The Kapunda, belonging to Messrs. Trinder, Anderson, and Co., was an iron ship of the highest class, and of 1095 tons register.

She was built on the Clyde in 1875. She left London, under the command of Captain John Masson, on December 11th for Freemantle, Western Australia, calling at Plymouth en route.

There were 313 persons on board, namely crew of 41 and 272 passengers. Of the latter four were in the saloon, 217 were Government emigrants {under the supervision of Dr. Newton Bentham}, and 51 paying steerage-passengers.

They were mostly poor people from the agricultural districts, including a good many Scotch and Irish. Many of them were "nominated" emigrants, sent for by friends already in the colony, others were going to help in making a railway from Beverley to Albany.

Off the Brazils the Kapunda came into collision with a British barque named Ada Melmore, of Belfast. Two persons belonging to the latter vessel were drowned, while all the Kapunda's crew and passengers perished except sixteen persons. Some of these were rescued by the Ulysse, a french barque, which conveyed them to Rio and Naceio.

Source: THE GRAPHIC dated Feb 5, 1887

as transcribed by Bev Edmonds