THE BARRIER REEF

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4951, 4 February 1937, Page 6

THE BARRIER REEF

ANCIENT WEAPONS. GUNS OP COOK AND NELSON. Somewhere at the bottom of the sea between the Barrier Reef and the Queensland coast, on the south-east-ern side of a reef known as "Endeavour Reef," are a number of ancient British naval guns which were thrown overboard to lighten the Endeavour and to enable her to get clear of the reef, which she struck 166 years ago, states a writer in an Australian paper. The spot where the guns were jettisoned was placed by the Hydrographer to the Admiralty as about latitude 15 deg 7min S., longitude 145 deg 36min 48sec E. These guns are the official property of the Queensland Government, as in 1886 the Secretary of State for the Colonies forwarded to the Acting Governor of Queensland a dispatch, stating that her Majesty's Government would have pleasure in transferring to the Queensland Government the guns thrown overboard from the Endeavour by Captain Cook. No steps were taken to recover the guns, which are probably still on the reef, unless picked up by some roving beche-de-mer fishermen. Several claims have been made to this effect in recent years. One claim I is that, in 1896, on a reef just south of Cooktown, one of the guns was recovered by the ketch Dart, which was engaged in the beche-de-mer trade under a Japanese named Peter, who used the gun as ballast. When the Dart was broken up the gun was acquired by a Mackay resident, who is supposed still to retain it. But unless the guns are of bronze or some similar metal there would be little left of them through rust and the action of coral insects, which would probably have buried them long before now. Some Survivals. However, many ancient guns have survived the action of time on the Barrier Reef. On the north-east side of Jervis Island, 40 years ago, a Mr. J. Cowling discovered some copper ingots which were supposed to have been left there by the Spanish. A large anchor and cannon also were found. On Long Island, south of Bowen, is an ancient wreck, also supposed to be Spanish, near which several ancient cannon balls have been found. These are supposed to be relics of a galleon which must have visited the spot long before the time of Captain Cook. The story accepted by many is that the ship bore a company of Spanish adventurers, who had probably got into trouble among the reefs, and who had sailed to ' Long Island to

careen. With great sails bellying above her bulky hull, her gunports closed tightly owing to her list, she ran up on the beach, where the absence of any sign of native life probably reassured the Spaniards, who became careless, and allowed themselves to be surprised by the stealthy aborigines, who, no doubt, must have surrounded them in tiny canoes and dispatched them in the early hours of the morning, while they slept. Whatever its story, this ancient stempost may still be seen above the sand on the beach at Long Island. The tale goes that, in the early days, when the first British settlers arrived at the mainland opposite, they found natives wearing necklets made of Spanish gold pieces and other objects which might have come from Spain's American colonies.

It is also possible that there are many old guns lying among the islands of the North Queensland coast, which were brought there by ships trading to the South Seas. In the early days, these trackers and "blackbirders" had to carry guns as a protection against the savages, and, in all probability, all manner of old cannon have been cleaned out of the marine junk shops of the world, to be strewn, as a result of wrecks, among the dangerous reefs of the coast.

In one of Brisbane's public parks there is an old 24-pound muzzle-load-ing gun, which dates back to the days of Nelson. Deeply chiselled into its axle-lug is the word Carron, with the date, 1797. This is the name of a foundry on the Carron River, Scotland, which used to make guns for the British Admiralty. It is possible that this gun was mounted on board one of his Majesty's ships at the time Lord Nelson defeated the French at Trafalgar.

The history of the gun is rather obscure. The only official knowledge is that it was in the possession of the Defence Department from 1861 until it was handed over to the Brisbane City Council 20 years ago. It has been suggested that it, with a number of others, served through the Indian Mutiny, and was then brought to Australia.