The Surcouf and the Gazelle-saviours of Allan Hughan

I love this old photograph. Or sketch...the format is unusual, being sketch-like in quality, yet printed on very thin sepia coloured paper. It was in an old envelope amongst the Hughan material held by my great-uncle, Gordon Oakley, and nobody realised its significance until we started to unravel the story of Allan Hughan and the shipwreck.There is a signature in the bottom right hand corner, too faint for me to distinguish, and underneath is written "Le Surcouf", then another word followed by "Gazelle".

Allan Hughan's rescue by the gallant French

Again,the words which best describe what happened to Allan Hughan following the demise of his schooner Pilot are his very own...the following letter was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on November 3, 1870.

"THE FRENCH OF NEW CALEDONIA.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
SIR,- To speak well of others is ever pleasing- doubly so when gratitude gives its strong aid. Such is now the welcome office of an Englishman, writing of the French, our nearest neighbours here, as at home.
A shipwrecked mariner's position is never to be envied, and, as a rule, less so when cast away in a foreign land. Mine has, in one respect, been an exception to the rule.
Cast away on a sunken reef, at the north end of New Caledonia, my crew and myself were in a most helpless condition, owing to the previous loss of our boats in a storm unusually severe, even for this season of extraordinary bad weather. The nearest land- Yande Island- was distant about four miles, a heavy sea and strong current intervening, and the possibility that beyond these a still greater danger existed in the natives of New Caledonian celebrity, was not comforting.
Our poor old vessel, the Pilot, was bilged, the water rising and falling in her hold with the tides. No native canoes were to be seen, a raft seemed our only chance for life. Keeping one hand constantly engaged trying to attract attention from shore, all others worked hard to construct a raft, which was nearly completed when, to our great delight, a boat was seen approaching;- rescue, and proof of civilisation.
When near enough to discern the faces of her crew, we were all astonished to see only blacks in her, but on hailing her our grateful joy was increased by hearing good English, and soon her sable crew was aboard, and rendered us every requisite aid, landing us, and all our effects, safely before night.
A poor chance we should have had of reaching land on a raft against a heavy sea, wind, and current.
On landing we were met by many most friendly natives, and most hospitably entertained in the hut of the only white resident on the island, an Englishman, then absent.
I purpose not to describe a wreck, but simply to record the unmeasured kindness of the French. A week or two after the stranding of my vessel, H.I.M.S Cyclope, Captain Artiguenave, called at the nearest settlement to the scene of the disaster, and immediately upon being informed of the ship's position, Captain Artiguenave offered his valuable assistance in the most generous and kindly manner. I will quote his own words to me:
"We are brother mariners, you know, and it will give me very much pleasure if I can help you. We must all help one another, for we may at any time be in the same position. I hope to get your ship afloat, but if not we will save all that can be taken out of her."
Well did he carry out his kind promise. Though he could not float the vessel, every movable- masts, spars, anchor, cables &c.- was secured and taken to Noumea, a distance of 250 miles, landed and delivered there gratuitously, the Government fully endorsing the generous action of Captain Artiguenave. His officers, I need hardly add,evinced the like spirit of their much esteemed commander, each seeming to vie with the other in showing kindness to the stranger. The sailors also followed in the same track.

Of Captain Vollet and Lieutenant Ternet, of H.I.M.S Gazelle, I cannot speak in high enough terms.
Their extreme kindness and attention to my family and myself, whilst conveying us from the coast of New Caledonia to Noumea, was beyond praise, and could not be exceeded in delicate politeness and sterling worth. The same I can record of all the French officers with whom, through my disaster, I have been thrown in contact. My heavy loss has served to prove the truth and value of their good hearts. From the Colonial Secretary, Monsieur Lidiu, myself, and such of my crew as required it, received all requisite assistance in the freest and most generous spirit.
Finally, we have been conveyed to Sydney, free of charge, in the war steamer Surcouf (Captain Trudelle), though she was unusually crowded with officers en route to France, finding on board her no link in the chain of admiration and esteem which binds me most strongly to a warm-hearted chivalrous people, to know whom more intimately than is the general lot is a privilege and a daily increasing pleasure.
At a time when France is suffering all the horrors of war, this description of the uniform kindness shown to Englishmen by one and all of the many French officers with whom they were thrown into contact, private and official, will not be wanting in interest to their countrymen.
The French need only to be more intimately known in order to secure the high admiration and esteem the writer feels for them. They are, to use an expressive phrase, "downright good fellows." Kind and warm-hearted to a degree, these noble fellows are beautified and embellished by their uniform politeness and thoughtfulness for others.

