VETERAN MARINER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20959, 24 August 1931, Page 11

VETERAN MARINER.

DEATH AT NINETY-FOUR.

CAPTAIN JOHN KINGDON.

MEMORIES OF THE CRIMEA. At the age of 94 there died yesterday Captain John Kingdon, of Albany, a veteran mariner, who in his early days had even more than the usual share of adventure that falls to the lot of those that "do business in great waters." Born in Devon three months before the death of William IV., be could make the rare boast of having lived in the reigns of four British sovereigns.

Captain Kingdon took to the sea very early in life, ancPat the age of 11 maue a voyage to Quebec in a sailing ship. At the age of 15 he became an apprentice on the Argo, an auxiliary steamship of 1850 tons. In 1853 she made a new record by running from Southampton to Melbourne in 63 days and sh e brought back with her the largest shipment of gold that had so far left the country.

Captain Kingdon was an officer on the Argo when she was in commission as a transport taking troops to the Crimea. Off Scutari she was run into by a French

vessel and bad to be beached opposite the Scutari Hospital. She was repaired and on her return journey had among her passengers the famous Florence Nightingale, who was returning to England after two most strenuous years' nursing on the peninsula. In the following year, 1857, Captain Kingdon made his first trip to New Zealand in the George Canning, a vessel of only 411 tons, which brought out immigrants to Otago. He subsequently made other trips to New Zealand, and in 1862, when shipping was experiencing a slump in Great Britain, he decided to settle in the colony. Soon after his arrival at Auckland he obtained charge of a cutter which was running to the Great Barrier under the ownership of the Great Barrier Land and Mining Company, which was at that time employing 100 men on the island. He later went to the Hauraki district prospecting and mining. When the Thames goldfield was opened Captain Kingdon took up a claim i.t Hape Creek and had alongside him as a neighbour the famous Von Tempsky, one of the Maori War heroes. Leaving the goldnelds later, he returned to seafaring and was master of different coasters and scows until about 25 years ago, when he retired and settled down at Albany. In ISI7, however, at the age of 80, he emerged from his retirement to answer the call for sailors and certificated mariners in the busy days of the war, and made two trips between Whangarei and Australia as second mate on a timber-carry-ing vesseL Except for the fact that he was hard of hearing Captain Kingdon preserved, his faculties in a remarkable manner and enjoyed very good health until shortly tiefore his death. He is survived by his wife, who is aged about 77 years.