Memories Of Old Papua

Letter to the Editor IWAS much interested in Mr. Osborne’s article in your December issue of the “PIM,” “How Sudest Gold Was Found.”

I was a pearl diver in the Louisiades 32 years ago, and I know the country well. I also prospected for the Quaker- Oats-shaped nuggets on Iron Stone Creek, on the Lakekamu, which Frank Pryke discovered. Following that, I crossed the Owen Stanley Range in 1914, from Buna to Port Moresby, to join my regiment, the Scots Guards, in London, but was too late in arriving in Brisbane to join the other reservists, so I joined up with the AIF.

Captain Thomas Craig, of Scotts Point, Redcliffe, was chief mate on the schoo ner “Governor Cairns,” when the Hon.

John Douglas picked up the first 16 miners in Cooktown, in 1886, to prospect for gold in the Louisiade Archipelago.

The leader of the party was D. White, and his deputy was Masher Clark.

The first landing was made at Janet Island, where they discovered only hun gry quartz. The next day, the Hon.

John Douglas advised the party to try the neighbouring island, Sudest, where they discovered colours of gold in a small creek.

Next day, the party went further afield where they struck payable gold in a large creek which they named “Runcei,” after the name of the captain of the schooner, “Tricknanny,” owned by Burns, Philp.

Captain Craig was for many years sailing on the Papuan coast and North Australia, and chief mate on the follow ing vessels in Papua: “Hygeia,” when she replaced the “Governor Cairns,” in 1887, and continued until 1891, when he took over as second mate on the “Merrie England.”

Captain Craig is well over eighty, is hale and hearty, and remembers the first compound erected on Samarai by John Douglas, for the first native murderers in Papua.

After the murder of another Captain Craig (father of Tommy, of Sudest). off Janet Island, the Hon. John Douglas offered a reward for the heads of the murderers. Nicholas the Greek, being an adventurous sort of individual, sailed with his schooner, the “Prince Albert Edward” (commonly known as the “PCE”) for Janet Island.

During the time that Nicholas was in the bush hunting the murderers, the Resident Magistrate of Samarai, F. O.

Forbes, arrived at Janet Island on board the schooner “Hygeia.” Nicholas, return ing from the hunt, came alongside the “Hygeia” with his dinghy, and threw a bag containing human skulls on board, demanding the reward.

The newspapers in Australia made a great noise over the affair. The Hon.

John Douglas was called South for an inquiry, and during his absence H.

Hastings Romilly was Acting-Governor.

Nicholas, on another occasion, was div ing for pearl and trochus shell off Stew art Island, north of Cooktown, when his crew of Australian aboriginals (Torres Strait natives) left him for dead in the water after attempting to do away with him. He managed to hang on to the rudder till dark set in, when he crawled along to the anchor chain and climbed on board, to give his would-be murder ers the shock of their lives. The boat was left to him, to run it by himself.

On another occasion, Nicholas was Court interpreter on Thursday Island whilst serving a sentence in gaol.

I am, etc.,

Redcliffe, Q.

Mac.

June 10, 1943.