THE HARBOUR FERRIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19941, 8 November 1926, Page 6

THE HARBOUR FERRIES.

AN HISTORIC SERVICE. EARLY DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME. There are those who will assert that romance is dead, and there are those who will go further and say that it never existed, and who would be amazed to know that it did and does exist at our very doors. Bound up in our harbour is a wonderful romance —the romance' of the sturdy pioneers who first visualised its pos sibilities and their fight against tremendous odds to make it a waterway worthy of their adopted land. Quite as fascinatin'* is the history of the ferry-boats which have from time to time plied on the harbour. Into it is woven the story of difficulties surmounted, the making of settlements, and experiments in the most efficient typo of steamer. Sixty-seven years have passed since the first steam ferry appeared on Otago Harbour, and now we see the method of transport which opened up and, indeed, made, the settlements on the Peninsula, superseded by a speedier and more convenient, yet less romantic motor bus. Not only did they serve tho Peninsula side of the harbour, but for many years, prior to the advent of the railway, they formed the sole convenient means of communication between Port Chalmers and the provincial capital. Thus, to the ferries, and to men whose enterprise and initiative inaugurated and kept the services alive, most, indeed one might say all. of the development of the land bordering the lower reaches of the harbour is due. In 1859 there arrived by the ship Pirate from Melbourne, the two halves of the first ferry steamer to ply on Otago Harbour—the ill-fated Pride of the Yarra. Built in 1856 by M'Dougall Bros., of Melbourne, she was a daintly little ship of 25 tons burden, 75ft in length, and with a draught of 4ft. Tho halves were assembled on the foreshore, and, under the agency of John Macandrew and Co., she was rechristened the New Era, and underwent her trial trip on April 9 of tho same year. She was powered with a 16 h.p. enmne, and having particularly fine lines, attained the then remarkable speed of nine knots. After running for some time between Port Chalmers and Dunedin, transporting immigrants from thp ships which wore periodically arriving from the Homeland, it was decided to press her into service for carrying to Taieri Mouth. This plan met with vigorous opposition from all sections of the community, and the Otago Witness of contemporary date, in a leading article, expressed grave doubts as to her ability either to carry cargo or to get as far as Taieri Mouth. In fact, the writer characterised the idea as absurd. So the New Era stayed in the harbour and did yeoman service as a passenger beat. During the first year she was running she was a particularly unfortunate boat, and suffered many minor mishaps, not the least of which was the giving way of the boiler. This put the fires out, with the result that she drifted on to a bank, opened a seam, and foundered. She was raised again, and with a new boiler, continued to run until, in July 6. 1863, she collided with another small steamer—the Favourite —and sank. She had, at the time, a full completment of passengers, 14 of whom were drowned. Among these was the Rev. Mr Campbell, who had just arrived in Otago to take over the head mastership of the Otago Boys’ High School. It is interesting to note that Sir John Ross was one of the survivors.

On May IG, 1850, came the Victoria, also from Melbourne on board the Dutch galliot, Reinau Engelkus. She was slightly smaller than the New Era. and was owned and operated by Captain Douglas. For a time all went well with her, till trade languished, and the Victoria, for some months, ran at a heavy loss. Later, however, the arrival of the ship Mariner with 60 passengers brightened trade somewhat, and in competition with her predecessor, she more than held her own. . January 13, 1863, marked the arrival of Otago's next ferry steamer —the Golden Age—which came from Melbourne under her own power in the spelndid time of 15 days. In those times when steamboats

were comparatively in their infancy, this was truly a remarkable trip, and great credit is due to Captain Beer, who broguht her safely through two severe gales to her destination. On arrival in Dunedin the Golden Age was taken over by Captain Malcolm, and ran successfully between Dunedin and Port Chalmers. Being a paddle steamer, she was eminently suited for this run, as she was of exceedingly shallow draught, and was able to proced at dead low water. Much more ambitious than any of her predecessors was the Bruce, the next ferry to come on the scone. She was an iron paddle steamer 130 ft long, with a beam of 15ft 7in, and a draught of 3ft 2in, and was noteworthy inasmuch as she formed the nucleus of the Otago Steam Ship Company, Limited, of which Mr E. B. Cargill was the chairman. The Bruce was brought from Glasgow in sections, and assembled on the reclaimed land near where the Birch street wharf now stands, by Messrs Kincaid, M'Queen and Co. The launching ceremony was performed on July 6. 1864, by Mrs E. B. Cargill, and to the amazement of everyone, who predicted dire misfortune would befall a harbour steamer of such dimensions, she not only proved entirely successful, but attained a speed of close on 14 knots, which even in these days of express steamers would be considered no mean performance.

