Guns of Cook and Nelson

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 26, 1 February 1937, Page 12

Guns of Cook and Nelson

ANCIENT WEAPONS NEAR BARRIER REEF Somewhere at the bottom of tho sea between tho Barrier Reef and tho Queensland coast, on the south-eastern side of a reef known as "Endeavour Reef," are a number of ancient British naval guns which wero thrown overboard to lighten the Endeavour and to enablo her to get clear of tho reef which she struck 16G years ago (states a writer in an Australian paper.) Tho spot where the guns wero jettisoned was placed by tho Ifydrographcr to the Admiralty as about latitude 15 deg. 7min. S., longitude 145dcg. 36miu. 48sec. E. These guns are the official property of tho Queensland Government, as in 1886 the Secretary of State for the Colonies forwarded to tho Acting Governor of Queensland a dispatch, stating that Her Majesty’s Government would have pleasure in transferring to the Queensland Government tho guns thrown overboard from tho Endeavour by Captain Cook. No steps wero 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 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 tho beche-de-mer trade ununder a Japanese named Peter, who used the gun as ballast. When tho Dart] was broken up the gun was acquired by a Mackay resident, who is supposed still to retain it. But unles the guns are of bronze or pomo similar metal there would bo little left of them through rust and the action of coral insects, which would

probably have buried them long before uow. 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. f. Cowling discovered some copper ingots , which were suposed to have been left , thero by the Spanish. A largo anchor and canon also were found. On Long i Island, south of Bowen, is au ancient wreck, also supposed to be Spanish, ! near which several ancient cannon bulls have been found. These are suppose! to bo relics of a galleon which must have visited tho spot long before the time of Captain Cook, j 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, sho ran up on the beach, where the absence of any sign of native life probably reassured tho Spaniards, who became careless and allowed themselves to bo surprised by tho stealthy aborigines, who, no doubt, must have surrounded them in tiny canoes and dis; patched them in tho early hours of the morning, while they still slept. Whatever its story, this ancient stempost may still bo seen above the sand on the beach at Long Island. The talo goes that, in the early days, when tho first British settlers arrived at the mainland opposite, they found natives wearing necklets mado of Spanish gold pieces, and other objects which might have come from Spain’s American colonies. Echo of Trafalgar’s Thunder. It is also possible that thero are many old guns lying among tho islands of tho North Queensland coast, -which wero brought there by ships trading to the South Seas. In tho early days, these traders and 4 ‘ 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 shop 3 of the world, to bo 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-loading gun, which dates back to the days of Nelson. Deeply chiselled into its axlelug is the word Carron, with the date, 1797. This is.the name of a foundry on tho Carron river, Scotland, which used to make guns for the British Admiralty. It is possible that the gun was mounted on board one of his Majesty’s ships at

the time Lord Nelson defeated the French at Trafalgar. The hi«tory of the gun is rather obscure. The only official knowledge is that it was in tho possession of tho Defence Department from 1861 until it was handed over to tho Brisbane City Council 20 years ago. It has been sug gested that it, with a number of others, served through the Indian Mutiny, and was then brought .to Australia,