The Life of William Hodge

Hawkins belonging to the same company, as she had just came up from New Zealand for the same company. I only sailed her for three months when the captain of the Mimosa and me changed ships, him being the oldest hand, he had a right to take the newest vessel. So I took the Mimosa and traded round the West coast to Streaky and Fowlers Bays. I sailed her for two years then took charge of the Strathmore belonging to the same company, and she was only 94 tons. I used to trade to Port Pirie and load wheat for Melbourne discharge there, and sail for Launceston Tasmania. And load barley and [?bark] for Port Adelaide. Now all those three vessels was ketch rigged fore and aft and carried their mainsail amid ships. Now while coming from Launceston to Pt Adelaide my right eye took bad and in those small vessels in those days we carried no medicine chest so I just had to do the best I could with that eye until I got to Pt Adelaide as the wind was in my favour, and when I arrived at Pt Adelaide the Doctor advised me to go down to Mount Gambier and see an eye doctor by the name of Doctor Jackson as he was a great eye doctor, and was living in a good climate for curing eyes. This place is about two hundred miles from Adelaide. So when I got there and saw this Doctor he just had a look at it as it was all bound up and said I will cure your eye of any more pain but you will loose (sic) the sight of it, as I won't operate on it. But he would guarantee that I would have no more trouble with it, and that I would be able to see better with the one eye than I could with the two. So I stayed at his hospital for three weeks, and went home to Pt Ade3laide and sure enough I could always see better with one eye than I could with the two. Anyhow my vessel was chartered by another firm. So I had to leave as the other firm had their own master to take her. So I was offered another ketch rigged vessel by the name of the Spindrift, belonging to another firm. And run her for a

time only, as trade got very slack and the agent could not get a charter for her. So they laid her up and paid all hands of. Anyway I met an acquaintance of mine by name Captain Creed who had the steamer Euro trading to Port Pirie. So he asked me if I would go second mate with him so I thought I would better do that than nothing so I signed on second mate of the Euro and run in her for twelve months when a topsail schooner came out from Glasgow. She was an Iron Schooner built for G. Wood Son & Co and the owner came to Captain Creed to see if he could recommend a Master for her. So he asked me if I would take charge of her, as the captain that brought her out from Glasgow was not going to stay out here but was going home again. Anyhow as I told Captain Creed I was well satisfied in the steamer. But as he had recommended me to [?] the owner of the Moonta as that was her name that I agreed to take her. And I ran her in the Spencer Gulf trade to Moonta the port she was called after, for some time. But unfortunately I had to leave her through my right eye breaking out again. So I got a man in my place to take charge of her and I had to go and lay up for some weeks before the eye was better. Anyhow the man I put in my place very unfortunately ran her ashore. In Port Adelaide river then took a revolver and shot himself down the cabin. So when when the men went down to see what was wrong they found him dead. So the police boat was sent down for his body and another master sent to take charge of her as she was bound to Port Fairy in Victoria for a cargo of potatoes for the two owners G. Wood Sons & Co and Drew in Moonta. Anyhow when my eye got better, Captain Creed had charge of another steamer called the Emu as they had chartered the Emu to another firm tradeing down the South East Coast with Captain Dowal in charge so the Emu had to go through an overhaul before she ran on the South East Coast. So Captain Creed sent for me to to relieve his mate for a few weeks, as he was going on holidays so I took his place in the Emu for a short time running to

