Elfric's early home in Geelong (later photograph)
The Herald (Melbourne) 24th January 1919
Taken from Kearney Files
An interesting incident of Mr. Kearney's boyhood was the eventful voyage to England, some 29 years ago, of the sailing ship Ellie's. At that time Kearney was only 10 years of age. His parents together with Mrs. H. R. And Mr Lascelles Parrington, son.,of South Yarra, who are cousins, made up a party and decided to take a health trip to England. The Ellora, which had been a P. and O. steamboat, was converted into a sailing ship and Captain Beale was placed in command. The memorable voyage occupied over six months and as the Ellora was posted as missing at Lloyd's much anxiety was experienced by relatives of passengers and crew as to their fate.
Young Kearney was cheerful throughout and when he was not pretending to be Captain, he was continually scaling the masts and acting as lookout.
The Cape Horn route was decided upon, but owing to adverse weather the vessel was reflected from her proper course by several hundred miles. The plight of the ship was aggravated by a dense fog, in which she was completely enveloped for a whole week. In the meantime the Ellora had drifted below the ice line and when the fog lifted to the intense horror of those on board, the ship was surrounded by chains of enormous icebergs, some of which towered over 300 feet. For three weeks the bergs were so congested that the master could not find a safe passage. Another vessel similarly caught, was never heard of again.
On reaching the tropics, the ship was becalmed for some weeks and the stores were running extremely low. After the Equator had been crossed in the Atlantic a ship destined for Montevideo was stopped and boarded with a view to securing supplies of food, but all that could be obtained was what of oatmeal, a ham and a few fresh eggs. In consequence of the poor state of the larder the sailors mutinied. A mad kanaka who had broken loose from his chains drove the men below and the mutiny quelled.
In the Bay of Biscay a terrific gale was encountered. Firewood for the galley was so scarce that one of the masts had to be chopped up and used as fuel. At the end of the journey there was not an ounce of food on board and had not favourable winds not begun to blow in the nick of time all hands would have died of starvation.
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