Wrecks, Wreckers and Wrecking

WRECKS, WRECKERS, AND WRECKING.

OLD DISASTERS. 

[By A. T. Saunders.] 

30 January 1917

On a beautiful July day in 1914, I steamed past Booby Island, near to Thursday Island, on my way from Port Darwin, and was much interested in it. For 50 years I had read and heard of this refuge for the hungry and thirsty shipwrecked mariner. 

For many years prior to the lighthouse being built on Booby Island a depot for provisions and water had been established there, so that the survivors of the passengers and crews of vessels wrecked in or near to Torres Straits could rely on relief when once they reached the island. A post office was also on the island. It was a sailor's sea-chest in a case, and in the chest passing ships would put their letters and take out those directed to the ship's destination. 

Before steamers ran through Torres Straits, and even for some time after, a large number of sailing ships sailed these waters, and many were wrecked. Even steamers were lost — for instance the British-India Quetta, about 1890, with awful loss of life. This wreck is kept in mind by the Quetta Rock on the charts, and the Quetta Memorial Chapel on Thursday Island, in which are relics of the Quetta. 

—Early Records.— 

In the Public Library is an interesting book by a surgeon of the Royal Navy named Wilson, who was surgeon to various vessels which brought convicts to Sydney. Mr. Wilson arrived on his third trip in 1829, and took passage to Mauritius from Sydney in the barque Governor Ready. For six weeks the barque tried to get round Cape Leeuwin, and had to turn about and sail round the east coast to try and get through the coral reefs and reach Mauritius by the passage north of Australia. She got past Murray Island, and was then wrecked, and her crew and passengers sailed to Copang, Timor, in the ship's boats. Mr. Wilson went from Timor to Raffles Bay, Northern Territory, and thence to Swan River settlement and King George's Sound. 

This was one of the numerous wrecks, and with increasing trade to and from the eastern States of Australia, the disasters also, of course, increased. Soon there grew up the 'wreckers' — men who fitted out ships to find the wrecks, and then to salve, more or less legally, the wrecks, their gear, and cargoes. It was a rough life, but had a fascination for many men, and the profits were some-times very large. 

Capt. Francis Cadell, who opened the Murray River navigation, ended his life in 1879 as a Torres Strait pearlee, with "wrecking" as a side line. Scores of curious experiences are recorded by the Australian newspapers of wrecked crews and of the wreckers, one of which is in The Sydney Morning Herald, March 9, 1860, page 4, column 2, as follows:— The ship Sapphire, Capt. Bowden, left Port Curtis, Queensland, August 8, 1859, with horses for Madras. On September 23 she was wrecked off Raine Island. Usually for some months the wrecks remained intact, as they were usually on coral reefs in shallow water. The day after the wreck of the Sapphire the crew and passengers left the ship in two boats, apparently leaving the poor horses to die of thirst. 

They made for Cape York, arrived October 12, 1859, left for Booby Island, arrived in a week, and remained till the end of October, when both boats left Booby Island for Port Curtis. Two days after they were near Friday Island, when they were attacked by the Australian blacks. One man was killed, and another wounded. The murdered man was Mr. Schmalfuss, who was in charge of the horses. A man was picked up from the water, who told them that he was the sole survivor of the other Sapphire's boat's crew. The boat had put into Hammond Island, and had been attacked by the natives, and all but he had been killed. After getting the man into the boat the other boat was seen full of natives pulling after them, but they managed to escape. Next day they were chased by the natives in three canoes, but again escaped. This same day they came across the barque Marina, afloat but waterlogged, and abandoned; so they took charge of her, but found little or no provisions on board. After being four days on board the Marina four men were sent back to the wreck of the Sapphire for provisions. 

They found the ship as they had left her, six weeks before, on the reef, with the poor horses all dead, apparently after great suffering. The four men safely returned to the Marina, which vessel was got under way November 26, 1859. On January 24, 1860, they reached Palm Isles (a little north of Townsville), and on February 19 arrived at Port Curtis. I forgot to mention that when the four men returned to the wreck of the Sapphire they found the ship's goat still on board and alive. Eighteen men were killed, including the captain, and 10 men, and the mate, William Beveridge, were saved, and arrived at Port Curtis in the Marina. 

