John Rawes was born in Grasmere the 19th September 1861 and baptised there on the 20 October of the same year. John Rawes married within the Kendal registration district on 23rd December 1889, Maria Elizabeth Andrews, whom he affectionately called Rie. In January 1890 they boarded the ship Ormuz at Plymouth on the start a new life in Australia. Rie was probably already with child as their first child was born in 1890.
The transcription was carried out by Bryant Bayliffe.
Julian Rawes, January 2009.
John Rawes
1861 - 1911
Trip from England to Australia.
Saturday 18 January 1890 After a sorrowful morning of Good-byes we arrived at Plymouth about ½ past 4 and went to Liddcoats Temperance Hotel. There we were made very comfortable indeed & the charges very moderate. I can confidently recommend it to anyone staying a night in Plymouth.
Orient Line Mail Steamer "Ormuz" AD.1890
from Tuck's "Celebrated Liners" postcard of Ormuz.
Sunday. We got down to Mill Bay Pier about half past 9 & had some waiting about for the tender. In the meantime we got our baggage measured up on board the tender. It was blowing hard & raining fast, so the outlook was not over cheering. We got off at last & [in] under 10 min. were on board the Orient Line Mail Steamer "Ormuz". What a monster she looked laying at anchor, & what a night. The tender was by her side. A nice young fellow who hails from Rockhampton in Queensland (& who came over from Melbourne in the "Ormuz" about 7 months ago) stayed with us in the Hotel & on getting on board the steamer he acted as pilot for us and led the way where we soon found our berths. I wonder if everyone has the same feelings when seeing their berths for the first time! The thought that first struck me being - How on earth are we to live in these cupboards for 6 long weeks, & I must admit that for the first two days until I got my own internal arrangements somewhat settled I did not feel inclined to make things ship-shape in the cabin. However, by this time 3 days out I have made various arrangements with the help of some twine, tape a few nails etc. that give us more elbow room in our cabin. Now for the Confession: I have been seedy once or twice in my life before, but for downright misery I never experienced anything that could hold a candle to Sea Sickness. What some poor creatures suffered I can hardly imagine. I don't think there were many on board the ship but knew something about it. After weighing anchor at about 4 O'clock we started off down the channel with the wind dead against us blowing what the sailors called half a gale. If that was only half a gale I for one don't want to make acquaintance of a whole one. A young couple from Birmingham newly married occupy the cabin opposite to ours and we soon got acquainted with each other. We came upon deck, got a chair that we bought in Plymouth tied it to the handrail. I got Rie fixed by the side of the above mentioned young lady. For an hour or so all went well, then I must draw blank about what followed. Sufficient to say that for that night & the next day I was fairly dished & Rie was ten times worse. I eat nothing [---]
Monday. The thought of food was quite enough & the smell was worse. Tuesday morning found me another man. I got upon deck about 7 O'clock had a cold tub of seawater: came down and swallowed a breakfast of oatmeal porridge & treacle which set me up for the day. Not so my poor old Rie, to say she was bad is nothing. I could not put into words what she went through. I had to almost carry her on deck on Tuesday morning after being in bed since Sunday night. She was very brave tho & sat all day from ten in the morning till 5 in the evening lied up in a corner. The sea breaking right over the decks & the ship pitching and rolling in a way that I thought one of her tonnage could never have done. We entered the far famed & much dreaded Bay of Biscay about 3 O'clock Monday morning and then the full force of being in the Bay of Biscay was felt by us all. None of the women & few of the men came on deck at all. On Monday the wind blew big gusts & it rained in torrents, one minute the sun flashed out for a second or two only to be followed by more rain & if anything more wind. So we kept on hour after hour, the sailors being very busy making everything fast. They admit on all hands that the "Ormuz" had never been in the Bay in dirtier weather except once. That was just a year ago, I stuck on deck the whole day only going down below every few minutes to see poor Rie who lay looking more than half dead. There were several amusing incidents during the day, people getting washed into the scuppers & getting besides a drenching some ugly knocks, several appearing next day with pieces of Court Plaster on their faces. At 12 O'clock noon the run from Plymouth was posted - 249 miles. I was rather amused at one young fellow who all day was enjoying himself thoroughly. He has lately left the Army and having been a Colour Sargeant in the Royal Artillery Band. He plays the trombone splendidly, in fact he is a thorough master of his instrument since leaving the Army he has been playing in Carl Rosa's Opera Company & is now on his way out to Melbourne. We call him "The Sargeant" When the storm was at its height on Monday & everybody else looking miserable & nauseous, I found him on the deck lied up in a corner to his chair with his [---?] stuck up above his head & the waves splashing on him playing with all his might "In the Bay of Biscay 'O". You could hear him above all the row & I laughed to see the Officers & men run to have a peep at him & go away laughing. I was sorry I could not draw. He would have made a picture. He made himself very popular on Sunday night. He played sacred music & when it was blowing hard he got a lot together & kept them singing hymns until quite late. There are a lot of people on board of all sorts including some emigrants & they came swarming up today.
