A Short Account of My Voyage Per the St Kilda
from Liverpool to Otago, New Zealand
It was a wish expressed by my mother and many friends at home, that I should make, during the voyage from England to New Zealand, a few notes of passing events. This I have done, in a manner more for my own amusement perhaps than anything else; but the following may possibly be somewhat interesting to some I have left behind.
Walter C Burd.
May 9th 1873
My object is simply to deal with life on board ship and I shall therefore, instead of noting the few days prior to sailing spent in Liverpool, get on board the good ship "St. Kilda". 865 Tons reg. 1650 tons burden, Captain Atkins, bound to Port Chalmers Otago.
It was on the morning of the above date, about 9.30am, the ship was passing thro' the gates of the Coburg main that my wife, 2 little children and self hurried on board, expecting to lose sight of old England within 5 or 6 hours. Instead of this, however, we were rather surprised to hear the Captain sing out when just off Seacombe, "Let go the anchor!"
We had not our full compliment of men on board and the Captain had to go ashore again and look for more seamen and also a cook. About 3 o'clock he came back with the men required and in about half an hour, the anchor was on board again and the steam-tug "Knight commander" (a very powerful tug) was towing us down the river. It was a lovely afternoon and somewhat new to be on board so large a ship and lose facts with the hurry and bustle and general confusion of everything, and everybody helped to divert our attention and thus lessen the pain we might otherwise have felt, at parting with so many dear friends and relations.
The pilot left us off at Holyhead and this part of Wales was the last bit of England (that's Irish) that we saw. As soon as the pilot left us and the ship was in his own command the Captain called all the men aft and gave them first a lecture for being drunk (for nearly all were awfully screwed when they came on board ship) and then encouraged them to work together agreeably, to obey all orders willingly and quickly; that he would treat them as men and that they would find they had a man in him to deal with and that only with goodwill between officers and men and with working together in this manner could they expect to have a safe and prosperous passage.
He gave the customary command (or toast) to "Splice the main brace", which the men did with a glass of grog a piece.
Journey to NZ