The Pitcairn’s First Cruise

The vessel sailed on its first cruise from San Francisco for its distant field of labor, October 20. On board as missionaries were Elder E. H. Gates and his wife, Elder A. J. Reed and his wife, John I. Tay and his wife, with a missionary crew under Captain Marsh. This vessel went first to Pitcairn Island, four thousand miles south of San Francisco, where it arrived November 25. When the ship left the island, December 17, eighty-two adults had received baptism, and had been organized into a Seventh-day Adventist church. The vessel then made its way to the Society, Hervey, Samoan, Friendly, and Fiji groups, leaving religious books and health and temperance tracts with the English-speaking people. During eight months, to September, 1891, the missionaries sold books to the amount of $1,900 besides distributing a large amount of reading matter free.GSAM 428.3

The missionaries were stationed as follows: Elder Reed at Tahiti; Elder Gates remained at Pitcairn to finish the work already begun there; while Mr. Tay chose to labor on the island of Fiji. In the Review of April 14, 1904, Elder Fulton says of the work on Fiji: “There are now more than one hundred and fifty Sabbath-keepers in this mission field.” From Fiji, the vessel sailed to Aukland, New Zealand, for necessary repairs and needed improvements, and also for a supply of books.GSAM 429.1