Early Gold in Papua
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
Letter to the Editor rpHE article in the September number of the “PIM” “Prospect- X ing on the Fly River, 1875”, by R. B. Howard, of’Fiji, brings back to my mind the time I visited Port Moresby in 1884 0 “? vlted b y Mr - Goldy (representing Bums, Philp & Co.) to be his guest during rfiy stay, and I met there a German by the name of Hanstein, who was shooting birds-of-paradise for export to Australia. After speaking one day about some gold which I had brought with me from North Australia.
Hanstein went to his box and produced a piece of pure gold which he said he had found in the stomach of a bird-of-paradise! shot about 40 miles up the Fly River. On returning to the' same place, later on, he noticed a Papuan wearing a piece of gold, in the shape of an S, through the lobe of his ear. When he asked the native where he had obtained the gold, the native pointed to the bank of the river; but that was all he could get from the native.
Mr. Goldy also informed me that he himself had on several occasions received small pieces of pure gold from natives, obtained, so they said, in the vicinity of the Fly River. There might have been some truth in the reports by “German Harry” and “Nick the Greek”, as mentioned by Mr. Howard in his article.
Leaving Port Moresby, after the hoisting of the British Flag in 1884, I returned by HMS “Swinger” to Newcastle. As soon as the “Swinger” had dropped her anchors, reporters boarded the vessel to obtain from the paymaster first-hand news about New Guinea. The paymaster handed the reporters over to me, saying, “Mr. Goedicke has been longer in NG and knows more than I could tell you!” Being asked about gold in New Guinea, 1 repeated the stories I had heard from Messrs. Hanstein and Goldy.
On my arrival in Sydney, the following day, I heard the snewspaper-boys crying out; “Sunday Times—Gold in New Guinea!” I bought one of these papers and this is what I read: “Brisbane, Wednesday—A correspondent on Thursday Island telegraphed to the ‘Courier’ as follows: ‘We have received a telegram reporting the arrival at Newcastle by HMS “Swinger” of Mr. F. T. Goedicke, with splendid samples of gold obtained about 20 miles inland near the Fly River. Mr. Goedicke arrived here from Port Darwin and went to Port Moresby in the ‘Elsa’.”
I am, etc.,
Haapai, Tonga, 10/10/1941.