 Stavens Sep. 23, "SilJan. 3, '6D|Earneu 103 102 TO WELLINGTON. (une 13 Sep. 13, 'JO I Stevens 92 TO LYTTELTON. Sep. -J ; Dpc 1. '60 | Stevens as Nov. SO, '61 'Feb. 10, '62 ! Stevens 82 Oct. 7, '66 I Jan. 10,'6? : Stevens 94 , j Land to land S S Nov. 16, 'C7JFpb. H,'68 I StevuDS 86 I J Land to land SO Nov. 12, 'esircb. s, '60 Stevens Sβ »Vja WetHSfSea, 03 64J'e : a 19 Iμ contianed atxt Satnid*^