View a "virtual book" version.

Ketch owner and captain James Llewelin Lewis wrote to his wife from each of the South Australian ports he visited. This is his last letter written from Port MacDonnell, Monday 16 August 1880. After leaving Port MacDonnell with a cargo of potatoes, he never arrived back at Port Adelaide.

In his letter he writes about the trip from Wallaroo which he left the previous Friday evening. The voyage to Port MacDonnell was made with a fresh breeze but the barometer was falling and he expected some bad weather shortly. After discharging his cargo, he took on a load of potatoes which Lewis thought would be consigned to Adelaide. He hoped he would find a letter from his wife waiting for him ashore the next day.

The remainder of the document comprises a log for his ketch Prima Donna while in Port MacDonnell. By Tuesday evening he recorded that there had been strong winds and squalls. The lighters had continued loading Prima Donna as well as three other ketches in port: Mimosa, Annie Taylor and Cygnet. The following day the storm continued and Lewis kept himself busy aboard his ketch. He recorded the arrival of the ketch Post Boy.

The gale continued the next day with a heavy swell in the harbour. Steamer Coorong made a brief appearance but did not moor and departed port. The danger signal was flown from the harbormaster's office all day. The next night the winds moderated and changed direction though a heavy sea continued to roll into the harbour. Finally on the Saturday the harbour boat approached Prima Donna and Lewis was able to finish his log and letter and send it ashore to be posted to his wife.

Prima Donna left Port MacDonnell shortly after; somewhere between there and Port Adelaide the ketch was lost at sea with all lives lost. His wife shortly after this gave birth to their seventh son. Lewis was held in high regard among his fellow ketch captains and owners and the Port Adelaide shipping community established the Prima Donna Relief Fund and raised money to see the family's needs eased.

Lewis, Annie

Gillespie, James, Captain Traders under sail: the cutters, ketches and schooners of South Australia Largs Bay, S. Aust.: J. Gillespie, 1994

Thiele, Ron N. Ketch hand: the twilight of sail in South Australian waters Portland, Vic.: Main'sle Books, 1987

Fyfe, Dorothy M. Maritime history of Wallaroo: an outline, 1802-1978 Wallaroo, S.A.: D.M Fyfe, 1979 Chapter 5: 'The small fry'

State Library of South Australia: Mortlock Wing exhibitions Wooden Walls and Iron Sides, August 2004-