The Historians

Something Else

To Puzzle

T\ISCOVERY of a 138-year-old anchor and a mysterious skeleton are among the items recorded in an old diary which came to light on Norfolk Island recently. The diary is for the year 1936. It was kept by Carty Christian, who died in 1956, aged 62.

On January 26, 1936, Mr. Christian recorded finding the anchor, dated 1829, off Kingston.

The anchor was brought across from Kingston by the Morinda yesterday,” he wrote. “It got foul of hers when she lifted her own anchor.

We lashed it between two boats of the Lighterage Coy. and the Govern ment launch towed it to Ball Bay and to try tow the Ho-Ho off the rocks. (The Norwegian vessel Ho-Ho was wrecked at Ball Bay late the previous year).

“Ben Christian, Tom Quintal, Jack Albert Christian, Cob Robinson, Jack and Spencer Clapp, Tom Atkins Quintal, Bobo Yager, Edgar Young and two of the Ho-Ho crew all lent a hand,” the diary records. vr Th ® J Ho-Ho was eventually freed.

Mr. Christian says on June 21 she was launched and left for Auckland a week later.

What ship the anchor came from is not known but although no one has been down lately to check, the anchor still lies—unsung— at the bottom of Ball Bay. skeleton. ‘ bere W3S ' he ma “ er of the Two huge downpours on Norfolk on May 21-22, 1936, brought 15 inches of ram and also washed a mans skeleton out of its grave at Emily Bay, Torrents rushing to the sea almost carried the skelton away.

Carty Christian said the skeleton was re-buried in the Kingston cemetery on June 5.

After lunch Ben Christian, Jack Clapp and I conveyed the skelton bones to the cemetery. The box was Alf xr n uu? e L fr ° nt WCSt side Of Alfred Nobb s headstone. • a stam P e< J lead on it tti inscri Ption—‘No. 608 IHS 1936 Unknown.’ ”

Interesting? Certainly, but a little annoying—just which ship was the owner of the sunken anchor and also, which early visitor (enforced or otherwise) had the rare distinction of being buried twice?