BACK FROM THE MACQUARIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14898, 29 July 1910, Page 6

BACK FROM THE MACQUARIES

. HINEMOA AT THE BLUFF,. A GLOOMY TALE. ' STAmffiNT~BY ME HATCH. (Prn United Press AssochtiokJ ' INVEROARGILL, July. 28. The men who were brought back by the Hinemoa to-day from the Macquarie Islands tell a rather gloomy tale of their nine months' stay on the island. They lived mostly- on sea elephants' tongues and hearts and on a native plant known to them as Maori cabbage, which, after much boiling, is edible. There are . but few rabbits on the island, and the monotony of the diet seems to have been one of the principal trials. The men's clothes wore out,, and they clothed themselves in blankets and- skins. When the Hinemoa arrived at the islands Captain Bollons told; the men that, he was there to tako them off if .they wanted to go. They all did, and they were taken aboard. They express thankfulness to Mr Belcher and all who have advocated their cases. Mr Hatch, in a characteristic statement to a reporter, said that he thought the Government had made a "darned " mess of the whole business, and thqt he intended to make his explanation to the public from the platform. A great many of the things said in the newspapers lie characterised as "the darndest, lies." He -described the conditions on the island with'- the object of showing that they were not so severe as was popularly supposed. All the men, he said, were well, except Otto Bauer. The hoad man, who had been there longer than .the others, had apparently been fretting, and looked a bit pale. ' ; Mr Hatch stated that the Jessie Niccol would jirobably sail again in about a month, and he did not anticipate difficulty in getting men. He bad now at the islands about 600 casks of oil ready for shipment. (Faou Our Own Cohrespondent.) INVEROARGILL, July 28. The men are looking well. A reporter interviewed; the lhen in a body, and the tale, they told of their privations and experiences woe ■ a lively one. Tha oldest of the party,' a veteran sailor named William M'Kibbon (who in 1883 suffered shipwreck in Mozambique Channel, and who bad been cast away, on that occasion 104 days), said that it was nothing to the Macquarie Inlands experience of four months without stores. "We have never had a similar experience," said tho other men, "and it will be our last.'' M'Kibbon was five months on the islands before the Jessie Niccol took down the other -members of the party. The Jessie Niccol landed Otto Boner, Alex. Sutherland, W. Jenkins, J. Henry, Clias. Johnston, and Carl Hansen on the 12th August last year, and returned on the lltli ..December with stores and to take away oil. She returned again on the 10th February, and landed another hand M'Alpine, and left one month's provisions, and since then the party .have had to subsist on what poor fare the islands could afford. Mcst -of the provisions ran put at the end of March, and a few buseuits comprised all that was left, *

The principal diet since March has been sea elephant tongues.and hearts, and.no less than 675 animals had been killed for food alone. There was also a speciesof stringy, weed known as maori cabbage, which bad to be boiled three times and then stewed in welca. oil to make it edible. Wekas were also eaten, likewise a. few rabbits, and also penguins, but these; became scarce. The bench was strewn with the carcases of sea. elephants which by been killodi for their hearts and tongues.'

Mr J. Hatch, who had employed the Men by contract, 1 and who went down with the Hinemoa, stated that the Hinemoa had a good trip to the . islands with a foil' wind. They reached the landing placo at " the Nuggets" on Monday morning, but with an easterly wind blowing in and raising great waves and,whirlpools. It, was impossible to. make.,a landing' there. The meri were signalled to meet the ship on the other "side of the island, and the Hinemoa ran round to the west, where a. landing place was made, and some of the men were met. Captain Dollons told tilism that he was there to take them of! if'they wanted to go. They all decided to go back to the, n)ainhmd. fhey went tack to the' Nuggets and packed their swags, and' after a meal of tea and biscuits were taken aboard about six hours after the . Hinemoa had . made her first appearance at the islands. She steamed out. for the Bluff about 5.30 p.m. on .Monday, and she berthed at the wharf at 9 o'clock ,this morning. There were eight men on'the' islands, said Mr' Hatch, and when taken off all were in good Wealth with the exception of the headsman (Otto lWer)| who had apparently been fretting, and who was looking a bit white. "Bauer' had been on the island previously,' having gone down, Mr Hatch thought, in the sailing ship Enterprise. My point' of view," continued Mr Hatch, " is that the Government has made a mess of the whole darned basinet I was willing to pay the Government to fend the Tutanekai to king off the men and the oil—that is to pay a reasonable amount They would not say definitely what they wanted, and Mr .Millar afterwards talked about £700. which was absurd. The thing has cost me about £500 as it is. The season was over for the time beine.. When the Jessie Nieeol came back in February the captain went to another job, and I had to get the vessel repaired. When I approached the Government it always reserved the right not to bring up the oil, and that was no good to me." Mr Hatch stated that it was his present intention to put the matter before the public from the platforml, The papers liad kicked up such a row, lie had been so blackguarded, and such insinuations had been made that he thought this was the better way.' He could put the whole rase before them and answer any questions,, and people could then see .who .was right and who was wrong.- The difficulty was that a great many of the things .'said in the newspapers were the darnedest lies,_ and. though people seemed to take an interest when it came to the point they didn't care to hear the truth.

