Papua's Early

Goldfield

Discovery of Sudest and Misima

Compiled by Mollie Lett, from the Old Diary of a Long-Dead Miner EARLY in 1888, a pearler named White returned to Cooktown, Queensland, with an account of an auriferous reef he had discovered while working the Louis iade Archipelago (Eastern Papua). He formed a prospecting party and, upon receiving the cutter “Juanita” from the Administrator of British New Guinea (Hon. John Douglas) who was in Cook town at the time, he set sail with his party, on May 27, for Samarai, and for Joannet Island (150 miles south-east of Samarai).

Samarai and its surroundings were as lovely then as they are to-day, but the town did not exist—only one or two trading stores, of native material, stood along the foreshore. But here the party procured water and wood, and continued their journey.

Joannet turned out to be a fairyland of tropical loveliness, but false in its pro

raise of gold. The reef was barren; but, nevertheless, the trip was not destined to total failure. In fact, it was this voy age of the “Juanita” into these little known islands that laid the foundations of the Papuan gold-mining indus try, and opened up a new source of sup ply to the world.

Sudest, a narrow island with a high central range, lay only seven miles away, and Mt. Rattlesnake, its highest point, was plainly visible to the party; and, de termined to find gold, they sailed across.

Prospecting the creeks and small rivers, they were rewarded with only 150 ozs. (in those days worth £550). An unsatis factory yield for two months' work, but enough to convince them (ancj others, on their return) that Sudest was worthy of consideration.

Their success caused a little excite ment; but, as there were few in Cook town who could finance any undertaking, the “rush” dwindled.

Eventually 20 men formed a party.

These, chartering the “Griffin”, com manded by “German Harry” (otherwise, Captain Christensen) set forth early in September, 1888, after loading up with stores and provisions.

The voyage of the “Griffin” was less picturesque and pleasant than that of the “Juanita”, for calms and baffling winds prolonged the journey into weeks, and the exasperated miners became rebellious.

However, with cards and over-proof rum, even the captain and his mate found the time not exactly unpleasant.

But, as the monotonous weeks rolled by, “German Harry”, not too sure of his posi tion, became anxious. He was relieved at last to sight land, and to find that he recognised it. “They once tried to kill me there”, he called out jubilantly, to the weary men, “so I ought to remem ber it”. The “Griffin” was put on her course again, and in three days reached Samarai, Four days later they made Sudest, and dropped anchor under “Griffin Point”, and the miners, unloading their stores, went into camp and soon found payable gold. Before long, news of their good fortune reached Australia. In a few months the first Papuan goldfield was established, with 500 miners working the gullies and creeks below the range.

Early in October, 1889, Dr. MacGregor (afterwards Sir William) who had recent ly been appointed governor to the newly established possession, arrived in H.M.S.

“Swinger” to establish law and order, and there was a good deal of excitement as the man-of-war came into sight. It was expected that there would be a certain amount of ceremony over the proceedings, but Sir William arrived in miner’s garb —heavy boots, blue shirt, and dungarees.

Several miners, taken by surprise, mis took him for a “new chum”, much to their later embarrassment.

Sir William found the miners leisurely at work fossicking the creeks, and as there was a tendency to run over the ground and waste it, he appointed a war den, J. B. Cameron, and brought the mining laws of Queensland into force.

As it appeared certain that the more restless of the men would soon be seek ing new grounds, he arranged to convey a party to the neighbouring islands— not only to ascertain their prospects, but to prepare the natives for an invasion.

Doubtful colours were found both at Rossel and Joannet Island, and the D’En trecasteaux Group offered little encour agement; but at St. Aignan (Misima), the prospectors found rough colours, and shortly afterwards several returned there

and opened up a field on which there were eventually 400 men.

By this time the climate, the work, the bad food, and, above all, ignorance of the nature and treatment of malaria, were showing their effects; and num bers of miners were dying in the camps, and on the cutters between Sudest and Cooktown. On one voyage of the "Mer cury” as many as seven were buried at sea, before reaching Australia.

Still, with each fresh discovery, more miners arrived, and the numbers in creased until over 700 were working the beds of creeks on Sudest and St. Aignan.

But, as the claims gradually worked out, their attention was drawn to the main land. In 1893, a mining party, bent on making new discoveries, crossed over in the “Mystery” from Cooktown; and their prospects behind Bartle Bay, and later on the Mambare River, further north, attracted attention. From then, on, both Sudest and Misima were gradually deserted —only a handful of men remain ing to clean up the creeks and gullies near the deserted camps.