Navigating The Stpik

Adventurers Who Have Sailed New Guinea's Amazon

A DAILY newspaper recently reported that light units of the RAN had patrolled a short distance up the Sepik River, in north-western New Guinea, looking for possible Jap encamp ment i.

Tht ise small ships were not making naval history; as a matter of fact, they were only drawing aside time’s curtain to bring to mind an incident of the last war when Australian destroyers went in looking for a suspected German gunboat.

Actually, although the Sepik is the Amazon of the Pacific, little known and little travelled by land, an assortment of vessels have wandered along its twisted ways, and many of the expeditons are not without interest.

As a waterway, there is nothing mean about the Sepik. It wriggles, snakes and turns its wide muddy way for more than 700 miles, from mouth to headwaters in Dutch territory: it roams at will across a huge bed which is the valley between ranges on the south, which include the towering, cloud-capped Bismarcks, and the Prince Alexander and Torricellis on the north —ranges in the news these days as Australian battlefields.

And from it branch literally hundreds of streams, each in themselves respect able waterways, which in turn spill into immense lagoons and overflow to make the Sepik swamps, miles and miles of a wilderness of stagnant water and oozing mud.

Although the river straggles nearly 600 miles to the border of Dutch New Guinea, so snake-like is its course that a plane could cover the same ground in less than 250 miles.

It is the largest of all rivers in the Mandated Territory, a mile wide at its mouth, but gradually the width narrows to about 500 yards, and although it fat tens and thins in parts, generally that remains the size to its headwaters.

It has depth, too. Two hundred and fifty miles upstream, 60 feet of water has been recorded, and sailors say that if changing channels could be followed many more miles of ample depth would be found.

FRST journey of note along the Sepik that can be discovered was made by the “Ottilie,” a vessel drawing 11 feet, of no recorded tonnage which, in

July and August of 1886, travelled 250 miles from the mouth. A German, Von Scheintz, made the voyage and when the “Ottilie” was halted at the 250-mile limit, he proceeded a short distance further by whale-boat.

The following year, an expedition, favoured by good water conditions, steamed in the “Samoa” to a point 380 miles upstream. It was a scientific voy age and members included Drs. Schrader, Hollrung and Scheider.

The Sepik was then left alone for some 20 years.

In the early 1900’s there were several trips. In 1908, the “Langeoog,” drawing 10 ft. 6 in. of water, reached the village of Avatip, 237 miles from the mouth.

During May and June of the following year, the “Peiho.” of 250 tons, and draw ing 9ft. 8 in., reached the 250 mile mark, and in November, the same year, the SMS “Cormoran,” a German cruiser, managed to make its way up 176 of the twisted miles.

As far as can be ascertained, the “Cor moran” was the largest vessel ever to attempt the Sepik. Her tonnage was 1,640, she was 246 ft. long and drew 16 ft. 6 in. of water.

In 1910, a German-Dutch Commission was appointed to determine the boun dary between German and Dutch New Guinea, and the boundary-was reached by using the “Pionier” for the first stage, a steam launch for the second and canoes for the final stage. By the three means of travel 554 miles were covered. The “Pionier” herself covered 386 miles.

Next notable voyage seems to be in December, 1914, when the Royal Aus tralian Navy took a hand. Two de stroyers, HMAS’s “Parramatta” and “Warrego” made an entrance looking for a German ‘gunboat. Both vessels were of 10 ft. draught and were 500 tons gross.

They reached the 226 mile mark before turning back.

The same year the “Nusa” (64 tons), belonging to a trading company, reached the “Pionier’s” mark —386 miles. rE New Guinea Administration was always interested in the Sepik and the pretty Government yacht, “Franklin,” made three notable journeys alonp 1 the waterway. The “Franklin” was 131 tons and needed 13 ft. of water to move.

Her first long voyage was made in August, 1927, and she reached the Gov ernment station at Ambunti, a village 252 miles from the mouth. The next visit was exactly two years later when she was coaxed up to Kubka —326 miles.

Twelve months later —August, 1930 —she could travel only 209 miles.

How the Sepik varies in depth with the seasons was indicated by the “Franklin’s” voyages. Each trip was made in August, normally the dry season, and each time her mileage was vastly different. In August, 1930, the river was lower than it had been for years.

Meanwhile the traders’ vessels, “Ele vala” (50 tons; 9 ft. draught), and the “Nusa,” reached the October River, log ging 531 miles and making a record that stood for some seven years.

The new high came in October, 1935, when the launch, “Osprey,” needing only 5 ft. of water, reached the Dutch New Guinea border.

That notable voyage was begun in the Administrator’s schooner, “Hermes,” which set out with the purpose of her self reaching the border. The schooner, however, could not pass a point 12 to 15 miles below the October River, and the journey was continued in the “Osprey.”

“Osprey” struck trouble, however, owing

to striking a submerged log and also re ported that the current was terrific.

Of that voyage the Administration re ported: ‘‘To assist the steersman get tne craft around bends we had to place one boy in the bow and another in the stern, armed with long poles. . Even with tnis aid the ‘Osprey’ several times ran her nose into the bank.”

PERHAPS one of the most unusual trips along this huge river was made by the District Officer’s schooner, “Thetis” (25 tons; 7 ft. 6 in. draught).

In April 1942, sne entered the sepiK and the following month had travelled 445 miles to the May River, a right tri butary. The “Thetis” turned into it but could proceed only as far as a further tributary known as the Linker —or Left —May, where the water shallowed and was full of snags. The journey was then continued in the launch, “Fanny,” for an other 50 miles, when snags, shallows and fast currents halted that means of trans port. Canoes were then used and a branch made into yet another tributary, the Right May, but a definite stop came seven miles up that stream. But 70 miles had been travelled since leaving the Sepik, taking the crew some 500 miles from the sea.

War with Japan intervened then and that is the last reported big-ship move on the river.

NAVIGATING the Sepik is no picnic.

With its meandering course it is subject to change from year to year and these changes have never properly been charted since 1913.

The year 1941 was one of the driest known, the river reaching lower levels than the natives had ever seen before.

But the “wet” that followed was abnor mal and high water rose to peak levels.

It is quite probable that the river cut through new bends and loops.

Then there are the floating islands.

Frequently the river tears away pieces of bank held together by a web of roots closely covered by grass and bushes and it is quite common to see them floating downstream. While they vary in size, some are several acres in extent.

Another class of floating island of liv ing vegetation is composed of matted grass into which other grasses have seeded and grown together with small trees and bushes. These have their origin in lakes, lagoons and grass swamps and parts being detached make their way to the main river. The size of these vary, too, but two-acre grass islands have been seen floating by.

Then there is driftwood and enormous tree trunks that come down from* the headwaters. Anyone travelling the Sepik keeps a sharp lookout, travelling only by day.—H. K. WOOD.