HISTORIC BOTTLE AT STEWART ISLAND

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 150, 20 March 1936, Page 12

HISTORIC BOTTLE AT STEWART ISLAND

Rain Puts End to Search

MR. LINDSAY BUICK TO TRY AGAIN Much interest was roused among the residents of Stewart Island by the recent visit in H.M.S. Dunedin of Mr. T. Lindsay Buick, of Wellington, who planned, with the aid of members of the ship’s company, to conduct a search for a copy of the proclamation declaring British sovereignty and believed to have been buried at Port Pegasus. Mr. Buick returned to Wellington this week. He told “The Dominion” last night that the bad weather encountered at Port Pegasus had made an adequate search impossible, with the result that the attempt had been emporarily abandoned. “The ship ran into extremely bad weather." Mr. Buick said, “and her itinerary was therefore curtailed. There was little or no improvement when we reached Port Pegasus, and in four days 1 was able to be ashore on only two occasions, each of an hour. However, the visit was not altogether futile, for I was able to secure other information which sheds light upon certain historical questions.” Captain Nias, the commander of H.M.S. Herald, which visited Pegasus on June 5, 1840, to take possession of Stewart Island, read the proclamation and left a copy of it in a bottle which he buried in a spot described in the ship's log. Mr. Buick had extracts from the log, and he hoped from these directions to find the document. The following bearings were taken in the log to two islands, which indicate the position of the Herald's anchorage: Hebe Island N.E.-IN.; Dryad Island N.JE. Because of the change of names in Pegasus some doubt existed as to the location of these two islands. It was thought that if H.M.S. Dunedin located this anchorage, the prospects of finding the bottle would be greatly increased, but some doubt still existed whether the bearings given were true or magnetic bearings. The arm in Pegasus where the Herald lay is narrow, and it has been shown that her anchorage could have been on either side of it, according to whether true or magnetic bearings were used. Many attempts have been made w locate the bottle.

“One cannot imagine without visiting Port Pegasus rhe difficulties of the task.” Mr. Buick said. “The harbour Is so large and the available descriptions are vague and indefinite. Also, it is so difficult to estimate the changes that have taken place in 96 years. “I have not given up the search. I will have another attempt, but next time I will not choose the month of March. Last time I went down to Pegasus the visit was also made in Marell, and it rained hard then. Bad weather increases one’s difficulties so seriously. I have every confidence that the bottle will be fotlnd sooner or later, either by a searcher or in some accidental manner.”