THE KING OF ITALY, AND OTHER SHIPS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 180, 1 August 1925, Page 27

THE KING OF ITALY, AND OTHER SHIPS.

Odd lots of passengers came out in other ships, and one of the last batches was that which arrived by the King of Italy, a craft of 1363 tons, built, like the Matilda Wattenbach, at Bremen! The King of Italy, in command of Captain Meredith, left London on June 4, 1865, and reached Auckland on September 6, a passage of 93 days. She brought out 29 saloon, 50 second cabin,'and 115 in the steerage, the greater number of whom came out under the auspices of the Association. The passage illustrates the terrible conditions under which people travelled in those days. During the passage a disease called choleraic diarrhoea broke out, and 70 or 80 passengers went down with it. The ship's doctor considered that the outbreak might have arisen from bad provisions or bad water, and he mentioned that the accommodation was not nearly adequate. There were four deaths on the voyage, one adult and three children, but the-children died from bronchitis before the epidemic started. The fact that the death rate was so low shows that prompt steps were taken to deal with the trouble. By the time the ship reached Auckland all the patients were convalescent, and she was not ordered into quarantine, much to the relief of the passengers. . .

Other Albertlanders came out in the Ironsides, the Surat, and the Ida Zeigler, but the voyages that have been dealt with in some detail were the main ones with which the history of Albertland is concerned.