Wednesday. Looking very miserable but a few hours sunshine & fresh air have worked wonders among them. I feel very well indeed now & I'm thankful to say Rie is almost herself again and is quite cheerful. I woke last night with a start & could not make out what was the matter. It seemed the ship had stopped, or rather the engines had, for the ship rolled about like a pig, The steering gear had given way but they soon had her under way again & we have made a good run today. It is glorious on deck this afternoon. As I sit here writing I have a full view of the coast of Portugal with Cape St. Vincent showing splendidly by. I can scarcely write for laughing at the "Sargeant". He has been looking through a telescope & when asked what he saw he replied without a smile "A splendid Vinyard & I can see the grapes growing". There was some speculation among the passengers as to whether we should arrive at Gibraltar in the dark or not, but it turned out we got there about 6 O'clock in the morning & tho' I fully intended to be up & catch the first glimpse of the farfamed Rock. Well, the best laid schemes of mice & men etc. I was sound asleep. I jumped out about ½ past 6, when the anchor was dropped, & ran up to the bath, when looking out of the porthole I saw right in front, one of H.M. s[hip]s which proved to be the "Colossus"; right along to the starboard lay the "Benbow" another large man-o-war, the Admiral's flagship I believe & while staying there we saw first the morning Service, then the Parade & the Marine drill, what a sight our decks presented, bumboats hooked on all round the ship's side & were doing a roaring trade; oranges, lemons, tobacco & cigars being the principal goods tended & if you required it you could purchase everything almost in the catering line. I got some oranges & tobacco; cheap oranges being 4d doz.; splendid tobacco at 2/6 the lb. while cigars were 2/6 a hundred & cigarettes 1/6.
We had only about 2 hours allowed for going ashore, as we are nearly a day late, so we concluded to remain on board. Now for "Gib" itself as we enter the Straits we have the Spanish coast on one side & the African on the other, & after rounding a point get into a bay & come full into view of the Rock itself which rises in a slope one side & is almost perpendicular on the other, the houses are white & very clean looking. One can hardly realise that such a large Garrison are stationed in the rock for they are not on but in it, as it's more like a large bee-hive than a fort. I wish we had had a few hours to spare as I've always had a longing to see the inside of the famous Fort. What a change we see on all sides. What a difference in 6 days. The sun is shining beautifully as hot as an ordinary English summers day, and the people are all out enjoying the sun & almost everyone, the men I mean, are smoking cigars or cigarettes whilst the ladies & most of the men are sporting button holes of violets or roses, the latter being simply splendid.
