Strange Stong of a Bottle on
p. 85 · Read in the full issue
Jack-in-the-box Island
By J. D. Whitcombe
ST 1892, Falcon Island (one of the Tongan group) was visited by the then Premier of Tonga, sateki (or Sateki as he was uni rsally known), and my late father, r C. D. Whitcombe (who was at at time Minister of Foreign Affairs r the Tonga Government) and the inister of Police, and some iscners.
Their object was to annex the and, which rose and fell, accord g to volcanic conditions, and was en above the surface. (See PIM, ikust, 1953, p. 72).
After breaking out the flag of >hga on a staff, the prisoners were t to work planting some 2,000 routing coconuts, which had been ought from Tongatabu.
While this was being done, my ther took a stroll beside the crater ke, in the centre of the island; id there, beside its enclosed shores, s found floating a sealed bottle.
In the bottle was a note which id been written jointly by Miss mie Treskow (daughter of Herr >n Treskow, the then German ce-Consul at Nukualofa) and Miss la Watkin (later Mrs. J. M. asterton, and a daughter of the te Rev. J. B. Watkin, of Nuku ofa).
The two girls had been on their ay north, to Apia, via Vavau, in 3 Upolu ; and, in the note, they iscribed a dance that was held on ie ship between Nukualofa and avau.
By some extraordinary chance, the
bottle had been carried into Falcon’s crater-lake when part of its rim had still been below sea level. Then, as the island had built up, the bottle became locked within. When it was found, the island was some 300 feet high—though Upolu had passed only six weeks previously.
Photographs of Falcon, the “jack in-a-box island,” have appeared in PIM in the past; and here is a
photograph of Miss Treskow (on the right) and the friend she then was going to visit in Apia. Her name I do not recall, but perhaps some Apia reader may identify her. The photograph was taken by Hanna, in Auckland, over 60 years ago.
An experimental shipment of 2,800 tons of low-grade coal was made from Greymouth, NZ, to Noumea, in October, and if found satisfactory in the nickel smelters is likely to be the forerunner of regular shipments which might open a regular shipping connection be tween the two countries.