OBITUARY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1869, 1 October 1913, Page 8

OBITUARY.

CAPTAIN' JOHN O'CONNOR. .... Captain John O'Connor, a well-known shipmaster as well as an early West Coaster, died at Greymouth yesterday morning. Ho'.was a native of Waterford, Ireland, and was : 74 years of age. He camo out to-New Zealand in-1858, and was for some years engaged in the intercolonial trade. Hfe took up ,tho duty as .Harbourmaster to the Greymouth Harbour Board in 1885. During the. course of his seafaring career, he traded in a, number of vessels, amongst them being: tho! brigantino. Aboriginal, the barquentine Zephyr (owned by Mr. Chesney, of Hokitika), which traded between. Melbourne and Hokitika in the 'seventies, and the barquentiw, St. Jfiltla (owned by Mr. Martin Kennedy), which used to trade between Melbourne nnd Hokitika with passengers and cargo during the gold rushes on the West Coast. : After being master of the St.' Ivilda for some time he was appointed to the command of the steamer Maori (owned by Mr. Kennedy). This vessel used to run between Wellington and Greymouth. Mr. Martin Kennedy, when. interviewed last evening, stated that deceased was in his employment up till 1885, when ho. wasv appointed to the position of Harbourmaster at Greymouth, which position lie held up tdl the time of his death. He was, in Mr. Kennedy's opinion, an excellent skipper, and one who never had any trouble. .

As a mark r of respect the flags o5 various shipping offices and vessels in port were flown at half-mast yesterday.