Charles Joseph Gordon Logie and Rosa
Clara Friedlander Logie, were both born in England. They saw London, yet
they met for the first time at Sydney, Australia. They lived the longer
part of their lives in Utah.
Wreck of the Julia Ann
Charles Joseph Gordon Logie and Rosa
Clara Friedlander Logie, were both born in England. They saw London, yet
they met for the first time at Sydney, Australia. They lived the longer
part of their lives in Utah.
In Sydney, the Mormon Missionaries taught them the Mormon faith. When Brigham Young called for Mormons to gather to Utah, they left for that destination. The story of their eastward journey by sea contrasts with the story of the westward toiling handcart companies, which came to Utah at about the same time. The same courage and the same faith sustained them both.
Charles Joseph Gordon Logie was born in Chelsea, Middlesex Co., England on 15 October 1829. The following account of his fathers life was published in a New Zealand newspaper: "Logie, Charles Hook Gordon, born in London 1810, landed at Sydney 1839, and took charge of government stores at Auckland 1840; was present at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi; landing surveyor at Wallington; Sub-collector Shand, arriving 1852 with wife and family. Walked to Dimden twice a week to transact business, and on one occasion, night coming on, lost his way in the brush and spent the night somewhere about Upper Junction; acted as postmaster, receiver of land revenue, chief gold receiver, harbor master, comptroller of navigation laws, Sub-Colonial Treasurer, and was also lay reader in connection with the Anglican Church both at Port and Dunedin. Mr. Logie and one of his sons erected the first custom-house at Bluff on its being declared a port of entry, and the building is said to be standing to this day. Made the journey overland to Invercargill to establish an overland mail service, continued for some years, Jack Graham being the postman. Rev. W. Bennerman accompanied him back and they missed their way on the Mataura Plains. Died September 19th, 1866."
The biographer neglected to mention that he lived to tell of his adventures on the Mataura Plains, and died at home. However, the main story is of Charles Joseph, who was ten years old when his father came to New Zealand. He shared the adventure of being lost about Upper Junction and helped build the custom house at Bluff. New Zealand was then in the early stages of settlement. A few hardy souls had bunched together near the coast in various villages. Natives were still a menace and the inland plains were wild.
Ten years after the Logie’s arrival, James MacAndres became interested in Otago. On his arrival in 1851, he began to make business concerns more mature. MacAndres, building on the foundation of government machinery already set up, helped build limekilns at Kaikorai, a flour mill at Green Island, and started a shipment of trade. He sent wool to London in his ships and brought back colonists. He also established contacts with Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, which were already sizeable towns.
By 1880, the little province of Otago, abolished as a separate unit of government by the United Government earlier than this date, had not only high schools, but also a university which could grand degrees. Schools were established early in all the colonies and Charles Joseph attended those at Nelson. He, with his father, saw much of the work being done to improve harbors, establish postal service, and bring settlers to the country and sell land to them.
Charles’ father believed that no man was educated until he had served his apprenticeship at sea and became an able-bodied sailor. When Charles became 18, his father, then sub-collector at Nelson, New Zealand, sent him to sea. Charles never returned to New Zealand, nor did his two younger brothers who were sent to sea in their turn. The still younger brothers, who followed several girls in the family, did not receive this part of their education. Of the oldest three brothers, one settled in Australia, another was lost at sea and Charles, who was seaman about the colonies for seven years, did not return to Nelson because Sydney was his home port. He met a Mormon girl in Sydney, Australia. This girl, Rosa Clara Friedlander, was born on the island of Guernsey, in the English Channel, 15 June 1837 of French-English and German Parents. When she was still a child, shortly after her brother James was born, her father died. Her mother moved to London, where she worked at her trade of dressmaking.
The colonies were well advertised in London. Otago, New Zealand had a London branch of the Lay Association of Scotland for promoting the settlement of the colony of Otago. Similar agencies from a large number of the settlements of the colony were collecting colonizers. Rosa's mother accepted the job of going, as matron, on a vessel bound for Sydney. She made her home in Sydney when Rosa was 12 years old. Work for women was plentiful. The men in London, who sought women to go to Sydney, hardly exaggerated the opportunities.
