DISAPPEARANCE OF S.S. MATOAKA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18763, 18 May 1929, Page 23 (Supplement)

DISAPPEARANCE OF S .S. MATOAKA.

NEVER HEARD OF AFTER LEAVING LYTTELTON. > Mystery surrounds the fate of the ship Matoaka (1093 tons), whose sailing from Lyttelton was recalled in the ■ “ Sixty Years Ago ” column of the , “ Star ”on Tuesday last. The ship, which was bound for London, under Captain Stevens, left the port of Lyttelton on May 13, 1869, and was never heard of again from that day to this. The following is a list of the passengers on board:— Cabin: Mr and Mrs Hancock, Missed Hancock (2), Mr and Mrs Hoskynsand three children. Mr and Mrs Henley and child, Rev Mr and Mrs G. Grant and four children, Misses Kennaway (2) and serve t. Dr and Mrs idffe, Mr and 1 Mrs Wilson and two children, Mr and ' Mrs Alison and six children. Dr Evans, 1 Messrs Brown, Coup, Pusey and Cooksey. The boat was going direct to Eng- ’ ’and, and it was not until about six or j seven months later that the people of New Zealand received word that the vessel had not arrived at her destination. At first no great anxiety was felt ; about her non-arrival, for it was only : to be expected that a vessel could not run up to time, especially if held up by gales. Gentlemen interested in her welfare waited patiently for the next ew months to pass, in order tha* they 1 might hear any news about the vessel. On February 1. 1870, three telegrams were received from Hokitika which caused very considerable excitement in Christchurch. The first announced that the Matoaka had arrived at Melbourne; he second that she had arrived at Lon Ion; and the third really verified the second. The messages were said to have been signalled by the Gothenburg, wh*t h arrived at Hokitika on January 31. However, these messages proven to be a hoax. On February S, the following news was received: “Arrived Ramsay, Matoaka posted at Lloyd’s as missing.” This was received minus punctuation, and fcjwo papers had two different versions of the •elegram. One was: “Arrived, Ramsay and Matoaka, which had been posted at Lloyd’s as missing ”; and the other was: “ Arrived, Ramsay; Matoka posted at Lloyd’s as missing.” It ‘an be seen, therefore, that these messes did not throw much light on the übject. Another boat arrived from London, and ye | no further news came of the ship. On Friday, May 13, 1870 (exactly twelve months after the vessel had sailed), a deputation of the gentlemen interested in the affair waited on the Hon the Premier with a view to ascertaining what hopes remained for the Government to institute a search for traces of the missing vessel. The deputation consisted of Mr Inglis Matheson’s Agency), chairman of the hamber of Commerce; Mr Hannah 'Dalgety and Co.), deputy chairman of the chamber; Mr Banks (Miles and Co.); Mr W. Kennaway and Mr Will- • •ocks, registrar of the Supreme Court, -vho had relations on board. Captain Roberts, of the ship Caduceus, was also 'resent to give evidence. In the course of the morning, it was pointed out to Mr Fox that the ordinary course of a vessel leaving Lyttelton for England via Cape Horn would be between the Chatham and Bounty Islands, and also that on the day the Matoaka left Captain Thompson, of the barque Southern Cross, started for Sydney, but met with a strong north-east gale, which compelled him to return to port. It was therefore suggested that the Matoaka might have been blown so far out of her course as to come against one or the other of the Bounty Islands. The opinion as to this solution of the problem seemed to be very satisactory. It was also pointed out that there were no other islands in the route, and that the Government would be con ferring a great boon if they would send i vessel to cruise among the islands. In support of this, it was also stated that Captain White, of the Charlotte Gladstone, had actually gone through the group when the weather was driving in that particular way, and, further, that there were many instances on record of persons being discovered on islands a considerable time after the loss of their vessels. Mr Fox said that, if the matter had only been mentioned sooner, he had no doubt that Commodore Lambert would have gone to the group for that pur pose. Finally it was decided that, if Commodore Lambert could not make the trip, Mr Fox would. The search was carried out, and nothing was found. No clue was ever discovered as to the fate of the vessel.