OBITUARY

Evening Star, Issue 16519, 3 September 1917, Page 6

OBITUARY

CAPTAIN STRANG. • With true regret wo announce the death of Captain E-obert Strang. A kidney complaint troubled him for some time. Within the last two or three years if took a sorious form, and two months ago it was deemed necessary to remove him to the Chalet Hospital to undergo an operation. Ho afterwards seemed to improve a little, but on Saturday a relapse set in, and ho died at 4.30 yesterday afternoon. The whole community will mourn his loss, for he was distinguished in his profession and instinctively a gentleman. Robert Strang was born at Glasgow on the 3rd June, 1850, and went first to Hutchinson's Hospital School, where he won the dux prize, and afterwards entered the Glasgow High School in John street, an establishment that touches at the back the celebrated Andersonian University. Mr H. Maxwell (Registrar of Births, etc.) was at this High School at the same time, and says: " Strang was taught mathematics by' Professor Bryce, father of the American Ambassador, and took to that branch of learning with amazing success. There were 960 matriculated students in the school at the time, and Strang whipped them all at mathematics by carrying off the Napier gold medal—a prize left in perpetuity by Admiral Napier. As an arithmetician. Strang was a wonder. When a problem in vulgar fractions was set on the blackboard lie never wrote down the question, but jus* showed the answer on his slate. When the Hon. James Bryce visited Dunedin wo both called on him and had a talk with him about his father."

After leaving school young Strang went to sea. He was not bred to it. His father is said to have been a farmer. But it was the lad's fancy to become a sailor, and he was apprenticed to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, being placed for his initiation on the ship Robert Henderson. He afterwards served en the Oamaru and the Canterbury, and was always regarded as a clever navigator and a rising man. It is related that on one voyage the skipper died whilst they wero crossing the Indian Ocean, and the mate took the vessel into Capo Town, and there had to go ashoro through illness. Robert Strang was second officer, <ind, realising the need of saving time, ho promptly sssumed charge and sailed tho ship to "England, boing heartily thanked bv the owners for his prompt action. The late Hon. J. A. Millar, when a boy, was an apprentice on a ship of which Robert Strang was chief officer and Hercules Anderson (afterwards marine superintendent at Dunedin for the Shaw-Savill Company) was master. On that ship and others "it used to bo noted that Mr Strang always did marvellous time in his reckoning of the position. His mathematical knowledge came to his aid. It was while mate of the Canterbury that he was first married. This was at Dunedin, Dv Stuart officiating. His bride was Miss Jean Murray, daughter of Mr Andrew Murray, of Bressy, Shetland. The newly-wedded pair went to live in Scotland, where four children wore born to them. Captain Strang then sailed out of Scottish ports as master of the ship Lyttelton, in which vessel he made seven" voyages. In her he took to London tho first direct shipment of Marlborough produce. Coming to Otago on one of those trips, he settled in the Dominion, and joined the Union Steam Ship Company. He vras engaged to brintr out the Taupe—the second of tho Union Company's steamers to carry that name. Ihis was tho steamer that was lost at Greymouth in 1900. Captain Strang did not command her after her arrival fnNew Zealand. Captain M'Coll was appointed to that duty, and some other captain was in charge when she got wrecked. Captain Strang stayed on shore, and was made wharfinger at Dunedin, and after two years was transferred in a similar capacity to Wellington. In 1895, Captain Cameron being sent Home to superintend the building of vessels for the company, Captain Strang was appointed to succeed mm as marine superintendent. When Captain Cameron returned to this country there was somo exchanging of positions between the two for a while, but Captain Strang continued to be attached to tho head office till he retired in May of 1914, on account of his health, and "was granted 12 months' leave. Ho .was in Scotland when the war broke out, and ho returned as far as Sydney by wnv of Suez as a passenger on the Limerick. After reaching Dunedin he settled down ashore and lived at Roslyn. He tools a lively interest in church work, being an elder of the Roslyn Presbyterian Church and vice-president of tho Y.M.C.A. His second wife, who was the widow of_ Mr Neil Macaulay, survives tho captain, and she has one daughter by her first husband.

By the first marriage there -were foui sons and one daughter. The daughter is the wife of the Rev. T. Miller, of Feilding. Tho sons are : Robert, who is serving with the Australian Expeditionary Force; Andrsw, a dentist at Rangiora; John, an engineer in the Union Company's employ, his home in Sydney; and Walter, who was in Paterson and Barr's service here, and wont away with tho 29th* Reinforcements.

A httlo over a year ago Captain Strang met with an accident at St. Clair, a pieco of rock falling on him as he and his wife wore walking on tho second beach. It was deemed serious at the time, but he got over it.

At the Roslyn Presbyterian Church Inst night the Rev. W. Gray-Dixou made sympathetic reference to the subject, saying that Captain Strang's religion, liko that of many seafaring Christians, was simple, •thorough, practical, and unmistakable! and so true- and human, expressing itself in a continual going about doing good, that no man, whatever his opinion, could fail to admire it, and it was no wonder that the captain was one of whom everyone spoke well.