Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

White Wings Vol I. Fifty Years Of Sail In The New Zealand Trade, 1850 TO 1900

The Cashmere

The Cashmere.

the Cashmere, a ship of 640 tons, brought many of our early settlers to the Dominion. She made five voyages to Auckland, two to Lyttelton, and one each to Nelson and Dunedin. the Cashmere had more comfortable accommodation for passengers than many other vessels coming out in the 'fifties, and many of our pioneers selected this ship when making a trip to the Homeland. the Cashmere was well found and generally had favourable runs out and home. In 1853, however, Captain G. Pearson, who was in command, reported the ship had a narrow escape in the English Channel. The vessel sailed from Gravesend on October 22, 1852, with 85 passengers, including Archdeavon Williams and family, who had been on a visit Home. She was knocking about the Channel for over a month owing to severe gales. On November 24, thirty odd days after leaving the docks, the gales increased to hurricane force, during which a large portion of the bulwarks, stanchions, boats, etc., and everything movable on deck was washed away by the heavy seas. This necessitated putting back to Plymouth, which was reached on the 26th. The damage sustained was so serious that the Cashmere was detained for nearly two months. Eventually she sailed on January 17. Pleasant weather was experienced until rounding the south end of Van Diemen's Land on April 24. Here she struck another northerly gale, which occasioned some damage to the ship.

On the passage to Auckland in 1857 the Cashmere had a splendid run to the south of Tasmania, when she met with light baffling winds, which spoiled what would otherwise have been a very fast run. On April 5 the ship called at New Plymouth and landed 25 passengers. The passage thence was a tedious one, as severe easterly weather was met with off the North Cape.

Captain Petherbridge, who visited New Zealand on many occasions, reported on arrival at Auckland in 1862 that the passage had been uneventful, fine weather having been experienced throughout. the Cashmere on this voyage landed 90 passengers at New Plymouth.

During the passage to Lyttelton in 1859 no less than 16 of the passengers, mostly children, died. The ship landed over 190. It was stated that the vessel was overcrowded.

The passages made by the Cashmere were:—

To Auckland.
Sailed. Arrived. Captain. Days.
June 16 Oct. 19, '51 Pearson 125
Jan. 17 May 9, '53 Pearson 102
From Plymouth
Apr. 25 Aug. 21, '54 Pearson 118
*Dec. 19, '56 Apr. 14, '57 Pearson 116
*Dec. 15, '61 Apr. 7, '62 Petherbridge 113
To Port Chalmers.
Nov. 1, '60 Feb. 9, '61 Petherbridge 100
To Nelson.
July 3, '63 Oct. 14, '63 Barnett 103
To Lyttelton.
June 28 Oct. 11, '59 Byron 105
Feb. 14, '61 Petherbridge 102
*

* Via New Plymouth.

via Otago.