Gold on Queen Charlotte's Island
Expedition of Sloop Georgianna
Wreck of the sloop
Crew and Passengers Made Captives by the Haida
Washington Standard 
May 16, 1868

1851.
In the fall of this year considerable excitement was created by the reports of discoveries of gold on Queen Charlotte's Island and from statements by Indians at the Hudson Bay Company's Forts Simpson and Victoria, the mines were supposed to be of surpassing richness. Captain William Rowland, who had recently arrived from Australia in his sloop Georgianna. of about 45 tons burthen, brought from Fort Victoria some fine specimens of gold quartz from the island and put his vessel up for passengers to the new el dorado near Gold Harbor on the west side of the island.

On the 3rd of November the Georgianna sailed with 22 passengers and five of crew on board. Among the former are the well known names of Asher Sargent. E. Nelson Sargent, Samuel D. Howe, Charles E. Weed, the late James K. Hurd, Sidney S. Ford, Jr., the late John Remley. Daniel Show, Samuel H. Williams, Jesse Ferguson, Ignatius Colvin, John Thornton, the late I. M. Browne, George A. Paige, the late James Mc Allister, William Mahard and others.

Her crew consisted of Captain William Rowland, McEwen, mate, Ben and Richard Gibbs and Tam-a-ree, the cook, a Kanaka. The sloop passed Cape Flattery on Sunday, the 9th, when she was boarded by Captain Lafayette Balch of the Damaris Cove, then on a trading voyage for oil at Nee-ah Bay. The latter being light, he advised them that after meeting the brig George Emery, then due with the collector of Puget Sound on board, he would make a run up to the island.

That same afternoon the Emery passed in sight of the sloop and anchored at Nee-ah Bay. The sloop continued her voyage to the northward, but instead was driven to the eastward of the island. Though her destination was Gold Harbor, on the west side, the captain determined to keep on his course and try to work through Skidegate Channel, which divides Queen Charlotte's Island, the northern island being sometimes called Graham's island and the southern one Morseby.

On the afternoon of the 18th the sloop anchored in Com-she-was harbor. About midnight it commenced to blow heavily from the southeast and before daylight of the morning of the 19th the sloop went ashore. The Haida were already assembled in large numbers and they at once commenced to plunder the persons of the unfortunate party and when the wreck was abandoned, it was stripped it of every thing that could be carried away. Charles E. Weed, one of the party, after his return to Olympia, furnished a narrative of his captivity, which we have never seen in print and is full of interest.

Mr. Weed's Narrative

On the afternoon of the 18th of November we arrived in the harbor on the east side of Queen Charlotte's Island, called by the natives Kom-she-wah. That evening two of the Indians boarded the sloop, to whom we gave the names of John and Charley The wind began to blow heavily from the southeast and they declined to leave us for the night. They belonged to a camp about four miles distant across the bay and as we afterwards discovered could not reach their camp without considerable difficulty.

In the morning the wind had increased to a gale and the Georgianna was blown ashore. Nearly abreast, of where she was grounded was another camp and on the beach Indians were assembling from all quarters. They belonged to the Haida nation, which is divided into numerous tribes, inhabiting the island and mainland opposite. About the time we commenced abandoning the sloop probably 50 had collected. 

At first they received us with great show of friendship and several of us remarked they were not only the best looking but the best Indians we had ever met, but we soon learned that those demonstrations of kindness were but affected to induce all our party to abandon the wreck, which they indicated to us unmistakably
was now their plunder.

As the wind was very fresh, the bay rough and the surf very heavy, it so happened that but few of the people from John and Charley's band (our companions on the sloop of the night previous) could reach the wreck and it was already evident there was a jealousy about their first having made our acquaintance. Nor had we failed to improve the opportunity to convince the Indians named that we were friendly and any kind offices to us would be remunerated.

At one time we found ourselves in an improvised line of battle expecting momentarily an attack. Such, however, was not the plan for already a contention had started between the two camps as to the distribution of the plunder. John and Charley's party, to gain time, hoping to be reinforced from their camp, the others trying to hurry matters so as to secure a larger share to each by the fewness of the distributees.

