352:, John (17) emigrated to New Zealand to join his brother Andrew in business. They set up the ship chandlery and ironmonger business, "Thomson Bros" which operated until the mid-1880s. John was for many years responsible for the company's fleet of 21 'lighter' boats. The business set up the gas works for street lighting in Port Chalmers. Another innovation was establishing the second freezing works in Otago. When the partnership was dissolved, John moved to Melbourne for about 10 years where one of his inventions, an improved butter churn, met with some success.
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156:. After finding no trace of the island, they concluded it never existed and began their return to Macquarie Island. The crew spent the next three weeks fighting storms of wind, snow, fog and hail, never able to land at Macquarie. During a break in the gales, the crew was able to land a whaling boat filled with supplies. The next day, 6 August 1877, a large wave overtook
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review of the book opened with this gracious summary: "Mr. Thomson's all too brief narrative of the incidents on his voyages and wanderings must be given a high place among the literature of travel and adventure." The book was reprinted under the same title by gt gt niece, Rosy
Fenwicke, in 2023 by
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before it broke up. These were used to supplement the provisions the crew had offloaded the day before. The sails were cut up and used as blankets and to cover the tops of the huts. The men also combed the beaches daily for tossed items that the tide eventually washed in. Included in the items the
389:
Margaret Inches
Thomson died in 1919 and is buried in the Inches family plot in Blairgowrie Cemetery. After his wife's death, Inches Thomson removed to New Zealand where his late brother Andrew's family and his cousin, Captain William Thomson of Alloa, lived. He died there at Dunedin on 20 March
304:, was published by Headley Brothers, London. The book detailed Inches Thomson's experiences sailing the seas as a sealer and whaler, including his four months stranded on Macquarie Island. In addition to writing the text, Inches Thomson also completed several accompanying illustrations.
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before it broke up was for a volunteer to swim to shore with a rope. Inches
Thomson determined that as the ship's owner, he should be the one to attempt this dangerous feat. His first attempt failed and he was pushed back by the sea, but his second effort to swim through the
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crew was able to seek refuge in them. Many of the crew had tossed their coats and shoes in preparation for their swim to shore, so even the minimal protection the huts provided was a welcome relief.
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left Port
Chalmers, New Zealand, on a sealing trip. They originally sailed beyond Macquarie Island looking for Emerald Island. Emerald Island had first been reported in 1821 by the sailing ship
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John added 'Inches' to his surname after his 1896 marriage to
Margaret Anne Inches. Margaret, or Maggie as she was known, was the only child of Charles Hood Inches of Hope Park,
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John Sen Inches
Thomson and his brother, Andrew operated under "Thomson Brothers" as ship chandlers and managed sealing and whaling ships in the waters surrounding Australia and
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Inches
Thomson – At 36 Royal Terrace, on Wednesday the 25th inst., wife of John Inches Thomson, and daughter of the late Charles Inches, of Hope Park, Blairgowrie.
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fields and the icy water was successful. Using the rope as their guide, the entire crew was able to make their way off the ship and onto
Macquarie Island.
363:. It is believed the John's surname addition (Inches) was intended to honour his wife's family. Margaret and her father were members of the Smalls of
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Two of the crew had either broken or dislocated legs, and several more had other injuries. The night after the shipwreck, chief
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601:"(Book Review) Voyages and Wanderings in Far-Off Seas and Lands. By J. Inches Thomson. 3s 6d net. London: Headley Brothers".
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As an inventor, Inches
Thomson patented a device for recording the course of a vessel and an improved pneumatic churn.
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Thomson – At
Dunedin, New Zealand on 20th March, John Sen Inches Thomson, late of Hope Park, Blairgowrie, aged 88.
73:. In 1912, Inches Thomson released a book detailing the highlights of his sea voyages, including his time as a
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Rattray, Rattray, Perthshire, Scotland, Roll CSSCT1901_127, Enumeration District: 2, Household 38, Line 14
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341:. Several responses to 11 - 14 year old John's letters are reproduced in the 1850s letter collection,
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s crew busied themselves on the island by sealing and had made 15 tons of oil by the time of the
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337:, His father was shipowner, Watson Thomson, whose first cousins Alexander and William founded
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s crew as could be arranged and returned to Port Chalmers. After arriving at Port Chalmers,
191:, Henry Whalley, died in one of the huts of his injuries. Whalley was buried on the island.
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which their father Watson and cousins Andrew, Alexander and William were part owners of.
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and pushed it into the breakers. The storm had driven the ship into a natural cleft in a
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had been washed ashore. The crew determined that the only viable option was to get off
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The day after the shipwreck the crew was able to salvage additional supplies from
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As a sealing island, Macquarie Island had several crude sealing huts on it. The
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was immediately fitted out again and dispatched back to Macquarie Island. The
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45:, inventor and author. In 1877, Inches Thomson and his crew were sailing on
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s crew arrived back in New Zealand in time to celebrate Christmas 1877.
