Early Deaths
EARLY DEATHS
Alexander Meiklejohn – From the death notice following his passing on 30 January 1868
In Memoriam – A gloom has this week been cast over our district, by the death of Mr Alexander Meiklejohn, one of the active partners in the firm of Messrs Meiklejohn, shipbuilders here. Mr Meiklejohn has been removed in the prime of life, after a day’s illness. He was universally respected; all men it is said have their enemies, but we believe he was an exception. He was characterized by moral excellence, tempered with a gentleness of spirit, which shed over his character a peculiar grace. He was ever ready with his counsel and liberality to forward every good work in the locality, and every case of hardship or distress brought before him, was met with kindness and compassion. These in this district and many elsewhere, will long remember his worth , and feel sorrow at his early removal. His remains were interred on Friday last, in the family burying ground at Omaha, in the presence of a large concourse of mourners.
From the research site – Great Barrier History Research Group Inc – don.armitgae.aotea.org
DREADFUL CASUALTY TO THE SCHOONER RAPID-SUFFERINGS OF THE CREW-SIX LIVES LOST.
The cutter Swallow arrived in port yesterday from the Great Barrier Island, and brought intelligence of a fearful disaster which happened to the schooner Rapid while on her way from Mercury Bay to Auckland. William Page, one of the survivors, was a passenger by the Swallow, and we have taken the following particulars from his own word of mouth. He says: – ” We left Mercury Bay in the Rapid on the evening of the 19th inst. (Saturday) for Auckland, and loaded with timber. We passed through Mercury Islands with very light weather, and it continued so until Sunday morning. The wind then freshened, and kept freshening gradually all day. I went below at seven or eight o’clock that evening, and the wind still kept freshening. The Rapid is a new boat of about 30 tons. About nine or ten o’clock they shortened sail; two reefs were taken in the mainsail. While below I felt the vessel plunging into the sea very heavily. I went on deck, and as I passed along the deck, I saw one man hanging on to the fore rigging. He was a passenger, and he cried out to me, “We are, gone, Bill.” All sail was then down, the foresail and mainsail hanging down over the lee side in the water. The vessel was then going well free from the wind. I have been a sailor, and I said to the captain that he had better hoist the peak up and try the vessel up to the wind. I was trying to do that myself, but found that the peak halyards had run aloft, and I could not do it. The captain said hoist a bit of the foresail again, but I replied that I feared it was no use. About this time one of the seamen went to the forecastle, looked down, and sang out that the vessel was filling with water. This was caused by her plunging into the sea so heavily. Directly after he sang out that she was filling water, she fell over on her beam ends and filled. When I sang out to the captain to set sail, A P Fadgen was standing on the quarter-deck, and he cried out, come here – do come here, Bill. These were the last words I heard him speak. After the vessel went over we were quite helpless. Four of us took to the forerigging, and four to the main-rigging, and Paget, a passenger, was below in the cabin, and was drowned by the vessel filling with water. He was a bad sailor, and was alarmed, and was probably helpless to save himself. This all occurred on Sunday night last, and we were then between the Little Barrier Island and Tiri Tiri. As the vessel was filled with timber she was, of course, waterlogged. Mr M’Fadgen was at first on the quarter-deck, and when the vessel went down, on her beam ends, he floated away on two planks to the masthead of the vessel. He then got off the boards, and worked himself up to where we were holding on. The keel of the vessel being to the wind, the sea was breaking over us, and we found great difficulty in holding on. About half-an-hour after that Captain Meiklejohn called out that M’Fadgen was dying, and I said take a rope and lash him to the rigging, which the Captain did. Shortly after that M’Fadgen died, and about an hour after that Portuguese Joo died in the rigging where I was. He was washed off two or three times, and we pulled him in again, but at last we found that it was no use, that he could not hold on. I can’t remember now whether it was the same day or next night, but they went off one by one after that. The last one that went was just when we were leaving the wreck at the Great Barrier. We saw one ashore, and this man either dropped off, or in attempting to swim was drowned. We had pulled him into the rigging two or three times, but he was so far gone that we could not pull him on any more. We were not far from the shore, the vessel having drifted in close to the rocks. As soon as the three of us who survived got ashore, we lay down and had a sleep until daylight. We got up and tried to walk to Mr Harding’s, but the captain being best able to walk, said he would go on and send a boat for us, which he did; and we were taken to Mr Harding’s house, and treated very kindly, and I came in the Swallow to Auckland. The following are the names of the unfortunate men who were drowned : – Mr Neil M’Fadgen, a shareholder in the Mercury Bay Saw Mill Company. Mr Paget, a passenger, and settler from Mercury Bay. Joe, a Portuguese, a passenger. Mr Burns, a passenger, and a working man, from Mercury Bay. Mr Robert Clarke, a farmer, and a passenger, who was drowned just as we reached the Little Barrier. Mr L. Meiklejohn, son (brother) of the captain, and one of tba crew ; aged about 17 or 18 years. The following are the names of those who survived the disaster : — Myself (William Page), a settler in Mercury Bay. Captain Meiklejohn, captain of the Swallow, and Frank, a Frenchman, and one of the crew. Before I left the Rapid was righted, and sailed for Oma, just below Tiri Tiri.
We should say that Page, who gave us the above narrative of the sufferings of himself and his companion, appeared, as might naturally be expected, to be still suffering from the disaster, which will account for his statement not being so precise as it might, or exactly consistent with the captain’s account. Both of the survivors were floating about for three days on the wreck, under a burning sun, and with the sea washing over them, so that it can be well supposed that they were thoroughly prostrated when, through Providence, they were enabled to reach land. “Auckland Weekly News,” March 30.
Source: Otago Witness, 16th April, 1864
Letter from Alex. Meiklejohn dated 18 March 1864 following the sinking of the ‘Rapid’.
The schooner ‘Rapid’ from Mercury Bay, loaded with timber with nine souls on board was running up under Cape Colville, with a heavy northerly gale, under close-reefed canvas, and was taken a back with a south-west squall about ten o’clock. I called all hands to save ship, the squall being so heavy that it lay the vessel on her beam ends, and she filled in the fore-scuttle and cabin. Mr. Paget who was in the cabin, did not turn out, and he was instantly drowned. The sea broke clean over the vessel as she floated. Mr. McFadgen and a Portuguese by the name of Jo were swept overboard and were not seen any more. All the next day the wind still continued to blow from the south-west. About twelve o’clock another man was washed overboard, suffering from the cold and wet and hunger, not being able to hold on any longer. This was within ten miles of Little Barrier. It still continued to blow heavy on Monday night. On Tuesday at eight o’clock Lemuel Meiklejohn was swept overboard. Towards the evening the wind hauled more to the westward, and drifted us towards the Great Barrier. We attempted to make sail, but failed, the wind still increasing. Towards one o’clock there was four left in the rigging, and we were drawing towards the land. At two o’clock we came to the rocks, the captain swam on shore with a line, leaving the end on board and by so doing a passenger named William McWilliams was hauled on shore by it, and was saved. John Francis who attempted to swim failed but was assisted by the same rope. Robert Clarke was drowned in making the same attempt. The captain went on and left the other two, who were speechless on the rocks, and got a native’s whaleboat and men and went down and got the other two men, who were almost exhausted. We were taken up to Mr. Harding’s house, and kindly entertained. The schooner ‘Swallow’ being in the harbour, her crew and a crew of natives went down and cleared the wreck and towed into Wangaproa.
Alex. Meiklejohn
