THE COLUMBUS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 248, 18 October 1924, Page 17

THE COLUMBUS.

Trading to New Zealand from London there were at least three vessels named after the great sailo7. The earliest waa a small barque of about 460 tona which, in the early 50's, visited Nelson and Lyttelton. The next waa a 1077 toa ship which arrived in Auckland-' ort Cfctober 10, 1864, after a passage of 110 days. The best known bearer of the famous name was a barque of 744 tona which was a frequent visitor during the 70's, first under the command of Captain Atkin and then of Captain Esson. She was twice in Auckland; arriving on September 20, 1875, after a ; passage of 104 days, and on August 15, 1877, on which occasion she did the voyage in one day less than the year before. On both trips she had her share of bad weather. In '75, after she was round the Cape of Good Hope, she struck a remarkable series of revolving storms, having the wind nine times round the compass in sixteen days. During the disturbances two boats were stove in and her deck houses damaged. In 1877, after she sighted the Tasmanian coast she struck a series of gales that sorely tried the mettle of the crew. A good deal of damage was done by seas * that broke aboard. On one occasion there was bo much water on the deck that the bulwarks had to be stove in. to allow it to escape. The saloon wa3 filled with water, and a lot of damugo was done about the decks. ■ The Columbus made three trips to Dunedin, arriving there on August 29, 18741 after a passage of 88 days; on August'2B, 1876, 113 days; and on May 28, r 1879, 109 days. On July 15, 1878, she arrived at Lyttelton from London', which she had left on March 21, and on this occasion she seems to have fared no better than vssual in the matter of weather. On "June 16th, while she was running before a gale, a heavy- sea broke aboard, smashed doors, : 'flooded .the decks and cabin, and washed away everything movable on deok. The ship Columbus was under charter to tho Shaw, Savill Company, and the barque, when she visited Auckland, was flying the flag of the New Zealand Shipping Company.