Thomas Eaves' Sea Journey to New Zealand |
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Thomas' diary I have of their shipboard experiences has a little more
information that could help tie down their English origins, and I will
write down a few excerpts only. He made an entry every day. Brian Sutton (mother Eaves) Embarked on the 22 of Nov (1864) and got tea. 23rd. towed out of the docks and anchored at Gravesend at 12 o'clock. 24th.the government agents came aboard and all was right and a minister gave everyone a prayerbook. 25th.sailed from Gravesend with fair wind.stormy night anchored with two anchors with a great many sick.We were both sick. 9th dec. saw landsend and got in the skirts of the bay of biscay and waves came over the side. 14 dec fine morning fair wind a sail split in two and a child died.We have sailed 205 miles. 17th dec ..we got our boxes up and a beautiful day for the occasion. 24 dec ..217 miles fine morning rather warm our Ann Jane is like a boy she is so rough. 14 Jan..a beautiful day..our Mary Elizabeth is not so well she has a good many sea boils on her... we can make tea or coffee for breakfast...we have soft bread and other times hard biscuits...some times we make a current or preserve pie. 6 Feb...got up at five to wash we wash in cold fresh water which we save out of our allowance we get a gallon and a half of it a day beside hot water for our meals. Had a fight with two men at dinner time .I will now give you the dimensions of our apartments for 18 adults and 7 children.17 feet long 6 feet 6 inches high 9 feet wide... |
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| A photo of the Eaves children taken some 5 or 6 years after both their parents had tragically died. They were brought up by neighbours and friends of the family and it would seem they did a great job of it. From the left is Millie, Mary Elizabeth,Edward (my granddad), Ann Jane and Florrie. Brian Sutton |
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8 Feb....our sissie is beginning to talk very nicely and we are all in good health at present. 11Feb...we are washing the children from head to foot ready for sunday....light breeze right aft. 12 Feb...when we make a pie or cake we put a little leaven in instead of baking powder.Evening we had a beautiful sermon on the death of the woman that died from the 14 verse of the last chapter of second epistles of Peter....good breeze on the quarter....half past nine o'clock one of the single men stabbed another three times in the forehead..they locked him up...beautiful moonlight night...tried the young man for stabbing he is bound over for the rest of the voyage..will be given over to the police as soon as the vessel lands. 21st..we go to bed sometimes in the day to warm ourselves...a little girl died at nine o'clock. 26th Feb..good stiff breeze on the beam..opposite vandemans land.birth of a girl at ten o'clock and both doing well...12 o'clock abreast of hobart town capital of Tasmania.. 6th Mar...I have been brought up before the doctor for being seen on the top deck during the time of watch but off with a reprimand...beautiful evening head wind and tacking about... 8th..wind increased towards evening, ship pitching and tossing...reefed the topsails and furled the mainsails..wind increased to a gale... topmasts and gallent masts carried away...with the topsail yards and flying gib and gibbson(?) broke the bowsprit close off to the knigh (?) heads carring with it all the headsails and the fors'al was shattered to ribbons and large pieces torn out...all hands cutting away the rigging with all the hatchets the could get hold of...sounded the pumps and found very little water in her...the gale increased to a hurricane...the lower topsail split into ribbons during the night...and during that time they got the fragments of the gib beam and bowsprit on board again... |
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One of the Xmas cards sent by Edward's cousin, Thomas in Preston...we think about 1905-1910 period.
Brian Sutton |
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9th...still blowing a complete hurricane...maintop gallent mast and mizzen
royal and top gallent mast carried away and hung over the side...heavy
showers of rain..1 p.m. mainmast main top mast and mizzen went over the
side..all hands cutting away the wreckage with hatchets saws and
knives...ship rolling about and creaking and making a fearful noise...a
general shrieking amongst the female passengers took place at this time..one
of the quarter boats was washed away...the broken bowsprit was thrown
overboard with a hawser attached to it to keep the ship head to
windward...the only sticks that was left standing was the fore lower mast and
the foreyard ,the mizzen lower mast and crogic(?) yard..the sails being
blown to ribbons...the passengers and crew had very little sleep during the
night..the ship lay in the trough of the sea rolling fearfully..every person
we met looked bewildered and each asked the other if there was any hope
left...prayer meetings were being held. The sun was seen setting and the moon
rising giving us hope of fine weather...the wind broke off during the
night...we have drifted 60 miles in two days...the ship was still lying in
the trough of the sea but all hands had changed to cheerful smiling
faces..got up a sail on the mizzen lower mast..set up a new foresail and
made sail with a nice breeze the remainder of the afternoon.
11thMar...broke with a fine morning...the ship rolling about, there being
no sail on her to keep her steady...hands were at work at the stump of the
mainmast getting it ready to hoist a jury mast..others getting a spare spar
forward to make a bowsprit of when at 8 o'clock a cry of a sail in sight was
raised and all eyes was turned to the starboard quarter since we had not
seen one since 16 Jan,..a signal of distress was quickly put up and about 2
hours after she bore down across our stern and we hailed her with a speaking
trumpet asking her where she was bound to.Her captain answered Auckland,
what assistance can we give you. Can you take us in tow we asked...yes was the
reply and soon after a hawser was got up and a boat lowered and the hawser
taken to the ship which proved to be the "Constance" of Auckland and shortly
afterwards we were in tow of a pretty little barque. 12th.Mar 49 miles..and a fine sunny day. (work continues to tidy up the rigging and sails )...a prayer meeting was held in the evening at which many thanks were offered for our deliverance and we had a beautiful sermon from the first verse of the third chapter of St. John. 13th Mar...120 miles...3 am our hawser being used as a tow rope broke..all hands and some passengers helped to shorten sail and get the tow rope on board after which a grog was given to all those that helped. 18thMar...a fine morning and a grand sight to be seen..we were taken quite close into the land and we had the pleasure of seeing some beautiful scenery of woods and thickset forests and birds. About 9 o'clock Auckland was clear to our view and at 10 am the pilot came on board at 11 o'clock we dropped anchor in Auckland harbour after a voyage of 16 weeks. So ended the voyage of the "Bombay" with 397 emigrants after having 9 deaths and 7 births. 19th Sunday...wet day...many visitors came aboard...some of the passengers went on shore...we had fresh fruit and potatoes for dinner. Thomas Eaves. |