Fairchild Tropical Garden Expedition aboard the Cheng Ho 1939-1940
DECEMBER 1939
 
 
 
 
 
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JANUARY 1940
 
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FEBRUARY 1940
 
 
 
 
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MARCH 1940
 
 
 
 
 
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MAR 1940
11

Aboard the Poigar at Unauna, Indonesia

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Monday, March 11, 1940

I considered the question last evening whether to sleep in the bow or the extreme stern. In case of rain the stern was the best but I decided that the smell and vibration there were too great, so placed my mattress in the extreme bow. There was noise until late from talking natives; once I got up and clapped my hands, which seemed to help keep them quiet. The night was fortunately clear but toward morning the sea became quite rough. Many natives were actively sick. Hugo went to the lower deck for a few moments and the smell made him actively sick too. I stayed at the bow which was fairly free from smells except at times when they drifted up from the lower deck. I felt all right.

We reached Unauna, the smallest of the Togian Islands, but which had on it the most important town. I went ashore with Hugo without breakfast and we found some bananas and opened a can of sardines. As the boat did not sail until 12, Hugo decided to go on a trip to the hills. He was attracted by some palms which he did not recognize. A native went with him. I looked around the pristine town with a native who was pleasant and spoke a little English. The place was small with nothing about it distinctly unusual. There was no market. It was interesting to know that it was very close to the equator. I returned to the boat an hour before the time for sailing. Hugo found that the palms he had seen were Pigafettas, an interesting discovery. The altitude where they grew was not over 500 ft. He found nothing else of interest. We boiled some water on my stove for drinking purposes and had spaghetti for lunch.

The boat left at one for a smaller port on Unauna, named Kolio. We arrived there at about 2. Hugo went ashore with Wongso to try and get some bananas, while I stayed on board. Our fare was collected today, 29 guilders each for the trip from Gorontalo to Poso, which we will reach in the morning, and it is a special stop to let us off.

There are fewer natives on the boat now although it still seems filled. I have been trying to trace the source of the bad smells and think it is mainly they were partly due to dried fish which was partly decayed. The fact that my mattress at the stern is just next to and above the toilet did not seem to have anything to do with it. I am writing this there but the wind happens to be in the right direction and the air is fresh.

There was the most colorful sunset I think I have ever seen and I became so interested in looking at it that I forgot to take a color photograph.

We are both unshaved and getting more native looking. We seem to eat very little. I proposed hot soup for supper but Hugo did not respond and we ate a few bananas.

Slept again on the forward deck hoping it would not rain.

nauna Island with volcanic peaks
Unauna Island, Indonesia with volcanic peaks. Photographed from the Cheng Ho by Edward Beckwith.
Palms on the shore of Unauna Island
Coconut palms on the shore of Unauna Island, Indonesia. Photographed by David Fairchild.
Pigafetta palms in the distance on Unauna Island
Pigafetta palms in the distance on Unauna Island
MAR 1940
10

Tilamuta and Bumbulan, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Sunday, March 10, 1940

Edward Beckwith using the alcohol-fueled cooking pot
Edward Beckwith using the alcohol-fueled cooking pot aboard the Poigar. Photographed by Hugo Curran.
Maleo chick
Maleo (Macrocephalon maleo chick at Tilamuta, Sulawesi. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Some sleep after twelve o’clock, but the natives became noisy again at daylight. The day was fine and the sea smooth.

Hugo and I made tea on my alcohol stove, and each had a can of fruit.

I found that he or we had forgotten to get bread and salt from the hotel and bananas which we had counted on. I think it had something to do with Miss Tumankol’s visit which put it out of Hugo’s mind, as I rather left it to him because I had got most of the other supplies.

We went ashore at Tilamuta at about 9 and took a drive in a cart. We met Miss Sievy, who runs a coconut plantation near there with her married sister. She had a car and a young Maleo bird in a basket. We drove out to her plantation, which was on the coast, about half an hour away.

I took pictures of the young Maleo bird. Miss Sievy was partly Malay, partly Arab, partly Dutch and distinctly native looking. I went to the Dutch bath room and took advantage of the opportunity to take a complete bath. We walked down the beach to some Maleo nests in the sand and I took pictures of one of her young birds in one of the holes. She was pleasant but her English was almost un-understandable. She returned with us to the town where we said good bye, and she presented me with a snapshot of herself.

