Outsiders in the New Zealand Trade.
Though the New Zealand trade was held pretty tightly in the hands of Shaw, Savill, the Albion Shipping Company and the New Zealand Shipping Company, many a distinguished ship paid an occasional visit to Maoriland, notably the beautiful tea clipper Sir Lancelot in 1879; the majestic Blackwall frigate The Tweed in 1874, when she went out to Otago in 78 days; The Tweed’s great rival Thomas Stephens, which took passengers to Otago in 1879; Miltiades, which in 1889-90 came home from Lyttelton in 78 days and the following season came home from Wellington in 82 days; and Thessalus, which in 1900 ran from Lyttelton to the Lizards in 87 days, beating the famous coolie ship Sheila by a week. Loch Awe’s record passage to Auckland I have already mentioned in these pages, also Sam Mendel’s 68 days to Port Chalmers. Some years later, in an attempt to beat this performance and incidentally a fast little City liner, Sam Mendel was dismasted and came into port without her foremast, bowsprit and jibbooms, which had all gone by the board.
“BEN VENUE.”
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“LADY JOCELYN.”
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