We gave our sympathy to John's party, and by assuring them that if good care was taken of us, and we were carried over to Fort Simpson, a large ransom would be paid, a compromise was affected by which the beach party received the sloop and we became the prisoners of John's camp. The scene now changed. The Indians flocked aboard the ill-fated sloop, stripping her completely. 

They brought up the sacks of flour, and never having seen any, cut it "open, let the flour out to secure the sacks. The high wind blew it about in all directions and covered them with flour. and though it was no time for merriment, yet the figure these Indians cut, whitened by the flour could not fail to excite laughter. On the shore we were deprived of our blankets and extra clothing. 

They would attempt to take off our close fitting garments and cut at us with their knives; and I was reduced to a red flannel shirt, an old pair of buckskin pants and a well-worn pair of
shoes, only useful in preserving my feet in getting about. Beyond these demonstrations no bodily harm was inflicted and we were soon satisfied that plunder was their primary object and that our argument that their reward was to be proportionate to our safety and report of their treatment, was thoroughly appreciated by them. 

They had learned that turning us over alive to our friends would secure their gain, and that we might resist if these indignities were too great and that the loss of any of us diminished the ransom money they hoped to receive. This argument having been completed we crossed in canoes to the camp of John and Charley's band, and all of us were assigned to the same house. It was a substantially constructed building of hewn cedar, occupied by about ten families, each of which wound number from five to eight individuals. 

An idea of the size of the house may be inferred front the length of a single timber, which by pacing we estimated at 70 feet. The width was about 40 feet and the height 10 or 12 feet. They are much better and more substantially constructed than the winter camps of the Oregon Islands, but not near warm and comfortable to parties of our condition from their so much greater dimensions.

Our blankets had all been stolen, but as a great favor we secured one jointly for Captain Rowland and Asher Sargent, whom we represented as "tyees" in their own country, and we made the Indians believe that at their age they were in danger from exposure. We were assigned the duty of supplying the house with fuel and carrying water, about the only labor they imposed. 

We were allowed sufficient Indian food, such as it was, to sustain life, but so prone are they to steal, even from each other, that frequently our rations would be stolen from us. We could bear it for a limited time, humiliating as was the idea of being their heavers of wood and drawers of water, but there was no certainty as to our future and we dreaded lest we might be distributed among them, rendering our release so much more difficult.

On more than one occasion this disagreeable idea of distributing us as slaves was discussed, but we strongly indicated that we would make combined resistance to such an attempt and in appealing to their inordinate hope of gain by restoring the whole party, were always able to defeat such a consummation. It was a hard winter, on that cold inhospitable island, and there was but little to cheer us in that 54 days Of captivity. I honestly believe that not one of us enjoyed the luxury of two hours undisturbed sleep at any one time.

On many occasions, while asleep or suspected so to be, the Indians would endeavor to strip off the little clothing we had upon our persons and, being unable to remove it, would cut out strips. This entailed the necessity of some of us remaining awake to watch the others. Thus between the anxiety to save the little we had, the cold we suffered, our scanty apparel affording so little protection, and the filth, lice and vermin in our places of abode, we had a rough time of it.

Several of the party were at times desponding and discouraged. One who became very sick we thought would lose his reason, but he happily recovered. Another upon several occasions gloomily meditated suicide, as the only termination of his trials, but most of us accepted our lot patiently and endeavored by our participation with the Indians in their sports and ceremonies to create the impression we were contented and trusted to their many oft-repeated promises that when the weather justified they would take us in canoes over to Fort Simpson.

About 20 days after the wreck commenced we selected one of our number, S. D. Howe, to go to Fort Simpson and they furnished a large canoe with a crew of seven Indians who. with the sloop's crew, except Captain Rowland, left us for that fort, and we daily looked for relief from that quarter, but it never came, and glad we were on the arrival of the Damaris Cove to ransom us from this captivity. The price paid for each of us was five blankets, two shirts, one bolt of muslin and two pounds of tobacco.

You have asked me about the natives of Queen Charlotte's island. I regret that I made no notes, though many curious things attracted my attention. In the general wreck of everything I doubt if a pen, pencil or paper was saved. But the events of that winter are so indelibly impressed on my memory that I can recall many things illustrating the characteristics of these savages which you may rely upon as strictly correct.

