To Papua By Launch

How the Midge Crossed the Coral Sea 50 Years Ago

By D. H. Osborne, of Rossel Island, Eastern Papua

IN April, 1899, when my brother, Frank, and I were at Port Douglas (North Queensland), we saw an old steam launch, the “Midge,” for sale. She had been a Queensland Customs boat in her earlier days and was built of wood, with a single-cylinder, horizontal steam engine. It was said in Pt. Douglas that two men and a bottle of whisky were a full load for her.

One day I saw a man on board her and recognised him as Willie Arbouin, with whom I had worked in the Herber ton hinterland for some time. He said he had just bought the “Midge” and in tended taking her back to Papua.

I told him of my intention to go to New Guinea myself when I had saved a few pounds.

“Why not come along with me?”, he asked. “I need, someone to help me.

My brother, Charlie, is manager of HP’s at Samarai and, anyway, Bill Whitten will always give a newcomer a start.”

We met my brother, Frank, and talked it over. “If you go to New Guinea, I go too,” was his reply.

Arbouin told us that his partner was arriving on the next steamer, so we de cided to leave things stand over until then. His partner was none other than G. J. Nelsson, who became so well known as a planter, trader and MLC in Papua in later years. ’ Finally, it was arranged that the “Midge” should travel under her own

steam to Cooktown, and from Cooktown to Samarai on the deck of SS “Moresby”.

Frank and I were to work our passages— it was quite easy for a willing person to do that in those days.

Our first job for Arbouin was to cut firewood, for “Midge” would steam on coal or wood. Next, we cleaned her up and got ready for sea-going. Queensland Customs were strict about sea-going vessels: all boats leaving one port for another had to have a master with a ticket. Arbouin engaged Barney Andresen, a retired master mariner, who was well known on the Queensland coast. , . .

Pt. Douglas to Cooktown WE left Pt. Douglas at 9 a.m. one Saturday late in April, with Andresen as captain, Arbouin as engineer, and Gus Nelsson, Frank and myself as

the crew. We carried one passenger, named Morton, a relative of Charlie Arbouin. We moved off under steam and sail; but in a short time the masthead carried away and the jib and peak were useless. The engine was not functioning well, either.

Cooktown lies 90 miles north of Pt.

Douglas and, late in the afternoon, we were off Bloomfield River, half way With the weather looking extremely dirty, the skipper ran into Bloomfield for the night, and we anchored off a farmer’s homestead. He turned out to be Bill Collins, who knew both Barney and Gus—so we spent a pleasant even ing wlth the fami ]y, The following morning we sailed again and reached Cooktown at noon, Sunday, The anti-climax was that the “Midge” proved to be too heavy for the SS

“Moresby” to lift on deck. A small BP vessel, SS “Ysabel”, was due to sail for Samarai the following Saturday and, since her speed was only seven knots, it was arranged that she should tow the “Midge” across. That suited Frank and me, for now we were sure of our passage.

We worked for several days making her ship-shape, as the mast had to be repaired and a new bilge pump installed.

A week or two earlier a heavy cyclone had wrecked a pearling fleet at Princess Charlotte Bay, and boats were bringing a lot of wreckage into Cooktown. No one about the town was eager to make the third man for our crew and neither of the owners wished to take it on.

On the last day Gus Nelsson dug up an old beachcomber who had been on a bender and was hard up. A bottle of whisky and promises of more coaxed him

to make the voyage. He was known as “Billy Liverpool”—l forget his real name.

He would not leave without a bundle of cotton waste, a couple of gallons of kero sene, and a pole—all for signalling if in distress.

We had been promised that the “Ysabel” would slow down each day at noon to pass us food, but Barney Andre sen warned us: “Take some extra food on board —that old skipper won’t slow down until he arrives in Samarai.”

In Tow MIDDAY on Saturday, April 28, 1899, saw our departure from Cooktown.