Friday. Rather an uneventful day; beautifully fine, the sun warm and everything pleasant so far as the weather is concerned it is what they call baggage day on board & all the passengers luggage which is marked "Wanted on Voyage" is brought upon deck & arranged all round the deck so that anyone can get at it. It took the sailors all day getting it up & stowing it again away. It struck me what a large amount of unnecessary trouble they were put too by thoughtless people who have large boxes & baggage of all sorts that might be considerably reduced in size, as I'm sure no ordinary mortal wants clothes weighing a cwt for a 6 week voyage. However the answer to that would be "We pay for it so it is quite right". We had children's service on deck tonight at which our friend "The Sargeant" played a conspicuous part, leading the singing on his trombone afterwards playing on the 2nd saloon deck for dancing. I'm sure he is the most popular fellow on board, as by his uniform kindness & gentlemanly bearing to all classes he has made many friends. I took a stroll to the fo'c's'le after supper and was much amused by an impromptu concert that was taking place there among the sailors & firemen, the orchestra consisting of a Melodeon, tin whistle and a tin dish played as kettle drum. The singing & step dancing was really good there being no lack of enthusiasm on the part of either performers or audience. "The Sargeant" & I with a few more have been busy this morning making arrangements for a Concert to be held on the forward deck on Monday night which will be something to pass an hour or two away, as the evenings are rather long it being dark soon after 5 O'clock.
Saturday Another fine morning & we still keep bowling along. We hope to reach Naples tomorrow. There is little to write about yet when 8 bells struck this afternoon, that is 4 O'clock, & the fire bell was rung & in a very few seconds the men were all at their posts, the hoses turned on & ready for work. They then had a boat-drill; every man in the ship has his place from the Captain down to the Cook's boys & they had the boats all swung out & ready to lower away & all at their posts in less time than it takes me to write this.
Sunday mor[nin]g. We were all up in good time looking forward to going on shore. By the time we got on deck we were fairly into the Bay of Naples which is certainly a splendid sight; the water a deep blue with scarcely a ripple on it. The sun just rising & Mount Vesuvius which was free from smoke & mist standing out clear & bold. Then the smoke came rolling out from the mouth of the volcano & the dust soon covered the top & remained there all day. The ship was quickly swarming with Italians, vendors of all sorts of curios such as baskets, pictures, tables, fans, coral & cameos. We soon got on shore & had about 5 hours rambling about, the principal places being the King's Palace, the Cathedral and Museum which are all really magnificent, but the streets are, to an Englishman simply beastly. The filth & stench are something to remember & made one exclaim 'Thank God I'm not a Neapolitan'. The Italians have a saying 'See Naples & die'. If I was compelled to live there I should not be long before I did die. Some of the passengers went to Pompeii about 14 miles away round the other side of the Bay & brought some wonderful accounts of it. Had we another day I should have made the attempt.
We weighed anchor about half past four on Monday morning & soon left Naples behind. It was a glorious day. The sea as calm as an inland lake & the sun shining beautifully warm. We had just passed the Island of Stromboli, a large volcano emitting volumes of smoke which has a wonderfully pretty effect in the bright sunlight. There is a town of considerable size at the base of the mountain which looks nice & clean from a distance but on nearer acquaintance might prove the reverse. We entered the Straits of Messina about 4 O'clock & a splendid sight they certainly are. The views on both sides being lovely. On the Italian coast there are a long range of mountains with several small towns all looking towards the sea with the mountains behind. They are said to be fashionable watering places. The railway runs along the seashore for miles. On the other side the Island of Sicily with a lighthouse at the extreme point, & the town of Messina a few miles further was a picture. Further on still we could see the town of Reggio on one side & looming far away in the increasing darkness was the famous Mount Etna, quiet now but no one knows how soon to break out again. It seems strange to us who have always been used to the English twilight to see it quite dark in a few minutes after seeing the sun go down. The Concert took place last night, & was a great success, several of the songs being given in first rate style. We had the forward deck covered in & lit up with electric light and we had the piano from the 2nd Saloon. We are going to get up an enclosure for the children. We have a committee, I being a member of it to make all arrangements etc. I met the Officers & Purser the morning after the Concert & they told me they had heard wonderful accounts of it. They were very glad & hoped it would not be the last. We are now busy rehearsing for the next which is to be a mixed affair. We are having a sort of Pantomime entitled "An En-Ormuz Pantomime" or "The Babes in the Wood". We are making it as absurd as possible, "The Sargeant" & myself being cast for the Babes, being the two biggest fellows we are the most unlikely. I fancy it will cause amusement to the grown up people as well as the children.
