Days

East Of Samara I

Memories of the Early Days

By D. H. Osborne

I WAS interested in “Mac’s” article on the discovery of gold on Sudest.

I worked on the Gira goldfield in 1899 and was camped near Jack Andersen and Harry Williams. They were two of the prospectors of Sudest—they often talked of their experience of different goldfields, and they had been mates for many years. This is their account of the Sudest find.

Dave White was a pearl-shell diver, working in the passages near Sudest. On a visit to Cooktown (Cooktown was the nearest town for supplies) he spoke of white outcrops on Janet and other islands in the Calvados Chain.

Some miners in Cooktown formed a party of 16. I do not remember the names of the others. I often heard of Masher Clarke, but I never met him.

The party chartered the schooner “Grif fen.” Harry Christensen (“German Harry”) owned her at the time. He agreed to take the party to New Guinea and remain at anchor while the miners worked on shore.

They landed on Janet, but there was no luck there; so they moved to Sudest.

They anchored off Sudest, at what has become known as Griffen Point, after the name of the schooner. They found pay able gold on their first day on shore.

They allowed Harry Christensen to break his contract, and he sailed for Cooktown. Winds were favourable and he returned in a short time with a num ber of miners; and other boats followed.

-tiarry s quick return was a very sore point with Harry Williams and Jack Andersen.

Dave White sold out of the diving boats and started storekeeping on Sudest.

When gold was found on Misima most of the white men rushed to Misima, but Dave White remained. He was the first to supply the Sudest natives with tools to mine for gold. Andy Jorgensen, who had remained on Sudest, took a pick and destroyed the natives’ dishes. White and he had words over the matter. Then Jorgensen changed his mind, replaced the dishes, and started the boys out dig ging—and he bought their gold.

After the rush to Woodlark, Jorgensen moved to Misima, and he set natives there to mining, also.

White took Billy Lamb in as partner.

When White died, Lamb bought his share. Lamb remained in business on Sudest until his death in 1908. He willed the business to Mr. J. A. Carpenter, who was manager for Burns Philp there at the time. The business was floated into Tagula Plantations, Ltd., and was in existence until the Japs appeared on the scene.

The only time I heard of John Doug las visiting SED was when he landed Rossel natives on Rossel Island, when they were returned from the Queensland sugar plantations. The natives were recruited by Captain Inman and were returned home some time before the dis covery of gold on Sudest.

IKNEW Nicholas Minister (“Nick the Greek”) for years. He was working pearl-shell with a diving-pump, and trading with the natives of the Calvados Chain, buying trepang and turtle-shell, before any other whites were there.

When Captain Craig was murdered, Sir William McGregor had only recently

arrived in the Territory. He had no means of arresting the murderers, as he had not recruited a police force. He offered a reward for the murderers, dead or alive. The village was in sight of the scene of the tragedy.

Nicholas went up to the village, bowled over the Chief, cut off his head, took it to Sir William, laid it on the deck, and demanded the reward.

Sir William almost took a fit. He threatened to charge Nicholas with mur der.

Nicholas said: “British style, keep the man prisoner for some time, then hang him. Nicholas style, shoot first and inquire later.”

There must have been truth in Nicho las’s story of his having been thrown overboard by Moturema natives, after being attacked. He swam to the bow of the boat, and climbed up the anchor chain. The natives were below, looting his stores, when they saw him on deck, covered with blood. They yelled, and jumped overboard and swam ashore.

From then on, he was regarded as a wizard and was quite safe from attack.

Nicholas had been in many tight cor ners. He had tomahawk and spear marks on his face and arms.

I doubt that Nicholas Minister was ever in gaol. He probably had a few skeletons in his cupboard. He used to say that he had been outlawed for a time —and he blamed Rev. Chalmers for that.

A warship was searching for him. The waters were uncharted at the time.

Nicholas went on board and piloted them for several days, to clear water. After wards, he sent a message, saying who he was. If true, the charge was withdrawn, for he was not arrested.

IN the early days of Sudest, Nicholas had a fleet of boats. His flagship was a 50-ton schooner, the “Daunt

less”—a good sailer. In his old age he sold most of the boats.

The “Dauntless” was wrecked at the Trobriands, while being repaired, at anchor. The insurance policy had expired. Nicholas had instructed the insurance agent not to renew the policy until a certain date, as the vessel was in a safe anchorage. But a cyclonic storm came unexpectedly. The crew were all absent—only the carpenters were on board, and they were helpless. So the “Dauntless” became a wreck.

“German Harry” sold the “Griffen” to Alec Matherson, who was fishing for trepang on the reefs off New Caledonia.

The Queensland Government prevented aboriginals being taken out beyond the Barrier Reef. Mahony and Carney, of Sudest, bought the “Griffen” and had her trading in Papuan waters. She finally sank, at anchor, near Kaivera Slip, near Samarai.

“German Harry” bought the “Hygeia,” and sold her later to W. Whitten. She was wrecked on the east end of Fergu son Island.

“German Harry” bought many boats in the northern parts of Australia and sailed them to Papuan waters and sold them there.

Trochus-shell was not of commercial value until after Nicholas Minister had retired from trading.

HARRY Williams and Jack Andersen were mates at the time of the Yodda rush. At Tamata, they made up their swags in Clune and Clarke’s “dead-house.” The storekeepers allowed each miner one carrier, to carry a load to the Yodda field. A man in C. and C.’s store accidentally fired off a rifle in the store. The bullet passed through the walls of the store and the “dead-house,” and through Harry Williams’s arm with out breaking any bones, and stopped in a pillow under Fred. May’s head: he was reading, in a bunk. A few days later, on the road to the Yodda, another rifle was accidentally fired, and Harry Wil liams’ carrier was shot dead.

I had been sailing about Sudest waters several years before meeting “Mac.” He then was working with Neil Andersen, on the “Jane and Edith.”

Camp St., Toowong, Brisbane.

July, 1943.