LATE CAPTAIN CAREY,

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1848, 6 September 1913, Page 5

LATE CAPTAIN CAREY,

— —e . HIS CAREER AT SEA, "QRAND old man of pacific.* s Oil© of the most notable in tlio Unioii Company s long list of captains, past and present, was Captain Michael Carey, • w 'li° ouo time Commodore of tho company's fleet, and who has often been mentioned as "tho grand' old man of tile 1 acific. To' those who knew iiim, Captain Carey wa,s a genial and gentlemanly autocrat, and -a. master mariiier whoso special knowledge of liis calling' was second to- nono. His ca-reor and/' successes were somowhat remarkable, and his recent death in Sydney has left a pronounced blank in wide circles which knew him, either personally or by repute,in Ne-w Zealand, Australia, and ab the Vancouver end. On October 11, 1852, Michael Caroy walked into a- flipping ofßco in Boston, U.S.A., and l signed on for a wlialing cruise, which lasted for four yc-ars and three months. On August 25 at tho \\ averley Cemetery, Sydney, tho remams of Captain Michael Carey, retired commodore of the Union --teani Ship Company's fleet, wero interred. Ilia youthful wlialcr and the retired 1 com* 111 mi 10 ,ve, '° 01,0 the same person.. The Into Captain CWy was bom m Ireland l on October 26, 1835, and early in tho spring of 1838 his peoiple _ emigrated to America, audi settled in the village of West Brookfield, ■'O miles from Boston. There ho resided* for 1G years, and olio fino day lie walked to Boston and secured a billet on a whaling schooner, as mentioned above. 11l tho cruise that followed ho got close to New Zealand. On January 10, 1857, thoy called at -tlio Chatham Islands, where ho spent \,t-hrce days and tJireo nights in tho mountains. In other words, iho ran- away from tho ship. Ho remained on tlio Chatham Islands for 14 months, _ engaging in farming; but the sea again called, and ho worked his passage on tho schooner Comet to Sydney, with tho intention of making his way homo again. However, ho tooKi a berth as second mate on tho brig Gertrude, and from 1857 to 18G0 ho' served oil several vessels of tlio barque; and brig class, trading between Sydney' and New Zealand. * i When tlio first lino of steamers —tlio Intercolonial and Royal Mail Company— was established between Sydney audi New Zealand ho' left the brig Burnett and signed' on tho Prince Alfred as anA.B. In the space of four years ho had risen through tho various stages to the position of chief officer.on that steamer. He also served as mate on tlio steamers Otago,, Claude Hamilton, andl. Auckland. 110 next had a spell ashore' in the pilot, service in Nelson, and! aftor about eight months was appointed' to the command of tho stcanier Kennedy, joining lier in. 18GG. _ Shortly after tliis —in 1868—a-n onposv ■ tion steamer, named the John Penn, w-a-9 put on tho run, and Captain Carey was appointed to tlie mastership. Some time later ho matlo the acquaintance of Mr. Mills (now Sir James Mills). In. July, 1876, when tho Union Steam Ship Company Uiad been -running for about? a year, that company toek over tlicf whole of the Now Zealand Steam Ship-, pn-g Company's fleet, including tlia Wellington, Tflranaki, P-lioobo, andl Ladybird. Captain Carey commandedin succession the Wellington,, Tawpo. and'Roto run. In July, 1879, he wenrc Homo and brought out from Glasgow tlw* To Anau fnv tliA cotimwv, In Uie following year ho commanded tlie P ma<hana,*in which Jio -sailed for eigflit years—tho longest command- ho ever had "of any cue, .vessel. He tlhoii toolc clia.rge of tlio Monowai, and finally captained tho Moa.na, in which last-named ; capacity lie is best known to presenti day travellers. His appointment to tlie position of commodore of tho Union Company's fleet was an appreciation of his capabilities by tho company, and lie was k-opt on in Idle service for "eight years after lie reached tlio age limit for retir- - ing, which is 62. Ho .retired some i eight years ago, and lived in Sydney up i till tho timo of-iris death, on August 22. 5 Tlie deceased captain loaves n family t of four daiigluters and ono son—tho daughters being Mesdames G. AMerton and E. N. Wootton (of Sydney), P. J. Dovine (of Melbourne), and D. J. Cal-ln{2]lia-ii (of San FraneSsco), while tho son ;' (Mr. C. Carey) resides also at San [ Francisco. At tlio funeral the Union . Company were represented by Mr. Davidt Mills and Mr. R. K. Doliorty (assistant local manager), wliilo among those aiif tho gravesido were Captains Oiwshaw 1 and Vine Hll.'Messrs. 11. Pollock, C. Cross, P. M. Biniiey, 11. U. Mackenzie, '' J. Buchanan, J Cowan, and E. Ed- ! nionds.