The Old Track In

Memories of New Guinea Gold field Prior to the Aeroplane Services

Specially written for “Pacific Islands Monthly” iy M.G.

SOME months ago the “P.1.M.” published an amusing article on the old Edie- Wau Road, “Flirting with Death and Der kert,” which brought to my mind many of the incidents of the track from Salamaua to Edie Creek during the days of the 1926-27 rush. I have not the pen of the writer of that article, and things don’t seem quite so humorous when they become a daily process. At the time, I found the eight days’ tramp no joke: and it was then that I conceived the idea that if all the mountains of New Guinea were flattened out, they would easily cover the rest of the globe. The Goldfield is a land of “ups and downs” in more ways than one. It may be a great place for Highland Scots and mountain goats: but give me aero planes—God bless ’em!

Speaking of Highland Scots, I remember three who were there in the old days.

“Scotty” was a raw-boned son of the heather, who put up a great record of suc cessive trips to and from Salamaua, often humping a pack. He was rather sensitive about his bony knees and, therefore, shun ned shorts. On his third trip, he came in by the Missim track, and arrived with ragged strips of trousers flapping around his lean thighs: “I couldna stand they wet strides any longer, so I cut ’em off with a bush knife, and it was verra blunt!”

was his explanation. He had produced a kind of kilt, which was greatly admired by his carriers. another yarn is told of Scotty. He was doing his morning toilet on the Merri, when another miner came along and told him of some claim-jumping. Scotty, hold ing his false teeth in his hand, listened with a grave face. Then he remarked: “Aye, the scoondrels! I’d crush ’em! ” And, closing his fist fiercely in emphasis, he crushed his dental plate to bits.

A straighter, whiter man than Scotty doesn’t exist. Wherever he is, may his ounces be many!

Another of the same clan was Skipper McGuiness, of B.P.’s steamers fame. I once met him on the road at Wee Baining, wearing a sand-shoe on one foot and a hob-nail boot on the other. His hob-nails had hurt him, so he changed to the sand shoes. But at “House Copper” the rats had eaten away the whole of one side of his sandshoes. Weighted, on one side like this, he must have had a great trip to the beach.

Don McGuiness was the third Scot. I never met him on the road, but I did in court, but that’s another story.

Marny Blackford ai’gued that he had the solution of the transport difficulty; Get a herd of goats, load each with a pack, and lead them in. Thus you would have your goods transported, milk en route, and meat on arrival!

Llama were strongly in favour, until someone discovered that the nearest ob tainable were in South America.

Another chap had a real brain wave.

His scheme was to inflate a number of small balloons sufficiently to lift 100 lbs. off the ground, tie them in line and lead them along. What he would do when going through the dense bush, or where

the gas was to come from for inflation, were questions he studiously avoided.

A syndicate of six, from North Queens land, arranged that two should work a claim, and four act as carriers. They actu ally did get in, and one died within a few days of arrival. Two syndicates unsuc cessfully tried mule transport. But, until the ’planes arrived, the native carriers were the only success.

The late C. J. Levien, on his last trip to

the Field, presented the Wau Recreation Club with a trophy on which was to be engraved a native carrying a full pack: “The real hero of the Field.” Many of us who had been working boys for a number of years had a poor opinion of their work ing capacity; but we found this opinion changing to admiration and pride at their achievements. To carry 50 pounds from Salamaua to Edie in a week was a meri torious feat. Scoffers who do not really know boys or the track will argue: “Oh, it is easy for them”—“physically built for it”—“no imagination,” etc., etc. But more than a few boys died on the road; a few just collapsed—they went until their hearts gave out.

I agree that boys lack imagination to a certain extent; but nevertheless, after the first trip, the boys had sufficient imagina tion to speak with dread of certain stages of the road, especially Gadagado. Also, it must be remembered that in tribal life the women do all the carrying.

Certainly, hundreds of boys deserted either dumping valuable cargo in the bush or stealing it —but, such deserters were mainly from employers quite new to the country and natives. Fortunately, the Administrator chose a District Officer (Major S. S. Skeets) for Salamaua who was big enough for the job and, but for his strength and his appreciation of the state of affairs on the Goldfields, hundreds who

eventually saw Edie Creek in the early days would have found it impossible to do so. Another sagacious act of the Admin istration was that, when they appointed the Warden, he was given the powers of a District Officer. This dual office allowed him to understand both the miners’ and their natives’ viewpoint. For the first few years, commonsense instead of law was used by the District Services on the Field.

Employers gave their boys every possible consideration, and most of those who struck gold paid a high bonus to their na tives when returning them home.

The spirit of comradeship was evident on the road —and not only amongst the Europeans. Everyone attended any sick boys they met en route; they carried them to the nearest shelter and left them medi cines. This spirit of comradeship was akin to that of the A.I.F. —which is not surpris ing, as more than 90 per cent, of the miners cf 1926-7, and before, were re turned men. Actually, the whole Goldfield had this spirit of friendliness and mutual helpfulness until 1930-1, when that small town feeling, parochialism and cliques, became noticeable. As one old miner re marked, “When the women and goats ar rive, it’s time for us to get out.” The “come in and have a cup of tea spirit” is still extant in the outside areas.

During the rush, the newcomers to the Territory had a bad time. Recruiters charged £25 per boy. The over-anxious would-be miners, afraid all the country would be pegged, rushed things. 50 lbs. was (and still is) the recognised boy’s load, but they could not resist adding an other five pounds or so, instead of reducing it to 40 or 45 pounds for the first trip. Woe betide the employer who over loaded, if Major Skeets found him out.

These new-comers, instead of nursing their boys along, and making the first trip in nine days, would attempt to hustle, to do it in six; result, they would wake up one morning to find every boy had deserted them.

Another great mistake, made by nearly ail of us, was in proportioning the loading.

We invariably took an excess of tools, re sulting in a shortage of foodstuffs. In sufficient, or poor quality, tent flys were responsible for much sickness; and it seemed impossible to obtain suitable boots.

Often the bluchers lost their heels within the first two or three days, and the re mainder of the journey, in heel-less boots, was simply agony. One was indeed lucky if a pair of boots lasted more than a re turn trip.

“Jockey” Jack, a very popular wag in those days, faced the road in dancing pumps, with a tin of porridge and mighty little else. He got there, and made good.

Eater, a fine old prospector, known as “Carbine,” came in without a single boy, arriving with bags wrapped around his feet. Two or three Europeans died on the way in, and a number had to turn back.

Perhaps the worst trip on this road was that of the late Herb. Wilson, of the En deavour Lease, Koranga Creek. He was carried to the beach, ill and blood-poisoned.

Another was a boy employed by Ernie Banks, who had his leg crushed at Edie, and was carried to Salamaua and attended by Cyril Lambert, mortification setting in en route. He survived, and his leg was saved, although he was 20 days on the trip.

To hear really good stories of the early days on the track, long before the rush I refer to, one should listen to Ernie Dover, now of Lower Edie Creek. He is a famous humourist.

Mr. Colin Marr, of the New Guinea De partment of Agriculture, arrived in Syd ney from Rabaul by the Tanda on Sep tember 18.