There was nothing transpired of importance during the next two days and on Thursday we arrived at Port Said about 9 O'clock in the morning. We got ashore as soon as we could to be out of the coal dust. They had made all ready the day before, covering everything up. It is a wonderful sight to see the way the Arabs carry the coal on board. They bring it alongside the ship in large barges & they have two long planks from the barge to the ship & they run up the plank with a full basket on their shoulders emptying it & down the other. There is a continual stream of them as they sing? all the time. They call it singing; there are over 400 of them so you can fancy what a row they made. They say it is the fastest Coaling Station in the world. They can put 200 tons on in an hour. We had to be on board again at 12 O'clock so we had not much time on shore there, but it was quite long enough for us. The sun was very hot & the stench of the place simply awful, but I would sooner have it than Naples. The shops are all very English like & most of the people speak English of a sort. We were greatly amused at the donkey boys. They call their donkeys all sorts of comical names such as Mr Gladstone, Lord Salisbury, Madam Patti, Mary Anderson & any other that they hear and every Englishman to either Johnnie or Mrs Ferguson. There are hundreds of beggars everywhere. They swarm & they don't know what 'No' means. As we came back to the ship one of the Arab boys on our tour, about 10 years old I should think was begging all the way it "Give, give me a good boy just a penny" all the way. I gave him a three pence at last to get rid of him & he patted me on the shoulder & said "Good boy Mr Fergueson". I just roared, it sounded so comical. They were shouting 'two lovely black eyes' all over the place and the joke is that they don't know the meaning of it; they have picked it up somehow & they use it in everything they say. They would shout as one passed; "Mr Ferguson, Johnnie give me two lovely black eyes". They laugh & grin like a lot of monkeys. There are not many fine buildings. There is the English Hospital, it is about the finest. It was built for the soldiers during the Egyptian War. We started down the Suez Canal about 5 O'clock going very slowly, only 5 miles an hour, that being the limited time. When night came on they had a very large electric search light fixed on the bow of the ship which lit up both banks of the Canal for about 300 yards ahead. The Canal itself is very uninteresting; long stretches of sand reaching as far as the eye could see on either side & not a bit of green or a tree or anything to relieve it. We got through without a stop which is considered very lucky as they have often to haul up to let other ships past 2 or 3 times going through.
We got to Suez Friday morning & anchored again to take in the rest of our coal. They could not take all in at Port Said as the ship would then have been too deep in the water for the Canal. We did not go ashore at Suez but stayed on board & watched the coaling, we were all very black & dirty, everything being covered with coal dust. We [set] off again that evening & were all day in the Gulf of Suez, getting in to the Red Sea on Sunday & then the heat was a caution. We went to Service on Sunday morning in the 1st Saloon. The Captain read the Prayers & a clergyman the Lesson & preached a sermon. I liked the service very much, everything seemed so hearty & sincere. In the evening we had a Service in the 2nd Saloon but the wind had risen & the ship was pitching a good deal & some of the people looked anything but comfortable. The heat below was something to be remembered. I lay in my berth without anything on & the perspiration simple poured out of me. It is just like being in an oven, a real steaming heat. Poor old Rie was seasick again & was very ill all day on the Monday. In fact nearly all complained of sea sickness & the dreadful heat made it much worse. We had a very rough day on Monday and the gale increased as the night came until it was a regular storm, but the sea calmed down on Tuesday & the wind was very welcome as it made the heat much less. The sailors & old travellers all say that they never knew it so cool in the Red Sea. This is of course the mid-winter here so what it is like in the middle of Summer I can just imagine.