The boat started at about 11:30. I found a place at the stern where I could place a mattress and get some sleep. There was smell and a great deal of vibration but I slept just the same. Hugo slept too, in the sun on the forward part of the deck, and got considerably burned. At about 3 we had a mixture of canned tomato and vegetable soup and I had a can of fruit, while he had peanut butter with nothing to put it on.

We anchored at Bumbulan, still on the same coast, at about 2:30.

We were still east of Marissa and the coast is the same as we followed on the Cheng Ho, so that everything had a familiar look. When the “Poigar” strikes south to Unauna we will then see a new and interesting island.

 
MAR 1940
9

Departing Gorontalo, Sulawesi aboard the Poigar

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Saturday, March 9, 1940

The Poigar, a ferry vessel

The Poigar, a ferry vessel that carries passengers along the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Deck of the Poigar

Deck of the Poigar off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Deck of the Poigar

Deck of the Poigar off the coast of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Mr. von Elsner went with me to purchase supplies for the boat as none were  available on board. The whole thing came to about 18 guilders. I then air mailed 3 smaller [Bantam] Kodachromes, cost 11.25 guilders. Almost equal to all our supplies.

The day was fine after the heavy rains of the last two days and we hoped it would continue, since bad weather on the boat would mean being closed in at close quarters with a lot of natives.

Spent most of the day packing up, and we have supplies for about a week although we will be on the boat two days and three nights. Went to the town with Hugo to buy a bucket for hauling up salt water for washing, also two enamel ware cups, which we had trouble in finding. I wanted to take some Edam chesse and Hugo made a special effort to find some. There was none, which seemed strange in a Dutch colony. It can be bought everywhere in the Philippines.

We then drove to the port to look at the boat, more from curiosity than anything. The “Poigar” was larger than the “Nasteur” and was a boat carrying natives and freight. The lower deck was piled up with sacks, with goats and chickens on one side. The deck above this was entirely filled with natives, sitting or lying around with all their baggage and cooking things beside them. Towards the stern 2 quite thick mattresses had been placed side to side. We learned that these were for Hugo and me.

There was a family near them with a baby being bounced up and down with by a coiled spring suspended from the ceiling above. There was canvas on the sides of this deck which could be closed in in wet weather. The arrangements were of the most primitive kind possible. There were no bad smells in evidence, however, and it seemed that if the boat were in motion there would be plenty of ventilation. The natives were all quiet and did not seem of the noisy, talkative type.

Miss Tumankol, a native teacher in the Chinese school, came to the hotel to get Hugo to play tennis. While they were away I had a talk with Von Esner about the war. He was very pro German and thought Germany would win. He thought there would be much greater activity this spring and many surprises.

Hugo and Miss Tumankol returned and we had tea, port wine, and peanuts which she had brought us.

At about 8 we went to the boat in 3 carts. Wongso helped with the baggage and seemed efficient. Von Elsner went along mostly out of curiosity to see the boat as he may wish to go on one sometime.

The boat was pretty well crowded with natives and I had a less favorable opinion than in the afternoon. They were talkative. There were smells. A goat was bleating loudly as we came aboard. We learned that the time of leaving was 12 instead of 10.

Hugo and I got our mattresses out and put them on the forward part of the deck near the bow. A native immediately tried to occupy the place we had left under the awning. Hugo made him get out, since we would have to move in if it rained.

I undressed inside my canvas sleeping bag – an invaluable part of my equipment which Daan loaned me. There was much too much noise to sleep, with natives talking and walking on the deck all around us. I finally moved my mattress right up to the railing so that they would only be on one side. The whole boat was thick with them, men, women and children, and their belongings and cooking arrangements were all over. The deck below was so closely packed with freight that it was difficult to get to the staircase to the upper deck where the passengers were. I can imagine the panic that would occur in case of a fire and as far as I could tell the protection was entirely inadequate.

In case of heavy rain and wind I cannot imagine anything worse than this boat.

 
MAR 1940
8

Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Friday, March 8, 1940

After a very sound sleep, Hugo and I started photographing yesterday’s specimens and made a complete job of it since according to him the entire trip may not yield anything so important.

This photographing specimens is not as easy as it might appear, since lighting, background and setting must all be carefully arranged and when one is right the others might be wrong. It took us about two hours to finish the palm, one view with Hugo in the corner.

During operations we had an interested crowd watching from the street. We were interrupted by someone who wanted to know Mrs. Archbold’s name and address and also by the arrival of Wongso from Marissa. He will go with us on the trip and does not speak English.

