Clontarf...
From White Wings Vol 2
"We have never had such a list of deaths to publish" said the Lyttelton times when reporting the arrival of the Clontarf (Captain A.W. Barclay) on March 16th 1860.
It was a bad weather passage, especially when the ship was approaching the New Zealand coast. The mortality among the 28 children was appaling, nearly all succumbing to measles or whooping cough. In the long death roll there were five adults, one of them being an apprentice on the ship. Dr Stone who was the medical officer in charge of the passengers, did all he could during this very trying passage, and worked himself so hard that eventualy he was laid up.
The ship was 106 days on the voyage.
The Clontarf had paid a visit to Lyttelton the year before, having left Plymoouth on September 20th and reached port on 5 January 1859. She brought out 412 immigrants. Captain Allan was in command, and the vessel was sent out by Willis, Gann and Co., under contract with the Canterbury Provincial Government
