Waratah Nostalgia

Waratah breakthrough!

If you are a Waratah watcher see Andrew van Rensburg's latest blogpost for some astounding news:

http://waratahrevisited.blogspot.co.za/2015/12/waratah-wreck-breakthrough.html

Greetings!

Mole wishes all blog visitors a very Happy Christmas

 & Good Luck with Family History in the New Year !

The Last of the South African Lighthouse Keepers: Unexpected Visitors 2

A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson

The little ghost of Cape Point Lighthouse

Latitude - 32° 21' 24’’ S.      Longitude - 18° 29' 12 '' E.

15^th century Portuguese explorer and navigator Bartolomeu Dias called this rocky peninsula Cabo Tormentosa – Cape of Storms.  It has always lived up to its reputation with many ships lying wrecked along these shores.

In 1860, the first lighthouse was erected at Cape Point at 238 metres above sea level, with the expectation that it would be visible very far out to sea.  Contrary to their hoped-for visibility, the light was too often covered by clouds and rolling mists.  For this reason, when the Portuguese liner, Lusitania, was wrecked in 1911, the decision was made to relocate the lighthouse to its current, lower position, at 87 metres above sea level.

Japie Greeff shares another unusual encounter with us;

‘I was stationed at Cape Point Light from 1990 to mid-1993 and I very soon became aware of a little girl, about nine years old, who would often appear in the sitting room with me when I was watching television in my cottage. She was a dear, sweet little girl and would come and sit in the chair next to me and quietly watch television with me.  

Many times I attempted to find out who this little girl had been.

Was she the daughter of a Lighthouse Keeper?  If so, which Lighthouse Keeper?

Perhaps the daughter of a Captain from one of the ships of old, lying wrecked on the shore?  Which Captain?  Which ship?

Might it have been the Lusitania?  Eight people died when a lifeboat capsized from Lusitania, could this little girl have been one of those lost souls aboard the lifeboat?

What year did she pass away and under what circumstances?   

All these questions lay unanswered as no-one knew anything about the history which surrounded her.  I tried in vain to discover something about my dear little sweetheart and all I know, and can tell you, is that she was an endearing and gentle little soul.

To this day she still remains at the Cape Point Lighthouse and forever in my heart.’

The Last of the South African Lighthouse Keepers: Unexpected Guests 1

 

A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson

Cape Recife Lighthouse (1851)

The squabble

Latitude - 34° 01' 44’’ S       Longitude - 25° 42' 04 '' E

As essential as the stars which glide across the night skies are guiding beacons to the mariner, so too are the sweeping beams from lighthouses as they guide mariners safely along their coastal paths to their ports of destination. Many a captain, on sighting a lighthouse after hours of darkness, wild weather and high seas, would have felt a profound sense of relief in knowing that the lighthouse was manned by a vigilant Lighthouse Keeper.

Christmas-time was no different, as mariners went about their business and Lightkeepers maintained their routines of performing their duties. 

Japie Greeff spent a number of Christmas seasons stationed at Cape Recife Lighthouse on the southern tip of Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape. The Head Lightkeeper on Christmas Day would often allow Keepers to lunch with their families and sometimes spend the rest of their shift at their cottages, but they knew they would always have to remain watchful to shipping movements.

Prior to the establishment of the manned light and often bathed in swirling mists and ghostly atmosphere, Cape Recife has claimed many victims on the deadly spine of rocks of Thunderbolt Reef, named after the steam-driven man o’ war, HMS Thunderbolt, which ran onto the reef in 1847.

During its lifetime, Cape Recife Light appears to have been an ill-fated Lighthouse and after Lighthouse Keeper G Feather resigned in 1855, a strange pattern emerged.  Subsequent to his departure, Lighthouse Keepers up until 1870 were appointed  . . .  then dismissed. Lighthouse Keeper A. Thompson resigned in 1871 and the Lightkeeper in 1872 absconded.  A number of Light Keepers between 1949 and 1972 died at the Lighthouse.  Added to this intrigue, although the date is unclear, but thought to be in the 1900s, three Lighthouse Keepers had a squabble whilst working on hoisted scaffolding and two of them fell to their deaths from the balcony of the tower.

Japie Greeff tells us of his own personal experiences whilst stationed at Cape Recife Lighthouse from 1986 – 1990. 