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65:, Australia. After four months on the island the crew was rescued by
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Hope Park - family home of Margaret Inches where she and John lived.
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return. After four challenging months, with many of the crew wearing
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The Shipwreck Watch, A Journal of Macquarie Island Shipwreck Stories
16:
Scottish whaler and sealer, ship owner, captain, inventor and author
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Sealing Huts on Macquarie Island, Sketch by John Sen Inches Thomson
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133:, New Zealand in 1872 by Sutherland & Co., and registered in
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359:, in Perthshire. The couple lived in this home and at 36
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s three injured sailors and as many of the remainder of
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finally returned nearly four months after the wreck of
554:. London, England: Headley Brothers. pp. 139–191.
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654:"Remarkable Invention By A Blairgowrie Gentleman".
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141:, New Zealand. It was named after the Ben Line's
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552:Voyages and Wanderings in Far-off Seas and Lands
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302:Voyages and Wanderings in Far Off Lands and Seas
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435:"Horizontal Icicles Cling to Wreck: Bencleugh"
89:. They were part owners of the sailing ships
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203:of food, a whole box of tobacco and a rifle.
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603:The Scotsman Newspaper, Edinburgh, Scotland
684:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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148:In early July in 1877, with a crew of 19,
620:. Ancestry.com, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
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492:"Encyclopedia of Australian Shipwrecks"
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721:. Edinburgh, Scotland. 25 March 1933.
199:crew was able to salvage were several
703:. Edinburgh, Scotland. 27 June 1919.
671:Statistics of the State of Queensland
218:had left Port Chalmers shortly after
787:19th-century Scottish businesspeople
577:. Nelson. 20 October 1877. p. 6
321:Margaret Anne Inches Thomson in 1900
777:Scottish businesspeople in shipping
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13:
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550:Inches Thomson, John Sen (1912).
214:arrived at Macquarie Island. The
674:. Queensland. 1892. p. 336.
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300:In 1912, Inches Thomson's book,
569:"New Zealand Telegraphic Items"
385:The writing box of John Thomson
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367:. The couple had no children.
284:, Australia, office for £800.
1:
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325:Born John Thomson in 1844 in
309:Wonderful World publishers.
222:. After a short sealing run,
210:shipwrecked, her sister ship
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29:(1844–1933), was a Scottish
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10:
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345:by Blair Thomson in 2023.
767:British people in whaling
343:Sailing Upside Down Under
361:Royal Terrace, Edinburgh
306:The Scotsman Newspaper's
782:Scottish travel writers
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27:John Sen Inches Thomson
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656:The Dundee Advertiser
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618:1901 Scottish Census
616:Thomson, John S. I.
206:Fourteen days after
125:was a 66-ton wooden
101:and fully owned the
762:Whaling in Scotland
348:In 1862 aboard the
280:was insured in the
757:Scottish inventors
605:. 28 October 1912.
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53:during a terrific
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792:People from Alloa
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579:. Retrieved
574:The Colonist
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339:The Ben Line
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261:Friendship's
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747:1933 deaths
742:1844 births
637:|work=
467:"Bencleugh"
357:Blairgowrie
331:Clackmannan
87:New Zealand
67:Bencleugh's
51:shipwrecked
736:Categories
717:"Deaths".
699:"Deaths".
394:References
246:Friendship
242:Friendship
226:left with
224:Friendship
216:Friendship
212:Friendship
164:, but the
111:Friendship
71:Friendship
39:ship owner
680:cite book
639:ignored (
629:cite book
471:Wrecksite
365:Dirnanean
278:Bencleugh
269:Bencleugh
265:sailcloth
254:Bencleugh
250:Bencleugh
235:Bencleugh
228:Bencleugh
220:Bencleugh
208:Bencleugh
196:Bencleugh
189:harpooner
182:Bencleugh
170:Bencleugh
166:row boats
158:Bencleugh
150:Bencleugh
143:Bencleuch
129:built at
123:Bencleugh
117:and S.S.
115:Peninsula
107:Bencleugh
103:Redcliffe
81:Shipwreck
49:when she
47:Bencleugh
581:15 March
497:26 March
476:14 March
451:Volume 7
445:15 March
335:Scotland
282:Victoria
127:schooner
91:Parisian
75:castaway
63:Tasmania
772:Sealers
154:Emerald
135:Dunedin
113:, S.S.
99:Othello
43:captain
441:. 1877
390:1933.
350:Nelson
95:Superb
35:sealer
31:whaler
327:Alloa
272:'
257:'
238:'
231:'
201:casks
139:Otago
686:link
641:help
583:2013
499:2013
478:2013
447:2013
288:Book
175:kelp
162:reef
119:Jane
97:and
57:off
55:gale
33:and
121:.
738::
682:}}
678:{{
633::
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627:{{
591:^
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77:.
61:,
41:,
37:,
688:)
643:)
585:.
480:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