Hugo and I called on Mr. Korn to say goodbye and thank him for his letter to all officials. We certainly are well accredited with letters backed by the highest authority in Batavia.

I had the idea that it might be advisable to get Mr. de Witte’s Rolleicord camera for Hugo to use on climbs. We called on him and took a little time before bringing up the subject. Toward the end of the visit he said we could take the camera and either return it or send him a new one. This was a great piece of good fortune and solved the photographic problem. He refused to sell it.

At dinner we had a further talk with the only other guest at the hotel, Mr. von Elsner. He is a German, I think a jew, and is an agent for cigarettes, etc.

Oncosperma horridum near Gorontalo
Oncosperma horridum near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Oncosperma horridum collected near Gorontalo
Oncosperma horridum collected near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by David Fairchild.
Hugo Curran with Oncosperma specimen
Hugo Curran with Oncosperma specimen collected near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by David Fairchild.
Fruit of a liana collected near Gorontalo
Fruit of a liana collected near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Orange fruits with red seeds collected near Gorontalo
Orange fruits with red seeds collected near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by David Fairchild.
Orange fruits with red seeds collected near Gorontalo
Orange fruits with red seeds collected near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by David Fairchild.
MAR 1940
7

Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Thursday, March 7, 1940

Doembajaboelan school near Gorontalo

Doembajaboelan school near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Flute and drom band at the Doembajaboelan school

Flute and drom band at the Doembajaboelan school near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Hugo and I were up at 5 AM for an all day plant collecting and photographing trip. We started at 6:15 in a Ford and drove 20 kilometers east. We got out at a school house and he went off with two natives to climb a mountain about 1800 ft. high.

I took a walk of a few miles in the delightful cool of a fine tropical morning. A native joined me and walked along silently, by my side. Two little native girls fell down in their efforts to get out of sight when they saw me. I found a tree covered with hanging red fruit and picked one to show Hugo. It may be that he will say “that is the ____ it grows everywhere” or it may be some rare species, as far as I know.

I finally went in and saw the school and found they also had a bamboo flute band. The school master made the boys play outside so I could photograph them.

The school was in a very picturesque setting. The children became quite friendly and crowded round the car.

After lunch, consisting of a sardine and jam sandwich and a can of fruit, I went back to the tree and got more of the fruit I had seen this morning. At about 2:30 a messenger came with a note from Hugo saying to drive towards the town as he was waiting on the way. I found him and showed him my specimens. He said it was the well known ____. “I thought you knew that.” He had found something spectacular, the flower and fruit of a large palm, the Oncosperma, which he had been looking for.

Heavy rain all the way back. The new palm was certainly remarkable. We had a drink of port to celebrate the find. Photographing it will be our first duty in the morning.

Hugo also found an unidentified yellow fruit with velvety red seeds. He was quite elated over the results of the day. He did not climb the mountain as it did not look promising. Incidentally he found a 12 ft. python.

MAR 1940
6

Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Written by Edward Beckwith seventy years ago, Wednesday, March 6, 1940

School band in Gorontalo

School band in Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Photographed by Edward Beckwith.
Slept very soundly. Hugo said he could hear me snoring from his room.

We saw the Controller, Mr. Brukle, who is trying to get us a boy from Marisa. No word yet. He arranged for photographs of the school band composed of drums and bamboo flutes. Took both movies and stills, shipping the movie film from here.

This trip promises many interesting sights and experiences. We will both learn how to travel through out of the way parts of the Dutch East Indies. We have with us many letters to Residents, etc. showing that we are accredited members of the Fairchild Tropical Expedition.

Hugo went off to play tennis and was beaten two sets by a half caste girl. I went to the town and bought handkerchiefs, a bottle of port, can of Chinese ginger, and 6 cans of fruit. There seemed to be a complete absence of canned things on sale here, in contrast to all towns in the Philippines. However I found a store with plenty of Eastman XX film, the distribution of this film is remarkable considering how recently it has been put on the market. It is uncomfortably inferior to Agfa, which is harder to get.

We got considerable information from a German cigarette salesman at dinner. He is the only one at the hotel besides ourselves.

Hugo told me that he personally has no ambition to be a plant collector, as David would like to make him, but that he wished to settle down in the Philippines on his return and specialize in planting coconuts and pineapples together. He had a job lined up with a big sugar company.