The Star of India

From the EVENING POST dated 12th November 1874:
The immigrants by the Star of India were landed this morning.They seem a respectable well selected lot of people and in excellent health. An old Wellington settler, who was a cabin passenger by the vessel, gives them an excellent character.

Another article on the 14th November 1874 reports:
The immigrants ex the "Star of India' were landed to-day and, taken as a whole, presented a very respectable appearance, though perhaps there was a good deal of the city element amongst them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Star of India

The Euterpe, as the Star of India, has been restored and is the showpiece of the Maritime Museum at San Diego U.S.A. She now has a full set of working sails. Indeed, she is more than a sight for admiring eyes whenever she takes to the open sea again. Virtually as staunch game and functional as she was well over a hundred years ago. When she lumbered and screwed her weary way around the world twenty-seven times, mostly for Walter Savill and his colleagues. She was always desperately slow, but a comfortable and happy ship not given to sensational escapades or nasty habits. The Maritime Museum has done wonders for her and deserves universal acclaim from all that care about old ladies of the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eliza Murrells

Tragic story of Hilda's cousin 2x removed

Eliza was born Born Jan-Mar 1847 in Sudbury,Suffolk, England and she died in Foxton New Zealand on the 3 June 1881.

She married Jabez Salter in Sudbury on the 25 August 1870

They had 3 children Eliza, William, and Ellen Salter.

They emigrated to New Zealand on the Star of India left England 31 July 1874

William drowned at sea together with father Jacop who grabbed him and jumped of the ship on the 14 September 1874 in what is described as a fit of dementia he seized his child and leaped overboard. Both were drowned before a boat could reach them. He has also be known as Jacobe

Eliza died in 31 Oct 1874 at sea we have not manage to find out how or why.

The Star of India


Originally named the Euterpe and built by Stephens of Dundee, she was launched in 1861 at 1045 tons.

The Chileans who purchased her renamed her "The Star of India" and this is the name familiar to New Zealand Immigrants who sailed on her two trips to the new colony under charter to the Shaw Saville Line.
In 1874 one of the male immigrants so affected by rough seas, grabbed his child and jumped overboard in fit of dementia. Both father and child were lost. On this voyage out to Lyttleton she carried some 300 passengers made up of a mixed bag - English, Irish, Scots, Swedish, Danes, Germans, a few Russians and Poles. Everyone suffered from the rough sea conditions near the Bay of Biscay but thereafter shipboard life settled down to a routine with the men playing pitch-penny on the deck and the women going about their sewing. It was said to be a lonely passage with no sight of land until St Paul's Rocks in the South Atlantic.

A ship on fire was sighted, she was the Isabella Kerr, the Stars captain Holloway, some crew and the ships doctor assisted her crew to bring the fire under control and passed over some much needed food supplies. It was later learnt that the Isabella never made Calcutta - the fire broke out again and she burnt down to the water line in the Indian ocean, with her crew being rescued by a tea clipper.
It is reported that when the Star of India docked at Lyttleton and the time came for landing, a number of the women shed tears as they bade farewell to their home of many weeks and gave thanks for the ship which brought them safely to a new land where they hoped to better themselves.

Different news reports

A report in the "Wanganui Chronicle" dated 11th November 1874 reads:
Arrived - 'Star of Inida' from London wit 375 Government immigrants, 103 days passage, apparently all well.
During the passage 5 deaths occurred; three were children and two were father and child (further research reveals that one of the male immigrants seized his child one day and jumped overboard in a fit of dementia. Both father and child were drowned.) - there were three births. No sickness now.

We have tried but can not find a passenger list.