27 August 1936

NARROW ESCAPES IN NORTHERN TERRITORY

Trials Of Survey Party Of 1869

When South Australia controlled the Northern Territory, it had endless trouble in administering it and trying to develop it, but now, when the Commonwealth has control, there are the same difficulties.

South Australia's troubles began when the Government arranged for portions of the Northern Territory to be sold in blocks of 320 acres, each with a town allotment. It was hoped to develop the territory with the money raised in this way. The purchasers demanded to be put in possession of their blocks, but by 1869 the land had not been surveyed. This should have been done in 1864.

In that year two ships, the Henry Ellis and Ellen Lewis were chartered by the Government for a well-equipped surveying party under Mr. B. T. Finniss. They reached the Northern Territory, but Finniss and those under him would not co-operate, and the expedition was a failure, although other leaders succeeded Finniss. The expedition was recalled, but this did not solve the Government's problem, for it had either to give the holders of land orders their property, or refund the purchase money with interest.

When the position was getting very embarrassing for the Government, the Surveyor-General (Mr. G. W. Goyder) undertook to survey the required area in twelve months. He was given the right to select his men from the parties then in the employ of the Government. All were to receive the same pay in the Territory as they were getting from the Government then. It was stated that, by hard work, it would be possible for them to double and treble their pay. and it was generally believed that a bonus of £5,000— including £2,000 for Goyder— would be divided if the expedition was successful.

The first trouble came when they landed at what was to become Darwin. Goyder decided to lay out the capital and start operations at once. He was reluctant to fix the day's work above which extra pay was to be given. After some delay it is said that he fixed the mileage at the full extent which it was possible for the men to do in a tropical climate. The pay was then only 3/6 to 4/ a day, and the men became disheartened. They did not feel like working, and went on strike. The leader made a concession, and the work went on.

It was a perilous existence in the Northern Territory in those days, and natives and crocodiles were ready to claim the unwary. At first the natives were friendly and, from a letter by D. Daniel Daly, a nephew of the Governor, appeared likely to give no trouble. The object of the men, as Daly puts it, was to get the work done as soon as possible, and to double their pay.

Travelling through the long grass was tiring, and five men fainted on their first day in the tropic heat. Mosquitoes gave endless trouble at night; and the surveyors sat up all night, fanning off their attacks, and snatched what sleep they could during the day. The normal hours of labor were from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 2 to 6 p.m.

The tragedy of the expedition was the spearing of J. W. O. Bennett— 'a thorough gentleman, one of the few in this expedition,' as Daly says. He was sitting quietly in his tent, preparing survey plans, not far from Fred's Pass. In the same tent was Guy, a cook. The natives of the locality appeared friendly, and the two in the tent were given no cause for anxiety. Presently the natives swam the water hole, crept up through the long grass, and speared Bennett in the back as he sat at his work. 'Look out, Guy, I am speared!' he called to his companion, who had gone up the hill a short distance to gather firewood. Guy did not have his revolver with him, and dashed for one which he had noticed lying on a mosquito net. While on his knees fumbling for the weapon, he was speared in the buttock. The natives withdrew for consultation. Guy crawled over to Bennett, and they broke the spears off, leaving the barbed heads in their bodies. Revived by brandy from the medicine chest, they took up two Winchester rifles. When the natives returned with a new supply of weapons, the men, though weak and almost helpless, were able to fire their guns at random, and convince the natives that they were not badly injured.

In the evening the survey party found their colleagues sitting in a pool of their own blood, thoroughly exhausted. They were carried miles on litters to the the coast, and were taken to Port Darwin. Guy's wound did not appear to be particularly serious, but Bennett died a few minutes after the spear was removed. The spear had struck the shoulder-blade and split in two, one part going along the shoulder blade and the other eight inches through the lung. He was buried on Fort Hill.

Mr. John H. Packard told a remarkable story in his reminiscences some years ago. 'Our chief gave instructions that the men were never to leave camp unarmed, and never to go out alone,' Mr. Packard said, 'but there were special circumstances which made it necessary for someone to go three or four miles from camp to paint some numbers on certain section corners, and only one man could be spared. I volunteered to go. Armed with a revolver and a good supply of ammunition, I arrived on the scene without having observed a single native, and was on my knees painting a corner peg when I was startled by a slight rustle in the grass, which was fairly high. Looking up hurriedly, I was surprised to find that I was completely surrounded by from 200 to 300 natives, in nature's garb, fully armed with spears and other weapons.' 'I had not a moment to think,' continues Mr. Packard, 'but noting from their determined looks and menacing gestures that they meant to kill me, I dropped my painting, hastily stood up, unbuckled my holster, took out my revolver, and looked to my supply of cartridges.