We got out of the Red Sea Monday night & on Tuesday passed "Perim", a signal station & then past Aden where we did not call. We are now in the Gulf of Aden bowling along splendidly, the heat is nothing to what it was & there is a nice breeze blowing. The next day or two passed away with nothing to comment on. The sun shone splendidly & a nice headwind was blowing steadily which made sitting on the deck so pleasant that one was sorry to go down below for meals. It is very warm in our cabins at night but we spend all our time possible on deck; in fact more than half the passengers sleep on deck at night. The children have all been excited about their entertainment which came off on Thursday night. The sailors rigged up the forward deck and with flags & sails made us a stage. The place was crowded & if applause & laughter go for anything I fancy every one enjoyed it thoroughly. The very absurdity of it being the best feature of the whole thing & everybody voted it an En-Ormuz success. The following night we had another Concert which went down very well. We had about 24 items on the programme, the only difficulty being to make one self heard as the wind whistling & the waves splashing up against the ship's side made singing very difficult. I was made Chairman & they told me I was bad to hear from the back seats so I fancied I shouted at the top of my voice. However it went off very well & all enjoyed it.
Saturday the ship rolled very much again and many of the ladies were squeamish, Rie among the rest. Sunday another glorious day. We went to Service morning & evening & had a children's service in the afternoon. Monday was baggage day again & people were all busy getting out clean clothes etc. We made 357 miles today & hope to get to Colombo [Ceylon now Sri Lanka] tomorrow morning when a run on shore will do us all good. The sailors are making ready for coaling again, covering up etc. We are only 8 degrees north of the Equator now & the Sun is very hot, but there is plenty of wind blowing which keeps us cool. We have seen thousands of flying fish this last week & at night the phosphorous in the sea is really beautiful, just like large pieces of fire in the water. We see the Southern Cross every night now & the sky is brilliant, simply one mass of stars, while the moonlight is so bright one can read quite easily by it.
Tuesday. We arrived at Colombo about 8 O'clock in the morning & were soon on shore. It was very hot indeed, but it was a treat to feel the ground under one's feet again. Everything looks so strange to European eyes. We were almost worried on getting outside The Custom House with Guides and beggars. I had on my flannels & I was very much amused at one young fellow well dressed and with gentlemanly manners who offered himself to take us all over the place. He began with "Good morning Sir, I think I've seen the master before". I replied "I think not" running his eye over my flannels he said "Ah! I know Mr Murdock, Mr Bannerman, Mr Griffin, in fact he mentioned all the principal members of the Australian Cricket Teams who have played in England. He concluded my name is "John Williams is plenty good guide" However we declined his services & walked off into the town, which is a decided improvement on any other we have seen so far. The people mostly speak some English but they are great rogues, asking about 3 times as much as they expect for anything they sell. We went up to the Barracks where the Gordon Highlanders are stationed. They do not look much like what we are accustomed to see Highlanders, as they were all in white, Helmets, & all.
We found out Mr & Mrs Clarke & sat down & thoroughly enjoyed a good drink of Lemonade which Mr Clarke makes in the Canteen, it was delightfully cool with ice clinking against [the glass]. It makes me thirsty now to think of it. After half an hours rest & a chat we started off for a drive. We got a carriage holding 4 & went for two hours for the small sum of 1 rupee 25 cents; about 2/- in English money. The drive was delightful, the trees mostly Palms & Bamboos with Cocoa-nuts & Bananas growing in hundreds throwing a nice shade over the roads which are very good & kept very clean. We went first to the museum & saw many wonderful things, afterwards driving through the Cinnamon Gardens which are delightful. They say a moonlight night is the time to enjoy them as the heavy dews bring out all the perfumes from the trees. Our driver got down & broke some branches off the shrubs & brought them for us to smell & they are certainly very sweet, the tea and everything being so good. We got on board again at 7 O'clock & had to wait till nearly midnight before they got all the coal on board. The dirt was dreadful, everything being thick with coal dust and the heat below stifling, however we got off at last and the air was better. Thursday It has been very hot indeed these last two days we crossed the Line today & are now in the Southern Hemisphere. There is a nice head wind today which makes things very pleasant. All the ship has been cleaned down and everybody seems more comfortable. The sun sets are really splendid every night & we can see the Southern Cross very plainly now.
