McMurdo of the Schooner 'Stanley' PART II by WILFRED FOWLER [In the previous issue of Queensland Heritage (vol. I, no. 8, pp. 3-15) been making a friendly visit to the Stanley were seized to be held as the first part of Mr Fowler's article was published. The article recounts hostages. though through the carelessness of the guards these prisoners the voyage of the lIS-ton Pacific Island Labour vessel Stanley, which escaped. Ultimately, after threats of personal violence were made by left Maryborough, Queensland, on 31 March 1883 with Captain Davies McMurdo against the natives, twelve of the thirteen original recruits in command. His first voyage in the labour trade, he had been licensed were handed over. The thirteenth man was considered medically unfit. to recruit 98 labourers. The crew consisted of William Connell, the The Stanley then set sail for New Britain and New Ireland and late first mate; Sydney Gerrans, the second mate; Daniel Moussue, cook and in April was brought to anchor at Mioko in St. Georges Channel, which steward; four A.Bs., Adams, Austin, Rowan and Chaillon; and eight separates New Britain from New Ireland. natives. William Anastasias McMurdo had been appointed as Government Davies went off in search of interpreters while McMurdo went to see Agent to accompany them to see that the provisions of the Pacific Islands Hernsheim, a German trader at Matupi near Rabaul on the New Britain Labourers Act of 1880 were complied with. On 10 April they anchored mainland to report the trouble they had encountered with German Charley. off Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago and Davies and McMurdo When Davies found that McMurdo had promised Hernsheim that he went ashore where they were met by a crowd of young men whom [Davies] would recoup him for the loss he would incur from Davies's Davies wanted to recruit. McMurdo insisted, however, that this could burning of German Charley's trading post more trouble broke out between not be done as they were in no fit condition and there was no interpreter. McMurdo and Davies. Harsh words passed between the two who returned to the Stanley. The After gaining the services of an interpreter from a white man at ship battled against fierce gales until it came to the Laughlan Islands. Nusa,. recruiting was carried on at various points along the New Ireland At the Laughlan Islands the recruiters succeeded in persuading thirteen coastlme and by 22 May they had the full complement of 98 recruits. islanders to accompany them to Queensland. The new recruits were 1\10st of the month of May was spent in this recruiting. allowed to sleep on shore that night, but next morning they failed to More, trouble br.ewe? bet~vc::en Davies and McMurdo over the possibility keep a rendezvous with the recruiters, who went ashore to try to discover of the Stanley havmg msufflclent water and over the fact that Davies had the reason. It appeared that a German trader, Charles Tetzlaff ("German taken six rec~uit.s ~ho did not u.nderstand why they were being taken. Charley") had dissuaded them from keeping to their agreements. McMurdo On I\1cMl.'rdo s mSlstence, these SIX men were later landed making their then appears to have encouraged Davies in an all-out onslaught against number Sl'( short. Later, another one escaped when they stopped for Tetzlaff in the first place, and secondly against the huts of the islanders water and firewood. and against canoes which were used by natives of Woocllark Island who The next stop was San Cristoval in the Solomons Where they took traded in yams and taro with the Laughlan Islanders. Tetzlaff's copra on more water and rested for two days. On 30 June they were under store was set alight, and later the native village suffered the same fate. weigh again but the next day the Stanley struck a reef and Went aground The canoes were smashed to pieces with axes. Eight islanders who had on the south east spur of the Indispensable Reefs. No dry land was Queensland Heritage ~:·,"-,·,J""Sr:l'W II....J e•...." ••--. "'::I"~' S ... It . loJ.&~ • • iv 4--""-;1001 .__ .. ~. ... ~ ~~ .'