LAST VOYAGE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 176, 27 June 1932, Page 4

LAST VOYAGE

the southern cross

NEARLY 30 YEARS’ SERVICE. Sirin of the Melanesian Mission, the Stream .until such time as heiofg can find a buyer for her. The shßh the fifth of the same name operatea by the mission, will as a vessel which .faithfully r d Church for a period of nearly ye it S was early in 1900 that Bishop Cecil Wilson, who had Bishop John Selwyn as Bishop of M nesia, issued a strong appealforane ship. Despite the fact that England was at war with the Boers i Africa, the appeal did not fall l *P deaf cars, and the Archbishop of Can terbury warmly commended it to tn whole Church of Eng and.” At the samo time five admirals and two chap lains of the British Navy issued a joint appeal “to the Commnnders-in-Chier and Flag Officers in command of stations,” tlio following extract from the appeal indicating tire high esteem in which the mission was held by the naval authorities pf . that day : “Thoro is no other mission that is so much mixed up with the navy. J late Bishop John Selwyn, m heart a sailor as well as a missionary, w well known and loved by many,, naval men, and -himself loved sailors. SIXPENNY SHARES IN SHIP. , Bishop Wilson worked untiringly in his efforts to secure funds for the new ship. As part of his scheme lie issued 250,000 sixpenny shares in the new Southern Cross. Although ir was the bishop’s intention that these shares should he taken up by Sunday school children large parcels were bought up by adult congregations, in Sydney two parishes took up 10UU sixpenny shares each. , It was at first estimated that the new ship would cost about ±,Io,U(JU and Bishop Wilson appealed for £12,003, it being hoped that the sale of the Southern Cross No. 4 would, realise an additional £2OOO. Within 12 months £BOOO had been subscribed, including £2500 in Australia and £2OOO in New Zealand. By September of

the following 3 “ qqq an( j when the swelled failed to find a suitable authorities had fail or tons ship a + v 7f!{he mission decided to was wanted “V to England to send representa,! dh Qf a ncw supervise tne

steamer . -nrT-nTECT’S DESIGN. NAA AL * ' w hen the fund In January, fMSOOO, Bishop Wilstood at . nea w^ c i an d’ Seven months son left lor con tract for the later he signed g Armstrong, new skip with > • at jj ew eastleWhitworth and - The plans wer o on-Tyne, for £2O,UUU. r i a drawn up by j was advised as to naval architect, nho ' n design and The bishop , tad to be pruned down original P lans t hat the cost should nofeSed £20,000. On February 11, Among tbo so ass i ste d in the planmirals who anc } the Bishop of Wellington representing the New Wellington, l The vessel was th * B lS<xf a“Tthi«-m»st<!d barqupriS'sS.™ B czr:»fi*a f ;?n ?p°p»t d .nce. SS on tain Sinker, and reached Auckland on August 27, having come cut by way of Die Cape of Good Hope. From here she went to Norfolk Island, which m those days was tin headquarters of the ’"Only''two masters have had command of the Southern Cross in her trips to the Islands. On the vessel s first voyage Captain Sinker was accompanied liv Fantsin R. o. Hammond, who acted P as pilot- After eight years Captain Sinker was succeeded by Captain A. H. W. Burgess, his chief mate, who Iras been in charge of the On "her voyage just ended the Southern Cross covered just over /000 miles. “There was nothing eventful about our farewell trip,” said Captain Burgess. “When among the Banks Islands the ship encountered the tail end of a cyclone and was forced to run for shelter, a delay of four days resulting.”