Thursday, 2 January 2014

Family History 1.716

My great-grandfather Charles Gaze's shipboard diary

2nd January 1860

 
Latitude 14-30 South

Very fine and favourable wind again. Foretop Stunsail broke away but soon rectified, no one hurt.
A Mr Snow (saloon passenger) has a class of children on the poop every morning, also Bible Class on Sunday afternoons. Our Charles attends the former. He also attends a class on Sunday after­noons conducted by a Lady (wife of 2nd Cabin Captain Krippner, a German) she can talk good English but her husband, 5 children also his brother and 5 servants (the latter in our cabin) can scare talk a word of English but they are picking up our phrases fast so are many others their language.

1 of the servants has an infant about 2 mths old there are 2 married couples and 1 single woman. They all appear very sociable, I heard Capt. Krippner say he had a letter of introduction from the Princess FredK Wm of Prussia, our Princess Royal. Capt. K appears so be study­ing English very. much. I made some toffee after tea.

3rd

Very fine, hot and gOOd winds still, Hot cake for breakfast, my     wife made a loaf, She often makes soda cakes and very good only frequently a difficulty in getting them baked as the oven is small. Many persons have had cakes stolen from the oven when the cook has been away for a short time.

Latitude 19S Long 28W.

7 p.m. sighted the island of Trineda somewhat to the surprise of most persons, passed it about mid­night but a long distance about 5 miles west of it.

I saw .tonight for the first time the Southern Crass being five stars forming a cross.

A bird called the booby seen hovering about the mizzen mast but not caught,

4th

Very fine and hot, fast winds, still, sea somewhat calm. 
Hot cake for breakfast. 
Lost sight of the island about 7 a.m. Latitude 21-48 Long. 29-11
9 p.m. Two single men endeavoured to play off a joke, but were caught in that they devised for others, viz. They dressed as prize fighters and had a sham fight to attract persons to the spot while they had engaged one of the sailors to go aloft with 2 buckets of water. They intended to fall and roll together under the carpenters bench but to their surprise and amusement of most persons the sailor threw -water down before they had arranged for him to do so and they and their attendants got the most of it. It was a good joke, I and Alice got some of it. Some were drenched to the skin but there were none but what seemed highly amused.

(My note: Capt Krippner was on his way to the settlement at Puhoi.)

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