. s..t... I" 'U1~1f-- Part of a chart of the Solomon Islands, showing Guadalcanar and San Cristoval. This is taken from the British Admiralty chart of 1874, with corrections down to January 1876. in sight. One New Ireland man had been killed in the disaster. A raft Santa Anna at the southerly tip of San Cristoval. Davies had had been built with shelters for the men to sleep in and a breakwater found a man to take an order to Gerrans and the seamen to by 6 July and on 7 July, Davies, Gerrans, Adams, Rowan, Chaillon and Austin left for Makira Bay in San Cristoval to get help. bring the boat round to Ugi. They had been housed and fed For seven weeks McMurdo, Connell and Moussue tried to keep the by Tai for eight days before they left Makira Bay and pulled men working to improve their comforts even having to resort to flogging the boat sixty miles round Cape Recherche at the northerly tip them. They were getting sick and several died but in the end there of San Cristoval. They avoided the off shore reef and took was a turn for the better. Throughout the ordeal, McMurdo did not spare himself in his efforts to keep the natives alive and at work. He the boat into Selwyn Bay on the south western side of Ugi. had to punish many of them for pilfering the provisions, and some of Davies came down the path from Stephens's house and met them died as a result of his severe discipline. He was not to know that them on the beach. most coastal New Guineans suffered from endemic malaria, which enlarges "Don't unload", he said, "we're going on to Santa Anna the spleen; in this condition that organ ruptures easily. Corporal punish­ ment administered to such people could easily result in death. His regret [Owa Raha] tomorrow". at the unforseen results of his methods of discipline is recorded fully Rowan, a young fair big-boned Scot with a ragged beard and in :the journal he maintained.] thick muscular arms, took a pace towards Davies. :I: "We are not going to Santa Anna tomorrow", he said. * * * Davies flushed, "guard your tongue, my man", he said, "or I'll make things hot for you". 7 Rowan spat and spoke in an undertone to the other three Davies, Gerrans and the four sailors were three days and seamen. They shook their heads, glaring at Davies with open two nights in the boat sometimes making good progress with hostility. the lug-sail but mostly pulling the one hundred and fifty miles "The men have had a hard pull", Gerrans said in a placatory from the reef to Makira Bay. The weather varied from fresh tone, "may I suggest they have a day's rest before we go on south easterlies veering round to the east with rain squalls to to Santa Anna". calms and hot sun. Common concern with survival made "Very well", said Davies. "The trouble is they are lily­ imposed discipline unnecessary; but the four sailors barely livered - all right, we'll leave at dawn the day after tomorrow. concealed mounting dislike of Davies. But I warn you, I won't tolerate insolence". He turned and Tai, the chief of Makira, found Davies a guide across the walked away but looked back when the seamen laughed. island over the high land and down to Wano [Wango] on the There was a break in the south east weather; there was no other side in search of a vessel; from Wano he went out by wind and they pulled for the best part of two days and a night canoe to the island of Ugi. Gerrans and the four seamen were all the way, eighty-five miles to Santa Anna at the southerly given a new clean hut and provided with food by the chief tip of San Cristoval - an almost circular atoll, two and a half until Davies sent for them. miles in diameter. In the late afternoon haze, raised land at Captain Stephens the resident trader at Ugi had charge of the centre gave it a profile like a broad-rimmed low-crowned a small coal dump, a few sheep and cattle, and a stock of hat. They took the boat into the anchorage on the western provisions for H.M. Ships. He told Davies no ships were side [Port Mary]. A fifty ton cutter layoff the beach and half expected until later in the year and advised him to go on to concealed by coconut palms, there was a house. Queensland Heritage Page Thirteell Captain McDonald, an American ship's master, had set himself T~e cutter retur'!ed on 3 August. Heavy seas had been as a trader on Santa Anna. When the Stanley's boat beached ~unnmg off the IndIspensable Reefs and McDonald had judged he had with him his daughter, a half caste girl about seventeen It too dangerous to attempt to reach the stranded men. years old who moved about, barefoot, in shabby finery, keeping Gerrans and the four sailors watched the cutter approach house for him - and Charlie Sproul, an old man who made waiting for Davies to come ashore. Rowan and Austin dis­ himself useful in return for food and somewhere to live. regarded their promise to do nothing and accosted him as soon Three days after the party arrived McDonald took Davies in as he stood on the beach.