THE PRINCE OF WALES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18397, 15 May 1934, Page 5

THE PRINCE OF WALES

HUDSON BAY TRADER REFRIGERATING HULK Service to poverty bay n The publication in last Tuesday 's issue of the Herald of an article ieviewing the history of the old hulk Prince of Wales, now lying in Wellington harbor, has ar.oused much reminis among the older residents of Poverty Bay, with whom, between do and 40 years ' ago, the sight of the vessel lying in the roadstead was familiar. It may be said that a great deal of the prosperity of Poverty Bay—in the days when prosperity was measured by an even shorter rule than in 1 these days; of near-depression -was due to the employment of the Prince of Wales in pioneering the freezingindustry' in this district. Prior to the introduction of refrigeration, meat was a drug in the market of Poverty Bay, and save for a small proportion of the choicest beef, mutton, and lamb, it was impossible to sell it profitably. . The initiation of the freezing industry brought a trhmfudous change to the prospects of farming here, and in this connection the mfemory of the old hulk deserves to be kept green in every homestead of the countryside. Several evidences that that memory survives strongly have been furnished to the Herald since the publication of last Tuesday’s article, and special interest appears to have attached itself to the appearance of the Prince of Wales as she now lies in Wellington harbor. A photographic reproduction of the vessel has been queried by more than one Gisborne resident, who has cast doubt upon the authenticity of the photograph. The bluff bows and the rigging of the vessel certainly present a very different appearance from that of the Prince of Wales as she is remembered here, with her schooner bows, heavily timbered and bearing' not only a great bowspit but also a handsome wooden figurehead, the “work of art” referred to in the article published last week, and her three tall masts, sparred and rigged for sea-going. CHANGED APPEARANCE. In the contrast between the vessel shown in last week's photograph, and the same vessel as remembered by old Poverty Bay residents, there seems to be good ground for doubt. It must not be forgotten, however, that the Prince of Wales now follows a lowly career, an employment in which seagoing equipment, masts and spars, •bowsprit and figure-head—aye, even the handsome fore-peak itself—could be no more than encumbrances. Hence the radical alterations apparent to those who knew the vessel in her heyday and in her later years, when she was* still capable of making her way round the coasts of New Zealand. . .Onp Bay resident who re-' ' tains close and interesting memories of those days is Mr. Herbert Dobson, who in conversation with a pressman to-day gave - an. outline of the work, ■and.jourheyings ,of the Prince of . Wales in : New Zealand waters. The history of the vessel in the Hudson Bay Company's employ, he said, must have been read with the greatest interest by all of the older generation, and especially by those who, like Mr. Dobson himself, were of the crew of the Prince of Wales. He mentioned in passing that one interesting historical fact n,ot referred to in last week's article was that the vessel w.as the last on which Sir John Franklin stepped prior to his departure on his last ill-fated expedition to the Arctic regions. He also stated that in some respects the details given concerning the activities of the vessel, subsequent to her purchase by Nelson Bros.,' did not coincide with his ,own recollections of service in the ship. EMPLOYMENT AT HOME One point mentioned by Mr. Dobson was that the propelling engines were installed in the old sailer very soon after the purchase by Nelson Brothers. From the time of her acquisition' by that firm, ' the Prince of Wales was under the command of Captain Wm. Cflmming, who iwas believed to have had a part in the selection and purchase of the vessel. The “Prince” was busy at Home for a time, working on the Thames as a store ship for meat unloaded from the Colonies, and incidentally making two trips, one to Antwerp and the other to Plymouth, to pioneer the frozen meat marketing programme in those centres of population. New Zealand mutton was then coming in moderate volume oft to the London market, and these trips were among the first adventures in the expansion of the market.

After her voyage to New Zealand, and her stay in Napier, the Prince of Wales was brought to Gisborne to act as a freezing and store ship in the roadstead, pending the erection and opening of Nelson Bros.’ works at Taruheru. These works opened in 1891, and the Prince of Wales then went to Port Chalmers for overhaul of her refrigerating machinery. The trip from Gisborne to Port Chalmers took three iweeks, and on the way she called at Lyttelton, where her appearance created a decided stir, said Dir. Dobson. lie was not in agreement with the writer of last week’s article, who described the “Prince” as a “cum-bersome-looking vessel,” for though solidly built, she was not without a stately grace of her own. WELL-KNOWN PERSONALITY One of the personalities associated with the vessel at that time was Mr. J. J. Niven, founder of the well-known firm which now has its branch in Gisborne. Mr. Niven was superintendent engineer for Nelson Bros., and undertook the trip to Port Chalmers aboard the ship; though when he found himself tied to the Prince for a voyage of such length, he was not well pleased. At Port Chalmers, the overhaul was completed in good time, and the Prince of Wales sailed later for Picton, where she was employed in the same manner as at Gisborne, said Mr. Dobson. The meat was killed on a property leased by Nelson Bros, about 12 miles from the port, and railed down to the wharves each morning. As there was no Sunday train, the week was reorganised lor the purposes of the work, and the men treated Saturday as their weekly day ol rest, resuming killing on the Sunday, and loading the day's kill on the Monday morning’s train. About 300 sheep were killed, daily, the storage aboard the Prince of Wales being equal to about 20,000 carcases; and when the chambers were nearly full, a Home boat would call and lift the lot.

11l 1896, Mr. Dobson continued, the vessel was sent across from Picton to Wellington, the trip occupying from midday on a Thursday until midnight on the Saturday. Rough seas were encountered in Cook Strait, and in consequence the Prince of Wales took shelter for a time at Te Waite, a whaling station just inside Tory Channel. The store ship was slipped at Evans Bay, Wellington, and after being cleaned made the return trip to Picton in 10 hours. LAST GISBORNE VISIT Towards the middle of the same year, the freezing industry fell away iu the Marlborough province, and in consequence of this the firm of Nelson Bros, abandoned operations there, and the Prince of Wales was out of commission for a time. In 1889, however, she was recommissioned, and came again to Gisborne, where she took up her old role during alterations and extensions at the Taruheru works. About February, 1900, she was returned south, to Wellington, the trip taking three days owing to very heavy growth of weed on the ship’s bottom, the crew having a very rough time. Anchored at Wellington, the old ship became a storage vessel for a Wellington firm, and eventually was sold to other interests. She did not visit Port Chalmers again, to his recollection. The Tate Captain Gumming, master of the vessel, was subsequently harbormaster at Gisborne for many years. Mr. Malcolm Mclntyre, after giving up his post as chief engineer aboard the Prince of Wales, also returned to Poverty Bay, and was on the engineering staff at Tarulieru for a time, but later went south, and met his death by accident in the Longburn works. Two others whom Mr. Dobson remembered as members of the Prince of Wales’ complement, Messrs. Gus Solvander and Fred Ellmers, also met their deaths later, as the result of accidents; while Mr. Lorenzo Monzare, who came from England in the vessel, lies at rest in the Makaraka cemetery.