SEXTANT FOR PITCAIRN

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28478, 7 January 1958, Page 3

SEXTANT FOR PITCAIRN

American Gift To Islanders NEW YORK. The Maritime Administration staff in Washington played Santa Claus to descendants of nine mutineers of the famed ship, Bounty, when they sent a plastic sextant to 145 inhabitants of Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific and saved one of the island’s industries.

Mr Allan Wotherspoon, a school teacher on the island, explained in a recent letter to the Maritime Administration that in order to continue the islanders’ occupation of trading coral and shells with passenger ships that call in the area, a sextant was needed to navigate to another island 70 miles away where the coral was found.

Lone Navigator Ageing Mr Wotherspoon said that “of late there is only one man—whose age is catching up with him”— who could handle the small open boats that transported islanders to gather shells. “Very shortly, it would appear that this annual trip will have to be abandoned to the loss of the people momentarily,” he said, “unless a sextant could be obtained to give lessons to a half-dozen likely lads.” Mr Wotherspoon asked the Maritime Administration not to trouble itself “unduly” and admitted that “desperation" made him call on the agency for suggestions. He explained that although 70 miles “is not very far and not much is needed in the way of knowledge of navigation, the danger lies in the fact that a storm may possibly blow the boats off course.” With Instruction Book

The Maritime Administration answered Mr Wotherspoon’s request with a package containing a plastic lifeboat sextant and instruction books bought with the private funds of the agency’s employees. The Maritime Administration was not legally authorised to send the sextant in the name of the Government.

Mr H. E. Steffes, Chief of the Office of Property and Supply of the Maritime Administration, told Mr Wotherspoon that even though the federal agency could not send the sextant, the need for such a navigational aid has been of so much interest to us and the cause appears to be so worthy that several of the employees of the Maritime Administration have purchased (one) with their private funds.”

Mr Steffes ended his reply to the “lonely” Pitcairn Islanders with a wish for “a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”