SHIPWRECKS

In the world there are several routes or key passages, where all ships necessarily end up coinciding, and that until the last century were the natural passages that allowed to go around the globe. We are talking about the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape of Storms and the most feared of all, known as "The Cape" in capital letters, the stormy Cape Horn. Over time, man tried to make the distances to navigate shorter and less risky and that is how the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal appeared. The first objective was more than achieved but the second is still latent, not because of climatic factors but because of political problems with the constant threats of war.

The routes that went around South America had slight variations, all of them important to examine. The first sailing ships trying to reach the Pacific passed through the Strait of Magellan but after the discovery of Schouten and Le Maire, corroborated by the Nodal brothers (1619), the captains found it safer to round Cape Horn. It is that without coasts to leeward, running a storm in front of Cape Horn was faster and easier than within the Strait of Magellan.

This continued until the appearance of steam. The first steamship crossed the Atlantic in 1819. From that first crossing many years of technological innovations passed that allowed a real use of the steam engine. The first steamers to cross the Strait of Magellan were "Peru" and "Chile" in 1840, which belonged to a London company. The Strait became important again and Chile saw it that way, while Buenos Aires was in continuous civil wars. In this way, the Chilean government took possession of the Strait of Magellan, founding "Fort Bulnes" in 1843. That same year they encountered the French steam frigate "Phaeton" and the French whaler "Fleury". In 1846 an English warship "Salamandre" arrived and her commander raised the convenience of establishing commercial relations with the Malvinas colony. From the islands they could carry cattle and from the strait carry wood.

In 1849 it was decided to move the settlement to a more benevolent place and "Sandy Point" (Punta Arenas) was chosen a little further east. In December of that year, José de los Santos Mardones founded the town.

The protests of the Argentine government were worth little, claiming that they were in Argentine lands, since the natural limit was the mountain range.

CLIPERS AND NEW NAVIGATION ROUTES

By this time they were already sailing ships with mixed hulls, that is, made of wood with an iron frame, and they were immediately followed by hulls totally built with steel and rivets.

An era of great navigation was beginning. On the one hand the fast sail clippers and on the other hand the vapors trying to displace them. The discovery of gold in California (USA) caused a great mobilization of settlers, since although men went alone at the time, the family followed them. The routes were various. Crossing the North American territory could take him five months and cost his hair. Another way was to cross Mexican territory or go down to Panama, cross the isthmus and embark north. The one considered safest and most popular was to embark and make the journey through the south of South America, be it the Strait of Magellan or rounding Cape Horn. There is a very interesting story where a passenger in a brig tells us about the experience of crossing the Strait of Magellan in 1849, full of the gold rush in California; This brig took six and a half months to go from the east coast to the west. The most popular, safest and even fastest way was to go around Cape Horn on a trip that could last from 100 to 200 days; from New York to San Francisco.

The companies published posters where they made propaganda about the times they used to make the route. It was a real race between quite similar boats: the famous clippers.

The Cape Horn crossing was actually the path that goes from latitude 50 degrees South in the Atlantic Ocean to 50 degrees South in the Pacific. That is, from the height of the Santa Cruz River in Argentina (or the parallel of the Malvinas Islands) to 50ºS in the Pacific, which is at the height of the southern tip of Welington Island (Torres del Paine, Chile).

For this journey we have the record of 6 days made by the clipper "Young America", the "Flying Fish" did it in 7 days, as well as the clippers "Flying Cloud" and "Robin Hood". In 8 days the "Flying Dutchman" (twice), "Herald of the Morning", "Stag Hound" and "Sword Fish" did it. With 9 days "Mary L. Sutton", "Sovereign of the seas" and the "Great Republic" are registered. The "Atlanta", "Golden City", "Hornet", "Typhoon", "Whistler", "Sweepstakes" and "Snap Dragon" (boat) follow with 10 days. The list is extensive and the conclusion that we can draw from this information is that not only were they excellent boats but that this was only possible with favorable conditions; something quite rare in the area.

Only one hundred and thirty trips were made in less than 110 days. Three ships hold the same 89-day record: "Flyin Cloud" New York to San Francisco in 1851, again the "Flying Cloud" from New York to San Francisco in 1854 and in 1860 the "Andrew Jakson" also between New York and the Golden Gates (Golden Gate). You can imagine the hype that the Flying Cloud and the company that owned it got. There are also super slow crossings like those made by the "Arthur" from New York to the Golden Gate in 200 days (1851); the "Cornwails" with 204 days and the "Henry Allen" 225 days, all in the same year.

