THE ALBERTLANDERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 162, 11 July 1925, Page 27

THE ALBERTLANDERS.

THE GERTRUDE. AN OVERCROWDED EMIGRANT SHIP, -M COMPLAINTS OF BAD FOOD. MR. THEO. COOPER'S DIARY TELLS Ol\ MISERABLE VOYAGE. N (Edited by HENBY BRETT.) Th. fourth vefiel to arrive with Albertlanders was the ship 'Gertrude, 950 tons, Captain. J. C. Congdon, which'brought out i 365 people, most of whom were intended for the settlement. She ■ made a 96-day passage, having left London on November 4, 1862, and arrived in Auckland on February 9. 1863. The Downs were left on November 6, the Equator was crossed on December 7, and the meridian of the Ctype of Good Hope on the 26th of the latter month. On the whole, the passage was a fine weather one. Heavy gales were, however, experienced at the start, and during the early i part of January more bad weather was met with. There were six ; deaths and one birth during the voyage. The health of the i passengers was generally good. At the close of the voyage the ( passengers presented Captain Congdon and his officers with a i warmly worded testimonial. This generally suggests a happy [ voyage, but that everything was not seen through rose-coloured | spectacles will be gathered from the diary of Mr. Theo. Cooper, jf extracte from which show that there were trying times even on the | Gertrude. r | The Gertrude was ln New Zealand waters again in 1868, in I which year she visited Wellington, having sailed from London. j When crossing the line one of the apprentices, or midshipmen, as they were called, became deranged in his mind, and jumped overi board. The chief officer and four men were sent away in the life- ! boat, and they rescued the lad, but he died later from water on the : brain. The Gertrude sailed from London on February 23, and \ arrived in Wellington on June 3, 1868. Captain Dewar was.in ; command. |: "prayer under difficui/ties. ■ ' Mr. Theo. Cooper, who has been referred to, was father of the I late Sir Theo. Cooper, judge of the Supreme Court, of Mr. William Cooper and Mr. Charles Cooper, both of Auckland. Mr. Cooper, senior, was a "keen musician, and will be remembered, by old Aucklanders for the church choir he trained, and with which he used to assist at various churches, most of which were musically better off than churches are to-day. He kept an interesting diary when coming out in the Gertrude with his family, and his remarks show' how trying the overcrowded life on board an emigrant vessel 1 could.be.to people used to a more.refined way of living. _ This old diary was kept in what was evidently a Sunday school j teacher's almanac. In it there are frequent entries that show how hard it was for the little band of church-goers to hold their prayer i meetings down in the crowded 'tween decks, where many of the : other passengers seem to have taken a delight in making things as j noisy as possible. The fact that prayer meetings. were held at all j shows us how far we are in 1925 from 1863. Service is sometimes ■ held on Sundays on steamers coming out from the Old Country, but it is doubtful whether anything of the nature of the little prayer : meetings that were held, in the dark and dingy *tween decks of the I Gertrude would be possible on an emigrant ship to-day. The Gertrude sailed on November 4, 1862, and arrived at i 'Auckland on February 9, 1863. The diary starts on the first day s of 1863, and the first thing we read is: "We commence the New •; Year rather roughly, having had a noisy night. Last night we held ,' a-prayer meeting from 11 till 12. New Year's Eve was kept by { different parties in the ship. * K . When it 6truck 12 a number of . ! merry fellows made a most terrific noise, calling" out, hammering '. at a tank, and ringing the ship's bell. We patiently waited, looking l at each other in astonishment, till these gentlemen had tired themselves. We were then just retiring after having finished the hymn, i and concluded the prayer meeting, when the ship began to roll in i the most terrific manner. We all had to catch hold of each other, or anything near at hand, to save ourselves from falling head over heels. The tank took a leap across the deck, scattering all before it, and making a noise which sounded as though" the §hip was going to pieces. A tub containing the beef of the passengers, having been placed to soak for dinner next day, rolled over, scattering its contents hither and thither. The pig-sty was knocked over, and all the pigs went screaming about the ship. Four dog kennels were upset. The dogs, being large and valuable ones, were set at liberty, and to add to the confusion and alarm, began.to fight most savagely. . . _ Every now and then a ; large wave would come thundering against the _hip, shaking it as if it would break the 6ides in, and then plunge headlong down the hatches into our cabins. " Our forms gave way yesterday evening on both sides of the table, in consequence of-which we and eight other able-bodied men were obliged either to sit upon the floor during breakfast, or stand. ... More complaints against the chaxterera of the ship, the fitting 9 of our accommodation being of the slightest possible character, totally unfit for the rough weather and the rough character of those who have to use them. We now loathe our food. _*; BAD FOOD. I *' Provisions are now scarce among the passengers, they having generally consumed those they brought with them. Various articles which some few still have are at a great premium. Cheese of a very indifferent character brings 1/4 a pound. A small Dutch cheese was sold for 9/6. Small loaves, .very little larger than London penny loaves, are 6old for 6d. How we shall prize bur return to regular fare and living! The deprivation is hard to bear, but we must learn to submit and fight through it; our present . discipline is a capital introduction to future trials and hardships." $ The weather on Sunday, January 4, was too bad to allow of |. service being held on the poop, " but a good gathering of people met ' downstairs. Mr. Worker preached morning and afternoon. -In the j evening the usual prayer meeting was held, amid considerable con- | fusion, some passengers laughing, others talking, othera whistling, ! others scuffling and wrestling. t ". • . It has been a task of no very pleasant nature to attend the cook's galley, ip consequence of our exposure to the weather and the sea. We must each take our position in the line along,the deck and wait our turn, tin pot in hand, however bad the weather, or rough the sea. Many slip and lose all the tea or coffee, or upset their puddings or pies on the deck, as the footing is very insecure, arising from the dirty and filthy state of the decks. CONTRASTS. . /■ ". .. It is singular how we accommodate ouraelves to-circum--tances. Here there are those who have moved in,good society, having had all the comforts and delicacies of English life, now living with their families in a house not bigger altogether* than a small four-poster bedstead;.making their own bread and puddings; scouring the floor, tables and forms; washing the children outside the cabin; going for water with their tin-cans, patiently waiting their turn, then running off and drawing their rations of hard beef-or salt pork, butter or any other article, grumbling, at. being cheated, and getting plenty of abuse for their temerity. Some Of these people at times look cast down,. especially. the-, females. I noticed one this morning standing outside her cabin, lost an thought," looking like a statue, totally unmindful of what was going on , around, while her husband was busy in domestic matters. ' ' °'. . | ". . .We have many strange characters on board. Some are i respectable, well conducted, good, moral people, some who seem to I have been brought up by pious-parents, but now cast off all restraint, il and are leaders of frolic and/much shameless: wickedness;. some ! are rough, uncultivated country people; other! seem- like returned _ [ convicts, ready for-any wickednesa or villainy?' .. - tl _m___m __■__■_____■_________■___________________■_____________________________________________________________________________

