OBITUARY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17974, 29 June 1920, Page 5

OBITUARY.

CAPTAIN .TOHN M'DONALD,

The death on Sunday morning of Captain John McDonald has removed a pioneer who for many years piloted vessels in and out of Otago Harbour. He was a practical seaman, a capable pilot, and an official who enjoyed the fullest confidence of visiting ship, masters. Ho'ehw New Zealand grow from tho shipping point of view. About 10 years ago he retired from active eervioe, «nd latterly resided in Dunedin. As an A.B. Mt M'Donald left the Clyde m 1865 in the ship Peter Denny, arriving at Port Chalmers in September of that year. After the ship had been towed into the liar'xjux, he and several others deserted, nsing their sea chests lashed together as a raft, and landed at Rocky Point. He and five others made their way Uirough tho bush to Dunedin,' thence on to Waipori to try their luck at gold digging. Returning to Dunedin, Mr M'Donald joined tho steamer Geelong. The Geelong was coasting, and it was customary in those days to fire a signal gun when approaching Oamaru before daylight. On that trip tho Gcelowr arrived oft Onmaru before daylight, and Mr Hart, the mate of the vessel, found himself short of the paper used when ramming the charge into the gun. Captain Turnbull supplied a handful of paper from his pocket. When daylight broke a £1 note was found near the muzzle of tho gun, and the master discovered then that in the darkness ho had given the mate the passage money of the passento "wad" the gun. Next year Mr M'Donald left the Geelong, and went gold' digging on the West Coast, where the juutgess, Kelly, Levy, Sullivan gang of bushrangers were then operating. As the search for gold did not come up to expectations, Mr M'Donald quitted the diggings and joined the little steamer William Misken. After six months he transferred to the Geelong again, and while ho was on her she was chartered by the Provincial Government for a trip to Martin's Bay, where it was proposed to form a settlement. The late Mr James Macxndrew was one of the official party. Afterwards the Provincial Government chartered the'G-eelong as a tug for Otago Harbour. Her first trip to Port Chalmers in that capacity was oh Christmas Day, 1867, and the following day she ac+ed as flagship for the Boxing Day regatta. The yachts sailing on that regatta day included the Champion, owned by Mr Burke, and sailed by Captain Alexander M'Kinnon. Mr 'G. Mason sailed tho 'Royal Albert, and Jackson Bros, the Three Brothers. A numbeT of Maori boats competed at the races that season. On New Tear's Day tho Geelong ran an excursion to the Kaik, and next day started towing. The heaviest galo known to local shipping at that time blew in 1365, when the ships Star of Tasmania; and the Water Nymph were driven ashore, at Oamaru. Two days afterwards tie Geelong went to Oamaru for the crews of th\s wrecked vessels. Another notable shipping event that year was the launching of the floating dock at Port Chalmers.

Mr M'Donald became master of the Geelong, and was promoted to the position of pilot, the duties of which position he discharged satisfactorily for a long period. When boarding a 1 vessel in bad weather 20 years ago Pilot M'Donald sustained severe injuries, from the effects of which he never quite recovered. He was sailing master on dredge 404 for about a year after retiring from tho pilot service. ' °

.Captain M'D-eaiald is survived fey his widow and a jpown-up family of two eons and one daugner. As a mark of respect to the deceased flags were flown at half-mast at th« officcs of the Otago Harbour Board yesterday.