Sealers, particularly American and British, frequented the Falkands from around 1774 on. They favoured the Weddell, Beaver and New Island area where there were sheltered harbours and they were distanced from the Spanish then at Puerto Soledad (Port Louis) who were hostile to sealers. Sealers needed to spend extensive time ashore. Places on Weddell are named to honour American sealers and their vessels, States Cove, Chatham Harbour.
In 1813 Captain Barnard, a sealer, and four of his ship’s crew were left abandoned by passengers and crew of the Isabella a ship which had wrecked on Speedwell (then known as Eagle Island) and he had kindly rescued with the ‘Young Nanina’. They made off with his ship while it was waiting at New Island for favourable weather to take them to South America. Barnard at the time was on Beaver Island hunting wild pigs for their food. The marooned Barnard and his men abandoned on the island had a Robinson Crusoe experience, living off the land but survived to be rescued. They had a small boat and were also able to go to Weddell, Beaver and other small islands. Warrahs were present on Weddell at the time. Desperately in search of something to eat he procured some seal’s flesh, three geese and two foxes. He recorded:
‘I ate some of their (warrah) flesh, but it is so very strong
that nothing but the sauce of extreme hunger could force
it down’.
In 1889 Weddell had 3 houses. The population totalled 19 made up of 15 males, 3 females and one male child. During that year there had been one birth and one death.
Weddell was 12 hours journey for the doctor from his base at Fox Bay. In 1889 he made 4 visits to the island.
On 23 October 1896 at 2.30 in the morning in darkness and torrents of rain, the pilot schooner Hadassah, under the command Captain Nillson, an experienced navigator, and a crew, wrecked in Symlie Channel (while avoiding the dreaded Smyley’s Rocks she ran too close to the shore and keeled over, filling with water) on the southern coast of Weddell. Everyone got ashore in a boat with a few provisions to make a shelter, and Mr W S Williams and his brother arrived with help and horses and sent the women and children to the settlement. Passengers were Mr Dettleff, the Poole family of New Island, H Waldron of Beaver, R Dickson his wife and two children of Weddell and Mrs P Hansen of Stanley. They were able to return to Stanley on the Fair Rosamund. |
