Shipping News

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33917, 9 August 1975, Page 17

Shipping News

Interest in earlv immigration

By

JOHN LESLIE)

The decision to erect plaques in Cathedral Square with the names of those who came out to Canterbury in the First Four Ships appears to have aroused greater in-t terest in early immigration. The writer is daily surrounded with this atmosphere. Through the office window, the Timeball Station is visible. Next door, is! a shop called the Charlotte Jane. Next door again is the Canterbury Tavern, with the Four Ships Bar and on the outside wall a mounted pat-i tern of the First Four Ships. A few yards awav, just' behind the Lyttelton Post Office, is the small monument marking the first landing place of the passengers' from the First Four Ships. Then there are some street: names, and certain Lytteltonians descended from the' passengers Several telephone callers! have recently sought infor-j mation about other ships which brought their forebears to Canterbury’. Some.! have written letters. Such I vessels are occasionally re-i ferred to in this column.; One person has suggested, in the interests of genealogy,; that last century’s passenger lists might be printed in C ‘The Press” from time to time. The Albion Line, Shawi; Savill. and the New Zealand!; Shipping Company all; poured immigrants into New ; Zealand last century. From : the records of the Albion!:

Line, before it amalgamated with Shaw Savill to combat the emerging New’ Zealand Shipping Company, comes an amusing story of the Albion Line’s sailing vessel Dunedin (incidentally, the i first vessel to take a cargo of frozen-meat from New Zealand to London, in 1882). The story is authentic, and recorded in the Albion Line’s history. In 1884. an attractive Dumbarton lass had warily wooed a handsome young painter from Glasgow,' and as a pledge of marital! affection had presented him] with a baby girl. Then to her dismay she learned that; her sweetheart was about to! proceed to New Zealand.! aboard the Dunedin. But a‘ lawyer’s warrant nipped this! in the bud. At Greenock, she saw the! Sherrif Officer, who went aboard and told the youngj swain — who was casually! chatting with some new friends — that he would; have to go ashore and be; locked up. Captain Whitson, the same shipmaster who took the first cargo of frozen meat from Otago, talked to the couple, and thought them both worthy of eachi other. He suggested that they get! married by special licence —; and gave them a day or so|: to be aboard. The couplet made up their minds in 10 j; minutes, the Sherrif-' Substitute married them, and 1 ; saw them step aboard before;

sailing, the man with his happy wife and little child. The gallant Captain Whitson had made arrangements tc receive them, by changing berths from single quarters to married quarters. Tht little child is hardly likely to be still alive today, but probably has New Zealand decendents. It is a happy story, and also illustrates what a fascinating hobby tracing one’s ancestry can be. ARRIVALS Vishva Chetana (11.50 a.m.), 8119. Capt. K. Venkataramiah. Napier (NMA). DEPARTURES Area (9.30 a.m.), 12.222. Napier • Shell). (Tanker.) Silver Fern ( ). 5027, Capt. Chen Sin Kwang. Timaru (N.S.S.). EXPECTED ARRIVALS Recife Maru. Wellington, todav. Rangatira, Wellington, today. Aegis Beauty, Plclon, August 10. Rangatira. Wellington. August 10. Anyuy, Dunedin, August 10 (Tanker). lonic. Auckland, August 11. Coastal Trader. Auckland August 11 Rangatira. Wellington. August Hamiiion, Marsden Point. August 12. (Tanker.) Straat Frazer. Wellington, Aug- [ ust 13. Erne, Marsden Point, August 13 I (Tanker). ■ Hobart Star. Auckland. August 13. i Podgora, Dunedin. August 13. . Holmdale. Chathams. August 13. Union Sydney. Dunedin. August 14 j Laurentic, New Plymouth, ! August 14. Ngakuta. Dunedin, August 15. ■ Union Wellington, Auckland, , August 15. Madison Lloyd, Wellington. • August 15. PROJECTED DEPARTURES : Rangatira, Wellington, today. I (Daylight.) • Rangatira. Wellington. August 10. Rio Amazonas. Tauranga, August • Rockhamnton Star. , August 11. I Coastal Trader. Dunedin. August • Rangatira, Wellington, August i Beauty. Shanghai. August Hamilton, Dunedin, August 13. (Tanker.) Hobart Star, Dunedin, August 13. i Anyuy, Japan, August 13. : Vishva Chetana, Dunedin. August I 13. (Recife Maru, Dunedin, August I 14. • Union Sydney. Wellington, August 14. I Erne. Dunedin, August 14 (Tanker). Union Wellington, Wellington. August 15. Podgora. Auckland, August 15 Straat Frazer, Napier. August 15. VESSELS IN PORT Rockhampton Star, No. 1 Cashin Quay. Rio Amazonas, G.P.E. I Vishva Chetana. No. 7 East. CONTAINERS The following containers are. now available at E Shed: ACT 4 V 2272: INTU 2482907. Austral Envoy Via: FRLL 7632620, FAAA 7601772, FAAA 7600971. Columbus California Vl4:i SUDU 2306149.