As sailors they would in many ways please our "jolly Tars". I must , howver, not enter upon this subject, or my trespass on your space will be too long. But permit me to add a few words of well-merited praise respecting the good ship Surcouf, 502 miles in forty-eight hours with a moderate breeze is good sailing.
During her late voyage, I have seen her log 13 knots under easy sail with only a steady breeze.The run across from New Caledonia she made in 5 days and 16 hours under sail only. Discipline and content go hand-in-hand on board, efficiency being in no way lessened by the absence of rigorous severity. This is evidenced by the cheerful alacrity with which the sailors perform their various duties, their respect for their officers, and the kindly intercourse which prevails throughout the vessel, conveying an idea of homeliness and content which I have found characteristic of all the French vessels I have had the pleasure of sailing in.

The warmest thanks of myself and those connected with me in my late disaster are due to our most estimable neighbours and friends. Grant me the pleasure of recording it with all sincerity in your pages.
Your obedient servant,
ALLAN HUGHAN, late of the brigantine Pilot."

The Le Surcouf sailed from Noumea on October 23, 1870. There was a notice in the Moniteur de la Nouvelle Caledonie, the local New Caledonian newspaper,that the hull of “Pilot” with everything on it , which lies on the Yande reef would be sold at a public auction in Noumea Tuesday 25 October 1870 .

As so obvious in the preceding letter, Allan Hughan was somewhat besotted with the French nation after his adventure, and as soon as he could he high-tailed it straight back to New Caledonia. The next thirteen years were spent in Noumea, where Allan established himself as a very successful photographer, and his wife and daughters immersed themselves in the New Caledonian society, contributing particularly to the musical evenings of their community.

Report from the Challenge, Sydney Morning Herald

Map of Yande Island

Above: Taken from a book dedicated to the life of Allan Hughan as a photographer in Noumea ( by Patrick O'Reilly), this map shows the location of places involved in the Pilot shipwreck saga.

Shipwreck of the Pilot- part 2

While we are very fortunate that the prolific letter writer Allan Hughan has left behind evidence of what occurred on his schooner's last ever voyage, there are still some elements of the story that have not been clarified, and therefore some assumptions have had to be made by me, Allan's great-great-great niece, almost 140 years later.
For example, from a letter published in the Brisbane Courier following the wreck of the Pilot, we can pinpoint the approximate date of the schooner sailing from Gladstone as Saturday, July 30, 1870, and work out from this starting point the dates on which specific events occurred on the voyage.Using a calendar from 1870 and the newspaper article, all events have been allocated a date and fortunately everything correlates. Unfortunately, using the shipping news as published in the Brisbane Courier, I can find no record of the exact date the Pilot left Gladstone. I am very confident of the dates used by me in this report, and if they are in fact proven to be incorrect, the error of margin would not be greater than a day or two.

