Huia May Have Visited Greymouth For Last Time

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 October 1948, Page 4

Huia May Have Visited Greymouth For Last Time

Holder of the record for a Tasman crossing , under sail, the auxiliary schooner Huia, after 54 years’ service in the inter-colonial trade, is to be sold by her owners, the Nobel Explosive Company, and the ship has probably made her last visit to Greyinouth with explosives for mining and other industries. For .over half a'century the little vessel has’ carried to almost every port in Australia, explosives which, if lumped together, would “give a fright to a sizeable atom bomb,” and most certainly would be sufficient ..to wreck a large city. It was a lucky design that made the Huia the fastest sailing vessel oh the Tasman crossing, and her record passage in 1895 from Sydney to Kaipara, North Auckland, of four days six hours, has never been beaten. Captain M. W. Monaghan, who visited Grey mouth as master of the explosives vessel Piri earlier this week, was a former captain of the Huia, and he has described the history of the schooner. All the timber used for building the Huia, he said, was specially picked from .the kauri bush by the builder, Mr James Barbour, who built the schooner, without plans, from an attractive model.

Builder’s Fate

Strangely enough, recalled Captain Monaghan, the builder, Mr Barbour, disappeared when sailing on the maiden voyage of a successor to the Huia. This was the White Wings, which went missing with all hands, after great hopes had been entertained that she would eclipse the performances of the Huia. Originally built for the timber trade, the Huia is about 130 gross tons and 125 ft overall. She was originally rigged with the inner jib set on the fore-topmast stay and the outer jib on afore-topgallant stay. Now the vessel is rigged as a fore and aft schooner. During the war topsails and yards were taken down, but even now she has a good turn of speed and is capable of making 10 knots.

One event in the Huia’s career was an attempt to salvage bullion from the passenger liner Elingamite, which sank near the Three Kings during a storm, but this was marked with tragedy, the diver losing his life. Because its wooden sides eliminated the danger of friction and heat engendered in the hold of a steel vessel, the Huia was purchased in 1912 by the Nobel Explosive Company, Australia, to carry dangerous cargoes to New Zealand and other Pacific ports.

Meticulous Precautions

Meticulous precautions against fire have to be taken aboard the Huia when it carries its cargo of 200 tons of gelignite and dynamite, for the disaster that followed the explosion of a powder ship off Port St John, Newfoundland, when the city was nearly destroyed, is still fresh in memory. Aboard the Huia. the 501 b wooden cases of explosives are wrapped in waterproof sheeting and specially wedged together to prevent them from shifting in rough weather. Fire precautions for the crew, who receive danger pay when explosives are aboard, include the wearing of bagging over boots to prevent sparks and the prohibition of smoking on deck when the hatches are uncovered. While explosives are being worked, the cook cannot use the galley fire, but must work over a special oil stove. When converted for use as an explosive ship, the Huia’s petrol engine had to be replaced by a kerosene burner. Though it has nevei' had an accident with its dangerous cargo, the Huia has lost several seamen overboard, and there have been some remarkable escapes from drowning in rough seas. The present master, Captain J. Drummond, who rose to that position from ship’s boy, was knocked overboard when Captain Monaghan was in command, but was fortunate enough to- grasp a buoy flung overboard. Slipping quietly into Greymouth several times a year for the past 30 or more years, the Huia has not attracted much public attention, but it has remained an unending source of interest to small boys and youths, at least. Even after 50 years’ service the Huia is still seaworthy—a tribute to the workmanship in the early days of the wooden ship-building industry in New Zealand.