STEWART ISLAND

Evening Star, Issue 19797, 22 February 1928, Page 13

STEWART ISLAND

[By Bash. Howard.]

PLAGE NAMES ROMANCE OF PEGASUS BAY

No. VII. Fort Pegasus.—Common report says that Captain Chace, of the Pegasus, discovered this wonderful harbor on August 7, 1809. This is mere assumption. It is a fact that the vessel reached the port at that date, but there is nothing to prove that she was the first to do so. The coasts of Stewart Island, especially on the west, had been known to Port Jackson sealers from 1803; Stewart himself had been on the island with a gang from 1805 to 1806. In 1808 the following vessels were in the neighborhood: —Star, Fox, Governor Bligh, Pegasus (Captain Bunker), and the Adventure (the latter being an English sealing brig. However, the Pegasus entered the port in August, 1809. and Stewart (her mute) set about taking observations of the points and islands and tho depths of the anchorages It is not known how long the vessel remained, but it was sufficient to enable Stewart and his captain to produce tho first chart of tho harbor, which was then called “ Southern Port. 3 Tourist pamphlets and New Zealand guides commonly, state that tho name ‘‘Port Pegasus” was given by Captain Chace. Again there is no proof in existence. “Southern Port” was certainly long in use. However, there is no lack of reminders of these early explorers at tho port or in the vicinity— William Point, Stewart Point, Noble Island. Wilson Bay, and Chace Island. Wilson and Noble were members of the craw. Unfortunately Wilson Bay is locally called “ Bi'oad Bay,” although the first name is to be found on the maps; the name “Chace Island” has, I am sorry to say, disappeared even from tiie map. Stewart’s chart of Hie port remained m use for nearly fifty years until it was superseded by the Admiralty chart of 1857. The port became a popular resort for sealers after Stewart’s return to Port Jackson, but no permanent settlement was made until 1825. At that date Stewart founded his colony of shipbuilders at tho port by landing five shipwrights from the Bay of Islands. The fate of this little experiment will bo discussed later in a summary of Stewart’s life. After their loader’s failure to keep them supplied with provisions tho shipbuilders hired themselves to Weller, of Otakou, and for him built tho first vessel constructed in Stewart Island—the Joseph Weller, completed in 1832. The gang left the spot within a few years. In 1826 this first organised settlement was visited by tho ships of tho first New Zealand Company—the Hosanna and the Lambton, under Herd He reported the presence of tho gang; two other vessels, the Sally (1826) and tho Antarctic (1830), also comment on the establishment. Fate and the weather ordained that Pegasus should be the scene of the declaration of sovereignly over Stewart Island. H.M.S Herald, Captain Nias, left Auckland early in 1810 to proceed down tl 10 coast as far as Stewart Island obtaining signatures to the Treaty of Waitangi. Ho was accompanied hv Major Bunbury, 80th Hegiment, and a party of marines. Stewart joined the vessel as pilot. Being unable to enter Paterson, he went on to Pegasus. The ship anchored off Sylvan Cove with Hobo Island N.E. by N. and Dryad s Island N.SE. (These names were probably given by the Herald party. They seem a littlo above the common sense of sealers’ nomenclature. I cannot locate them on the map. Seo Sylvan Cove.’) On June 5, 1840, the nag ivas hoisted and tho proclamation was read in the presence of a parly of marines on a small island near the anchorage. Papers and a copy of the proclamation were buried in a bottle on the island. It would bo interesting to find these, hut there are too many islands in the 1 Major Bunbury reported that the harbor was one of the finest he had seen. Ho says; “In some excursions I was much pleased with the fertile appearance of this beautiful island; and although tho winter was so far advanced, it was not so cold as I had imagined, being so far south. Indeed, the number of paroquets flying about gave it all the appearance of a island. The cassowary has been seen in many parts of the island I am told by 'Captain Stewart that h© has seldom found any snow to lio hero for any number of days even in the depth of winter. The soil appears to be generally good, with plenty of timber. There are several varieties of pine, all the trees, however, appear to be evergreen.” Major Banbury's “cassowaries” refer, 1 suppose, to the kiwi. If you think that his sojourn in Australia should have acquainted him with'the cassowary tribe, you may consider bis remark as another proof of the recent existence of tho moal . Compare Polack. “Several bays affording good anchorage may be found on the north side of Stewart Island; but the southern part first surveyed by Cook and afterwards by Herd yields to few harbors in any part of the globe. The sound has three safe entrances, all secure from every wi.nd. Excellent trees for topmasts also abound here.” Elsewhere he states that small vessels have been built on its southern part. The term “ southern part ” is surely an error for “Southern Port,” which name appears on the accompanying map. The extract further serves to show what little trust can bo placed in Polack’s accuracy.

