partially dismasted and rudder gone - and we towed her into Plymouth. A tough job. We were there for some time and on sailing all went well until we reached the Cape. A big gale was reported coming on and we put round to Simons Bay, and it took us all we could to ride it out. We steamed round to Table Bay next morning, May 15, and found out that seventeen vessels had gone down during the night, including the Union Company's steamer Athens Dumbarton built. We were chartered to take her mails to Durban and Mauritius, which we did.
"Between Luzon and Hongkong we had the tail end of a typhoon, and on arrival at Hongkong we found that a P. and O. and a Douglas steamer had been lost. We arrived at Whampoa at the end of June. I was to take the place of a man at the building of the "Looksun" Dock and the caisson for same, but they were not quite ready for me. Sir Thomas Sutherland, of the P. and O. was Chairman of the Dock Company ∙ he was plain Thomas then, and a gentleman. Plans for the dock were made out in their office and the Superintendent Engineer was looking after the work, and he gave me a passage to Japan and back. Mr. Gillies was, of course, my superior, for on leaving the Glengyle he had joined the Dock Company and was at Aberdeen Docks with Mr. Duncan. Captain Minto was Manager at Whampoa. Later, the Union Company's Docks at Kowloon were taken over by our Company, and Mr. Duncan took charge there. I was sent down as Foreman. Later Captain Minto went Home and Mr. Duncan took his place as Secretary, etc., and I was appointed Superintendent at Kowloon in 1872. It was in 1882 that my wife died suddenly and I got leave of absence for 12 months. With a Chinese nurse I took home my two children - a boy aged 4 and a little girl, 16 months....
(To be Continued).
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7.
partially diamasted and rudder gone - and we towed her into Plymouth. A tough job. We were there for some time and on sailing all went well until we reached the Cape. A big gale was reported coming on and we put round to Simons Bay, end it took us all we could to ride it out. We steamed round to Table Bay next morning, May 15, and found out that seventeen vessels had gone down during the pight, including the Union Company's steamer Athens Dumbarton built. We were chartered to take her mails to Durban and Mauritius, which we did.
"Between Luzon and Hongkong we hed the tail end of a typhoon, and on arrival at Hongkong we found that a P. and 0. and a Douglas steamer had been lost. We arrived at Wham- poa et the end of June. I was to take the place of a man at the building of the "Looksun" Dock and the caisson for same, but they were not quite ready for me. Sir Thomas Sutherland, of the P. and 0. was Chairman of the Dook Company ∙ he was plain Thomas then, and a gentleman. Flans for the dock were made out in their office and the Superintendent Engineer was looking after the work, and he gave me a passage to Japan and back. Mr. Gillies was, of course, my superior, for on leaving the Glengyle he had joined the Dook Company and was at Aberdeen Docks with Mr. Duncan. Captain Minto was Manager at Whampoa. Later, the Union Company's Dooks at Kowloon were taken over by our dompany, and Mr. Duncan took charge there. I was
I was sent down as Foreman. Later Captain Minto went Home and Mr.Duncan took his place as Secretary, etc., and I was appointed Super – intendent at Kowloon in 1872. It was in 1882 that my wife
–
died suddenly and I got leave of absence for 12 months. With a Chinese nurse I took home my two children - a boy aged 24 and a little girl, 16 months....
(To be Continued).
943
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