ARRIVAL OF THE OAMARU
The Press January 14th 1884

One of Patrick Henderson and Company's well known splendid ships, the Oamaru, sister ship to the Timaru, arrived here on Saturday from London, under charter to Shaw Savill and Co., and the Albion Shipping Company. The Oamaru is commanded by Captain H P Wight [Wright], formerly master of the Taranaki. She has hitherto traded to Port Chalmers, and she now visits this port for the first time during the ten years she has been afloat. The passage she has just finished indorses (sic) the high reputation which has been earned by the Patrick Henderson line of vessels in the shipping records between the old country and this colony. Allowing for the detention she incurred in the English Channel, resulting from a succession of severe S W gales, from which she was driven to shelter for some days at Torbay, after having worked down Channel almost to off Falmouth, her passage occupied just eighty-four days from weighing anchor in Torbay on October 20th to dropping it in this harbour. Reckoned from the date on which she passed out of sight of the Old Country to sighting the Snares on the 8th instant, or from "land to land" it shows but seventy-nine days. She brought eighteen saloon passengers, eleven second cabin passengers, and thirty-four in the steerage, or a total of sixty-three, all of whom arrived well pleased with the ship, and speak in complimentary terms of Captain Wight [Wright] and his officers. The names of the latter are Mr J Maxwell, chief officer; Mr J G Little, second; and Mr J D Munro, third. Very disagreeable weather, stormy and wet, was met with running down the easting, little better thqan a succession of gales from passsing the Cape of Good Hope right along to making the coast of New Zealand. One exceptionally severe storm was encountered when the ship was in the neighborhood of Kerguelen Land on December 21st, in lat 45 14 S., and long 76 W. Captain Wight [Wright] describes it as having been the most fearful gale he can remember being in during an experience of a great many years. Quoting from the entry in the official log it is stated that on the morning of the date named the glass commenced to fall very rapidly, as much as three tenths in four hours. At noon the ship was hove-to under the main lower topsail, when the barometrical reading was .8 20. A fearful sea was running, and the wind, which was from the N W, was at hurrican force. Seas upon seas swept over the ship, one of which broke with tremendous force on board, carrying with it overboard a sheep pen containing eight valuable pedigree sheep, two of which were pure merino rams, and six pure merino sheep. One of the passengers, a Mr Stokes, was knocked down on deck, and sustained a broken collar bone. A portion of the starboard topgallant rail was stripped, and the starboard pinnace was lifted from the davits out of the sockets, and swept overboard, while the port one was struck by the sea and stove in. The gale moderated towards the night, and at 4pm the day following had sufficiently abated to admit of sail being again made. The Oamaru brought a large general cargo, particulars of which are given above. She is also fitted with one of Bell and Coleman's refigerating machines and two capacious meat rooms, extending forward right from the main hatchway in both upper and lower holds. The further particulars of the passage, as under, were kindly supplied by Mr Maxwell, chief officer. Left London October 11th; Gravesend next day. Met stiff weather, and after landing channel pilot on the 15th, heavy S W gales, so put back into Torbay. Left there October 20th, and had southerly and westerly winds to passing Gibraltar. Then one or two days of calms and light airs