‘During my nightshift and after my hourly inspection had been completed around the buildings, I went back to my office and sat down in my chair to relax when I was startled by a loud bang.  I got up to investigate the origin of the noise and noticed the galvanised dustbin lid lying right across the other side of the building.  The dustbin itself was dancing from side-to-side, as if someone was trying to tip it over. I stood there in absolute disbelief. There was no explanation to account for this strange occurrence.  Suddenly, I was struck by the thought of those two Lighthouse Keepers who had died at Cape Recife, having fallen from a scaffold.  Could this be the two Keepers still squabbling?  I called their names out loud and said, ‘Leave me alone!  I am here to do my job as Lighthouse Keeper and I have no part in your difference of opinion.  If you wish to continue to be quarrelsome, go elsewhere!’  All was quiet for the rest of the shift!

The next day I told my colleague about the night’s disturbances and he just smiled and said that he would often go out and tell them to shut up!

I soon became familiar with this ‘ghost business’ as these two could not settle down to each other.’

Will we ever know what caused the dissatisfaction?  Why were these two still in a state of quarrelsome disagreement?

Just perhaps, this Christmas, it may come to pass that these two Lighthouse Keepers will put their history behind them and find harmony and agreement, or perhaps, they are already well on their way to resolving their discord by amicably agreeing to disagree in the mistiness of Cape Recife Lighthouse.

Gadsden ancestry?

If you have the Gadsden (or variant) surname on your family tree you would be interested in my new blog at 

https://gadsdensoftheworld.wordpress.com/

At present I am discussing 17th c British Gadsdens of London and environs, some of whom were mariners, but this will in due course lead to investigations of the American Gadsdens.

Gadsdens of the World: New Blog

The Stepney Meeting aka the Independent Chapel. Bull Lane Stepney. A building closely linked to Thomas Gadsden and family in the 17th c.

gadsdensoftheworld is a new blog exploring the origins and history of Gadsdens (Gaddesdens, Gatesdens and other variants).  It will be of interest to anyone researching their own Gadsden line or the surname. You are invited to visit the blog and are welcome to make comments in the facility provided. 

https://gadsdensoftheworld.wordpress.com/

Lest We Forget: Remembrance Day coming up soon ...

The Turkish Trench Dog

by Geoffrey Dearmer

Night held me as I crawled and scrambled near
The Turkish lines. Above, the mocking stars
Silvered the curving parapet, and clear
Cloud-latticed beams o'erflecked the land with bars;
I, crouching, lay between
Tense-listening armies peering through the night,
Twin giants bound by tentacles unseen
Here in dim-shadowed light
I saw him, as a sudden movement turned
His eyes towards me, glowing eyes that burned
A moment ere his snuffling muzzle found
My trail; and then as serpents mesmerise
He chained me with those unrelenting eyes,
That muscle-sliding rhythm, knit and bound
In spare-limbed symmetry, those perfect jaws
And soft-approaching pitter-patter paws. 
Nearer and nearer like a wolf he crept —
That moment had my swift revolver leapt —
But terror seized me, terror born of shame
Brought flooding revelation. For he came
As one who offers comradeship deserved,
An open ally of the human race,
And sniffling at my prostrate form unnerved
He licked my face!

Note: During World War I, Dearmer fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Most of his poems dealt with the brutality of war and violence.

The Last of the South African Lighthouse Keepers: Hannabus family cont.

Dassen Island Lighthouse

Installed April 1893

Latitude          33° 25' 55’’ S.

Longitude       18° 05' 23 '' E.

55 kilometres from Cape Town

11 kilometres from the coast.

Isolated and bleak, and standing on a barren outcrop of rock and sand, Dassen Island Light remains one of the major beacons on the Cape shipping route.

Surrounded by water, the Western seaward side is deadly, with high seas beating in from the Atlantic and consequently, many ships have been driven onto the rocks with shipwrecks scattered around this area. The Eastern side, looking towards the mainland, is much calmer with hardly any breakers and on the South and North sides, are two sheltered bays.

The island became so notorious for the regular incidents of shipwrecks, that authorities released rabbits and tortoises onto the island to provide a food source for any survivors.

Whilst outward bound on her maiden voyage from London to Sydney in 1891, the SS Wallarah, commanded by Captain F.H. Ekins, and belonging to Wilhelm Lund’s celebrated Blue Anchor Line, was wrecked at Boom Point on Dassen Island. It was this loss, of yet another ship, which prompted the authorities to take action and the Lighthouse was erected.