Quite a forward step in the marine history of the province was marked by the advent of the next ferry—the Wallace — which, at the time of her launching on November 12, 1867, was the largest iron steamer which had been constructed in New Zealand. She was designed by Mill. Darling, of the Harbour Steamer Company, and was constructed by Messrs Wilson and Sparrow, whose yards at that time stood on the reclaimed land near the present site of M'Leod’s soap works. She was launched by Miss Malcolm, a daughter of Captain Malcolm, who afterwards commanded her. Another steamer built by Messrs Kincaid and M'Queen was the Reynolds, which was built to the order of the Otago Harbour Board to be used for light towing and as a pilot boat. Commanded at first by Captain Apstein, who was afterwards well known on the New Zealand coast, she was a beautiful little craft, 61ft in length, 10ft in beam and with a draught of sft bin. Although she was not intended originally ns a ferry, she, too, did her share in transporting passengers from the Lower Harbour to the city. In 1889 came the Osprey, a paddle steamer, from Auckland. Purely a ferry-boat, she was intended to cope with the heavy traffic which would ensue consequent on the Exhibition which opened that year. Unfortunately, she was not patronised as well ns might have been expected, and after running for about two years, she was laid up. Later, she returned to Auckland, where, till a few years ago, this doughty old ship acted as a relief boat on the Dcvonport— Auckland ferry service. What might be termed a freak boat, and one which certainly caused a great comment on the harbour-side, was. the lona, a stern wheeler, which was originally builr for the Clutha trade. Under the charter of Mr D. Seaton, she ran at intervals between Dunedin and Portobello, but she was much too large for the run, and her running expenses proved out of all proportion to the takings, so that the lona, also, was laid up to await better clays. These, apparently, did not come as far as she was concerned, and she went into “rotten row.’’ Shortly after the lona was taken off came what was probably the best known ferry which has ever run on Otago Harbour —the Onslow. This staunch little packet, a Knewstubb-built boat, ran with clockwork regularity for many years, and her name was a household word among tho settlors on the Peninsula,- as was that of the skipper. Captain E. Kiffcl. With Broad Bay and Portobello becoming more and more popular as seaside resorts every year, she played her part in the development of those two districts, and it was with no little regret that many of the older settlers on the harbour-side saw her go to her new destination at Mercury Bay. It was inevitable, of course, that during tho Onslow’s term of service that competi tion should spring up, and in 1901 there came tho Moorangi. on whoso arrival a miniature ferry war begun. The latter was an oil-engined craft —the first_ to operate on the harbour, and many a grim tussle for first uosition at Broad Bay wharf was -:tnged between the two vessels. Intense partisanship was rife, and much bitterness was evident between the owners and patro’is

of the rival boats. After the departure of the Onslow, the Mperangi had a monopoly of the harbour ferry trade till the Maheno commenced running in opposition. This boat had a history. Originally known as the Peninsula, she was built for the ferry service, and was powered with a 16 h.p. oil engine from which twin screws were to be driven by bolts. Needless to say, she was an utter failure until she was taken over by the late Mr F. J. Sullivan, who promptly installed two engines of 60 h.p. each and re-christened her the Maheno. Between her and the Moorangi arose another struggle for supremacy, in which feeling was even more bitter than it was between the Moerargi and her predecessor. However, the Moorangi won out, and was the favourite ferry of the week-enders for some time. On the forming of the Peninsula FerryCompany there was built the Matarild, which, after running a few trips, was burnt to the water’s edge Whilst lying at Portobello. Undaunted by this reverse, the company immediately put in hand the construction of the Waikana, which steamer proved so successful that her sister ship the Waireka came into being shortly after. With these two handsome, speedy, and comfortable boats commenced a new era in harbour travel, and it is safe to say that the enterprise of the Peninsula Ferry Company in building and operating two such steamers did more to popularise the seaside resorts on the Peninsula than even the pioneer ferry beat owners could have foreseen. Unfortunately, the advent of the motor bus sounded their doom—for a time at least —and it was not until it was found impossible to run them any longer that trippers and settlors awakened to the fact that they had gone and had left behind them a want. The romance, the beauty, and the invigorating sea trips had gone, and in their place had come stern efficiency. Fortunately, However, the day of the ferry is not past, and in the near future we shall again see them plying the waters of the harbour and giving rest and relaxation fo hundreds of the city’s weary workers.