Leonidas (ship) facts for kids
The Leonidas was a special ship named after King Leonidas I of Sparta. It was a type of sailing ship called a schooner. This ship played a really big part in the history of Fiji. Before coming to Fiji, the Leonidas carried people who had agreed to work for a set time, called indentured labourers. In 1878, it took 580 Indian indentured labourers to St Lucia in the West Indies.
Captain McLachlan was in charge of the Leonidas. The ship left Calcutta, India, on March 3, 1879. It arrived in Levuka, Fiji, on May 14, 1879. The people who got off the Leonidas were the first of over 61,000 indentured labourers to arrive in Fiji from India. They came over the next 37 years. These arrivals became the start of the Fiji Indian community. Today, this community makes up almost forty percent of Fiji's population.
Sickness on Board
A total of 498 people boarded the ship in Calcutta. There were 273 men, 146 women, and 79 children under twelve years old. Just three days after leaving port, a serious sickness broke out on the ship. Passengers started getting very ill with cholera and smallpox.
The ship's doctor tried hard to keep the sick people separate. But even with these efforts, 17 passengers died during the 72-day journey. When the ship finally reached Levuka, there was no special place to keep sick people away from others. So, officials decided to anchor the Leonidas far from the main town.
While trying to reach this safe spot, the ship got stuck on a coral reef. Everyone was very worried. Just four years before, a measles sickness had caused 40,000 Fijians to die. Luckily, when the water level rose, the ship floated off the reef. It was then safely anchored away from the shore.
Keeping the Sickness Away
Dr. McGregor, who was the main doctor for the colony, came up with a clever plan. He wanted to stop the sickness from reaching the land. This was important when sending supplies and letters to the ship.
They built a special platform on the outer reef using strong wooden supports. This platform had a moving part. At low tide, necessary supplies for the ship were placed on this platform. The ship's small boat would then pick them up. All letters were put into a bottle with carbolic acid, which helped clean them. They were also treated with smoke to kill germs before being delivered. When the tide came in, the sea would naturally clean the platform.
Temporary Safe Place
The small island of Yanuca Lailai was chosen as a temporary safe place for the passengers. However, the houses there could only hold 350 people. So, within a few days, more traditional Fijian houses, called bures, were built. All the passengers from the Leonidas were then moved to the island.
Guards with weapons were placed in the narrow water passage between Levuka and Yanuca Lailai. This was to stop anyone from getting close to the new arrivals. Sometimes, warning shots had to be fired. This happened when sailors tried to go back to the Leonidas after dropping off passengers. Sadly, 15 more new arrivals died on the island. They suffered from dysentery, diarrhoea, and typhoid. This left 463 survivors. They were finally allowed to leave the island on August 9, 1879.
See also
- Indian indenture system
- Indians in Fiji
- Indian indenture ships to Fiji
