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Shaw Savill Line

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A poster of the Shaw, Savill Line promoting immigration to New Zealand in the 1870s

Shaw, Savill, and Co. of Billiter Street, London was a shipping company set up to transport both produce and passengers between Great Britain and New Zealand.[1]

Robert Edward Shaw and Walter Savill (employees of Willis, Gann and Company, a London ship-broking and chartering firm) set up on their own account in 1858 and began chartering ships.[2] They bought their first ship in 1865. While the trading name, Shaw Savill, remained the same the partners who owned it changed a number of times.[3]

Domination of the New Zealand trade

The great expansion of New Zealand's trade during the 1860s allowed Shaw Savill to set freight rates and fares and make big profits believed to have been at times as high as 50 per cent.

The burning of the Cospatrick

Cospatrick in Gravesend Reach, Wood engraving from a newspaper

476 lives were lost, there were ultimately three survivors, when the wooden Shaw Savill emigrant ship Cospatrick bound for New Zealand burnt at sea south of the Cape of Good Hope on 17 November 1874.[4][5]

There were lifeboats for only a third of those on board, the fire was believed to have been started by crewmen while plundering cargo.[6]

The sinking of the Avalanche

Iron Clipper Ship Avalanche A1 100 in 1875
The Church of St Andrew in the Isle of Portland's Avalanche Road

Avalanche en route London to Wellington built of iron not wood was struck twice or more amidships after dark near Portland, Dorset by an American ship, Forest, in ballast, on 11 September 1877 with the loss of more than 100 lives.[7] Witnesses reported the Avalanche foundered within four minutes and there was no time to launch boats.

The New Zealand government bought land nearby and it was planned to erect a small church in memory of the passengers and crew.[8]

Most passengers were returning residents of Wellington and Wanganui.[9]

Avalanche 63 passengers and 34 seamen of which three seamen were saved
Forest no passengers but a crew of 21 of which 9 were saved

Albion line

The company, by then a partnership of Walter Savill and James William Temple, agreed in November 1882 to join the Albion line as of 1 January 1883 to form Shaw Savill and Albion Company Limited.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Prospectus The Times, London, England Saturday, 11 November 1882 Issue 30662
  2. ^ Government Emigration, Steam to New Zealand. The Times, London, England Wednesday, 31 March 1858 Issue 22955
  3. ^ Vice-Chancellor's Courts The Times (London, England) Wednesday, 18 March 1868 Issue: 26075
  4. ^ The Burning Of The Cospatrick. The Times London, England Friday, Jan. 1, 1875 Issue 28201p. 9
  5. ^ Mansion House Cospatrick Relief Fund The Times (London, England), Thursday, 14 January 1875 Issue: 28212
  6. ^ The Cospatrick, Official Enquiry. The Times (London, England) Saturday, 5 February 1875 Issue: 28232
  7. ^ Collision At Sea.Thursday, The Times (London, England) 13 September 1877 Issue: 29046
  8. ^ The Avalanche And The Forest. The Times (London, England) Wednesday, 17 October 1877 Issue 29075
  9. ^ Collision at Sea The Times (London, England) Thursday, 13 September 1877 Issue: 29046
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