In 1888 stream tin was found iti iho. gravels of creeks running south into Port Pegasus. A miniature rush soon set in. and hopes ran high. The mineral was found in lodes _ Ift wide in quartz schist in contact with granite and aecoropanied by varying amounts of casscrite, wolfram, zinc-blende, and topazes. The principal work was done at Lee’s Knob, about three miles inland. Very little came of the discovery. More money was lost than its owners care to speak of. The mineral is there, but it is not rich enough to be payable. The workings are long since deserted. A new company was floated on the eve of the Great War. but no mining ever was done.

A fish-freezing plant was established Ions; ago at North Arm, near the moutlf of Pegasus Creek. The original freezer was damaged by a landslide. The present plant replacing it is the last thing in perfection. The buildings and dwellings are lit by electricity derived from power supplied by the waterfall at the month of the creek; the plant and manager’s dwelling are connected by telephone. As I said, Stewart Island is changing. The settlement here is hardly permanent; but it is a busy locality during the fishing .season, when upwards of a dozen boats may be seen at anchor in the North Arm.

Not. far from the freezer, the ruins of “ Louis Rodger’s Pnb ” may be seen. This was the store and hotel in the tin ■, ‘ ing days. Wild tales are told of the speed with which hogsheads were emptied at the little bar. The early maps of the New Zealand Company show Port Pegasus under the name “ Port Somes.” 1 cannot find that the name ever had any currency. Captain Mein Smith referred to a “Port Somes” at the Neck; no one on the island has ever heard ' of it. It is likely that ho confused the localities. The name, of course, comes from Joseph Somes, Deputy-governor of the New Zealand Company. Compare “Somes Island” in Wellington Harbor. The following names referred to by Major Bunbury or others are not located on the map of Port-Pegasus; Hob* TcL. Drvad’s Id., Observation

Cove, Zephyr Covo, Liberty Cove, Sea! Cove, Albion Covo. The first two and the fourth are probably due to the * Herald/ the other to the Acheron. Albion Cove, 1. think, is either North Am or Basin Creek. The others 1 cannot locate definitely. The two small islands in North Ann arc locally known as “Betsy” and “Rosa,” the latter being sometimes called ” Burnt Island.” These two look suspicious y like Hebe and Dryad’s, but one would need to know the amount of magnetic variation in 1840 to prove it. It ife fitting to say here what little is known of the “Pegasus,” which has left its name on these coasts in Port Pegasus, Pegasus Creek, and Pegasus Bay (Banks Peninsula). The vessel was a prize taken from the Spaniards by the frigate “ Cornwallis. Sho arrived at Port Jackson on October 1, 1807, and the authorities decided to send the deposed Governor, Bligh, home in her. Meanwhile, however, other arrangements were made, and she was sold to Moore, or Port Jackson, who proceeded to fit her out for the sealing trade. Captain Bunker advertised for a crew and was on the eve of sailing when the vessel was more or less commandeered by tho Government. She was obtained from Moore on charter, and in twenty-four hours was fitted out, ballasted, and supplied with stands of anus, to go in pursuit of a gang of convicts. These desperadoes on the ] 7th of May had seized the brig “ Harrington ”_ at Farm Cove and had made good their escape. The next day the “ Pegasus” sailed in pinsuit via Bay of Islands to Fiji, which was thought to be the runaways’ objective. She returned on the 2tnd Julv after an unsuccessful hunt. Captain Bunker took over once again and sailed late in August for tho sealing grounds. He returned in March, 1809, with a fair cargo of skins. Captain Samuel Rodman Chase, who had long been engaged in the Bass Strait sealing, now took command, with. William Stewart as mate. On the 3rd May, 1809, she sailed on the most remarkable “ sealing ” voyage ever undertaken from Port Jackson. In August she was off the coasts of the newlydiscovered island surveying Port Pegasus and Codfish Island. Tho details of the work done by her commander and his energetic bydrographer Stewart will be found elsewhere. After visiting Chatham Island, she finally left Bay of Islands -for England, arriving at Gravesend in August, 1810. It is not known whether she ever returned to Australian waters (To be continued).