Suwarrow Island

Levers’ Experiments with Torres Strait Shell

IN the September issue of the Pacific Islands Monthly there was published a Tropicality stating that Captain Charles Menmuir took a large consignment of pearl shell from Thursday Island to the Northern Cook Islands in 1906. We asked for fur ther information regarding the outcome of the experiment.

A subscriber in Melbourne, Mr. C.

Buchanan, of the Australian and Overseas Travel Service, courteously supplied the Sydney address of Captain Menmuir, who is now secretary of the Royal Shipwreck Relief and Humane Society of New South Wales. The latter provided the following details about the experiment: Early in 1906 Levers’ S.S. Upolu left Sydney, en route from the Solomon Islands to Torres Strait, to transfer a cargo of live pearl shell to Suwarrow Island, some 500 miles north-west of Rarotonga, in the Cook Group. On arrival at Sunday Island in Torres Strait, 30,000 shells were gathered and placed in barrels, holding roughly a dozen shells each. The barrels were mounted on oblong frames attached to tiers of shelves, which had been specially fitted up between decks, and were so ar ranged that a constant flow of pumped water percolated through them.

Only golden-lip shell was taken —blacklip shell being already plentiful at Suwar

row, where Levers’ Pacific Plantations Pty.

Ltd. maintained a pearling station. The difference in price between golden-lip and black-lip shell was at that time in the vicinity of £9O per ton and the commercial cultivation of golden-lip shell at Suwarrow seemed a sound business proposition.

Loaded with shell, the Upolu, under the command of Captain Menmuir, left Torres Strait for the Northern Cook Islands, via Suva, Fiji. A successful crossing was accomplished, with an infinitesimal loss of shell. At Suwarrow the pearl shells were placed in wire covered frames, and lowered into the lagoon. The Upolu departed, leav ing an English conchologist, Mr. (later Sir) Saville Kent, in charge of the experi ments. His assistant was Mr. James Huddy, of Torres Strait, who afterwards became manager of Messrs. Levers’ at Gavutu, Solomon Islands.

Subsequently the shells spatted and pro duced pearl shell, which, however, was not quite the success hoped for. Unfortunately, before further necessary experiments could be undertaken, Levers’ lease of Suwarrow expired, and the New Zealand Government declined to renew it. After the N.Z. authorities took over the island very little was done to continue the experi ments, and eventually they were aban doned.

When she left Suwarrow Island, the Upolu returned to the Solomons and later was sold to interests in China. During the Great War she kept up a service between San Francisco (Western America) and Papeete (Tahiti). It is believed that she was lost several years later on the China coast.

One of that fine band of Scottish seamen who, at the beginning of the century, sailed the Seven Seas, from Greenock to the Gilberts, from ’Frisco to the Fijis, in charge of men and ships, Captain Charles Menmuir spent over 20 years in and about the Pacific Islands. In 1897 he left Sydney in the S.S. Fernmount and, after trading in the Gilbert Group for On Chong and Co., Ltd., joined Levers’ to take command of their trading vessel. In 1910 he went to England to supervise the building of the steamer Kulambangra, which he sailed out to the Solomons, Captain Menmuir left Levers’ service in 1914, after taking the Kulambangra back to England. In cidentally that vessel was later sold in Great Britain for the West African Coast trade; she eventually was wrecked in Borneo.

It was stated in the Commonwealth Parliament during October that in the year 1933-34 Papua imported from America goods worth £30,139 —including tobacco £14,490, and benzine and oils £7,000. The exports from Papua to U.S.A. consisted entirely of natural his tory specimens, worth £5,820.