'I observed about six yards behind me a friendly tree, the butt of which was a little bigger than my body. I hastily backed up to this, keeping my face to the natives the whole time. Previously to this I had resolved never to shoot a native under any circumstances, unless to save life. In the present circumstances I considered that my only hope was with my back against the tree to watch the enemy in front of me, and on both sides, and to shoot the first man who raised a spear, and if necessary, to shoot five others with my remaining charges, hoping for time to reload.

For the next 20 minutes to half an hour I stood without moving while the chief, in the middle, facing me, excitedly talked to his men and threw his forefinger and arm towards me. Although I understood some of the language of the natives at Port Darwin, this was a different tribe, and I did not understand a word that was said, and I had not the slightest hope of coming through the ordeal without a severe struggle. I was absolutely amazed when the chief made a sign, and suddenly clapped his hands together, and they all disappeared in the grass! I finished my job, and walked quietly to the camp without seeing another native. I felt like Daniel in the lion's den, and thanked God for a miraculous escape.'

Daniel Daly tells of a narrow escape he had in a letter to his friends in Adelaide. He was left with a party of 100 after Goyder had returned with 40 men to Adelaide. He was riding down to a waterhole when he saw a crocodile catch a stag hound by the neck, and drag him towards the water. He fired, but the crocodile seemed to have a skin like iron, and the bullets took no effect. The crocodile turned on his attacker, who made for the nearest tree. Looking down the crocodile's snout from this position, Daly took aim, but even in the crocodile's open mouth the bullets were ineffective. The beast left the tree and returned to the body of the dog, and by the time it came back a few minutes later, Daly was farther afield. A month before, Daly and his companion had jumped from the bank of the water hole, and had swum all over it!

The tropical climate, hard work and poor provisions took toll of the party, and Daly reported that the older ones were looking 10 years older. Twenty cases of scurvy broke out, and conditions grew worse. Snakes, lizards, iguanas, and hawks were good eating to men who had not tasted fresh meat for such a long time, but crocodiles were, on the whole, 'too tough and oily.'

The greatest disappointment for the men, however, came on their return to Adelaide. It was the bonus distribution. It was then that the men discovered that the 'bonus' was the same thing as their overtime pay. They had signed on for 'wages and a further sum,'' and although this 'further sum' exceeded £5,000, it was well dis tributed. Some received as much as £200, but others got as little as £10. The average was about £70. This amount— with the 3/6 to 4/ a day pay they had received— had to compensate some of the men for the loss of the next year's work, for many of them were thoroughly broken down in health. The fact that the expedition had been successful in surveying land which a better equipped expedition had failed to survey was not considered by the Government. Incidentally the success of the expedition had enabled the province to free itself from a most awkward position.— H.

Goyder Road, Bennett Street, Packard Street, Guy Court, Daly Street and Finniss Street are all named for Goyder & his mob. I’d rather eat crocodile than some of the other tucker Goyder’s mob were on. Camel meat is better than crocodile meat. - Chris Ward 7 Jan 2022.

All For The Love Of A Lady

Whilst touring in search of agistment country, I happened on a selection just before sundown, and needed little encouragement to stay the night on being invited to do so by one of the three brothers who owned it. Heavy rain fell all night and next day, and with the roads impassable for cars, I became a compulsory guest for nearly a week.

Quite early I noticed that two of the brothers did not enter into any conversation with one another, but took little notice of it at first, thinking that a trivial argument had brought about a temporary estrangement. As the days passed with the same state of affairs existing, I was tempted to try to patch up the difference, more so because both the men concerned could not do enough to make me feel at home.

After remaining a week I managed to get along to a small township, and curiosity caused me to ask about the three brothers. 'Oh, them,' said the publican, 'the eldest and the youngest haven't spoken to one another for ten years. Good fellows, both of them, but as stubborn as mules.' I learnt that both brothers had fallen in love with the same girl, and had thus became estranged. The fact that the girl in question had married someone else did not mend the breach, and, according to the publican, neither had spoken to the other for ten years.— 'Drover.'

His Business

Some years ago, a recently married couple while waiting for a train at a northern railway station became very impatient. To fill in the time they walked slowly up and flown the platform. 'I don't know what the reception meant to you,' the bridegroom remarked; 'but to me it was an ordeal.' 'It was all very boring,' the bride answered. 'I shall be glad to get away from this town.' At this unpropitious moment the old stationmaster walked up to them. 'Are you going to take this train?' he asked, with a twinkle in his eye. 'That's our business!' replied the bridegroom.

On came the train. It was the last to Adelaide that day— an express. Nearer and nearer it thundered at full speed, then in a moment it whizzed past and was gone. 'Why on earth didn't that train stop?' said the bridegroom to the station-master. 'You said it was your business,' said the official. 'I had to signal to stop that train.'— A.D.

Real Life Stories of South Australia (1936, August 27). Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954), p. 16. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92463943