THE HARBOURMASTER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2414, 20 March 1915, Page 8

THE HARBOURMASTER

CAPTAIN JOHNSON RETIRING WATCHING THE PORT GROW INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. After twenty-six years' service with t'ho Wellington Harbour Board Captain Henry Johnson is to retire at the end of the month from the position of Harbourmaster and the service of the board. Captain Johnson can do this with a certain gratification, as his record, not only in the service of the Board, but when at sea, for many years before ho ceme ashore, is absolutely a clean one. A man with a stern sense of duty ho lias never swerved from doing what lie believed to be right, lie never had an accident whilst ill command at rea, and durins the long years ho has been ashore in Wellington he has earned the respect of everyone, even of those who could not always see eve-to-eye with him in everything. A Hard Life. Captain Jolinson was born in 1849 in the Shetland Islands, where life has never been regarded exactly as "one long sweet indolence." His father died when he was thirteen years of age, and he had to turn and work to keep the family pot boiling. Two years later lie determined to go to sea, and journeyed to Scotland in a small steamer, mado his way to Glasgow, and there curiously enough took passage in the Union Steam Ship Company's steamer Penguin (since lost in Cook Strait) to Liverpool, never dreaming that' years later he was to pace t'lie bridge deck as her commander. After knocking about for a time he secured a berth as ordinary seaman on the Barque Banda, bound from Liverpool to Adelaide, arrived in the latter port on May 1, 1870, left tlio skip there, and proceeded up country to a station called Belvedere, where he stayed until August, 18.71. Then the sea called the island-bred youth, and he repaired to Adelaide, and shipped aboard a brig called the Lily trading on the Australian coast as- far north as Brisbane. In July of the following j-ear, lie left the brig to take service in the brigantine Exonia, in which two voyages were made to Auckland. A year later Captain Johnson left the Exonia at Newcastle and shipped as- second mate of the barque Cyrus, owned by the late Captain R Williams, of Wellington, in whose service he remained until the fleet and its goodwill was sold to the Union Steam Ship Company. His second ship under the Williams regime was the barque Edwin Bassett, to which he was appointed chief mate (with Captain Salmon as master). A Double Wreck. After the transfer had been made at Wellington the Cyrus sailed for Newcastle (on Friday, March 12, 1874). 3-hat same evening a very heavy northwest gale blow, and on Saturday it swept round to the south-east, blowing great guns, and with tho weather as thick as pea-soup. About 11 p.m. tho Cyrus went ashore in the little bay at the seaward end of Happy Valley (a mile to the north of Island Bay), and twenty minutes later the ship Wellington plunged out of the gloom and smashed on to the beach in the same bay. Five lives were lost on tho Cyrus (Mrs. Wrigglcsworth and her two children, who were passengers, the second officer, and a seaman), and also some of the crew of tho ship Wellington. By tho Sunday afternoon both vessels were broken to bits on the beach, and thousands of people from Wellington visited the scone of the -wreck. Appointed Master. "I left tho Edwin Bassett in July, 1874," related Captain Johnson, "and joined the barque Annie Mellraish as chief officer, and three years later I was given command of the same vessel. I left her in December, 1879, to tako command of the steamer Grafton, the first steamer that Captain Williams bought. She traded for years between Westport, Greymouth, Wellington, Lyttelton, Timaru, and Oamaru, and during the time I was in her I was given solo control of the vessel. Captain Williams's one idea was to make money by carrying coal—and make money lie did —but I was able to show him that there were more ways of making the vessel pay than one. Those West Coast Bars. "In those days the bars at Greymouth and Westport were very shallow, and as tlio Grafton was the largest vessel that crossed them, I had to be very careful, and always steered tho ship myself when going in. Yet there were times when one had to take certain risks. I remember one occasion on which I went in with the signals against me. I had been waiting of! the bar some time, having on board no fewer than fifty-seven passengers, amongst whom were a theatrical company very anxious to get ashore. The signals never altered hour after hour, so at high water I decided to get iu. It was a case of necessity, as we had to feed a big crowd of people every .three or four hours, and provisions were running short. I told tho engineer to get up all the steam hp could, and we mado for the bar. Among the passengers was a man almost suffering from delirium tremens through drink, and as we neared the bar I can remember him shouting out 'My God! My God! My God!" whilst his grey hair stood up on end. We -got across without a scratch, and when I got alongside tho harbourmaster told me pretty' roughly what he thought of me. At that the, whole of the theatrical company went for him as one man. and there was tho liveliest scene imaginable. Bringing Out the Mawhera. "I gave up-command of the Grafton in April, 1883, and under instructions from Captain Williams wont to Scotland to take charge of the steamer Mawhera, built to his order in Glasgow. Wo arrived at Greymouth in the new steamer oil January 19, 1884, and as it was tho largest steamer that had ever crossed the bar wo had a great reception. In July, 1885, Captain Williams sold his steamers and sailing vessels to the Union Steam Ship Company. T was twelve years in the service of Captain Williams, and can look back on that term with great pleasure, as he was a line man, and faithful servants receiver] just reward at his hands, and could always depend upon the best of treatment. Joins the Union Company. "On July 31, 1885, T was appointed by the Union Company to take command of the Wanaka, and during tho four and a quarter years I served with that company I had command of the [following vessels: —Mawhera, Suva, lona, Arawata (now a hulk in Wellington Harbour), Penguin, Rotorua, Australia, Hawea, Mahinapua, Ohau, Omapere, Puknki, Taupo, Wakatipu,. and Hindus. When I left Sir James Mills forwarded me a very excellent testimonial, and Mr. E. P. Houghton also wrote thanking n.e for my services. With the Harbour Board. "1 joined the service of tho Harbour Board as chief pilot on November I, 1881), and was appointed harbourmaster on January 27, J SOS. AVhen 1 first jt-ined the service there was no pilot inside, but Pilots Shilling and .Holmes were at. Worser Hay. Those were tho. days when tho pilots had to heat llin sailing; vessels up tho entrance and sail i

