The Editors' Mailbag

They Really Were Biting!

'From ex-New Guineaite Colonel Blue” Allan, now a contented resi dent of Mullaway, near Woolgoolga. on the North Coast of NSW: “I had a great day out deep-sea fishing on May 28. We went out near the South Solitary Light, and we really got stuck into them. The largest was a 25 lb salmon; about 7 bonito, all over 10 lbs, and numer ous snapper, morwong, parrot fish, red bream—all were large size, and the catch totalled over 100 fish weighing about 200 lbs. My fingers are still sore from the lines cutting them—we were using a 36 lbs. break ing strain nylon, and we really needed it.”

The Papuan Murrays

“The claim that Murray Road, paru, was named after Sir Hubert is wrong, I believe,” writes Old-timer S. H. Chance. “Papuan history simply reeks with Murrays—and it is difficult to sort out these things now. I have made inquiries of Wally Maidment (who left Sydney for Papua in 1906), the Luffs, and Hughie Beach, and I think now that the Daru road was named after a Mr. Murray who was RM or some thing there in the MacGregor days, and who afterwards become Lord Elibank.

“Daru, by the way, was in con tact with Europeans from Thursday Island, long before there were con nections with Europeans in Port Moresby—a good many people over look that interesting item of his torical fact.”

‘Murray Road’ in 1903

OLD-TIMER Walter A. Maidment writes from Daru on the same subject. He says that Murray Road, Daru, was named after Sir Charles Murray, who originally arrived in “British New Guinea” as ADC to Sir William MacGregor; who later, at his own request, was transferred to Daru because he wanted to explore that Western section; that he did some notable exploration work; and that he later returned to England to become “Lord Something-or-other.” This was before the time of Sir Hubert Murray.

Mr. Maidment arrived in Daru in 1903 as manager of the Daru Pearl ing Company, a venture of W. R.

Carpenter (then a resident of Thursday Island, and who died the other day as Sir Walter Carpenter, head of the great Carpenter group); and even in 1903 the thoroughfare was called Murray Road. Mr. Maid ment has spent most of the ensuing years in Western Papua, and is now a lively and alert 81.

Calling Captain Keller

Does anyone know the where about of Captain O. S. Keller, a Swiss, who was in the South Pacific some 30 years ago? If so, the address would be gratefully received by Captain Carl Haug, now resident m Germany. Captain Haug has sent along the following letter from Sea Breezes, the shiplovers’ maga zine, and asks us to repeat the in quiry in the PIM: The above illustration (in “Sea Breezes”) shows the crew of the British 4-masted bargue “Garnet Hill” in 1895.

In the rear row is Able Seaman Fehr, who was a native of Heidelberg, Germany, and first on the left in the front row is O. S. Keller, a Swiss. By a curious coincidence both shipmates met in 1930 in New Guinea, where Fehr was owner of a coconut plantation in the former German Solomon Islands. Keller at this time was master of a small trading steamer. Unfortunately I am unable to recall the name of this vessel.

It seems to me that Keller must be the “Inevitable” white man of whom Jack London told me in Sydney, after his arrival on his cruise through the South Seas, and whom he mentioned (as coming to his help when he was stranded in the Solomons), in his book “The Cruise of the Snark”. Does any surviving member of the crew of the “Garnet Hill” remember Fehr, or Cant. Keller of that small coast ing steamer?

Capt. Carl Haug

“Fallanker”

Weltersadt/Darmstadt, Germany.

Incidentally, Captain Haug, a New Guinea old-timer, asks after “Karkar” Schmidt. We were able to tell him that “Karkar,” still fit and well, now resides with George Hanson, another old-timer, at Erina Heights, near Gosford, NSW; and in a recent meeting he sent greet ings to old NG friends.

Now, does anyone know of Cap tain Keller?

Robinson Tragedy

Writing from NZ, Mr. E. Nixon westwood says that the man on the “scow” Bulldog (page 54 of April PIM, by Mr. A. P. Lyons) was Oelrichs, a huge fellow of 260 lbs.

He says the Bulldog was not a scow —she was powered, and later ran in the Lakekamu River, to service the goldminers.

Dealing with Mr. Bensted’s de scription of the Judge Robinson tragedy (April PIM), Mr. Nixon westwood says that the late Mr.

Guy Manning gathered the details of the whole affair and, if that compilation could be published, “the facts would astound the men who joined the Papuan service after the Commonwealth took over, 50 years ago.”

Valuable Tip for Typists

Edwin Gold, of Mangaia, has a valuable tip for Islands typists: The life of typewriter ribbons on a Pacific Island is always shorter, due to the drying-up of the “wetting agent” in storage.

The amazing affinity of coconut oil (sundried out, not fire-melted) for typewriter ink has never been given publicity, it appears to be closely related to the original emulsi fier—probably glycerine—used in the factory. So, for a faint ribbon.

Tolala is having a holiday this "-TaW- WUh s

just take an oilcan of coconut oil and apply it lightly to the full length of the ribbon. Result—so long as the ribbon is not damaged —an effect as good as new. Caution - Use this only in the tropics or in a hot chmate. In cold climates, the oil tends to clog the type.

NH Motor Menace

There have been far too many accidents in Santo of late,” writes a New Hebrides resident “The are usually Tonkinese who should never have been allowed to be at a wheel; and almost equally to blame are courts who give the guilty parties a few weeks in cala boose—with three good meals per day, adequate shelter, and no heavier task than cutting the grass or trimming the vegetables in some one’s backyard.”

.3S ame Rossi’s grand-daughter,

was run over in March, and both legs were broken. In May Tnm° r w of - the well known Mr!

S, of Santo > was killed— and the Tonkinese driver was sentenced to three months’ gaol , °V r , Respondent reports strong local feeling on the subject. S

About Mark Twain

Did you ever have contact with Tw y a°in? T W f h ° £? d known Ct Mark Twain? if so, this note, which has our office, is really addressed I am editing the anecdotes of my ™ n - Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) and I shall he happy to /rom readers of the Pacific r,!f*] dS Monthly who may have Twain stories or anecdotes. During his lifetime, Mark Twain visited pvD r rr W r.r %, nd lectured there.— ELEMENTS, Editor, Mark Quarterly, Western Groves, MO., United States. i n S 8 «? ing the K final dividend irom sto per cent., Morris Hed strom Ltd., Fiji merchants, have increased 1954 dividend to Hi per cent. The 1953 rate was 10 per cent.