THE DAYS OF SAIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17, 21 January 1933, Page 4

THE DAYS OF SAIL.

EARLY COASTAL STEAMERS.

WRECK OF THE WHITE SWAN.

(By THE LOOK-OUT MAN.)

One of the first steamers to ply on the New Zealand coast was the White Swan, which ran between Onehunga and Lyttelton, via way ports of New Plymouth, .Nelson and Wellington, in 1858. She was 330 tons and 72 horsepower, with accommodation for 40 first-class and 90 steerage passengers. The White Swan was chartered by the New Zealand Government from her owner, a Mr. Kirkwood, of Adelaide, at a cost of £6000 per annum, the contract being for two years. She earned on with this run for some time in ISSB and then changed her run to the Edit Coast, running between Auckland, Napier and Wellington, but was still under charter to the Government.

Even earlier steamers were the Stormbird and the Wonga Wonga, sister ships, of 67 net tonnage, built on the Clyde. In 1854 the Wonga Wonga was. bought by an Auckland firm and was employed on the West Coast- Later she changed hands, being sold to a new company, the Wellington Steam Navigation Company. She was rigged as a brig with two masts and yards on each. She was not fast and her boiler was replaced by a new one built in England. With this she steamed wen. At this time the trouble with the Maoris at Taranaki became acute, and the Wonga was chartered by the provincial Government to run dispatches between Onehunga and New Plymouth at a, fee of £60 per day. She was kept, going hard and great secrecy was maintained about her movements. Wonga Wonga as Dispatch Boat. The Wonga Wonga took a prominent part in the war with the Maoris. On one occasion it was decided to storm a pa lying to the south of New Plymouth. Some of the troops marched along the beach and the guns were dragged by bullock teams, while the officers and the bulky ammunition were put aboard the Wonga Wonga. The Maoris saw the steamer, but they had no knowledge of her guns, or the approach of the troops. At early daybreak the steamer stood close in and unloaded her officers and ammunition. The pa was assaulted and captured after a short but fierce fight. The Wonga Wonga's earnings in the work not only paid the cost of the new boiler, but the profits enabled her owners to buy another boat, the s.s. Stormbird. This boat was also chartered by the Government for dispatch work. She was owned by a Mr. John Jones, of Dunedin, and commanded by Captain Mundle, and the Wonga by Captain Kenner.

After the Maori War both boats went back to the ranks of commercial vessels. The Stormbird was a screw-driven boat and made fairly good time for those days. The White Swan on her run from Auckland to Wellington came into competition with the Stormbird. On June 27, 1802, the Stormbird lay alongside the White Swan in Napier. Captain Harper, of the White Swan, and Captain Mundle, of the Stormbird, made a wager as to whio.i vessel would make the quickest run to Wellington. Wreck of the White Swan. The White Swan had on board 65 passengers, nearly all Government officials and . their families; also many records which were being taken to Wellington :a connection with the removal of the seat of Government from Auckland to Wellington. On Saturday, June 27, 1862, the White Swan sailed from Napier, and the Stormbird followed on Monday, the 29th. The Stormbird hugged the coast as close as possible. Passing Flat Point a nre was seen on the beacli and some discussion took place on board the Stormbird as to its cause, but it was generally agreed that shepherds from the adjoining station were camped there. When the Stormbird arrived at Wellington their first question was: "What time did the Swan get in?" They were told that sne had not arrived. Shortly after word was sent to the Stormbird to keep her steam up. as the White Swan was ashore. Extra coal was taken on, also bedding, provisions and a staff of stewards, and she set on for the wreck and took aboard all the passengers. The White Swan had strucK an outlying reef off Flat Point and had torn a big hole in her bottom. *It was due to the efforts of her engineer, wno kept the pumps going and the water down, that enabled the White Swan to be beached. The fire had been built by the shipwrecked crew to attract the Stormbird e attention. That was the end of the While Swan. The Wonga Wonga was wrecked off Greymouth in 1866. The Stormbird is reported to be still afloat and is one of the oldest steamers in Australia and New Zealand, being built in Bristol m 1854 -In 1883 she was cut in two and lengthened, and is in every way a notable vessel.

Early Thames Steamers. Soon after the Thames goldfield was discovered in June, 1867, the richness of some of the finds, notably the Caledonia, attracted a large number of miners and others. Transport was the difficulty, ana a fleet of fairly swift steamers, for those days, was attracted to the run. In 1868 the regular steamers included the p.s. Alfred, 130 tons, Captain Alex l<arquliar, who afterwards had the s.s. Kotomahana and p.s. Wakatere; the p.s. Duke of Edinburgh, 51 tons, Captain Mackenzie; s.s. Tauranga, 67 tons, Captain Sellars; p,6, Favourite, 50 tons, Captain Adams; p.s. Lady Bowen, 30 tons, Captain Cunningham; p.s. Enterprise No. 2, 45 tons, Captain Seon; s.s. Halcyon, 27 tons, Captain Wing. The Wairuna—Moonah Collision. The case of the collision in Auckland Harbour on the night of March 10, 1908, when the ketch Moonah was struck and sunk by the s.s. Wairuna near the H.M.c.s. Tris, caused a lot of interest at the time. The Moonah, an 86-ton ketch, was owned by the Northern Coal Company, and was coming up the harbour with a northerly wind. The s.s. Wairuna was outward bound, and sti-uck the ketch almost amidships on the port side, and sank her, carrying away her mainmast. The cost of raising and putting the Moonah back in commission was stated to be £1800. Joseph Sylvera was master of the Moonah, and was at the wheel, and James Robertson was master of the Wairuna. The trial was a long one. The first verdict of the Nautical Court was in favour of the Wairuna, the collision being adjudged to be due to the negligent navigation of the master of the Moonah, but a rehearing was obtained by the Northern Coal Company, claiming £1946 for damages sustained to the Moonah, and after a protracted hearing the first verdict was upset, and the jury returned a unanimous verdict against the Wairuna's owners, and in favour of the Moonah. Wreck of Local Traders. The Northern Coal Company was unfortunate in losing their schooner Zior, which, loaded with coal from Whangarei, went ashore on Takatu Point, and became a total wreck. She was built at Omaha in 1872, only three miles from where she was wrecked. Zior was 76ft long, 19ft beam and 7ft 9in deep. A collision occurred in January, 1904, between the s.s. Wellington and the barque Manurewa off the King's wharf. The Manurewa was adjudged to blame, as she was anchored in the fairway too near to the wharf. About the same time the cutter Gipsy foundered when on her way down from Whangarei to Auckland, in charge of i Captain Jackson, of Mahurangi Heads, who, together with the mate, had only enough time to get into the dinghy as it floated off the deck of the sinking cutter. They pulled in towards Bream Tail and were later picked up by the s.s. Kotiti (Captain E. Wann), bound for Waipa. The Gipsy was 27 tons, and was built at Mahurangi in 1875.