tlieni up to and away from the wharves, for there were no tugs to holp oue, and tliero were times when a pilot would go olf to a vessel and in hor get blown off the entrance for a day or two. Even up till eoino twelve or thirteen years ago we had to do all our work with open boats. Then the board got the launch Uta, and we managed better." When Captain Johnston joined the staff there were only the Pencarrow and Somes Island lights to guide vessels into port. Ho advocated the low light on the rocks below Pencarrow Head, opposed the Steeple Reck light agitation, and first buoyed the Falcon Shoal (now dredged away), and subsequently advocated tho leading lights that show the channel past Hope Shoal and AVard Island. He also inaugurated the prosent system of coloured signals to facilitate the berthing of vessels at night, and many years ago had. the unsightly hulk fleet shifted from mid-harbour to the Kaiwarra Bight. Crowth of the Port. "During my twenty-five years' setvies with the board (says Captain Johnson in his linal report) I have had the pleasure of seeing tho trado of the port year by year steadily increase in volume. When joining the service in ISS9 the oversea shipping handled by the pilots and men was 317 vessels, with a net tonnage of 426,957 tons, while the total arrivals for all classcs of vessels were 2-253, with a net tonnage of 790,219 tons. The oversea shipping 'handled this year was 684 vessels, with a not tonnage of 2,85G,684 tons, and the total rrrivals for all classes of vessels were 3325, with a net tonnage of 3,127,182 tons. From these figures itwill be noticed that the number, of oversea vessels handled by the pilots has, during the past twenty-five years, jumped from 317 to 684, an increase of 115.7 per cent., while the total tonnage of the vessels handled 'has increased from 426,957 tons in 1889 to 2,856,684 tens in 1914,' showing a total increase in tonnage of 2,429,727 tons, represent ing a percentage increase of 569.08 during the period named. Further analysis of the figures' shows that, while the average tonnage of vessels handled in 1889 -was 1327.9 tons, it rose in 1914 to 4176.4, an increase of 214.5 per cent, over the figures for 1889. This plainly shows the increased size of the steamers. One cf the greatest factors to tho increase . ; n the traffic of the port is its spacious harbour with deep water, no current, and splendid berthage accommodation. Therefore the continued increase in the size of the steamers cannot become an obstacle in trading to this port, and I believe it will continue to be the final port in the Dominion for deep draught steamers departing for London or elsewhere." Captain Johnson retires on superannuation. He intends to reside in Wellington. Later, should the war end, he intends to take a trij> to the Old Country, but in the meantime he would like to sec something of New Zealand. On one occasion 'he worked for the board for eleven years without a holiday, so feels quite entitled to take his oaso now.