Port Pirie. So I only made the one trip in her as when we arrived in Port Adelaide Captain Dowal (sic) sent for me to mate with him in the Euro as she was nearly ready for sea so I left the Emu, as it was only temporary, and joined the Euro bound down the South East Coast so we loaded and sailed for Lacepede Bay, Beachport and McDonald Bay. And while sailing to those parts I just had a look round all her life boats as in a trade on that rough coast you wanted all her life boat gear in good order in case of an accident and I found that the rope falls of her davits was simply rotten and would not lower away the empty bets if they were wanted as the authorities was not so particular as they are now a days as they passed anything of that sort as long as they had the hull of the ship and engines all right. Anyhow I called the captain along to have a look at her davit falls for lowering away the boats if they should be wanted. So he came along and had a look and says Well I never thought for a moment that there were as bad as that. No I says. I don't suppose those boats has been lowered over the side she left Glasgow where she was build some years ago and her ropes had perished. so the captain told me as soon as we get to Port Adelaide to get a coil of three inch manilla and get those boats falls renewed. So as soon as we arrived we got everything renewed and got the boats all ready for lowering in case of an accident. so we got loaded and sailed for the South east ports with 50 passengers and arrived at Kingston Lacepede Bay and dischargeed what cargo there was for that port, and took 16 more passengers and sailed for a small port called Robe, discharged a big cargo int hat port as there was a few townships away inland, and sailed for Beachport at the break of day. And it was my watch below from twelve o'clock noon until four in the afternoon, and the second mate took the watch from twelve noon until four when we would be getting near Beachport and by good luck it was a beautiful day. And at half past two in the afternoon the second mate rushed down to my berth and sang out to get up as she had struck a rock

of [?] me being asleep did not feel her strike. Anyhow I awoke pretty quick after I was called and I may say that I always lay half dressed while sailing on the coast. So I made one rush to the Bridge as the captain was there before me, and told him she was sinking fast, and to run her in shore so as there would be some of her out of water as she was going down stern first. So he ran her in until her stern took the ground and her bow stood high out of the water, as her bulk heads had not broke in. So that gave us time to get our boats swung out and I thank God that the [?] falls was all new ropes to lower away the boats and by good luck we had a deck load of softwood timber Anyhow I called all women and children to come to my boat as the ship lay fairly steady with her bow in the air and it was lovely weather so my boat got filled pretty quick. so she was lowered away full of people and thanks to the new falls. Anyhow my boat was pretty well loaded. So we pulled in as far as was necessary. But could see [no?] smooth landing place. As there was a heavy ground swell in near the beach so we pulled along outside of the swell, and very fortunately came across a smooth place. And pulled the boat in there and got all the people on the beach. and by this time the ships bulkheads had broken in and she went down on even keel. Anyhow, we got our boat launched again and pulled out to the ship and found all that was left of human beings floating about on flooring boards, and ships hatches and the ships mast heads was out of water so that was a big help. She was rolling pretty fair through the ground swells. Anyhow we could see a man on top of the funnel so we passed the ship so as we could pick up the people that was floating about on the timber, and we got to one raft where there was one lady sitting with the first and second engineers on either side of her and we got them into the boat, then picked up the purser and a fireman on another raft of flooring boards then went for that man sitting on top of the funnel and found it was the captain. So we got him

into the boat and pulled put to sea as there was some sailors and Fireman floating about on Flooring Boards and Ships Hatches. So we picked them all up And pulled for the shore. And I left one of the Fireman on the beach when I went ashore with the first Boatload to show all the places to land. And we got in safely and landed all so we got everyone ashore only one Lady and no-one even seemed to have seen her and it was supposed that she must have been in her Berth when the ships stern sank. her sister was one of the saved. that is how we knew she was missing. Anyhow we all got up in the Bush and made a big Fire. So as we could attract someone and it did to as some men was sent out to search for us. As the agent in Beachport knew there must have been something wrong with the steamer not arriving. anyhow our big fire showed those men where to find us and when these men came we found that we was only twelve miles from Beachport. Anyhow the carts came out next day and carted us all in through the Bush as there was no roads in that quarter and there was no Luggage. as everyone lost everything only what we stood in. and I myself lost everything only my shirt and trousers I was sleeping in. I did not even take time to put my boots on when I was called so I was minus my boots also, anyhow our clothes did not trouble us much. As long as we got of without any mishap and everyone was so sorry over the loss of that young Lady and I blamed the second mate for that bit of trouble. As if he had been keeping a good look out on the Bridge he would have seen the Break on that rock long before we came to it. on a coast of that description as I have seen it often. after that wreck as the whole pacific ocean rolls on that coast and we all may thank God that it was Beautiful fine weather. and all new Manilla rope falls to lower away our boats full of people for I am sure the old rope falls would not have lowered the empty Boats as they were properly perished and had never been