THE LATE THOMAS BELL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20403, 4 November 1929, Page 8

THE LATE THOMAS BELL.

"KING OF SUNDAY ISLAND."

Ay ROMANTIC CAREER. LINK WITH THE WHALERS.

BS LONEHANDEB.

In the obituary column of a recent issue of the Herald I saw that Mr. Thomas Bell, a very old friend of mine, had passed away at the great age of 90 years. This news brought the old days so near that it seemed only a short while back sinco I first became acquainted with tho "King of Sunday Island," as we used to call him, for when I knew Bell first he had undisputed possession of the largest island of the Kermadec Group, and no one at that time worried him about his title. / . A tough sketch of how he came to bo in that position I got from himself in 1880. At that time I occupied a responsible position on the whaling ship Splendid, then cruising on what whalers called Curtis' grounds. One day, Sunday Island being near, tho skipper sent two boats in to catch some fish and told us not to attempt to land, because it was obvious that the landing was bad. However, we did land, and were surf-bound for three days. During that time I got Bell's story. The Lure of an Ocean Isle. Of himself he said he was a Yorkshireman and came to New Zealand in the early fifties. When a young man he worked in the Hawke's Bay Province. He married a Londoner, who came to New Zealand in the ship Belgravia, Captain j Jackson, in May, 1864. Mrs. Bell at the present time in in good health and carries her eighty-odd years in good style, and quite recently we were chatting over what I am trying to tell of now. When this interesting couple had six children the urge to wander seized the Yorkshireman and he decided to leave New Zealand and try his luck at Papua. His first step in that direction took him to Samoa, where fate, in the shape of a man named Johnson, altered the course of the Bells' affairs. Johnson had once lived on Sunday Island and he gave such a glowing account of its fertility that the man hungry for country eagerly grasped the • opportunity of getting an entire island to himself. So Bell waited at Apia until a chance offered ;to come Eouth again. Shortly, the schooner Norval, Captain McKenzie, came along and arrangements were made with him to convey the family to what turned out to bo their last united home. On December 10, 1878, the Norval anchored in Denham Bay, on the west side of Sunday Island, and on the following day Bell and his wife and six children, the eldest at that time being about 12 years old, were landed on the beach with what they though were sufficient provisions for three months and a promise that a vessel would call again when possible. A Modern Crusoe. Fate has seldom had a dare such an this thrown in its face, and I missed noi a word of Bell's story, as he told of how they managed. The first night on the beach an old sad served as a shelter. This, . a few days later, gave way to raupo huts, which all oldtimers know afford considerable comfort. The next job was to grow food, but here the islanders met their first setback and it spelt rats, not dozens, but hundreds. Every seed that was put in the ground -was either eaten or destroyed by that pest. At last they were compelled to leave [West Bay and build <a new home on the north side of the island. They had then been on the island for some time and were feeling the pinch of hard times, but they battled on, and won —not a fortune—but food, and that in abundance, and "continued to do so for 34 years. Tho Bells were very grateful to Captain Sherman, of the American whalerCanton, who called when things were very bad; and gave them meat and biscuits, molasses, etc., and what they thanked liim for as much as anything was a box of cakes the kindly Yank had -the cook make up for the children. This was typical of such oldtimers, although few writers have given them credit for much softness in their makeup. A Famous Whaler. Parkins Christian was mate of the Canton at that time and Bell spoke well of his kindness to them. Parkins is a Norfolk Islander and holds the record for sperm-whaling, which is seven sperm whales to his own boat at one lowering, so he can do without the Mr., which I liave purposely omitted, for a man that can knock seven sperm whales out between meals will not miss it. Bell showed •me the kauri log he hollowed out to catch rain water and I thought of Sonny Boy, Brummy, Sligo and a host of other oldtimers, who perhaps had put their axes into this identical log, little thinking where it would drift to. Mr. and Mrs. Bell had six children born on Sunday Fsland, but two died in infancy. The first born was a boy and he has since become a great bird-man, so I am told. But I will not get ahead of Mrs. Bell's life-story, which will probably be given before long. And one character I know will find, a place in it, and this is a man I thought had long since crossed over, but Saturday's Herald says that Captain S. H. Welch, of Port Chalmers, will celebrate his 100 th birthday on the sth. Captain Welch was with us at the time [ write of. Some of the stories he used to tell me, or even our adventure at Savage Island, which has yet to be told, -would be interesting. It makes one wonder what kind of stuff some of my old friends and shipmates are made of. I arp sure it is not because of the good, easy times they have had that they manage to hold out no long. Perhaps it is because we lived and worked harder under rougher /conditions than are found nowadays. If that is so, I am sure that the Sunday Islanders are well prepared for a long journey.