Voyage to Australia.
John Alexander Hutcheson Fraser (1876-1939).

(From 1889 to 1891, John (Ian) trained on the "Conway" in Liverpool.)

Before leaving the "Conway", I had been interviewed by the Manager of Sandbach Tinnie & Co. and on the payment by my mother of £60 premium, I was appointed to the "Stronsa", a 2000 ton full rigged ship built in 1882, up to then used in the Indian coolie trade, running indentured coolies from India to the Cape and cargo to London. Captain Brooks, a short, fat man had been in command for many years but had never had apprentices, as the coolie trade was considered unsuitable. By 1892, the coolie trade was passing into the hands of steamers and the "Stronsa" was loading in London a general cargo for Sydney N.S.W. On the 5th of February 1892, I left home with my new sea chest for London, to join the "Stronsa" which was to sail on the 8th. I was then a then a short, fair haired boy of 15 and nine months.

As the "Stronsa" was to sail at daylight on the 8th, we decided to go on board the night before, so Balantine and I set off in a cab with both of our sea chests, mattresses etc. for the East India Docks where the "Stronsa" was lying. When we got there, we found the only person on board was an old night watchman. By coming early, we secured the two top bunks in the apprentices's berth which was a narrow cabin, twelve foot long by six wide, on the starboard side under the poop, with two portholes. It adjoined the sail locker through which, in heavy weather, we were able to get on to the poop, for in heavy weather, the door out on to the main deck was permanently closed to keep out the seas but, at some time, the iron door had been hit in the middle by a sea and bent, so that water used to come in at the foot of the door over the twelve inch coaming and there was always, in heavy weather, about a foot of water washing about, but fortunately our sea chests were watertight.

The first night on board in the docks was very strange in the musty apprentices's berth which was lit by a very dull Colza lamp. After getting our mattresses down and our blankets and sheets out, we turned in and I was soon asleep, but was wakened up by a rat chewing the sole of my foot which was outside the blanket and another time we got awakened by a rat chewing my ear and walking over my face. Fortunately after we got to sea, the rats had the run of the ship and found other things to chew, but everything had to be kept in tins and leather boots or shoes had to be kept in our sea chests.

Before it was daylight, we were wakened by the old night watchman and got up and dressed and had some coffee and bread with him in the galley. Shortly afterwards the officers and runners arrived with the men. Then Walker, another "Conway" boy arrived and with him, Marshall, the fourth apprentice who came from Liverpool. None of us had been to sea before and as Balantine and I had the top bunks, they had to take the bottom bunks.

Presently the mate and the 2nd mate got busy and had us drawing in the hawsers. It was a cold, bleak, rainy February morning and the sailors were being brought on board by Crimps who had to carry many of them on board, dumping them into bunks in the fore mast house which was their fo'castle. They were all dead to the world so that when the river pilot came on board and the tugs hooked on, Balantine and I had to take the wheel as none of the men was fit to stand. We had to get boxes to stand on as the wheel was so big and the 2nd mate had to help us to put the wheel hard down rounding the bends in the river. It was a long, cold morning with heavy sleet and it was several hours before we arrived abreast of Greenwich where we were to take on board twenty tons of gunpowder.

The tug brought us up to the powder buoy and I had to slip down a rope on to the buoy and shackle the starboard anchor chain to it. I had to take my oilskins off to do this and sit with my legs round the centre ring and be splashed with cold spray and sleet with the anchor chain banging about. However, I got it fixed and came on board wet, cold and very hungry for dinner. After dinner, we got the after hatches off and presently, alongside came a powder barge with twenty tons of powder and men to stow it away. After the powder was stowed and the hatches replaced, we apprentices had to sweep down the decks and an anchor watch was set, of one officer and two apprentices.

We soon finished the fresh meat and potatoes that were on board and although we four apprentices had each brought on board a good supply of extras, they soon went and we were down to the salt meat and salt pork, both of which were bad, so that during the whole voyage I never could bring myself to eat either the beef or the pork. Much of it was actually rotten and the men often complained but there was nothing else left for them to eat. The only meat I ate during the voyage was on Sunday when we had a 2lb tin of bully beef between the four of us and I can assure you there was nothing left in the tin when we were done with it. Every morning we went along to the steward to get our "hard tack". These were Liverpool pantiles, hard as a rock, which required to be softened in tea or coffee before they could be eaten or broken up with a marlin spike into crumbs which we mixed with part of our pea soup which we got twice a week. This made a very satisfying evening meal. Twice a week we got a "rooty" - a small half pound yeast loaf. This was a great treat and with some black treacle on it, we wolfed every crumb of it. I think I missed bread more than anything. We got fresh water served out every afternoon in the first dog watch, three quarts per head but two quarts of that went to the galley and all we had, even in the tropics, was one quart of water per day.

(One letter written during the voyage exists. When the "Stronsa" arrived in Sydney, he and another apprentice joined a third who had jumped ship earlier, to walk overland to Hargraves gold fields.)