Lemuel Meiklejohn

"Sandy stood before his father and faced the hardest job in his life – to tell him he had lost another son."

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Lemuel Meiklejohn the 6th son to James Meiklejohn, born in Pictou, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), Nova Scotia, Canada on the 27 July 1845.

Died 22nd March 1864 at sea, Hauraki Gulf, Auckland, New Zealand, he was 18years old.

Lemuel’s story

Lemuel spent a great deal of this early life helping his family build boats along with 2 years at sea aboard the “Union”– it was in his blood. He longed to Captain his own Ship, as his older brothers had done. Unfortunately, since their arrival in New Zealand Lemuel’s father had denied him the opportunity to acquire the relevant skills for Captaining a coastal trader around New Zealand waters.

It was upon the launching of the “Rapid” that his father relented and asked his son, the “Rapid’s Captain Alexander Meiklejohn aka “Sandy” to be very careful of him and not to come back without him.

This would be Lemuel’s first voyage as an ordinary seaman under the command of his brother - his dream of being a Captain of his own vessel had started.

The “Rapid” a 58ft schooner built on the banks of the Omaha River in 1863 by James Strange Meiklejohn and his sons was launched in early February 1864. However, it was as if the “Rapid” had been cursed from its inception, unfinished, she was launched in a hurry under the cover of darkness to avoid destruction by a group of prisoners who had escaped their imprisonment on Kawau Island.

Camping on Tamahunga, adjacent to the Meiklejohn’s property, they had asked James to take them away from the area on one of his boats and if he didn’t, they threatened to burn the “Rapid” to the ground. In the dead of night, she was safely moored in the Whangateau harbour and over the next few days prepared for her maiden voyage.

After several successful voyages, on Saturday 19th. March, laden with timber she left Mercury Bay for Auckland in the early evening, 9 souls on board. The weather was light and conditions ideal for a safe voyage. However, the next day running up under Cape Colville the wind freshened and by 9pm the seas were heavy with strong winds. Sandy shortened the mainsail with 2 reefs.

It was around 10pm that a southwest squall struck the Rapid, tearing at her rig, leaving sails hanging in the water over the lee side. She lurched again and from top of the swell fell hard onto her beam ends, crew and passengers were swept overboard, but managed to grab and cling onto the fore and aft rigging. Water filling the hold through the fore scuttle and a passenger Mr. Paget in the cabin was instantly drowned.

8 men are now clinging to the rigging of the capsized schooner Rapid in a heavy northerly gale in the middle of the night. Within a short period of time Captain Meiklejohn observes that Mr. McFadgen is failing and lashed him to the rig in an effort to save his life, but the waves continually washed over them; McFadgen eventually drowns. Then Portuguese Joe is swept away.

All the next day the storm continued, another man is lost to the waves through exhaustion, not being able to hold on any longer. It blew heavy all through Monday night and at eight o’clock on Tuesday morning Lemuel Meiklejohn was also swept off the rigging. Now four souls holding fast to the downed rigging of the semi-submerged Rapid.

Tuesday evening sees the wind hauled more to the west and pushing the Rapid towards Great Barrier Island. They attempted to make sail, but failed, the wind starts to increase. By two o’clock the next morning, they came close enough to the shore for Captain Sandy to swim a line in, leaving the end on board and by doing so William Page is hauled ashore, and saved. John Francis, attempts to swim, after failing is assisted by the same rope. Robert Clarke drowns in making his attempt.

Captain Sandy quickly moved along the rocky shore and found men with a whaling boat and together they returned to the rocks and rescued the stranded survivors.

Drowned were: Mr. Neil McFadgen (a shareholder in the Mercury Bay Saw Mill Company; Joe, a Portuguese passenger; Mr. Burns a passenger; An unidentified man, from Mercury Bay; Mr. Robert Clarke a passenger & farmer; Mr. Lemuel Meiklejohn (brother of the captain) and an unidentified Crewman. Survivors, William Page; Captain Meiklejohn; John Francis.

Sandy and his father would never completely recover from the loss of Lemuel.

Sandy died suddenly 4 years later in 1868.

Rest in Peace Lemuel & Sandy.

*You can find Sandy Meiklejohn’s story here. - Matakana Cemetery Stories - Captain Alexander MEIKLEJOHN A.k.a. Sandy

- Source: Account by William Page & Captain Alexander Meiklejohn

“Daily Southern Cross, Volume XX, Issue 2090, 31 March 1864.