Tuesday. We have now been sailing a week without seeing land & things go on much the same one day after another. We had a Concert last night which was quite a success. We have had 3 days of dirty weather and find it rather cold on deck now. The sea comes over every now & then & there is great fun watching people running to get out, lots of them get caught & get a thorough drenching.
Saturday. We arrived at Albany. The sea was running very strong off Cape Leeuwin and we had a good deal of pitching about, but we enjoyed it as Rie did not feel the least sick, though plenty of the passengers did. We ran along the coast for some hours and everybody was interested in the first glimpse of Australia. Albany does not impress one very favourably from the sound where we were anchored (about 2 miles out), but I hear it is a pretty little place inside the harbour. I sent a telegram from there to Harry & Maggie & we each got letters from them which [--rest of line missing on copy--]. It was great for us watching [--rest of line missing on copy--] landed getting into the steam lau[nch] [--rest of line missing on copy--] heavy swell on and they had to wait till the boat rose on a wave & then jump, it was quite exciting, the people cheering as each one landed & laughing if they missed and got a fall. It was very awkward for the ladies. We left about 7 O'clock and had a wild stormy night, but none of feel any the worse.
Sunday. Very fine, we went to the mooring, & I went in the evening. Rie went to sit with one of the lady passengers who is ill, we are beginning to tell now that our long journey is almost over as tomorrow will (if all is well) be our last day on board, as we expect to get to our destination about 8 O'clock on Wednesday morning. The time has passed much quicker than one would think, we have made many friends on board who we shall be sorry to part with.
Wednesday. We have arrived safe & sound in good health and spirits & find kind friends & smiling faces and a glorious day which they say is only a fair sample of the usual weather they have here. Adelaide is a splendidly clean little City and how one does appreciate it after the other places we have seen on the Trip. We anchored in Largs Bay at 8 O'clock and were all somewhat startled by a rumour that owing to fever which had broken out on board no one would be allowed to land, and as the tenders came off from shore they would not allow the friends to come on board. However the Order was afterwards cancelled, at least as far as our friends were concerned, but they would not allow anyone to come on board after once leaving the ship, so that a great many Melbourne & Sidney people were greatly disappointed as most of them wanted to get ashore to see the place. There were rumours of Quarantine, but we got ashore alright & after many goodbyes & friendly farewells we left the old "Ormuz" which had been our home for just 37 days. As the tender left the ship's side the people aboard gave us [a cheer] & "The Sargeant" mounted astride the bulwarks [playing "Auld] Lang Syne". I must confess to feeling some [regrets at leaving] so many friends as although we had only known each other for a short time one gets better acquainted in a Month at Sea, than one could in a year ashore. There is something that brings out a man's characteristics (both good & bad) on board a ship & I am sure we were very fortunate in our trip as we made many real friends, & found some extremely nice people in our immediate vicinity. Well; Goodbye's being over we next found ourselves in the hands of the Custom House people but under the experienced pilotage of our brother Harry got through satisfactorily & soon found ourselves in his Colonial Home enjoying our first meal ashore as only those can who have lived on board ship for a number of weeks.
We have now been 3 days here and like the place, the people and the climate better & better every hour & day and I'm sure we shall never regret leaving dear, dirty & foggy Old England.
John Rawes March 1st 1890
John Rawes, diary on board the Ormuz to Adelaide.