23 March 1933

MUTINY ON THE 'EUROPA' INCIDENT OF EMIGRANT DAYS

The 'Europa' was an emigrant ship which reached Port Adelaide from Birkenhead on Saturday, May 12, 1855. The mutiny, although not characteristic of emigrant ships in general, is an interesting illustration of the perils which beset early settlers of this State on their voyages from the old country to the new.

Certain of the crew of the 'Europa' had demanded the release of a 'prentice whom the captain had confined to the storeroom until he saw fit to apologise for misconducting himself. The captain refused, the malcontents threatened to relieve the boy by force, and the bad-feeling engendered smouldered for some days. The discontented section of the crew secretly prepared slung-shot and other weapons in preparation for an attack on the officers. The official log-book of the voyage describes how matters came to a head on Thursday, May 22, when the ship was still some days' sail from the Cape.

'. . . Mr. Eastbrook went forward to issue instructions to the boatswain relative to putting the men of his watch to work, when three of the men came up armed, and interfered. The officer, requesting them to mind their own duty, and go back to the forecastle, was given a blow from a slung-shot on the back of the head. It brought him to the deck, the skull being laid bare by the shot, which penetrated the scalp.

'Four of the ringleaders immediately walked aft on the starboard side of the main deck, armed with sheath-knives, iron belaying-pins, and slung-shot, one having an iron-handled knife in his girdle. The captain issued orders to the constables who were on deck to seize them, but the constables were repulsed by the knives of the mutineers.

'Getting more daring, the seamen made a rush for the starboard poop ladder. They attempted to get possession of the deck, but the captain had already armed his two chief officers, the carpenter, sailmaker, and boatswain with cutlasses and pistols.

'Two of the most daring of the ringleaders advanced up the poop ladder. The captain threatened to shoot the first who put his foot on the poop. Two men, Milligan and Connell, made several thrusts at the master with their knives, but the blows fell short. The second officer, seeing that these two men were hinging on to the main ropes of the poop ladder, cut the ropes, and Milligan and Connell were precipitated backwards to the main deck. As soon as they recovered, they ranged themselves side by side, tore open their shirts, and dared the captain to fire. They stated they were determined to have the lives of the officers. One hurled an iron belaying-pin at the captain's head, but it missed Its mark.

'An attempt was next made with the same description of missile to strike the boatswain. Its failure still further exasperated the miscreants.

'The captain, seeing he was the main object of attack thought it prudent to retire from their view. There-upon the mutineers again made an attempt to gain the poop ladder throwing belaying-pins at the officers. Their conduct by now had assumed such a character that the captain issued orders to the officers that, should the mutineers make any bolder attempt to come on deck, they should be fired upon. Finding all their efforts useless, the malcontents let go the fore and fore-top-sail brace, and some of the studding sail gear. It was blowing very fresh at the time, and the boatswain and officers, seeing the danger, succeeded in making them fast again.

'The mutineers by now had found they were not the strongest party, and retired to the forecastle. One of them, however, descended to the sleeping apartments of the single females, whose shrieks brought the first and second mates below. This fellow, on being ordered by the officers to retire, attacked them with his bowie-knife, but was eventually secured. The entrance to the main deck was strongly barricaded, and a strong guard set, composed of constables armed with muskets and bayonets fixed. A guard was also set at night. The night, however, passed without further disturbance.

'The following day six of the mutinous party attempted again to ascend the poop, but were prevented. They demanded an interview with the captain, which was granted. They insolently demanded fresh provisions, and refused, unless the captain would grant these, to work the ship. The demands were refused, and they threatened to have his 'heart's blood.' No further attempt, however, was made on the officers, and a strong guard was always kept until the ship reached the Cape, where the ringleaders were handed over to the police. They were summarily dealt with, and sentenced to three months' hard labor on the roads.'

— N. P. Goss, Norwood.

Wreck of the Osmanly.

— The Osmanly was a mail boat between England and Australia, a fine steamship.

When the goldfields in Victoria were booming many Englishmen came to Australia to try their luck. Some were returning home with their gold when the ship met her doom. It was in the night, near the middle of August, 1853. The Osmanly was steaming from Melbourne to Port Adelaide.

She got off her course, and instead of coming up Backstairs Passage, steamed along the back coast of Kangaroo Island. Everybody on board was very merry. Many men were sitting round a table playing cards, with a heap of sovereigns in the centre of the table. Suddenly the table gave a lurch and the sovereigns were scattered in all directions, never to be recovered.

The Osmanly had run on a reef of rocks, which had penetrated the bottom of the boat. The lifeboats were lowered and the passengers and crew got to shore.