Rosa's mother soon married a miner named Wadson who became quite wealthy. They early became interested in the Mormon missionaries teachings. They were taught by Elders John S. Eldridge and James Graham, who were at the time under Bro. Farnham, President of the Mission House. Rosa walked some distance to attend services with her friend Sister Mary Ann Evans, newly married to Robert Evans. On the porch of this Mission House, Rosa Clara Friedlander met Charles Joseph Gordon Logie. He was baptized, after missionary C. W. Wandle had explained the faith to him in April, 1853. On 24 May 1853, Rosa Clara Friedlander, then nearly 16, and Charles Joseph Gordon Logie, then 24, were married at the home of Mormon friends by one of the missionaries.
Nearly all of this faithful little group of Mormons came to Utah when the missionaries returned at the call of the church for all Mormons to gather in Utah. Sis. Mary Ann Evans and Bro. Robert Evans left earlier than the Logie’s and this made them all the more anxious to leave the next year, shortly after their baby Ann was born. They took passage on the "Julia Ann" bound for San Francisco.
Bro. John S. Eldridge sailed on the same boat and the sailors grumbled that the ship would never reach port with both women and parsons aboard. That did not prevent the "Julia Ann" from sailing with both women and Mormon missionaries among her 23 passengers. The weather was perfect and the ship was well manned, yet it did not reach port.
A short time after dark and a few days out of port, the ship struck a coral reef off the Scilly Island, one of the Society Group. The night was clear and the weather fair, but the ship was a little off course. The men below felt the shock and scrambled to the deck wearing the first thing that came to hand. The Captain realized that nothing could be done to save the ship. She would soon be battered beyond repair on the rocks.
A sailor swam through the surf to an out jutting rock and fastened a rope to it. They then attached a sling seat to the rope. Bill Williams, a sailor, saved seven women, taking them one by one on his lap as he sat in the sling. He could rest, but in order to make progress, he had to brace with one hand grasping the rope with the other. All were taken to the rocks and stood in water to the waist at high tide until morning. Little Ann went about fastened securely with a shawl to her fathers back. The next morning, they followed the coral reef around to a small bay on the main island. The island was barren and rocky, without any vegetation. The work of rescuing included little more than the saving of all of the passengers, some of whom were scantily dressed.
Charles Logie found he had on Billy Williams shoes, but Bill Williams refused to take them back. Bro. John Eldridge was also a barefoot man. A tool chest was saved by one of the sailors and one of the women’s trunks was washed ashore. An Irish sailor tried to hide a barrel of biscuits he had found along with a chest of tea that was washed ashore. He was discovered and the biscuits were used by everyone. Enough wreckage was saved that the men were able to build a small boat with the rescued tools. The boat made the dangerous three mile trip to a neighboring island, where a few coconuts were found.
The women made shirts for the men from dresses from the trunk and made bandages for sore feet. The only food on the island was turtles and turtle eggs. Water was caught in a reservoir that had been dug in the rocks. A large share of the tea and coconut milk went to Ann via her mother who got all the best of things, including a silk petticoat tent. They had all the turtle meat and eggs that anyone wanted. After more than two months of this life, they decided that some of the sailors should go in the boat and try to reach a lane of sea traffic to hail a ship. They made the venture and brought the "Emma Packer", a French fruiting vessel, to the rescue. After three long months on the desolate island, on which a Mrs. Andrews and her children died of exposure, all but these three arrived safely at Tahiti, less than half way to their goal.
The Logie’s remained seven months at Tahiti until they could arrange passage to San Francisco. They found friends everywhere and stayed for a time at the Mormon mission and among the Mormons in San Francisco. Upon arriving in San Francisco, the sailors gave Rosa Logie a pewter teapot and a Mrs. Spanzenburg and Betty Austin gave them dresses for Ann.
