THE VOYAGE

 

Alexander Shaw spent his youthful orphaned years, in  County Tyrone, Ireland.  He emigrated, unaccompanied to New Zealand in 1865.

 

The Logan clan comprised fourteen family members travelling to New Zealand, one of whom died on the journey.  The ships passenger list reveals Esther Logan was third of eight daughters.

 

The ship itself was a three masted schooner of 700 tons named "The Dauntless" that made only one voyage to New Zealand.  It left Kingston, London, on December 31st 1864 and arrived in Auckland after a tedious and somewhat dramatic passage of 135 days.

 

Variable but not strong winds carried the passengers to New Zealand.  When off Cape Finisterre a ship was sighted with distress signals displayed.  A boat was lowered to investigate.  The crew aboard the "Pyrne" of St John were only in need of provisions although her sails and rudder were damaged and under repair.

 

The sailors on several occasions were in a state of mutiny because of the very poor provisioning.  In this they were supported by some of the passengers.  A case of rifles consigned to the Colonial Secretary was utilised to ar the officers who eventually placed six of the worst offenders in irons.  All six later came up for trial on arrival in Auckland.

 

The Dauntless was also intrumental in the rescue of 18 men from a burning ship the "Fiery Star".  Eighty souls including the Captain who took to the boats were lost and never heard of again.  The Chief Officer and the 17 crew who stayed with the ship, fought the fire for twenty-two days before being rescued.  It sank a few hours later.

 

Considering the most unsatisfactory state of the accommodation for the steerage passengers, and the inferior food supplies for the 420 emigrants aboard, it is not surprising that 20 deaths occurred before the vessel reached her destination.

 

There were also seventeen births and two marriages during the voyage.  The Captain himself became seriously ill and never recovered dying in Auckland a few weeks later.

 

"Dauntless" arrived in Auckland on the 16th May 1865 (according to the newspaper The Daily Southern Cross").  In all, it appears to have been a harrowing journey of incredibly severe and testing hardships.  One in which character and determination is cemented or destroyed, and only the strongest surviving.