THE DAYS OF SAIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20864, 5 May 1931, Page 12

THE DAYS OF SAIL.

r AT SEA IN THE "'SEVENTIES

AUCKLANDER'S EXPERIENCES

HARD LIFE BEFORE MAST. CAREER FULL OF INCIDENT. Old salts who served before the mast in the stirring times when the clipper ships were at fhe height of their fame belong to a race of hardy seafarers .which is rapidly passing away. Much has been written about the glory of the wonderful ships which raced from China with the first tra cargoes of the year and of the rivalry between the early colonial clippers, /but it. is a rare thing to come across one of the old sea dogs who sailed in company with such famous vessels as the Cutty Sark and the Thermopylae in the seventies. One of these survivors of the days of the tall ships is Mr. T. "Watson, now lesident in Auckland, who, at the age of 72, is a striking example of the hardness and virility of the men •who manned the ships at a time when ihere was little romance at sea, at least for those who did the work.

Mr. Watson, who has a very clear recollection df his early days in sail, first ■went to sea at the age of eight., aboard his father's brig, carrying coal to France. After twelve months of this life he was placed in the care of a French merchant and his wife at Havre and for two years he went to school in France, learning to speak the Innguago fluently. About n month before the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when all British subjects were sent out of France, lie was returned to his home. For the next year, he again went to sea with his father arid at (he ago of fourteen was sent to the Bristol training ship Formidable at Portishead, to be trained for liis life's work. Then in 1875 he was apprenticed for three years to the barque G. P. Pay/ant belonging to Swansea. She was , a short, wide old vessel and •very slow and in his three years in her the inado but three voyages. A Gruelling Task. The first of these voyages was to St. Ivitfs (St. Christopher), in the West Indies, where they spent eight weeks loading raw sugar and rum. This loading, which was carried out in the roadstead, there being no wharves at that time, involved very hard work for the crew. The sugar, in hogsheads, each weighing about 16cwt., was brought out in surf boats and four men using a " dolly" winch heaved it on board. This was a gruelling task and went on from daylight /to dark. There were compensations, however. Rum could be purchased for sixpence a bottle " and very good runi it was," said Mr. Watson with a wistful and reminiscent air. Leaf tobacco was obtainable at one shilling a pout id. The jwgar was stowed by negroes who sang chanties and melodies as they worked.

The voyage was a fascinating experience for the young sailor. The second voyage /Was full of incident and occupied twenty i/ionths out and back. Sailing for Iquique, in Chile, West Coast of South America, with a cargo of coal, the barque met gales and contrary winds and was nine weeks in getting round the liorn. She ran out of fresh meat, fresh water and lud little of anything else left and as a result ten out of the crew of fifteeiV lay up with scurvy. Thus five men," the captain, mate, second mate, tho cook and Mr. Watson, were left to work the/vessel round the Horn and for a further two months until she reached licr port/ Crew Busy at Pumps. All took turns at the wheel and when the cook was doing his trick, Mr. Watson ran the galley. Some of the men were so bad that they had to be fed with a sj)ooit. The barque drifted south until she was among the ice with no wind. Niyne of the skeleton crew were confident that they would see land again.' At" Iquique she could not get a cargt). as she was too small, being of only -?£oAlons and shippers would not give her a load of saltpetre as she leaked so badly. ; She was therefore sent north to Meiiliones, but not before the crew had spent a month gathering stone ballast along the coast with one of the ship's boats. The short voyage occupied a month and the vessel lay another month awaiting a cargo of guano. Loading was spread over four months. The return voyage occupied 5 months and 20 days to Queenstown and'the barque had to be towed to London as she was leaking badly. During this trip the crew were at the pumps for an average of six hours out of the 24. The third voyage was to South America for a load of Inns and on his return Mr. Wat son was paid off at Dublin. After a/short spell in coasters the young seaman went into the blue-water ships, signing on tho famous Superb for a voyage to Australia. This vessel was a threeskvsail, yarder of 1422 tons and carried a 'crew of 65, including 12 midshipmen. The main incident of the round voyage was the ra<:e with the clipper Salamis. The two vessels left Melbourne, then known as Port. Sandridge, on the same day, but the Salamis, which Mr. Watson describes as a long, narrow-built thing like a yacht, beat them home by a week. Trips in Cable Steamer.

"We used to think it smart to get a berth on a fast ship, hut we had to work about twice as hard and the money was not so good," said Mr. Watson. "1 often 1 lied to get on the Cutty Sark and the Thermopylae, hut was not successful. The crews, when they were paid off at the end of the voyage, often left their papers villi Uio ihip so as to he sure of signing on again. 1 have been in company with the Thermopylae at sea and she was a fiier with a breeze. She could simply ■wall; away from other vessels and could do 17 or 13 knots with the wind abeam or fin the (inart.er and all sails pulling."

In more recent years Mr. Watson served in scows out of Auckland and has made f>i\ trips 6n the cable steamer Iris. One df his most vivid memories is tlie collision in the English Channel between the barque Largo Bay, on which he was serving, and the steamer Gleneoe. The Glenroc ran them down on a clear night in February. 1889, and was so damaged that she sank with all hands, the escaping steam blowing up the decks as she went down. '1 lie Gleneoe had a crew of 65, including 25 Chinese firemen, and these ■were lost, together with two first-class Liverpool pi'ots. The Largo Hay remaineO afloat, although the starboard bow was stove in and the foremast was swinging dangerously As he was afraid that the bulkhead would give way the captain ordered the crew into the boat. The boat was dangerously loaded with the crew of 22 and a stowaway, and as she was making water in a half gale of wind the, captain decided to return to the ship. Shortly afterwards the foremast went by i!h> hoard. Next morning the steam collier Urpeth came up and agreed to tow the barque to Southampton for £2OOO. The whole day was occupied towing the Largo -'Hay stern first to Southampton "Waters, which were reached at 10.30 p.m. She was filled with a new bow and new foremast at . a cost of £3500 and resumed her voyage to Auckland. The only trace ever fouii/1 of the Glencae was ono lifebuoy which was picked up on the French i coast.