Also, it is unknown whether or not Allan's wife Phoebe and two daughters, Ruth and Minnie, were on board the Pilot on this ill-fated trip. There is no mention of them in the letter published in the Brisbane Courier, but in another letter written by Allan for publication in the Sydney Morning Herald in November of 1870, he writes " Of Captain Vollet and Lieutenant Ternet of H.I.M.S Gazelle, I cannot speak in high enough terms.Their extreme kindness and attention to my family and self, whilst conveying us from the coast of New Caledonia to Noumea, was beyond praise, and could not be exceeded in delicate politeness and sterling worth."
This insinuates that his family were indeed on the Pilot when she struck the reef, but earlier in the same letter Allan had written "Cast away on a sunken reef, at the north end of New Caledonia, my crew and myself were in a most helpless condition..."- here there is absolutely no indication that his wife and daughters were on board.
Ruth, the elder daughter, would have been about nine years of age, and little Minnie was almost exactly 3 and a half when the Pilot was lost...it would have been a terrifying experience to have such a small child underfoot on board a ship, let alone one that was stuck on a reef and sinking!
I will start the tale of the Pilot's last trip with what I DO know to be true...that on Saturday, July 30, 1870 ( or thereabouts!!), the Pilot set sail for Puebo, New Caledonia, with a main cargo of 36 head of cattle,307 sheep and one horse. Allan Hughan was captaining his vessel himself, after having hired Edward Augustus Flynn earlier in the year to captain the Pilot from New Caledonia to Sydney.
The Brisbane Courier reported that the "Wind and Weather" for Gladstone on July 30 and 31, 1870, was: "30 degrees, 9 a.m, calm and dull". There was most likely no indication of the terrible conditions that the Pilot would sail into before much time had passed.
I will use Allan Hughan's own words to describe what happened on the voyage, interspersed with my notations of day and date.Following was published in the Brisbane Courier on Monday, October 17, 1870:
" THE WRECK OF THE PILOT.- Captain Hughan has forwarded a letter to Mr. Friend, from which we (Gladstone Observer) glean the following particulars:-
"The voyage from Gladstone to New Caledonia was an eventful one. The first night (Saturday, July 30, 1870)we had a strong breeze.For two hours after I went below for a little much-needed rest, the vessel was kept under full sail, against my distinct orders.
When I came on deck, I took the sail off, but too much mischief had already been done to the cattle. I put the vessel round for Gladstone, but by noon next day (Sunday,July 31)the weather was so fine that we resumed our course.
That night a fearful gale set in. For thirty six hours after clearing Lady Elliot Island Light ( about 95 imperial miles from Gladstone in a direct line), we were hove-to.(NOTE: When a sailboat is set in a “hove- to” position, she slows down considerably and keeps moving forward at about 1 to 2 knots, but with a significant amount of drift. The drift creates some turbulence on the water, and that disturbance decreases significantly the sea's aggressiveness. The pounding felt when going upwind in strong seas almost miraculously disappears and the boat does not heel as much.)
The boat was washed away. The horse I had to shoot and cast overboard, owing to the battens on the floor of his box getting loose, each being fastened by only three short nails; the storm was too severe for us to get him up after the many times he had been down; we tried all sorts of make-shifts, and put on fresh battens as well as circumstances would allow, but in vain.
Several of the largest cattle died, and about forty sheep.
The vessel behaved nobly, shipping little water, but the last night of the storm the weather looked more and more threatening, and I thought we should probably founder before morning.
Fortunately, when all seemed most unpromising, the weather suddenly moderated, and continued to do so through Monday night (August 1), the sea, however,remaining high for several hours.
From that time till we sighted land on the tenth day( Monday,August 8), the weather was rather too fine., and we were doing far better with the stock than I could at one time have hoped.
When within ten miles of the Pass through the reef, a two days' calm set in.( August 9 and 10) I was able to keep the vessel clear of the reefs, and... (one line missing from paper)... set in, we got well through the Pass,(August 11) and were weathering Yande Island, deep, clear water all round, so the look-out said.
I was in the very act of tacking, the helm was down even, when "Reef, reef" was shouted, and we grounded very gently; the dazzling effect of the sun's rays on the water, prevented the reef from being seen till we were on it. Had I commenced putting the ship round half a minute sooner, all would have been well; an even when aground, no harm would have ensued, could we have got a kedge out, but our boat had been washed away.
A raft proved useless in the heavy swell; the wind freshened abeam, and when in half an hour the vessel backed a little, we only got into a worse position, the shallowest water being from 50 to 100 yards on our lee.
Two hours later the vessel partially filled, having four feet in her at high water.
Next morning ( Friday, August 12) we were making rafts to save our lives, the island being three miles away, when, to our deep gratitude, a boat put off to us, manned by blacks, the only white resident of the island being absent.The high wind and sea would have left us little chance on a raft, but here was rescue and assurance that the natives were friendly, and an Englishman near.
By evening next day(Saturday, August 13),all the sheep, our valuables, food etc were saved, but the poor cattle were still in the water.
On Sunday ( August 14), we could not board the wreck; on Monday (August 15) we got all the cattle on deck, and swam two ashore, but I had to kill one of these."

Captain Hughan goes on to speak of the kindness he received from Mr George Slade, the Englishman referred to, who worked himself and placed his boat and crew of Sandwich Islanders at his disposal.
On Thursday ( August 18, although another newspaper report states that it was in fact Sunday, August 13), the Challenge anchored at Yande, and Captain C.H Linklater agreed to take the stock to Puebo, sixty five miles distant, for fifty five pounds.
The Commandant of the station and a Mr Henry were also very kind. twenty head of cattle and 220 sheep were landed; the vessel sailed from Gladstone with 36 cattle, 307 sheep and 1 horse; the losses were therefore 16 cattle, 87 sheep, and the horse."