The largest clipper (carrying capacity) was the "Great Republic" and made the crossing from 50º South Atlantic to 50º South Pacific in 9 days. There were others that broke records like those of the ship "Edward Sewall" that passed the 50º south of the Atlantic on March 7, 1914 to be able to cross the 50º south of the Pacific on May 12 (67 days later). It clearly shows us what it is like to encounter bad weather or rather adverse weather. In 1849, the first year of the California gold fury, 800 ships rounded "Cape Horn" and crossed the Pacific north to the east coast of the United States of America. They entered San Francisco Bay between two arid and high hills. This formation was known internationally as the "Golden Gate" (Golden Gate) and today the famous suspension bridge of San Francisco bears that name, which is being reinforced to be earthquake-proof. This was followed by the discovery of gold in Australia. Immigrants arriving on a short 30-day trip from Northern Europe to New York were met by large posters inciting them to seek gold in California, Australia, or work on the west coast of the US Ships left daily , almost all by the Cape Horn route until the mixed ships (steam and sail) began with their propaganda of safety and speed.

Trade with Japan and China becomes more frequent and in a short time becomes intensive. Hundreds of clippers loaded with coal are sent to supply the vapors to create reservoirs. A real war begins in communications. With the inauguration of the railroad (1870) that crosses the United States of North America, trips through Cape Horn decrease. But almost at the same time the nickel trade begins from New Caledonia and it must pass through Cape Horn. On the other hand, trying to shorten distances, the Suéz Canal was inaugurated, but the Nitrate trade with Peru also began. The world is entering a commercial boom where the means of transport (and communication) is the Great Cape Homer.

Oddly enough, with an atomic bomb and all, these ships sailed until after the Second World War. There even came to be a famous German Corsair, who performed privateering during the First War with a sailing ship. It was Count Felix Von Luckner who not only seized ships under sail but also obtained a few prey from steamships. But it was precisely these two great wars, and especially the second, that were responsible for sinking a large part of the last cargo sailing ships.

A special case was the "Pamir" from the company "Laeisz"; which was characterized by having all ships with names beginning with P. This large sailboat continued to navigate as a freighter until hurricane "Carrie" made it disappear near the Azores on September 22, 1957. This ship is the one that was They have excellent footage taken in the 1930s rounding Cape Horn. She visited the port of Buenos Aires very often, of course she entered in tow.

But let's go back to Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan. With steamships or mixed ships, there was no longer any cutting edges and the Strait of Magellan was much safer, sheltered from the big waves, but the ships needed coal in great quantities. So much was the volume that if they loaded everything they needed to turn America, they would run out of space to carry cargo. This is how Sandy Point is occupying an increasingly important point in southern navigation. In reality, it is the center of this activity and while Ushuaia (founded in 1884) received two or three ships per month towards the end of the last century, two per day entered Punta Arenas, reaching its peak with three per day in 1910. With the opening, in 1914, of the Panama Canal (Chile was betting that it would never happen), the feverish activity of Punta Arenas declined completely and in 1920 only three ships entered per month. During the steam era, the southern route continued to be preferred by tall ships, both propulsion systems coexisted for more than 60 years. In reality, the canal simultaneously killed both routes and even the salvage companies.

SAFEGUARD COMPANIES

It is important to complete the image of the south a bit in order to better understand the "Finis Terra". If we take what was published by the journalist Roberto Payro (1898), we see that the following steamship companies had a seat in Punta Arenas: "Pacific Steam Navigation Company", "Lloyd Norte Aleman", "Messageries Maritimes", "Kosmos" (from Hamburg) and "Charles Reunis", in addition to an Italian and a North American one that he does not name. As for the salvage companies he names four, they were: Braun and Blanchard, with four vessels; that of Kurtz and Wahlen, with two; that of Menendez with two steamers and the Stock Company that builds one.

Why so many salvage companies? Simple, they were dedicated to helping the boats that had problems in the area with contracts at risk (no cure, no pay), that is to say: they worked at a percentage of 70 to 80 percent of the net products saved. In addition to this work, they carried out cabotage and gave support, chartered by the government, to the agricultural-livestock centers that were established. Continuing with Roberto Payro's description, he says of Punta Arenas: "... Cutters, schooners, two- and three-masted pailboats, from twenty-five to two hundred tons and more, abound in the port, and they carry almost without exception the Chilean flag; Ships do all kinds of work, from simple freight, to wolf hunting expeditions or in search of gold in Tierra del Fuego; and whatever they do, they contribute to promoting and fostering the colony ... ".

