History
Above: The SS Preussen.
'Twas The Night Before Christmas
By Lance Hodgins
I
n 1886 the people of Victoria were delivered a Christmas present they didn’t need. A ship had arrived from overseas carrying the deadly smallpox virus amongst its nearly 600 passengers. Although the Melbourne passengers were quarantined at Point Nepean, everyone was on a knife edge. All the usual security measures were in place, but would that prove to be enough? The Voyage Out The SS Preussen began its journey from northern Germany, stopping at Antwerp, Belgium, to pick up mostly English passengers who were migrating to Australia. She was a new ship, over 457 feet long, and capable of 14 knots. After a brief sightseeing stop at Port Said, she passed through the newly-opened Suez Canal and headed for Australian waters.
On reaching Albany’s King George’s Sound, the news was out. One passenger, a 24 year-old Welshman named John Pryce had smallpox. He had gone ashore for a walk around Port Said and apparently contracted the disease there. Within a few days he was feeling very unwell with dysentery. The ship’s doctor eventually recognised the disease as smallpox and immediately sought his isolation and called for mass vaccination on board. The Preussen was rejected by the West Australia’s health authorities and it passed on to the port of Adelaide. By then Pryce had died and he was buried at sea. Some of the 26 Adelaide passengers were showing signs of smallpox so they were immediately put into the quarantine station on Torrens Island. On Tuesday December 21 the Preussen left for Melbourne. continued next page...
December 2021
E ssence | 69
PENINSULA