01/09/1878 - 25/11/1878

The St. Vincent is one of the regular liners, commanded by a master well known in the home trade. On Monday she hove in sight from the stations, and under jury rig she was hardly recognisable. Instead of a full rigged ship she was a barque, and a very poor barque at that. The mizen had no topmast, while the main and fore masts were so metamorphosed that it was pretty evident she had encountered rough weather. She was hailed in due course, and on finding that some cases of scarletina had existed on the voyage she was put in quarantine till the visit of Dr. Gething, the Health Officer in the morning. One of her cases had proved fatal, and the only one in sick quarters on arrival was Mr. Garlick, the son of the Adelaide architect. The only death on the voyage was that of Mr. Douthwaite, who died of consumption on October 30. He was put on board in a very weakly state, and his demise was quite expected. The St. Vincent left London on September 1, and having anchored at Gravesend, was next morning towed to Beachy Head, when light variables ensued as the tug was cast off and all sail made. The passage down Channel was tedious by reason of head winds, but on the 5th the land was cleared and southerly winds experienced. On the 7th there set in a heavy westerly sea, and it continued until reaching the north-east trades, which were extremely light and unsteady, and entirely failed in 8° north. On September 26 the British ship Peter Stewart was boarded, and she afforded the passengers an opportunity of sending home a batch of letters. On October 3, in 21° west, she crossed the Equator, and the south-east trades were very light in character, and entirely failed in 22° south. On October 14 she fell in company with the ship Paramatta, and on the 16th passed a boat bottom upwards, which from appearance had been in the water a very considerable time. The first severe gale of the voyage occurred in lat. 40° lon. 8° east, when it set in from the northward and for two days blew with hurricane force, increasing if possible till the 24th October, when it reached its utmost fury. The vessel was then running with reefed foresail and lower topsails, and so continued until the 25th, when it moderated and more sail was set, but there still followed a tremendous sea. On October 27, in lat. 41° south lon. 22° east, the wind was east with occasional squalls, and the royals had been furled, when a heavy squall struck the ship, and soon reduced her fair proportions to a complete wreck. The head gear at once suffered by the loss of the bowsprit. The whole of the wreck of the gibboom and foretopgallant gear came down by the run. The helm was at once put up so as to run the vessel before the breeze. Not only had the bowsprit carried away but the figure-head and cutwater had also gone by the board taking away all the headrails, trailboards, cathead and carved work, showing pretty clearly how soon a clean sweep is made of the finest ship. The wreckage brought down the foretopmast with the topgallant and royal spars. This catastophe forwards pulled down the mainroyalmast with its surroundings, and in a moment the fine ship was crippled. The first step was to shorten sail to the lower main topsail, and then get the wreckage cleared away. The foresail, with all the gear from aloft, was lying in a mass of debris under the lee bow, and for a time exertions were made to save the bowsprit, which by the way was an iron tube of about two to three tons weight. The pitching of the vessel so far jeopardised the foremast that it became necessary to abandon the wreckage, and secure the spar aloft. The crew at this juncture worked in the most enthusiastic manner, and at once set to work to get preventers on the head spars. The attempt to save the wreckage was futile, for the immense weight of the bowsprit took the whole lot under the ships bottom and although it was at one time hove well up to the bows it had to be abandoned and cut away. It was a most critical episode, for with all the master’s desire to save his spars it was apparent that very little could be done in that respect, and as the vessel wallowed in the wreck the best plan was to cut it adrift and get clear of it at all hazards. The loss of her head gear had so far changed the trim of the ship, that it was necessary to unrig the mizenmast and outrig a spar for the purpose of setting head sail. It was suggested that in her crippled condition the Saint had better shape a course for the Cape for repair, but the master had too much determination to adopt such a course, and he resolved rather to go on crippled than make such a delay in on his voyage. The hole in the topgallant forecastle was stopped up, and after a time the gear aloft was set up. The foretop was abolished and abolished and mizentopmast done away with. The crew worked with alacrity, and in a few days the whole of the jury rig was as well as set up as possible. On October 28 there was another heavy gale, but the vessel behaved very well through it, although sadly out of trim. On the 29th she fell in company with the ship Essex, bound from London to Melbourne. At this time there set in another heavy gale, which delayed the completion of repairs, and it was November 1st before a spare bowsprit was rigged. Then the mizenmast was stripped of its yards, but several days elapsed before the topmast could be sent down and put up forwards. Although such a lame duck in gear spars Captain Barrett has the vessel painted like a new craft, and her good order and condition is alike creditable to him and his officers. An account of the voyage to Australia, copied from a newspaper cutting kept by JOHN P.