On the failure of the ship to reach Port Adelaide, the port authorities sent word to Kangaroo Island, where a search was organised. They found the ship on a reef in D'Estree Bay, and everybody camped on the shore.

On board the Osmanly were two bars of gold. A man by the name of Tinline was in charge of it, and when the ship struck the gold was forgotten. But next day the boat was searched for it, but it could not be found. It was suspected to have been stolen and buried on the foreshore.

The day after the wreck the ship's carpenter and some sailors did a lot of diving to try to recover some of the sovereigns, but they failed. Some of the islanders still have souvenirs of the wreck. The shipwrecked people were eventually taken to Port Adelaide, but a few remained on the island until the end of their days. — 'Islander,' Penneshaw.

An Exchange Of Wives.

— In the early days of the West Coast, two married men decided to exchange wives. A date was fixed for the ceremony, the local institute engaged, and invitations sent out to the residents. There was the inevitable dance till midnight. The couples concerned sat on opposite sides of the hall, and at the stroke of midnight the women crossed over from their lawful husbands and sat beside their new mates.

Shortly after the exchange, one of the new 'wives' was asked to sing. She refused. Both the women were sulking, as neither wished to be exchanged. Her former husband, leaning across, said, 'Sing; go on, sing, Maria.' Then looking around at those present he said, " ''E used to sing w'en I 'ad' er."

After the entertainment both couples went to their respective homes, and the 'wives' settled down with their new partners. Probably each was satisfied. At all events, I never heard of any further exchange for the remainder of their lives. — By 'M.J.B.,'

Macclesfield. Encounter With A Snake.

— A family was living a mile or two out of Yankalilla. It was washing day, and having brought in an armful of dry clothes from the line, the housewife decided to have a rest before damping and folding.

Pulling a cushion from the couch, she lay down on a rug in front of the fireplace, throwing her arms up over her head. She had only been there a few minutes when a snake crawled from a hole in the fire-place and over her chest.

She jumped up and threw it off, but not before it had bitten her on the middle finger.

The only person near at the time was her little daughter, who was told to get a knife. The woman sucked the place and then cut it.

The chemist's shop was where the bank is now in Yankalilla and the victim was driven down and the finger attended to. It was 'touch and go.'

She bears the marks of the snake's bite to this day. The shock so upset her that she had to go away for some time. She has had a horror of snakes ever since! — E.Roebuck Wise, Yankalilla.

Natives Ran Amok.

— About midnight on May 22 1855, a Mr. Preston, living with his wife in a small cottage on the roadside half-way between the Yankalilla Hotel and Normanville, was awakened by a loud knocking at the door.

Outside, a party of intoxicated aborigines demanded a light and 'tuck-out.' Mr. Preston got up and handed them a box of matches, but refused to admit them, when they began breaking down the door, and threatened to kill him and to burn his cottage. They soon effected an entrance and began an attack on Mr. Preston. One fellow struck him in the hand with a tomahawk, and broke everything in the cottage.

Mrs. Preston contrived to get out, and ran to a neighbor, where she got assistance. But the natives made a retreat, carrying several articles away with them. The settlers were alarmed, and sallied out armed, in search of the miscreants, but without success.

Previously the natives had visited the Yankalilla Hotel but all there had retired for the night, and, finding that that there were several lodgers in the place, they broke the kitchen windows and vanished. It was not known where they got the liquor, but most of them were recognised and warrants issued for their apprehension.

Salt In The Early Days.

— Kangaroo Islanders are intrigued over the recent unprecedented developments regarding the mineral lease held by the Australian Salt combine. Salt was one of South Australia's first exports, and the saline mineral collected on Kangaroo Island was, until recent years, 98 per cent. pure.

The first authentic shipment of salt was five tons gathered by the crew of the Fly, Captain Stewart, from Port Dalrymple in 1814. For some breach of law, Stewart, on his return to Van Dieman's Land, was imprisoned and his boat confiscated. On seeking compensation Stewart valued his cargo at £50 a ton.

By 1819, when Captain Sutherland of the brig Macquarie gathered salt, the mineral had fallen in value to but £10 a ton.

There is much controversy among historians as to which lake was the favorite with early collectors; the one at the head of American River, near Mr. George Gobell's property, or the lake at the head of the Bay of Shoals. The latter is first mentioned in 1815, and the former in 1819.

Muston's Lake, over the working of which trouble is said to be brewing, was, until comparatively recent days, unexploited. — 'Yacko,' Point Morrison.

Real Life Stories Of South Australia. (1933, March 23). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), p. 16. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90892481