The food was very bad, and the diarist gives an amusing account of the talks among the passengers as to what .they would . call for if they could have what they liked, and the havoc they would create in the first eating house they came across when they got ashore. i ! FISTICUFFS. " Another fight this morning between a rough Irishman and a countryman. The captain happening to come down at the time, seized both and dragged them up on the poop, placing one on either side of the ship, that their courage might be. damped in the rain." * Bad weather caused much discomfort on board, but the diary also speaks of days when the sun shone and the people were in cheerful mood. But the bad food, badly cooked, the poor accommodation, and the fact that there must have been some very " rough customers" among the immigrants; were always present. Much inconvenience seems to have been caused by the absence of any lights in the 'tween decks. There was oil on board, but the captain refused to allow the passengers to use it. He said it belonged to the ship, and was not to be used by the passengers, whd should have been provided for by the firm who sent the ship out. This may all seem very trivial, but it must have been very miserable for the unfortunate families herded together in the close quarters of the Gertrude, and the recital of their troubles reminds us how greatly travelling has improved, even in the memory of people Avho came out in this very ship. When February came round there was much excitement getting ready for the new land they had all come so many thousands of miles to seek. On the 4th a sort of farewell concert Avas held on the poop. "It was a very pleasant evening," says Mr. Cooper, who was the organiser and chairman for. the event. " The moon shone brightly and clearty, the sea was smooth as a lake, and the vessel was exceedingly steady. We shall remember the occasion as long as we live. For the first time in my life I sang a'solo, which was ' The Bay* of Biscay, 0!'" AUCKLAND AT LAST. On February 6 land was sighted near the North Cape, and freeted with " three hearty cheers, and one cheer more." Three ays later Auckland Harbour was reached. Some of the immigrants were accommodated in the Government immigration barracks, " resting on a foundation of piles driven in the beach at Freeman's Bay, so that when the tide, is in we are still on the sea." " Got up very early this morning," says the diary on February 12, 1863, " and while dressing the door was opened, in walked two natives, man and wife, their faces tattooed all over. The man had a pot of honey he wanted lis to buy. We gave the lady an old skirt, and received a nice lot of honey in exchange. . . . Looked about the toy. n, and found it a very nice place. All seem to do well. People get employment immediately if they have any trade; good wages. There seem to be no beggars, and no labouring—no one even to help us carry our box ashore. "Sunda)', 15th: Went to the Wesleyan Chapel. Found the people of the town dressed very fashionably, more so, if possible, than the general London public. . . . Auckland is a dear place; butter 2/6, cheese 1/, milk 1/ a quart, London porter 2/ per pot. " February 17: This.day is a day of mourning, on account of the wreck of the Orpheus. ... A great number of canoes anchor under our window, loaded with peaches and potatoes. Will and othera bargained for four peaches for a pin. I drew the likeness of ono of the natives. This made him laugh heartily. He took the pencil out of my hand and tried to draw one himself, but made a funny mess of it. "20th: Went to-day to Mount Eden, a volcanic mountain. Took a turn at' Government stone-breaking, as I do not want to waste time. It is tremendously hard work; earned about 1/. "22nd: Went to Mr. Cornford's anniversary. Enjoyed the service very much. It was delightful to meet with someone we had known in England, especially to hear a good sermon preached by him, after the stuff we had endured on the ship." [Next Week: Voyage of the Tyburnia.]