Strange Accidents in Tonga’s Seas

By J. D. Whitcombe

ONE morning in 1909 Howard Watkin (then Collector of Cus toms) and I were on the Nu kualofa waterfront enjoying an early morning breeze, when David, the office boy came up and said “There’s a big steamer off Ata Ata.’’ (Ata Ata is the island which lies near the eastern passage).

Howard gave orders to fire the gun and have the steamer signal flown from the flag-staff. This was done. About half an hour after wards we noticed that the steamer was in the same position as when first sighted.

A pilot launch with Harbour- Master Jack Clements was des patched and soon returned with the news that the steamer was the Knight of St. George, and that she was hard and fast on the reef. She was from America, with a full load of general cargo, including motor cars; and she became a total loss.

A contract for salvaging the car go was given to Messrs. A. Cowley and L. A. Schober, of Nukualofa.

Work was at once put in hand, and all went well until one day as the salvage launch with Mr. Schober and his native crew was returning to Nukualofa from the wreck, they noticed a signal from one of Cook’s whaling boats which had just har pooned a large whale close outside the Ata Ata Passage, not far from the wreck.

Schober agreed to assist in tow

ing the whale-boat and whale in towards the whaling station. All was made fast, and the tow began —when, lo and behold, the sup posed dead whale came to life and, before anything could be done to clear the launch or boat, it sounded, taking whaleboat, launch, and all the salvaged goods with it to the bottom.

Schober and his boys, and the boys from the whale-boat, managed to scramble into a dinghy which was luckily tied to the launch and was released in time. The loss was valued at more than £l,OOO.

ANOTHER sea tragedy took place near here in 1893, which is worth relating. Paula, the captain of a whale-boat, and his crew, were out after whales for Cook Brothers, when they har pooned a large shark, some 15 feet in length.

Paula and his crew were never seen again, but some weeks later, the boat was washed up on the Hihifo coast; and, attached to a long line, was the shark, with the harpoon still in its body.

YET another tragic sea story was the loss of the rchooner Hala Taufa.. with all hands, when escorting King George Tubou 11. to the islands of Haapai and Vavau.

There were three schooners and a few cutters in the fleet. The King

was sailing his new schooner, the Maka Maile, which he had lately purchased from Captain Jarvis.

She had been known as the White Squall.

It was a beautiful moonlit tropi cal night, with a fair wind from the south. Music and native singing floated across the sea. The Maka Maile sailed past the other ships and took the lead.

During the night a heavy squall struck the fleet and it is thought that the Hala Taufa, her main sheet made fast, had capsized and sank. The only wreckage found, by some strange chance, was the box of a young lad named Paula, a passenger.

This boy had been working for the then British Vice-Consul, Mr.

H. B. Leefe, but had run away, and, at the same time, Miss Leefe, daughter of the Vice-Consul, missed some jewellery. It was found in the box; and, as the boy was known to have sailed in the Hala Taufa, this was the only clue to the fate of the schooner.