— A Local Association. — 

Port Adelaide was connected with the Torres Straits wrecking, about the same time as the Sapphire and Marina were wrecked. In the Adelaide daily papers of 1851 it is announced that at Saint Mary's, Sturt, by the Rev. Mr. Fulford, on February 13, 1851, Donald McLeod, son of the Rev. Norman McLeod, Saint Ann's, Cape Breton road, Scotia, was married to Caroline Elizabeth Hillier. Mr. McLeod had come to Adelaide to see if it were good enough for a number of Gaelic-speaking Highlanders, then in Nova Scotia, to emigrate to South Australia. Mr. McLeod's report was favourable, and on October 6, 1852, there arrived in Port Adelaide from Sidney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the brig Highland Lassie, 179 tons, Capt. McKenzie, with 31 McKenzies, seven McLennans, nine McLeans, six Finlays, eight Stewarts, eight Chisholms, and 17 McKays as passengers. 

On April 12, 1852, there had arrived at Port Adelaide the barque Margaret, Capt. Thomas Matson, from Saint Ann's, Nova Scotia, with Mrs. Matson and family, and the Rev. Norman McLeod and family and various Gaelic Highlanders. Capt. Matson was the father of Mr. Thomas Matson, now of the Semaphore, and the trainer of Tapioca and other racehorses. Mr. George Matson, who died in Perth a short time ago, and was well known in Port Adelaide, was the eldest son of Capt. Matson, of the Margaret. Capt. Matson sailed the Margaret to and from Port Adelaide for a few voyages, and then took charge of the schooner Daphne, in 1853. This schooner was afterwards owned by Capt. Hay, and traded to Venus, Streaky, and Fowler's Bays for many years. Early in 1854 Capt. Matson took command of the schooner Clipper, and sailed her on the Australian coast, with a voyage to Canton once in a way. 

In December, 1854, Mrs. Matson died, leaving three boys and two girls for Capt. Matson to look after. On January 23, 1858, the schooner Clipper, 153 tons, Thomas Matson, master, cleared from Port Adelaide, for Batavia and nothing was heard of him and the clipper till January 8, 1859, when there arrived at Port Adelaide the cutter Esperance, 15 tons, A. Brown, master, from North-West Reef, Torres Straits, via Copang, Timor, November 4, 1858. Passenger:— Miss Maria Matson. Mr. Brown, who had been mate of the Esperance, and was now master, said that Capt. Matson traded in the clipper for some time after leaving Adelaide for Java, then sold her, and bought the Esperance, built of teak by some Dutch fishermen. She was fitted with four small cannon to repel attacks from the natives. Capt. Matson shipped a crew of three men and proceeded to Torres Straits on a wrecking expedition, where so many vessels come to grief on the coral reefs. 

On October 9, 1858, the Esperance was anchored at Hammond's Island, got under way, and stood over to the American ship Halcyon, of Boston, which was ashore and abandoned on the east end of the North-west Torres Reef. Anchored the Esperance and with two men the mate went on board the Halcyon, leaving Capt. Matson and the children, George Matson, John Matson, and Maria Matson, on board the Esperance. Went below in the Halcyon, and while there heard a gun fired from the Esperance. The two waist guns were kept loaded with ball for fear of the natives attacking after dark. Saw four boats coming from the shore, so went on board the Esperance, and found that the starboard gun had burst on its being fired to recall us, wounding Capt. Matson in several places, and also his youngest son John and almost severing one foot. Did what he could for the wounded, and then made sail for Copang. Meantime the boats had got close to us, and we saw that there were about 50 natives in them, but they could not overhaul the cutter. The skylight was stove in, and several portions of the deck ripped up, there being several portions of the burst gun on the deck, one piece being embedded in three deck planks where the gun was. At 1 p.m. Booby Island was south two miles distant, when John Matson expired, as we could not stop the bleeding. Buried the body at 7 p.m. Capt. Matson having somewhat recovered his senses, several portions of the gun were extracted from his upper jaw. From this time Capt. Matson gradually sank, and after suffering from October 9 to October 23, died as the cutter came to anchor off Copang. Capt. Matson's body was buried at Copang, and after discharging her cargo at Copang the cutter sailed for Port Adelaide, November 4, 1858, and arrived on January 7, 1859. The Curator of Intestate Estates took charge of the cutter, and she was sold at auction to Mr. John Walker (who owned the brig Nile and the Fleur de Maurice afterwards) for £130. There was therefore very little left for the four orphans from Nova Scotia, Maria, Rebecca, George, and Thomas. 

—The Family. — 

George was a great swimmer and yachtsman. He built a twin sailing boat, and sailed her as a yacht in Port Adelaide for a long time. He was a bootmaker by trade, and was an elocutionist and a fair poet. His lines on the death of Ben Germein were particularly good. He was granted a small Federal literary pension. What became of the girls I am not aware. The other son, Mr. Thomas Matson, of the Semaphore, is the sole survivor of the family, so far as I know.