This is where the newspaper report leaves Allan Hughan- safe but still stranded on Yande Island.Thankfully, once back in Sydney, Allan writes to the Sydney Morning Herald and takes up his story where his letter to Mr. Friend left off.

Map of east coast of Australia and Capricorn Group of Islands

Above: Map showing the Pilot's port of departure, Gladstone. Also featured are the Capricorn Group of islands through which the Pilot sailed on her journey from Noumea to Gladstone in July of 1870.

The Shipwreck of the Pilot-part 1.

Allan Hughan saw the new decade arrive on board his schooner 'Pilot' as he sailed around New Caledonia and surrounding islands, no doubt on the lookout for business opportunities. On January 30, 1870, the Pilot arrived in Sydney, having sailed from New Caledonia with her cargo of 60 tons of pearl shells.
The very next day the Sydney Morning Herald carried news concerning the dramatic departure of the Pilot from Noumea. The captain of the schooner 'Sarah Pile', Captain Yuill, had been sentenced in Noumea to 13 months imprisonment for his role in helping a French convict escape the Island. In turn, Captain Yuill had himself escaped,using the old "fake body in the gaol cell" trick- a ploy that was not discovered until his captors took in his next meal and discovered him gone. By this time he had reached the harbour and stowed himself away on a vessel heading for Sydney. The authorities frantically searched all vessels lying at Noumea, including the Pilot. The captain of the Pilot reported in Sydney that the police had turned their cargo "topsy-turvey" as they tried to track Yuill down, but despite all of their efforts the Captain reached Sydney - and safety- on Saturday January 29. The only vessel from New Caledonia to arrive on that day was the schooner 'Colonist', and then the 'Pilot' the following day. A reward of five hundred pounds was offered by the French authorities for the recapture of Captain Yiull, but it is not known whether the plucky Captain was ever spied by the irate Frenchmen again. He would have had to have kept a very low profile upon his arrival in Sydney, as docked in the Harbour was the French war steamer 'Marceau', ready to set sail for New Caledonia.
Allan Hughan must have seen an opportunity to make money from operating a trade route between the east coast of Australia and New Caledonia, as on several occasions he sailed to the Islands with produce to trade.
On March 4, 1870, passengers to arrive at New Caledonia per ‘Pilot’ from Wollongong included Mr. Hughan, Miss Hughan, Mr Thompson, Mr Piper( this information taken from a Googlebook result which was a ‘no preview available’, giving an incomplete reference.)Patrick O'Reilly's book also makes reference to this trip, stating that when the Pilot left Wollongong for Noumea, Allan Hughan was the captain, and that his wife and daughter Ruth were also on board. He also notes that the Pilot was carrying 100 tons of charcoal and 45 sheep.
Once back in New Caledonia, Allan again sailed to Lifou with cargo including pigs and 10 tons of rice. She then made a delivery to Bourail, the second largest settlement in New Caledonia.

The Sydney Morning Herald of April 5, 1870, reported:
"Clearance: Pilot, schooner, 83 tons, Captain Hughan, for New Caledonia, via Wollongong. Passengers- Mrs. Hughan, Miss Hughan and one in the steerage."

The 'Brisbane Courier' allows us to follow the Hughans' movements with a little more precision: On July 11, 1870, the Pilot was reported as having arrived at Gladstone, Queensland, from New Caledonia. A small article followed a few days later:
"The Pilot, schooner, from New Caledonia, has come for a small cargo of cattle and sheep.The most notable fact connected with her arrival is that she came through the Capricorn Group; and Captain Hughes( sic: should read 'Hughan')who is also the owner of the Pilot,describes the passage as safe and easily practicable under ordinary conditions of weather.
That this should be generally known is important to the success of the cattle trade from this port, for hitherto the Capricorn Group has been the bugbear of our cattle-ship navigators.Rather than venture through this dreaded group,vessel ls have been detained here, at times, for days and weeks. Captain Hughes intends to return through the same passage, and as he has been the first to demonstrate its practicability , we wish him every success." -Brisbane Courier, Friday July 22, 1870.
In hindsight, it is almost as though these confident words of Allan Hughan's turned the attention of the 'Powers That Be' in his direction, because this journey that he was so optimistically preparing for was to be the Pilot's last.