BARQUE HUDSON.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 76, 29 March 1924, Page 17

BARQUE HUDSON.

Thirteen voyages were made to Nev? Zealand by the 700 ton iron barque Hudson, which was built in 1869 and belonged to the Shaw, Savill line, and lliat she was not a clipper may be gathered from the fact that several of her passages were considerably above the average. She, however, in 1875 ran to Napier in S4 days and the papers stated it was the quickest passage made to that port. On this occasion she landed, besides 204 immigrants, a valuable addition to New Zealand's store of British

birds, including 60 robins, 110 gold* finches and chaffinches, 44 partridges and 137 larks.

There -were not many events but of the ordinary connected vrith this craft, the most unusual being the tragic end of one of her skippers—Captain Gasson. It happened, when the ship was bound to Dunedin in 1897. The captain had played a couple of games of chess one evening, and then -went up on deck, and shortly afterwards the second mate was horrified to see him deliberately jump overboard. A lifebuoy was thrown, and a boat was promptly lowered but no sign wps seen of the unfortunate master The ship was brought on by Mr. Broadway, the mate.

Captain Kemp, who commanded in the late eighties and early nineties, had a most trying experience among the ice in the year 1893. The ship was sailing through it for two days and some of the bergs passed were 300 feet high.

The Hudson had a lucky escape in the year 18S5. After discharging cargo at Wellington she sailed south to load for London and on November 26th .of that year, Captain E. J. Thomas being in command, she stranded on the Ninety Mile Beach, about 12 miles north of Timaru, but she was towed off by the p.s. Lyttelton, and did not suffer any serious damage. Master and mate bad their certificates suspended for "three months over the affair. TO AUCKLAND. Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days. Oct. 27, '95 Mar. 5, '96 Gasson 127 TO WELLINGTON. Nov. Si Mar. 1i,'79 Colville 113 Mar. 10 June HO,'Si Thomas 112 Doc. 26, '01 Apr. 15,'9-J A. Kemp 118 Oct. 9, '86 Feb. 1, '87 A. Kemp 115 Dec. 12, '90 i Mar. 21, '01 X. Kemp 9S TO LYTTSLTON. Dec. 1, '73 Mar. S, '74 Trev.-yn 97 TO DUNEDiN. Oct. 19, '88 Feb. 3, '89 Kemp 10S Dec. 31. '89 May 7, '90 Kemp 126 AiiS". 1 Pec. 7, '93 Kemp 98 Dec. 4, '94 Mar. 24,95 Gasson 94 Jan. 5, '97 May 17, '97 Gasson 131 TO NAPIER.

Zcv. 20, '74 Feb. 12,75 Trewyn 83