Back Roads

The SS Ventnor leaving Westport in 1901 The SS Ventnor was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1901 for Gow, Harrison and Co as a British cargo steamship. Her length was 344.7 ft and her depth was 25.7 ft with tonnages of 3,961 GRT, 2,581 NRT and 6,400 DWT. In 1902 it sank off the coast of New Zealand with a loss of 13 crew members. The cargo of the ship is even more interesting and tragic as it was carrying the remains of 499 Chinese gold miners who had died in New Zealand and were in the process of being taken back to China. 9 elderly Chinese people were "coffin attendants" who were caring for the remains. The ship was also holding 5,347 tonnes of coal and sacks of fungus, tow and flax. The first survivors to land at Omapere. The charity named Cheong Sing Tong had chartered the ship to return the remains back to China as the men who had been mostly gold miners were from the Guangdong province but the sinking marked the end of ships returning exhumed remains.  Mr Bryer's house