A WHALER'S MEMORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19991, 6 July 1928, Page 15

A WHALER'S MEMORIES.

BT LONEHANDEB.

AUCKLAND'S MISFORTUNES.

SUCCESSIVE VENTURES FAIL.

LAST OF THE BRIG MAUKIN.

BEACHED TO AVOID FOUNDERING

In going through old records one can Teid that Auckland merchant* did mnch to encourage tho whaling business, bnt it was not before 1852 that an Aucklandowned vessel left the port. At; that time Tasmania had many fine vessels that called Hobarfc Town their home port. This fleet had been built tip since 1830, when Hobart started with omi little brig. lAucklanders thought that if the Tasroanians could build up a fleet in a. few years why Dot they, and the Mauk:n, a brig of about, 110 tone, earned by Mr. W. S. Grahame and commanded by Captain Eames, was sent ont to try her lack, which from the start was bad. The little ship never had half a chance. •For a fortnight after leaving port heavy gather prevailed, and finally wonnd np '.with a heavy gale from tho South Seas. "During the height of the gads when the brig was on tho point of foundering. Captain Eames put sail on and jammed h'Sr hard and fast on the beach in Sandy Bay, near the North Cape of New Zcal?tnd. This wise move saved the lives of the crew, save that of one man, who foolishly jumped overboard us soon as t'te vessel struck, and was never seen again. The crew obeyed the Bkipper and kept to the rigging until the tide had ebbed sufficiently to allow them. a foothold, otherwise many more lives -would have been lost. Thus it was that the fir .it whaling venture came to an end. The Prince Edward. The next attempt comes within the range of personal recollection. This was laade by the brig Prince Edward, owned by Captain Butler, of Mangonui, and she lsft some time in the early sixties. Captain Edwards, a very lucky skipper, was in charge, but on this occasion; his former g;ood fortune failed him and no profit was derived from the venture. However,, enterprise was not lacking, and the brig was refitted. This time she sailed with Captain Cook as master, who, after a, n ; ne months' cruise, returned with 80 barrels of sperm oil. A negligible return. This continued streak of ill-luck put a ■stop to whale-hunting for a while, but in 1872 interest was again aroused, and the barque Adventure, Captain Kelly, 3efc <Dut in quest of fortune, but the cruising' of the Adventure was a failure, and she Boon quitted the business. Some time later another ship called the Albion was purchased and left port tin charge of Captain Hall, stid the same story was told again of bad luck, or whatever it is that prevents man from getting oil. However, the Albion soon followed the other whalers out of the business. One would think by that time that whaling would have been considered a bad spec " —but enterprise was not yet satisfied, and a company was formed called the Magellan Whaling Company. Magellan Cloud's Ventures.

The brigantine Magellan Cloud 1 was equipped in first-class style .and sent off tinder the command of Captain Hoxie, but after a five months' cruise she returned without securing a gallon of oil. Still money was forthcoming for a further venture and on January 6, 1876, the Magellan Cloud left Russell in charge of Captain Irving. (This is ths Bomb-gun Ned I have written of, go called for his skill with the bomb-gun.) An article referring to the Magellan Cloud's first successlnl voyage has already appeared, so it will be sufficient to say that Captain Irving and his Russell crew filled the little ship to the hatches with oil and brought both ship and cargo safely back to port.

The Magellan Cloud was the smallest three-boat ship that ever swung three fully-equipped whaleboats ready for instant lowering and carried them outboard in all weather. Never once during her career as a whaler while I served on 'her were her boats taken in-board, although first-class American whaleships lost their boats while battling the same gales. Her second voyage began on January 22, 1877, and nine months later she returned with everything full. Even the empty'beef casks were coopered and filled with oil, to fill spare space:!. Yet for all that the Magellan Cloud had made her last voyage as a whaler, for I myself had the job of removing the whaling gear (boats, davits, etc.) and after loading her ■with coal came on her to Auckland with ber old whaling skipper as master. That the last I saw of my first ship. A Wreck at Haapai.

The first Wanaka was running then and ?ffha Union Company' 3 ships were not no • grand then as they are to-day, but six of •as whalers managed to survive the accommodation on the old-time paoket until w© reached Port Chalmers and joined the • .Dnnedin whaler Splendid. From that time • I know very little of how the Auckland ■Trhalers fared. The next, ship to leave i'this port, I believe, wa3 the Especulator, -Captain Irving. This vessel was later - wrecked at Haapai, one of the Friendly Islands, and her boats and gear bought ■ cheaply by an Island trader gave him a- grand chance to start a whaling station. The officers and feoat-steerers of fche wrecked ship were engaged to do the whaling and the venture turned out fairly veil.

This fit-out was owned by a man named Middlemas, and he caught the whale fever a year before by watching the Splendid fairing whales at the same place. The trader was lucky in securing the men he did, otherwise there would have been another tale of misfortune.

It was not from the want of ships or ffnpplies that Auckland failed to establish a fleet ef whaling ships. I have read the reports of different Auckland whalers and one ship's report is just a copy of the it her. They are a story of sheer bad 3iick, fho same story of unsuccessful •whale-ships of the old type no matter what country they sailed from.