NORVAL
The NORVAL departed London on 2nd May, 1876 and arrived in Port Chalmers on 4th August, 1876, with Captain Young in command.
Transcribed from the Otago Witness for Saturday, 5th August, 1876 and for Saturday, 15 July 1876.
Otago Witness, Saturday, 5 August 1876, Page 11
ARRIVAL OF THE NORVAL.
The Norval arrived in Port late on Friday night in tow of the Geelong, and brought up at the Powder Ground. She is a fine ship of 1427 tons register, nearly the counterpart of the Orpheus, now in port, and is comparatively new - 1873 being the year of her launching. This is her third voyage. Her career commenced inauspiciously for when on her way to Bombay, with a cargo of coal, she was dismasted in the Indian Ocean, and had to make for the Mauritius under jury-rig. There she discharged, refitted, and loaded sugar for Britain. Her second voyage was made to Calcutta and back, and she is now here under charter to Messrs Shaw, Savill, and Co., and consigned to Messrs J. Rattray and Co. The Norval was built at Sunderland, and is owned by Messrs Baine, Thomson, and Co, of Greenock. She is of iron throughout, with iron lower-masts and lower yards, excepting the cross-jack and lower topsail yards and bowsprit. She is a half poop ship, with limited but exceedingly comfortable and tastefully arranged saloon accommodation. She has great deck space and high 'tween decks, is capitally appointed, and of the following dimensions:- Length, 246 ft; beam, 38ft; depth of hold, 22½ft.
Her present voyage commenced on May 2nd, when she left London, dropped down to Gravesend, then shipped 1325 half barrels and quarter barrels of powder, stored it in a proper magazine, and sailed on the 3rd. Was favoured by light easterly winds down Channel, and cleared the land on the 7th. Moderate northerly and variable winds prevailed thence to the N.E. Trade, which was found on May 18th, lat. 18.29. It blew a good steady wind, and gave out in 5.14 N., on the 22nd. Then the Equatorial S. W. monsoon met the ship, and, with her yards sharp up, she headed for the Equator, and crossed it on the 24th, long. 27.28 W. As she neared the Line the wind took southerly and merged into the S.E. Trade on the Line. The wind was very favourable and held to 21 south, then giving out on May 31st. During the ensuing fortnight the Norval, was hindered by poor winds, south and S.E. prevailing. June 13th found her in 34.17, long. 12.10, and then she trimmed yards to the first of the passage winds. On the 17th, she crossed the prime meridian, and the meridian of the Cape on the 21st, lat. 45.21; made capital running, with moderate winds from north to W.S.W.; ran her easting down on the 47th parallel, crossed the meridian of the Leuwin July 16th; passed Tasmania on the 21st, and made her land fall at the Snares on the 26th. On the whole the westerlies were steady, freshened once or twice into smart gales, but nothing to speak of the passage being essentially a fine weather one. Ice was sighted on July 17th, when a large berg was passed lat. 49.27, long. 120 41 E; a small piece of floe ice was passed about a, week previously. From the Snares the ship brought light southerly and westerly winds down the coast; arrived off the Heads on the morning of the 28th, and in port that night. She is loaded with about 2000 tons of cargo, weight and measurement. Powder is not the only combustible she has on board, a number of cases of paraffin oil stowed on deck, there wore forty-four of them when she left London, but four of the number turning leaky during the passage, they were hove overboard.
Otago Witness, Saturday, 15 July 1876, Page 11
Passengers
Mr & Mrs Parker & 2 Children
Mr & Mrs Restaull
Mr & Mrs Godfrey & 4 children
Mr & Mrs Whiteley
Mr & Mrs Faulkner and son
Mr Charlewood
Mr Warner
Mr Kingford
Mr Phelp
Mr Mitchell
Mr Casey
Mr Froom
Mr Barrow
Mr Green
Mr Stevenson
Mr Wild
Mr Ballance
Mr Geary
Mr Adams
Mr Munyard
Mr Dobson
Mr Stedman
Mr Johnson
Mr Handcock
Mr Ludford
Mr Slyth
Mr Powell
Mr Davey
Mr Lenham
Mr Leahan
Mr O'Hallahan
Mr Vipan
Mr Pearse
Mr Rippon
Mr Farmer
Copyright – Gavin W Petrie - 2011