A Disastrous Voyage.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7309, 19 June 1895, Page 4

A Disastrous Voyage.

The tragic incidents of the voyage of the ship Aberfoyle from Norway to Melbourne wore such as will hardly escape for a long time the memories of those who survived it. The vessel left Frederickstadt on January 25. h with a cargo of deal for w Melbourne firm, and was under the command of an experienced aeamaij. Captain Robertson, who had lately lost his wife and was bringing with him three children, the eldest of whom was only four years of age. The voyage commenced itniuspiciously ; the captain was several times drunk, almost before it was well started, and when little more than a week out the chief mate, Norton, was washed overboard during a gale in the North Sea, while he was superintending the lashing of a loose spar, and was never seen again. The captain at this time is described as being maddened with excessive drinking, in •which state he continued for some ten days. There was no second or third officer, and the death of Norton having made it necessary for someone to take a watch, the boatswain was put on this duty. On one occasion, when endeavoring, after coming off his watch, to explain the ship's position to the captain, the latter flew at his throat and tried to strangle him, and threatened to shoot the carpenter, who was in the chart-room. Things went on in this way until Feb. 15, when the captain stopped drinking, pulled himself together, and wrote up his log after a fashion. But when he asked the boatswain and others of the crew to sign it they refused, not considering the story to be correct. This action greatly incensed the captain, and led to acts of violence on his part. During March and April, however, he remained sober, or, at all events, sufficiently so to navigate the ship round the Cape, and in a position to run down her easting to Australia. After this he resumed his drinking habits and violent conduct. The position of the crffw "was a most serious oue. The captain, who was the only man on board capable of navigating the vessel, was putting all their lives in danger by his utter neglect of his duties, and so, having held a meeting on the forecastle, they determined for their own protection to remove out of his reach all intoxicating liquors and to seize his firearms and everything with which he could do injury. Captain Robertson strongly resented this action and demanded the return of his firearms, becoming so violent when the crew rerefused to give them up that they put him in irons. The next day these were taken off him, but he was detained in his cabin, a guard being placed outside. Midday the door was found to be locked, and on being burst open Captain Robertson was found to be dying from the effects of a cupful of carbolic acid which he had just swallowed. Remedies were administered, but without avail, the unfortunate man dying in fearful agony in a few minutes. The knowledge of navigation possessed by the crew, composed entirely of Norwegians and Swedes, was so slight that it only enabled them to pick out an approximate track, and all hands and the cook took part in regulating the vessel's course. Arriving, more by good luck than good management one would think, at a fairly accurate calculation as to their position, they shaped a course for Australia and •were picked up eleven daya after the captain's death, while off the coasb of West Australia. The ship was then placed in command of an officer of the steamer which sighted them and navigated to Melbourne without further incident.