Snark

Two Separate Vessels

The Lily And The

A Correspondent From

Rugen Harbour, via Rabaul — who forgot to sign his name— [ has written an interesting letter [ on the late Harold Markham’s Lily, I which, he says, was not the Snark. i This should end all correspondence [ on the subject.

Our unknown correspondent says: “The Lily was never Jack Lon r don’s old vessel the Snark. I was l well acquainted with both vessels.

“In July, 1917, when I was mate *■ of the A. K. Melanesia we sailed ■ from Solomon Islands to the New Hebrides. In Vila harbour, tied up F to the wharf inside the reef, was the [ old Snark. She had been out of I commission for several months. She was owned by the French Nouvelle Hebrides Company, and there was i a standing offer of ten pounds plus I any repair costs, to any man who [could start the engine. I inspected I the vessel and started work, and the [next afternoon had the engine run ining. We did a three hours trial I run outside the harbour, and on re- I turn to the wharf I collected £l2/10/-.

I “A few weeks later, returning to [ the Solomons, we were speeding along at nine knots under full sail [past the west end of San Cristobal llsland, when a vessel put out from Maru Bay and hailed us. t A man was standing up in the bows waving a shirt. We hove to, and waited for the vessel.

I It was the Lily with Markham at the tiller and another man with the [shirt. When they were close enough to recognise our vessel, they waved to us to proceed on our way. We could not understand it but the next day the Lily came into Tulagi and Marko came aboard and told

Inis story.

i “A few days earlier, the Lily had been commandeered by a British man-o’-war and six naval ratings put aboard with teleradio, rifles and ammunition and Markham was told to proceed to San Cristobal Island for patrol duty. When our vessel was sighted, somehow the Lily’s transmitter went out of commission tby Marko sleight-of-hand) so the Lily had to return to Tulagi for radio repairs. So ended the Lily’s patrol duty. ; “Later on I sailed to Ontong Java |L°rd Howe Islands) with Captain Austin in the Baronia and spent a inonth there inspecting those islands and reefs. We also spent many hours with Markham and it was there that I learned the story »f the Lily. J I “The Lily was built in Tasmania and purchased by Captain Austin and Markham, and sailed from

there to the Solomons by Austin Markham and another man (name forgotten). Markham then took over the Lily. The Lily was not a schooner; but a cutter rig, with a 14 HP Frisco engine.

I was back in the Hebrides in November, 1927 when that hurri cane hit Santo; 27 vessels were lost in one night.

“The Snark was anchored in the Segond Channel opposite the river the river was in flood, which kept the vessel side on to the channel The hurricane swept down the channel, hit the Snark broadside on and she turned over in the wind and sank with eleven hands All were lost.

“As Captain Haug assumes, Mark

ftradin£ statioft

t m c “ arlle Munster on Ontone Java. Towards the end of 1941 i srint m th¥ ai ff S and had lUnch and wo after u no °n with Munster.

We chatted about Markham and Ontong Java, and old-time ex periences. It was the last time I saw Charlie Munster, but I look back on those days with happy memories.”

J M. Rene Hoffherr, Governor of New Caledonia and High Com missioner for France in the Pacific has been visiting the Wa 11 is’

Islands, stated a Noumea report in August. M. Hoffherr travelled in the French naval sloop Tiare by way of Suva.