page 268
the
Mataura, under the name of Dunfillan, was launched in 1868, from the yards of Aitken, Glasgow, and purchased by the New Zealand Shipping Company in 1874. She was a full-rigged ship of 853 tons, and was the first of this company's ships to he fitted up with Harkin's patent dry-air refrigerator. the
Mataura, however, was not the first vessel to load meat in the Dominion, as stated by many writers. The distinction of carrying to London the first cargo belongs to the
Dunedin, which was loaded at Port Chalmers by the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, and sailed from that port on February 15, 1882. The
New Zealand Shipping Company then fitted up the
Mataura, and she sailed with the second cargo from Dunedin on June 12, 1882, in command of Captain Greenstreet. Both cargoes arrived in splendid condition. In the following year the
Mataura came to Auckland and took away that port's first shipment of frozen meat. She sailed on May 26, 1883. The cargo was shipped by Fisher and Co., butchers, Queen Street.
How familiar sounds the name of Captain Greenstreet, who was one of the first to have command of a steamer in the New Zealand trade, when the day of the sailer was doomed! Captain Greenstreet was an exceptionally fine seaman, and was very popular with the thousands of passengers who came to New Zealand under his charge.
the Mataura on the passage to Nelson in 1875 brought out 216 immigrants, 75 of whom were for Nelson, 40 for New Plymouth, the remainder for Marlborough and Westland. A very anxious time was passed by Captain Gorn when in latitude 44deg south, when sailing through a large number of icebergs.
During the run out to Lyttelton in 1887 the Mataura, on November 20, experienced a severe gale, which came up suddenly before canvas could be stowed, the result being that every stitch of canvas was blown away, including the mainsail, jibs, and staysails. The gale, which lasted only six hours, brought up a heavy sea, which swept the deck.
the
Mataura was rigged as a barque when she appeared in Dunedin in 1882, and made some very fast passages under this rig. Her best run out was to Port Chalmers in 1880, in command of Captain Brown. She made the passage in 76 days, land to land; and 81 anchorage to anchorage. Her next fastest passage was in 1884, in command of Captain Cruickshank. She was only 78 days land to
page 269 land, and 83 port to port. Her run to Auckland in 1885, under Captain Cruickshank, may be considered almost equal to the
Dunedin runs. Only on one occasion did she exceed 100 days, and this was on her last voyage to the Dominion, in 1894. She was brought out on this occasion by Ca'pt. Chapman, who reported exceptionally rough weather. She had a severe battering during a heavy gale in
the Channel, which lasted for several days, and again after clearing the land. She did not cross the Equator until March 7—45 days from Gravesend—arriving at Dunedin after a long run of 125 days. the
Mataura had been laid up at Liverpool for 12 mouths before this voyage.
the
Mataura was later sold to Captain Brunsgaard, of Drammen, Norway, for £2800, and renamed the Alida. Her
end came on August 24, 1900, when she was dismasted and abandoned in the Pacific Ocean. She completed 13 voyages from London, as given below:—
To Auckland.
|
Sailed. |
Arrived. |
Captain. |
Days. |
Nov. 11, '82 |
Feb. 16, '83 |
Greenstreet |
95
|
To Wellington.
|
Nov. 17,'84 |
Feb. 11, '85 |
Cruickshank |
85
|
Dec. 3,'85 |
Mar. 11, '86 |
Cruickshank |
97
|
To Lyttelton.
|
Jan. 13 |
Apr. 24, '81 |
A. Brown |
100
|
Dec. 15, '81 |
Mar. 20, '82 |
Greenstreet |
94
|
Oct. 1, '86 |
Jan. 1, '87 |
Martin |
92
|
Feb. 21 |
May 23, '90 |
Martin |
90
|
To Dunedin.
|
Aug. 17 |
Nov. 16, '74 |
Kerr |
91
|
Aug. 8 |
Nov. 18, '75 |
Gorn |
100
|
June 30 |
Oct. 4, '76 |
Gorn |
96
|
Aug. 1 |
Oct. 28, '78 |
Brown |
88
|
June 27 |
Sep. 22, '79 |
Brown |
86
|
|
|
Land to land, |
81 |
April 23 |
July 13, '80 |
Brown |
81
|
|
|
Land to land, |
76 |
Oct. 26, '83 |
Jan. 17, '84 |
Cruickshank |
83
|
|
|
Land to land, |
78 |
Jan. 18 |
May 26, '94 |
Chapman |
125
|
To Nelson.
|
|
Nov. 10, '75 |
Gorn |
— |
To Bluff.
|
Aug. 28 |
Dec. 1, '77 |
Brown |
94
|