The “Ysabel” was to have slowed down before passing out of Earner Pass age, to see if all was well with us —but she continued right on.

The evening turned out wet, with a

nasty sea running. We were shipping a lot of spray and leaking freely. Our tow line was a wire rope with no spring in it and that prevented the “Midge” from rising to meet the seas.

“This looks like my last night—and I haven’t a drop of whisky left,” lamented “Billy”. He was not the only one who had doubts about living until morning!

I had given the engine a clean-up in Cooktown and must have let some cotton waste fall into the bilge; it ap parently had got into the pump rose and I had a real job of cleaning it out, then pumping, while Frank did most of the steering. “Liverpool” was not in the mood to do much except feel sorry for himself and hold his aching head.

Before daylight we broke adrift. Im mediately we burnt a flare, and then a second one. Still the “Ysabel” kept to her course. Finally, we saw her green light showing and she returned and hailed us. The skipper yelled that he would pick us up at daylight.

Daylight brought a boat with a coir hawser for us and thereafter the “Midge” towed much better. Bill scored a bottle of whisky, but no food was forthcoming.

We heard later that when the “Ysabel” left Cooktown, most of the crew were the worse for liquor and that we were very lucky that they missed us after the towline snapped.

All went well during Sunday and Monday, save that we were wet through and thoroughly miserable. During Mon day night we were near land, with nasty tide rips, and were making heavy going of it. Finally, the “Ysanel’s” skipper called out “We’ll go half speed until day light.” Later, she went dead slow and we were able to get a bit of rest until she resumed full speed at the first light.

We anchored at noon at Samarai. It didn’t take us long to got aboard the “Ysabel”, where a hot meal was await ing us—and did we do it justice!

The “Ysabel’s” captain told us exactly what sort of a risk we had taken. He shook his head and said: “I wouldn’t have done it for £25.”

Samarai In 1899 AT that time —May, 1899—the houses in Samarai were changing from native structures to European buildings. The town itself was quite lively, with a lot of drinking going on at the stores. Off-shore a number of boats were at anchor, including a fast sailing schooner on her way from Wood lark Island to Cooktown, with Captain C. O. Andersen in charge.

We stayed in Samarai until the Thurs day. leaving early in the morning. All sailing boats were in sight—but no motor launches. We spent the first night at anchor at Gyama, the second near Tofi, and finally reached Mambare Beach at sundown. The “Ysabel” dis charged her cargo at night and, leaving us, went on her way at sunrise.

Sunday we spent making the “Midge” ready for the trip up the River, for she was to tow a large whaleboat. We set out the following morning, expecting to make the trip in one day, but we could not locate the channel into the river and had to return to the beach. Gus, Frank and I took a dinghy and with flag-sticks marked the channel.

Next morning we entered the river quickly. By sundown we were only about a third of the distance. Arbouin acted as engineer and fireman —but he soon became knocked up, as the work was too heavy for him, and no one among the passengers would help.

When we set off again, I took fire for fire with him. It was hot work, and the steam would drop after each stoking.

By evening we still were a long way

from Tamata and the bunkers were almost empty.

The mining warden was one of the passengers and he questioned a local native who was with him about firewood.

He pointed up the river. We pulled in to the bank a short distance upriver and Frank and I, who had brought our axes from Port Douglas, chopped a load of wood, while the others stacked it against the boiler to warm it. The old “Midge” steamed ever so much better with this mixture of fuel and we reached Tamata in the early afternoon.

Willie and Gus gave us five shillings each to chop another load of wood to take them down stream again. They also gave us a pick, shovel, and dish for the extra work we had done coming up the river.

End of the “Midge”

THE “Midge” made one more trip up Mambare, but she was not suitable, being underpowered at 4 HP. Re turning to Samarai, she later sailed for Woodlark Island, but was wrecked on a reef and her bones rest there to-day.

Frank and I. after a day’s spell in Tamata, set out for the goldfield to seek our fortune. Little did we realize the hardships that lay ahead.