The Blue Anchor Line ships regularly travelled the South African Coast and it was unfortunate that again in 1909, they faced calamity when their legendary SS Waratah, also on her maiden voyage, disappeared without trace on the Transkei Coast after departing Durban for Cape Town. 

P-J Hannabus, Lighthouse Keeper (Ret.,) had some interesting experiences on Dassen Island.

“All too frequently, when the tugs could not make their monthly voyage out to Dassen Island because of foul weather conditions, the Lighthouse Keepers would run out of food. At these times, penguin eggs were collected and eaten. Keepers would dive for perlemoen (abalone) and crayfish. Snoek and bream were plentiful, so the Keepers always had a meal on their tables.

In the early 1970’s, helicopters were used for transport which made things easier.  We would freeze fish, perlemoen and crayfish, securely pack them in boxes marked ‘FRAGILE’ Lighthouse Bulbs, ready for transportation to Cape Town. The Lighthouse Keepers from Green Point Lighthouse would collect the boxed ‘Lighthouse Bulbs.’ When the swop would take place for the next flight back to Dassen Island, Green Point Keepers would send steak, wine and brandy and other food items, in exchange for the seafood! 

In 1973 I was assigned to relieve on Dassen for three weeks and took just enough fresh food with me for this time. During the three week period, Mr Bruyns our Lighthouse Inspector, informed me that the Keeper due to arrive to take up the permanent post had just resigned and I was required to stay for three months! ‘Oh no’ I wailed! ‘I don’t have enough food!’ He asked me if I had any objection to eating penguin eggs, fish and crayfish, to which I replied, ‘No.’ ‘Good,’ said Mr Bruyns, ‘go and catch your food!’ I certainly had no objection to this!

In order at times to stave off boredom and pass the night shifts away, I would cut the gunwales off old wrecks and make ashtrays by chiselling out the rough-hewn wood, then gluing in the beautiful Perlemoen shells, which shimmered in their ever-changing iridescent colours of purple, blue, green and pink.  I would give them away as gifts and I was always very popular at Christmas!”

A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson

October 2015

The Last of the South African Lighthouse Keepers: Hannabus family

M’Bashe Point Lighthouse Transkei

Latitude          32° 14' 27, 1'' S.

Longitude       28° 55' 00, 9'' E.

P-J Hannabus, Lighthouse Keeper (Ret.,) has a fond attachment to the M’Bashe Point Lighthouse for it was here that his Lighthouse career commenced.

The Lighthouse overlooks the forest-clad hills of the river mouth and down onto a beach of rocky outcrops. It is an isolated post, 100 kilometres from Umtata on a gruelling, gravel road and the nearest hospital is at Madwaleni, a rural village approximately 60 kilometres away. A South African Railway bus delivered post and groceries to the trading stores, the Haven Hotel and the Lighthouse.

P-J’s father Lighthouse Keeper, J.F. Hannabus (Babsie) arrived with his wife Eunice, P-J and his sister Nerene, in 1969 and took up appointment at M’Bashe Point. Sadly, Eunice passed away just a few months after their arrival and lies buried in the Umtata cemetery.

P-J brings us this amusing story, of how, as a young man of 17 years old, his Lighthouse career was launched.

“I had just completed my matriculation and my Dad, Babsie, became very ill with bronchitis. I telephoned Corky Bruyns, the Lighthouse Inspector in Cape Town (Green Point) and requested a Relief Keeper be sent out for two weeks. Corky said that by the time they had found a Relief Keeper, sent him by rail to Umtata plus the difficult car journey to M’Bashe, Dad would be better!

Corky said to me, ‘What are you doing?’ I told him that I had not chosen any particular career path at this time. Corky said, ‘so who is running the station at the moment?’ ‘Well sort of me. Pops is telling me what to do from the bed.’ Corky’s reply was firm and decisive. ‘That is settled then and saves a lot of bother. You are now appointed Senior Relief Keeper at M’Bashe! When Pops gets better, you stay on as Trainee!’

I trained under my Dad and when competent, the Service posted me to my first Lighthouse at Danger Point as Relief Keeper.

Danger Point was home to me, as my Dad had been stationed there from 1961 to 1963 and it is here under a clump of trees that my infant brother lies buried in a tiny grave.

The first job I was given as the Relief Keeper was to paint the dome of the tower. With only an antiquated safety belt to rely on, my nerves were quite raw as I took on this perilous task!”

A series by Suzanne-Jo Leff Patterson

October 2015

http://lighthouses-of-sa.blogspot.co.za/2006/11/mbashee-lighthouse.html