An Early Sawmill In Papua

They Navigated

A Boiler!

By J. Nixon Westwood

Away back—over 40 years ago—l was associated with the erection of a sawmill at Manu Manu, at the mouth of Galley Reach, Papua. The things I saw done there showed how the pioneers put Papua on the map. r[E mill was owned by the Pacific and Papua Produce Ltd., whose Managing Director was George Francis Whybrow. He was a Lon loner whose father had made a ortune from the manufacture and ale of “Whybrow’s Pickles and finegar”.

The P.P.P. had timber-cutting ights or leases up the Vanapa, Irown and Veimauri Rivers. That Id Tasmanian, Mick Hassett (of he “when I likes a bastard I calls im a bastard, and when I doesn’t calls him Mister”) was there. Mick as one of the old school and knew is timber-getting thoroughly. He as for a time employed by William unningham Bruce to fell timber ad have it left near the banks of le of the abovementioned rivers, e also made rafts of some logs,

and these were towed by the Dexter and Izod launch to the sawmill or elsewhere for shipment to England.

Those at the island anchorage were lifted by the barquentine Okta which flew the Norwegian flag, and had sailed across the Pacific from Callao in ballast. She was chartered to carry one million board feet for London.

J think that the man who erected the mill was a Scandahoovian named Bensen. He managed it for some months, and I well remember how very frugally he lived— canned fish or meat, rice and sweet potatoes with, once in a while, fresh fish and three times a week, for dessert he had cabin bread and jam. As he did not smoke or drink, he saved money.

The machinery, including the steam engine, came from Sydney, but the boiler, a Cornish type, was purchased from a Company which had tried its hand at timber-getting up behind Bona Bona, in the south east. The mill was 18-20 miles up

the river, and 60-80 feet up on the left bank.

WHEN the mill was being erected, I was in Samarai, and Why brow asked me to join the firm and accompany Bill Doig, in the A/K Kia Ora to the boiler site and help bring it to deep water.

The ketch was about 25 tons, and capable of 5 knots when opened full, so against any current we could manage 40 to 50 knots per day.

We finally reached the spot, and found the boiler covered with long grass, and almost inaccessible. How ever, Bill was a real bush engineer, and in addition to his boat’s crew we had two very capable Kiwai boys.

The job was to have the boiler taken to Bona Bona for the Moresby to lift and deliver at Moresby. We

had only seven days in which to have it delivered to Deep Sea an chorage, which seemed an impos “ On arrival, we met a real tropical storm, which held us up for a W *When we did get to the boiler it took the workers well over five hours to get the growth cut away.

We then had to cut a trail to the water’s edge.

Eventually we placed long trees fore and aft to make skids. We improvised some coverings for the man-hole and other openings into the body of the boiler, and forced them into position with a sledge hammer. . , , Then all was ready to launch the unwieldy piece of machinery. It was necessary to parbuckle it down the hill. As the line available was short, this job was done in easy stages.

Finally we launched her, and she floated. , At this stage the rain commenced again, and we had the greatest difficulty in manoeuvring the boiler so we could tow it to the anchorage.

After several hours’ toil, we managed to make her fast for tow ing- , , The greatest danger was that she might with the current overrun us, but as soon as we got to tidal water, we found her much easier to tow.

That boiler was 20 ft long by 9 ft 6 in. diameter, and weighed

well over ten tons. The effort was a great credit to Bill Doig and his boat’s crew and his two Kiwai workers. r[E journey to the coast took nearly 30 hours. We thought we had missed the Moresby because we could see no sign of her at the anchorage. But, as we drop ped our anchor and made our cargo fast, we saw the smoke of the steamer on the horizon, and two hours later she also anchored. Hav

ing all gear ready for the heavy lift, she lost no time in getting the boiler on board.

As I had to accompany the boiler to Manu Manu, I became a pas senger on the Moresby. The Captain was Mclnnes and another passenger was Dr. Fleming Jones who, al though he did not at the time know it, was making his last trip as Medical Officer at Samarai.

At Port Moresby the boiler was put overside onto the deck of the scow Zelma, captained by Tommy

Bakker, and eventually we reached Manu Manu.

We had to go up the saltwater creek behind the mill site, where we could parbuckle her on to the shore. Then we rolled her to the position fixed, and finally she was in situ, ancT did the job she was intended for.

Unfortunately, when Bensen “set her”, she was either slightly out-of plumb, or the back end sank at least four inches, with the result that the brackish water ate a hole of about three inches in diameter at the end. She had to be taken down for repairs, and as such could not be done in New Guinea, it was necessary to send her to Sydney.

I do not know who towed her this time, I think it was the D. & H. launch, but as it was only to the Vari Vari’s, the distance was not ;reat. Here the Matunga (Captain Sammy Mortimer) took her on deck, ind delivered to the Mort’s Dock.

The repairs took one week. She yas ready for the return of the tatunga and without further mis lap again did her job at Manu rfanu.

As a matter of interest the sawn imber was sold in Port for from 8/- to 25/- per 100, and proved to •e quite a boon at the time.

As World War I had started, the enture, instead of being a loss, urned out to be profitable.

The Broken Hill Proprietary has scently received two shipments of ickel ore (9,850 tons) from? the ickel Co., New Caledonia.