PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
TI
سان سائسلسا
Reference:
C.O.
882
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO]
NIR,
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Enclosure 1.
From the Rev. T. BRIDGES to His Excellency Governor CALLAGHAN.
(Received June 16, 1876.)
Monday, May 22, 1876.
On board the "Allen Gardiner," Button Island, Fireland
(Tierra del Fuego).
I FEEL it a duty to apprise you of the probable loss of a Liverpool vessel, called San Rafael," belonging to Balfour, Williams, & Co. I say probable loss, because we are only sure of the death of part of her crew and officers, and have no proof whatever of the loss of the vessel, though we are strongly of opinion that she is lost. On April 22nd a large party of Indians reached Ooshooia from New Year's Sound and neighbourhood, and brought news of the death of nine men by starvation and exposure on an exposed part of the coast, which we judged to be somewhere between Waterman and Henderson lelands. They brought proof of their statements in the clothing they wore and an English sovereign they offered for sale. The report was briefly as follows. An Indian from his canoe had seen signs of the presence of strangers on a rugged islet. Being un- accompanied by any to help him save his wife, he was afraid to land or even approach near, but went eastward in search of helpers.
After some time a small number in one or two canoes approached, the men landed and walked up, found seven men dead and two still living, but very weak, rigid in limb, emaciated, and unable to walk or stand. The natives were affected to tears, and lit a fire for the two sufferers, one of whom was stronger than his companion, and still retained his senses. The Indians fetched them water and gave them a shag (sea bird) and left them. The poor men had neither fire, water, nor food, and their skin had largely peeled off, and seven had already died. Much clothing was taken by the natives, but only such as they found lying around, and we learned afterwards that what they took on this visit was given them by the poor man to whom they gave drink and food. We also learned afterwards that the natives tried to straighten his legs, and offered to convey him away in their canoe, but in vain. He drank twice and tasted the shag, but could not eat, he was too far gone and too weak to avail himself of the natives' kindness. He, however, gåve away many things, beckoning to them to take what they chose. The natives then left, as they could not remain there, because they could neither moor their canoe to the kelp in such rough waters nor haul it ashore on the steep rugged coast.
We heard at first they, the natives, returned the following day and found both the men dead, but we since heard on the spot that bad weather prevented their return for some days.
On their return they found the whole nine dead. They then took away what they chose, but did not denude the dead. We heard that the dead were lying orderly, so placed by their sorrowful companions, but afterwards found the natives had placed most of the bodies as we found them.
The writer here goes into various details regarding the voyage in the "Allen Gardiner"" to the spot, which was a very stormy one, and continues-
We went to Indian Cove in search of competent guides, and were happy in finding two who had been the first to visit the place of suffering. The next day, Thursday, May 18, we were directed by them to the first headland inside of Black Head in Rous Sound. Two seamen, Captain Willis (master of the "Allen Gardiner "), and four Indians and myself accordingly went to the place, and owing to the long continued fine weather easily effected a landing, two men keeping the boat on and off, whilst one after another jumped ashore. We scrambled up the steep rocky coast, and some 50 yards above the sea, near the middle of the islet, or rather peninsula, found nine dead bodies much decomposed, but all abundantly clothed. One of these was a poor woman, evidently the captain's wife, who was lying beside her. Seven bodies were lying in a long hollow between rocks about 4 feet wide and 5 feet deep, and about 40 feet long. Two bodies were away from the rest, but close to each other. At the upper end of this hollow the poor fellows had lived. Across the rocks they had spread canvas, perhaps their boat's sail, which had attracted the Indian's sharp sight from the other side of the sound. Here they had made their fires and cooked their food, tims of meat and such mussels as they could gather on the steep and wave-washed coast of their cir- cumscribed prison, a peninsula about 150 feet high, 100 yards wide from west to east, and 300 yards long from north to south. It appeared from the sea to be joined to the main, but on ascending we were horrified to find an abrupt chasm completely cutting off retreat from this dreadful prison.
