For twenty years the County of Roxburgh sailed the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.

Built in 1885 by Barclay, Curle & Co., for R. & J. Craig of Glasgow, Scotland the County of Roxburgh was a four masted iron ship, or 'barque', 285'6" in length by 43'5" in height by 24' in width and weighed 2209 tons.

The County was a merchant ship, used in the Indian jute trade.  She had a cargo capacity of 2855.28 tons in the lower deck, and 1511.48 tons in the tween deck.  Two fresh water storage tanks (one fore, one aft) held a total of 6560 gallons of water.

The final journey for the County of Roxburgh began on December 18, 1905.  While bound for Melbourne, Australia from Caldera, Chile, she was caught in a cyclone. On February 8th 1906, her sails torn to shreds, Captain James Leslie and his crew of 25 men were unable to avoid the massive waves that dropped the ship high on the coral reefs of Takaroa in the French Polynesian Tuamotu archipelago.

Ten of Captain Leslie's crew members perished. Sixteen of the crew survived including Captain Leslie. This website is dedicated to Captain James Leslie, and the crew of the County of Roxburgh.

COUNTY of ROXBURGH Photographed in harbor prior to her fateful voyage in 1906 This photograph, found by a Scottish antique dealer, is courtesy of the late Captain and Mrs. Arthur Kimberly. SIXTEEN SAVED: James Leslie - Captain William Miller - 1st Mate H. Ochenden - 2nd Mate J. Brown - 3rd Mate R. Ceace - A.B. Charlie Batista - A.B. J. Harris - O.S. J.T.C. Hendrick - Apprentice R. Krahl - Sailmaker J. Marshall - A.B. J. Paschburg - A.B. A.V. Richardson - Apprentice G. Roberts - Cook C. Robson - A.B. W. Simpson - A.B. J. Stirling - Apprentice TEN DECEASED: R. Anderson - A.B., age 27, Sweden P. Anderson - A.B., age 37, Sweden (brothers) H. Cordes - Seaman, age 19, Australia C. Diestel - A.B., age 21, Germany G. Herd - Carpenter, age 27, Russia P. Koch - A.B., age 22, Denmark M. Olderog - A.B., age 21, Germany L. Parsons - Apprentice, age 18, England C. Wagner - Steward, age 32, Germany P. Wagner - A.B., age 45, Norway

COUNTY of ROXBURGH at Victoria Dock in Dundee, Scotland 1888 photographed by Alexander Wilson Courtesy Dundee Central Library. CLICK ON THIS ANCHOR to read the Court Report of the formal investigation held at the Debts Recovery Court in Glasgow, Scotland on July 13, 1906 wherein the Court found that the loss of the ship and the loss of life were not caused by the wrongful act or default of the master and that the vessel was navigated with proper and seamanlike care. OR THIS ANCHOR to read WRECK OF A SHIP. New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13151, 14 April 1906, Page 5

In October of 1902 The County was quarantined at the Knappton Quarantine Station across the Columbia River from Astoria, Oregon.  The ship had sailed from Shanghai where one crew member had died of cholera.  The crew arriving in Astoria were all healthy however the ballast of the ship was deemed contaminated.

KNAPPTON QUARANTINE STATION
All of the photographs below are courtesy of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Astoria Oregon

The local newspaper, Astoria Daily Budget, reported: “the British ship, County of Roxburgh, which arrived yesterday from Shanghai is still in quarantine and it is not yet known when she will be released from it. While the vessel was at Shanghai one of her sailors died of cholera … and the ballast she took on there was soft mud from the river bottom. Her consular bill of health there states that the health of those on board was good, but that the ballast was dangerous. This latter fact has caused Dr. Earle, the government quarantine officer, to consult the authorities at Washington [D.C.] before he permitted the vessel to enter. … All those on board the ship are in good health.”

Three days later, the Budget reported, “the British ship, County of Roxburgh, will be taken across the river to the quarantine station sometime today and the work of removing the ballast and freeing it from possible infection will be commenced.

“Captain Leslie was permitted to come ashore yesterday afternoon to attend to some business, which included procuring the necessary articles to assist in removing the ballast.

“This work will be done by the crew with hand winches and it is expected that it will be completed within three weeks. As the ballast comes out it will be sprayed with a solution of acid of bromide of mercury which will kill any cholera germs that may exist in it.

“Of the 1,000 tons of ballast there is about 100 tons of rock which was taken on board before the vessel reached Shanghai. This will be placed back again after being fumigated, and together with a few tons of rock from the beach near the quarantine station, the vessel will be able to proceed to Portland to load … The work being done in this way by the crew, the expense to the owners will not be anything like as great as at first expected, the delay being the principal loss.”