Speaking as to the conditions on the M'acquarie Islands, Mr Hatch stated that people appealed to think that it was a bare rock -in the sea. It was 25 miles long and five or six miles across, containing about 25,C00 acres. The men had any amount of fuel. They used for warming purposes the timbers of the old sailing ship Gratitude, which had been wrecked .'there some years, ago, and they had coal for cooking. -There Was any amount.of animal food. There, were some rabbits, though these were about done now, having been killed off by the cats, he thought, but sea elephants were plentiful, and their tongues, were used for food,-while penguins were in abundance. There were also .maori hens, though these were now getting scarce all over the island, ; There was a sort of vegetable food, with'broad cucumber-like leaves, which the men boiled for eating, and whicli they called maori cabbage. ■In conclusion, Mr Hatch said that he did not know when the next party would go to the island, though, in conversing further on the piatter. he suggested that the Jessie Niccol would probably sail in about a month. He anticipated no trouble in getting men, There never was, he said, any difficulty in that respect. The trouble was mostlv with the ships and in regard to the skippers. He had now at the island about 600 casks of oil ready for shipment,

THE HEAD MAN'S REPORT.

We have received the following report by Mr-O. Bauer (head man of the partv) from our Tnvercareill correspondent, wiio forwarded it at the request ofMrHatoh:— . Mr. Otto Bauer, the head mar, of the party of eight met?, states that th«y landed at the island on August 9, 1909, and since then the Jessie Niecol made four trips with the jjreatest. regularity, in accordance with'the itinerary suggested by Mr Bauer to Mr Match before leaving Invercargill in the fet instance. On her last, trip the

Jossio.NiCool arrived on February-8, and left on February J2. Mr Bauor did not oMisider it necessary on nor third visit to ordor an extra Quantity of stores for an crqergenoy eilch as that whioh occurred, particularly, as the captain- of the Jcaaio Nicool distinctly stated that under any circumstances TO would tako the men off the island; otherwise• they.irouM havereturned on tile vessel's fourth visit. Mr Bauer states that tho men hod any amount of firing—both wood and coal. The supply of batter ran out on March I°, the sugar o® March 28, Hie flour on April 1, ■Bio oatmeal awl haricot beans oa April, 10, She tea an. April IS, and the biscuits cn._ May 4. From that till the date of relief by. the Hinemoa they'lived on the natural prodnots of the island— penguin, and elephants' hearts, tongues, and 6teik, and maori bens. During tho season 1906-7 owr 700 rabbits were caught, but on. this occasion rally 13 wore procured. It is thought that they must have been almost exterminated by the cats.' The, only vegetable procurable to the maori cabbage, which is plentiful on all those islands.- Evterybodiy was in geod liealth, and ate heartily except, perhaps, >Mv Bat*.2r _ himself, who probably frit the responsibility of the position' more than his mates, whom ho had'taken down to tho Ma«|Uaries. Tho winter was exewdingly fine, N.W. and TV 7 , winds prevailing, which made things a. great deal better. On April 17 tho sea ran the highest it. has done for years, and took the remaining portions of tho Gratitude off.

On .March 22 the men caught six dozen rock cod—a great, delicacy—and on several occasions they fetched up several kerosene tinfuls of a kind of sardine at a time, and other fish occasionally. Tho men thought that-tho Jessie Niccol. had been lost, unless, as the captain stated to one ;of tlie men (M'Kibbon) ho was looking for (mother billet. They felt sure, howover, that Mr Hatch would do his best to Ret thorn off and the oil up. When the steamer was sigihtsd tho confirmation" 'of tho loss of the Jessie Niccol watf prominent in tho men's minds. The two items which surprised them most wore tlie death of King Edward awl the fact, that the Jessie Niccol was toady to sail, havihft previously met bad weather .'duTimr an endeavour to reach the island, and. bcin? eight weeks out' from Tnvej-cargill and getting nowhere. AH of men. \ve:re surprised, but glnd, to sco Mr Hatch on the bent when' it reached the shore "with Captain Bollons, Hid it b=©n~so arranged, that tha oil coidd havo been also brought, up it wou'd' have been more satisfactory to nil cc-ncernr.fi. Pome of the letters published avrt th-> statements made as to the manner in which the industry was carri*d on said Mr Bauer, be matter for consideration latjr on. .'as they «ero distinclily in"orrcet asd inflected on the conduct of th* men on. tho island'. Nothing could bo kir'flo:' - than, the consideration that the men hnd on. tho nassacro up from Captain. Bollons and his orcw and steward?.