The Haidas are much taller and in every way superior, physically and intellectually. to the Puget Sound tribes. The women are stouter than the men but not so good looking. The men habitually go naked, but when they go off on a journey they wear a blanket manufactured by their women from the fibers of the cedar root and the inside of cedar bark. They boil the cedar root until it becomes pliable to be worked by the hand and beaten with sticks, when they pick the fibers apart into threads.

The warp is of a different material, sinew of the whale or dried kelp thread. Some of these blankets are very well made and very serviceable, oftentimes shedding the rain as well as affording protection from cold. By similar process and from similar material the women weave an excellent quality of matting which they use for many purposes, mostly, however for bedding and in their canoes. 

Hats and baskets are also made from the roots of the cedar, which are closely woven and waterproof. As a people they cannot be called industrious. They live mainly by fishing and hunting, though they raise quite large crops of miserably small potatoes, the largest of which will not exceed a pigeon egg in size. These they call "scowh-schicht." They also raise a few indifferent turnips, called by them "yohn ou-hoo." 

The men do the hunting and fishing, while to the women is left the labor of attending to the cultivation of their crops. During most of the time we were among them they had nothing to engage their attention but general merry-making, and the "mamooktahmahnous" or their ceremony of initiating medicine men or their doctors. They were occupied in these orgies day and night, having four candidates for the office or degree of medicine men.

I believe it is a regular degree and the ceremony or initiation, as I witnessed it, is horrible. I went, down one night to see this ceremony while at its height. It was in the largest house in their camp and I think there were at least 2,000 Indians seated in the house. Old John, already a doctor, first appeared, entering from a room that had been partitioned off. His dress was nothing but a bearskin cape tied in front by a very thick piece of cable rope. On his ankles and wrists were pieces of horn so arranged that when he went through his motions they sounded like the rattling of castanets. His face was horribly painted and his hair dressed with feathers thrown back, making him look the "very devil."

On either side were a lot of old hags, swaying back and forth, keeping a sort of time with his movements and rude chanting. This went on a little while, when one of the candidates burst in through the slab near the roof. His progress was checked by another Indian, who punished him severely and prevented his entrance at that point. Four of the candidates thus appeared at various places, either through the roof or sides of the building and when they succeeded in effecting an entrance they would deliberately bite out a piece of flesh from the arm or body of any Indian with whom they came in contact. 

These cannibal acts are submitted to patiently, being deemed by the sufferer as commanded by their religion. By them it is believed that these candidates while under this frenzy are inspired and an Indian without such a scar will offer his arm to be gnawed, being considered dishonored if he possesses no such evidence of a display of religious duty. They apply "sallal" leaves, which they bind tightly about the wounded part. On the particular occasion I have alluded to they kept this thing up the livelong night and I was told it had been going on that way for about two weeks.

Many of the men are very ingenious. I saw one of their war canoes capable of seating 60 warriors. These canoes are constructed from a single tree with the exception of pieces inserted in the bow and stern which are sewed in with sinew, and some of these stern pieces are ornamented with very good carving. Several of the tribe are adepts at carving. Slate is most usually employed, but they also work in gold, silver, the teeth of the whale and wood. During their performance of this character of labor their superstitions will not allow any spectator of the operator's work. A curiosity to witness one of these native artists at work cost me a severe hair-pulling and knocking down. 

I never repeated the experiment. The most curious and remarkable of their labor is the construction of a square wooden box, including top and bottom being but three pieces. These boxes are made to hold one to two bushels. The box is made of a board manufactured by them from three fourths to an inch in thickness, the sides at the corners are so mitered out as to be able to be pressed into a joint, though at the angle the board is not cut asunder. At the fourth angle a regular mitered joint is made.

We saw no gold on this trip except. that stolen from some of our party by the Indians, nor do I believe there is any placer diggings on the island, yet there is quartz rock and I have seen some very excellent specimens. In a future article we will give the particulars of the rescue from captivity of the crew and passengers ot the ill-fated "Georgianna."