| | FAMOUS SHIPS - THE "PIAKO" - CAPTAIN W.B. BOYD
THE "PIAKO"
THE "PIAKO " built by Stephen, of Glasgow, in 1876-7, was one of the
last three beautiful little 1,000 ton sister ships built for the New
Zealand Shipping Company. The Piako's registered measurements were:
Tonnage, 1,075 tons; length, 215 feet 3 inches; breadth, 34 feet; depth,
20 feet 5 inches. Launched in December 1876, she sailed on her first
voyage under Captain Fox on February 5th, 1877 leaving the Thames for
Lyttelton with a list of passengers. She made her first voyage to New
Zealand in 99 days, a good average passage at that time.
On her second voyage a new skipper, CAPTAIN W.B. BOYD, a noted seaman, took over. Leaving Plymouth on November 20th, 1877 and arriving at Port Chalmers of February 12th, 1878, being 76 days 12 hours from port to port a near record breaker.
Piako's third passage and CAPTAIN BOYD's second, almost ended in
disaster. She sailed on October 11th with a crew of 40 and 317
passengers. Just a month out about 180 miles from Pernambuco smoke was reported to be rising through the fore hatch in the 'tween decks. In
order to get to the seat of the fire, the fore hatch was removed upon
which a 20-foot flame leapt out of the hold. The foremost tier of cargo
was ablaze! They tried to put the fire out with the fire hose to little
effect. They decided to batten down the hatch again and try to get at
the fire from another direction. They tried to get at the fire from
below through the married quarters below decks, but the dense smoke
prevented them from advancing very far. The situation started to look
very bad indeed. The Captain then gave the helmsman a new course to
steer - toward Pernambuco. The boats were then provisioned and lowered. It required every effort by CAPTAIN BOYD to avoid a panic among the people.
There were 160 men among the passengers as well as families that were
going to New Zealand. Some of the men were acting bravely, but many were running back and forth in panic. The Captain stood at the break of the poop, pistol in hand. He was calming the women on board at one moment and the next making sure his orders were being obeyed. Once the boats were lowered into the water, there was a rush upon the Captain by some of the rougher characters, but the Captain met the rush with "Stand back everybody! Women and children first!"
Just then came a cry of "Sail Ho!" CAPTAIN BOYD took one look to make sure a ship was in sight, then happily said, "Well done! You'll all be
saved if you don't get excited. Deep yourselves calm and don't make a
noise." From this time on the situation settled down and thing were much
calmer on board. The vessel turned out to be the Loch Doon. It still
took 3 hours for the vessels to come close enough together so that the
passengers could be transferred. A few ex-sailors volunteered to stay on
board Piako and help fight the fire. Having reached Pernambuco the
Captain found that his troubles were increased, since there was smallpox
raging at that location and four hundred people a day were dying. There
was a small island, called Coconut Island, which was uninhabited and had
a grove of coconut trees surrounded by a lot of sand, located about
seven miles up the river from Pernambuco. The Piako's passengers were
landed here and had to endure the island for nine weeks. Food was sent
from the ship. Meanwhile, CAPTAIN BOYD and his crew managed to save the ship. The fire was smothered by the expedient of scuttling the ship to the level of her poop deck! This most effectively put out the fire, and
when she was raised again very little damage was done to the ship
herself. However, the fire destroyed most of the cargo in the forward
hold, the greater part of the emigrant's baggage and effects, and the
galley and donkey-engine.
The Piako finally arrived at Lyttelton on March 5th after necessary
repairs had been made, being 145 days out from Plymouth. An
investigation was held at both Pernambuco and again at Lyttelton, but
the cause of the fire was never determined.
On her very next outward passage, the cry of "Fire!" was again heard on
the Piako. This time, however, the fire was quickly put out. It was
determined that a group of rockets stored in the lazarette had somehow
ignited, probably from rubbing against each other due to the rough seas
in the "roaring forties" while she was running her easting down. This
passage was her second best, arriving at Lyttelton on January 16th, 85
days out.
CAPTAIN BOYD had the Piako for six voyages and was by far her best
commander. Her best homeward passage, being 71 days, was made under his command. He left the ship to take over the firm's agency at Dunedin.
Captain Sutherland was another well known commander of the Piako. He had her from 1885 until in the early 1890's she was sold to the Germans,
being purchased by J.E. Schaffer, of Elsfleth. In 1900, when bound to
the Cape from Melbourne with supplies for the troops in the Boer War,
the Piako was posted missing, just short of being 25 years old. She was
always considered on of the finest ships of the New Zealand Shipping
Company and particularly noticeable for her good looks.
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End
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