A CHEQUERED CAREER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 843, 11 December 1929, Page 16

A CHEQUERED CAREER

SCHOONER BECOMES MOTOR-SHIP BEULAH IN PORT A ship with an interesting career is the motor-vessel Beulah which arrived in port yesterday morning from San Francisco. Built at Fevig, in Norway, she was launched in 1917 and was intended to be a four-masted auxiliary schooner. In those days that type of vessel was considered to be the coming thing in cargo carriers. However, her owners went bankrupt and she was towed to Langesund, where she remained in an unfinished state till 1923 when the bank which had been financing the building of the vessel fitted her with oil engines, making her a full-powered motor-ship. Instead of four masts she was fitted with only two, and two Samson posts. The only sails she carries are three try-sails, which are only for steadying purposes, having no driving effect. Her bow is unusual in that the intended clipper bow was not completed when it was decided by the bank to make her a full-powered motor-ship. The flare finishes abruptly and only a stubby bowsprit was fitted to take the for’ard try-sail. She was called the Heiren in those days. For some time she ran between the countries on the shores of the Baltic Sea and Great Britain, taking lumber from the Scandinavian ports and returning with cargoes of coal. Her next role was that of tender to a whaler. She was sent out to California and for eight months was engaged in the whaling industry on the coasts of lower California and Mexico. For this purpose she was fitted with two tanks for whale oil. She still has these tanks but they are now used for storing oil fuel. She later entered the service of the Mexican Government which used her as a coastal trader in general cargoes, running from Los Angeles down the Mexican coast. ENTERS ISLAND TRADE The Pacific Island trade then claimed her. She was purchased by the Society Islands Line, Ltd., which is operated by O’Connor-Harrison Company, Inc., of San Francisco, and for five years she traded from the Pacific Slope to Papeete with general cargoes, returning with copra. A year ago she was sold to Flood Bros., of San Francisco, who intend running her with general cargo to the Islands and back with copra from Fanning Island. This is only her second trip for that firm, a departure from her intended running having been made to send her to New Zealand.

On this occasion she has a cargo of redwoods from San Francisco for discharge at Auckland and Wellington and also brought a consignment of bananas from Nukualofa for this port. Since leaving the American port on October 14 she has called at a number of the Pacific Islands unloading general cargo. Calls were made at Fanning Island, Washington Island. Apia (Samoa), Suva, Vavau, Haapai, and Nukualofa. She left the last port for Auckland on Tuesday last. She has had fine weather since leaving San Francisco. The Beulah is a twin-screw vessel of 1,389 tons gross and flies the Panamanian flag, being registered at the Port of Panama. She is commanded by Captain H. G. Wigstein. PASSENGERS FOR AUCKLAND Three passengers were brought to Auckland by the Beulah from Nukualofa. Miss E. Jones, the daughter of an Island trader, will be on holiday in New Zealand till February, when she proceeds to Sydney. Miss M. Harford, a teacher at one of the Methodist schools, will spend a vacation of three months here. Mr. S. Briggs, a cinema house proprietor, is visiting Auckland for health reasons.