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We remained covering over the dead and in search of information as long as we could, but threatening weather prevented our staying as long as we could have wished. From clothing and other things we ascertained the names of eight of the dead as follows:- Mr. and Mrs. McAdam, the latter by birth we suppose to have been named M. Proctor, by finding that name on an article of dress, W. H. Swift, W. Daly, G. G. Stewart, T. Umlandt, and James Reid, address of latter Lockstill or Lockhilt.
Captain Willis fortunately came across a private note written in pencil on four loque leaves of a pocket book by Captain McAdam, addressed to his son. This note Captain Willis has.
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It was written on the forty-first day of their stay on the desolate island, when the writer was nearly blind, scarcely able to see the paper he wrote upon. The note was found under a little bush and stated that they were in a very low state, but gave no other general information.
Doubtless a record was kept, but the natives having twice visited the place before us, and the strong gales and very heavy rains, and a space of at least two months inter- vening before our hurried visit in search, accounts for the paucity of information found.
We were on the rock about two hours. We buried up the dead as we found them, as it was impossible to remove them. Since then we have recovered from the natives a chronometer and case, which was stowed away in a rock on an islet in New Year's Sound, a barometer and sextant case, and part of "South American Pilot," also hid away in like manner. A night binocular was also freely given up, and among the natives we saw various trinkets they had obtained from watches, &c.
Our guides were glad to be taken, as they were thus enabled to get clothes and other things they had previously stowed away but been unable to remove.
They
were allowed to appropriate these things after we had examined them. They were also rewarded with an axe each.
Gave the natives particular directions as regards their conduct towards strangers and distressed seamen, and promised rewards to such who should be the happy means of saving life or helping the distressed and bringing them to Ooshooia (the mission station in Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego).
From the quantity of things we saw on the peninsula, and heard of as having pre- viously been removed by the natives, we infer that the poor fellows had leisure in removing from their vessel. There were some five or six oars, about 24 empty meat tins, odds and ends of clothing lying about, chart, broken epitomes, large chronometer case, bible, prayer, and sundry odds and ends of other books. Whilst we were hunting about, the two sailors in the boat pulled up into the bay near by, and found parts of two name boards of the "San Rafael," which we suppose to have been tied to the thwarts of the boat, the wreckage of which was lying around. The poor men could not have saved their boat on the place they landed, as they could neither. have anchored it off nor hauled it ashore. We wonder they landed on such a bad place, where food and water are scarce and retreat impossible. We suppose they either landed at night, or chose the spot as being the most likely whence they might attract the attention of passing vessels.
They must, according to Captain McAdam's note, which is dated February 15, 1876, have landed on January 5, which is the midst of summer.
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How long it was before the first visit of the natives that the native named Cushooyif became aware of the presence of strangers there, and came out into the sound towards the place to look, I cannot say, but he saw no man or smoke, only the white canvas roof. These natives are afraid of the natives to the westward, who some years ago killed some of them. They invited them ashore as friends and then killed them. Cushooyif thought it might be some of them or other strangers. No wonder he would not venture, when alone, too near the place. Had he been able to overcome his fears he might have been the happy means of saving life; if, on the other hand, our own people, who are altogether too suspicious of those they choose to call savages, would have trusted or received him. Perhaps, poor fellows, one reason of their choosing their miserable abode was because they could more easily prevent the natives attacking them. On the other hand, had they gone further up the sound or across to the other side, they would have been comparatively in quiet waters, in a good land, where they would have saved their boat and readily travelled from place to place, till they might meet with the natives, some of whom know a little English, and are much humanised by the know- ledge they have attained of God and his world. I feel sure they would have been kindly treated and forwarded and brought on their way to Ooshooia.
od
Hoste Island is not accurately drawn on the Admiralty Chart. It is wonderfully cut up by the sea. Ponsonby Sound runs up far into the island, and from an arm in it you
* Since ascertained 21 days elapsed before the natives could make up their minds to land.
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