“Wellington” and Captain Cowan.
I cannot pronounce an opinion as to which was the fastest of these six beautiful Duncan sisters, but the Wellington probably has the best average. She was taken from the stocks by Captain D. Cowan, of Peterhead, and under his able guidance was a most consistent passage-maker. Captain Cowan, like Captain Bowling, of Invercargill, was a magnificent seaman of the old sailing ship type, the survivors of which grow fewer, alas, every day. He served his time in the Peterhead whale fishery. Then about 1862 he joined Patrick Henderson’s as third officer of the Pladda, a slow but comfortable old wooden packet, which carried 400 emigrants to Port Chalmers. His next vessel was the Vicksburgh. Again after one New Zealand voyage he was transferred, this time with promotion to mate, to the Jane Henderson, in which he made three voyages to Rangoon, on the last of which, about 1867, he went in command. His second voyage as a skipper was in the Helenslee with passengers to Port Chalmers. This ship was sold in New Zealand, and Captain Cowan travelled home as a passenger. He next had Margaret Galbraith for two voyages, then the composite clipper Wild Deer, which he left in order to take over the Wellington.
Captain Cowan had the Wellington for 18 years. He told me that the Wellington was such a fast ship with the wind abaft the beam that he never remembers her being passed under such conditions, but that she was nothing out of the way when braced sharp up. This indeed may be said to have been the general case with Duncan’s ships. From 1877 to 1884 Wellington ran from Glasgow to Otago with first class passengers and emigrants. Under these favourable conditions her average outward passage was about 80 days, her four best being 73, 75, 76 and 78 days.
Soon after the amalgamation with Shaw, Savill, Wellington had freezing machinery put on board, and henceforth came home with 18,000 carcases a trip. The Wellington had her freezing machinery on board for four voyages, after which the mutton was sent on board frozen.