COASTAL TRADE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19139, 7 October 1936, Page 14

COASTAL TRADE

NEW ZEALAND SHIPPING * HOLM LINE FOUNDER GISBORNE VISIT IN STURT Much of the history of the pioneers of New Zealand shipping is lost in the past, and probably never will be placed on record, but of the events in the life of Captain Ferdinand Ilolm, pioneer of the Holm Shipping Company, many details have survived, writes “Spunyarn” in the Wellington Post. The familiar green funnels ipid grey hulls of the Holm tleet are seldom absent from Wellington harbour, but the average citizen knows hut little of the work that resulted'in the creation of this tleet. Ferdinand Holm was born in 18-14 in Arboga, near Stockholm, Sweden. His father owned ah estate there, butt, like his father before him, and 1 indeed for generations (for the blood of tile old Vikings ran in their veins), the call of the sea proved stronger than the call of the land. He also owned a line of small sailing ships which traded on the coasts of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and England, and his sou’s school holidays were spent going from port to port. His apprentice days took Ferdinand Holm all over the world, and, in 1853, possessing a chief officer’s certificate, he arrived itj Melbourne, and, following in the steps of so many others, he made his way to Ballarat goldfields, but, losing all lie’had (potatoes at the time were is 6d a lb.), he tramped back and shipped on the Anna Meluish under Captain W. Williams, of the Black Diamond Line. The weather crossing the Tasman was at its worst, and m one of the ship’s heavy lurches he slipped from the yard-arm into the sea, only to be carried back on board by the next wave. THE MAORI WAR? On arriving in Wellington he joined the Colonial Government paddle-steamer Sturt, 'under Captain Fairchild, whose name is strangely absent from New Zealand history books, and served through the Maori War in that vessel. The iSturt carried the troops, arms, food, horses—in fact everything that was needed—as near to the seat of fighting as it was possible to get. This took her up rivers, into uncharted bays, and off breaker-beaten shores. The landing was often hazardous and 1 Captain Holm’s knowledge of boating proved invaluable. On one occasion the surf boat from the Sturt had been swamped when landing troops on the beach at New Plymouth, and Captain Holm was responsible for saving the life of Captain Manners (after whom Manners street, Wellington, is named), as well as that of many others. As soon as it was known that To Kooti had escaped from the Chatham Islands and had landed near Gisborne, the Sturt was sent to Poverty Bay to report to the people here. Captain Holm was one of the landing party and one could hardly imagine the sight that met his eyes when he reached the settlement. Mrs. Wilson was alive, and her son crawled out from under a sherl, where he was hidden, trembling with fear, during that terrible massacre. Mi's. Wilson was carried to the boat, but she died shortly after, the child being taken to Wellington, where he later received a Government pension for life. RECORD TRIPS At the close of the war Captain Holm joined the pilot staff in Wellington for a short time, resigning to take command of the schooner Ladybird, He married in 1870, and his wife accompanied! him on many of his trips. He made the record trip in a sailing ship from Newcastle wharf to Wellington wharf, a record which will not now be broken, standing at 5 days 20 hours. To him also fell the record all-round trip from Wellington to Sydney, Newcastle, and back to Wellington in 22 days. Another record held by Captain Holm was for the trip from Noumea, New Caledonia, to Sydney in 4£ days in the barque G. M. Tucker. On leaving the Ladybird Captain Holm took command of the Gleaner, Sea Ripple, Frowning Beauty, and Anne and Jane. In 1874 he was appointed second pilot at Wellington. Deciding to go to sea once more, he became chief officer of the Union Steam Ship Company’s Taranaki, hut she was wrecked off Tauranga. Once more he took to sail, this time as master of the brig Neptune. On arrival in Sydney he heard that the barque Malay was for sale, so he returned to Wellington, and, with Mr., Dransfield as partner, purchased the vessel.

. Subsequently Captain Holm went into steam, founding the Green Funnel Line, which still trades out of Wellington, his sons carrying on the business.