How did they act?

In principle, they had to save the survivors, who many times, in addition to having the misfortune of being shipwrecked in these latitudes, ran the risk of being killed by pirates who were dedicated to looting the wrecked vessels. All the members of the company were economically saved, since in addition to the percentage agreed, by the captain or the shipowner, the men were in turn in a percentage between them. This activity was so special that a new word still used today was invented: "raqueo" (from "wreck", shipwreck in English, pronounced "rek" and "wrecking" - "raqueo"). But why and where did they sink? Were they all at Cape Horn? In reality, when we refer to Cape Horn we are involving the entire area; not only the famous island but the entire archipelago that surrounds it and even the sailors incorporated the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. Thus, when it is said that "it was lost in the area" it can refer to: Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, the Cape itself, Miter Peninsula or the "mysterious" Island of the States. Those that sank in navigation, in general, was because a strong storm filled them with water, causing them to capsize so quickly that it was rare that there was a single survivor. This type of shipwreck does not leave visible traces and where the ships are sunk there is a lot of depth.

There was a famous case during the nineteenth century where twelve merchants that left Chile together for the Atlantic sank during the same storm, on the same day and without survivors. Neither could beat the "Corporal". But the question remains. Was it in the vicinity of Cape Horn?

The losses in the Strait of Magellan were, in general, due to being bordering and in some bad maneuver they ambushed the coast or hit a stone.

BEAGLE CHANNEL

The Beagle Channel became famous for the treacherous stones that in the middle of the channel, surrounded by 90 meters. deep, sent more than one ship to the bottom. But the accidents in this channel were not many, of course Fitz Roy discovered it in 1833 and it began to be navigated only in 1882.

The most famous ships sunk in it are: the "Monte Cervantes", the "St. Cristopher", the "Sarmiento" and the most recent, the "Logos" (1985). The "Monte Cervantes" was a trial of making tourism on a large scale and of category, chartered by the Hamburg Company of South America left Buenos Aires on January 15, 1930 with 1,200 passengers and 300 crew members. She arrived in Ushuaia on January 21, prior to stopovers in Puerto Madryn and Punta Arenas.

After visiting the small town, the departure was prepared for noon and, without ever clarifying the exact reason, he rammed one of the stones of the Les Eclaireurs islet, just 7 miles from the port. She began to make water quickly and given the state of the sea at that moment all the lifeboats were taken to the nearest room: "Remolino". Then they were transferred to Ushuaia in a joint action of all the boats available in the port. The castaways were housed in barracks, family houses, and whatever space was available given that the population doubled with them. There were no victims to mourn, save one. Following the old seafaring tradition, the captain disappeared into the icy waters of the Beagle. Many years passed until it was decided to move the 150 meters. length of the injured ship to try to refloat it. All the boats from Ushuaia and the tugboat "St.Cristopher" (today beached in the bay in view of the whole world) that arrived from Buenos Aires in 1953 chartered by the Salvamar company participated. In the towing operation, her hull turned over again and landed at the bottom of the canal. Accusations and protests appeared again. Over time everything remained in the memory. Today, the Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse, remembers the place where the accident occurred.

The attempt was made in 1954 with the tugs of the Argentine Navy: "Chiriguano", "Sanavirón" and "Guaraní", the latter shortly afterwards disappeared in a storm with all its crew leaving the Beagle Channel. The company in charge of the operation was called Salvamar, directed by Mr. Leopoldo Simoncini and owner of the St. Cristopher tugboat that also participated in the operation. Today she is sunk in front of the city of Ushuaia and without intending to, she became a symbol of the tragedies that occurred in these waters, being photographed and filmed by how many people pass through the place.

Remolino was one of the first estancias in Tierra del Fuego, founded at the end of the last century by the missionary Lawrence. The last Yámanas of the region gathered in their estates in search of understanding and protection. Near the dock there is a ship covered in rust; It is about the "Sarmiento" that on April 1, 1912, on a journey to Buenos Aires, with cargo and passage, touched the Lawrence stones (they bear the missionary's name) in front of the ranch and quickly heeled, flooding their cabins and warehouses. The pilot managed to change course and tackled the coast. The 82 castaways, after spending the night in the ranch, went with the lifeboats to Ushuaia (it is 15 miles and for a boat the waves of the channel offer some danger) towed by the motor boat until the "Frigate ARA Sarmiento" appeared. who was on an instructional trip in the area and took them to port. Today a large beacon placed on the Lawrence stones warns sailors of danger, and recalls the accident. But these are not the only treacherous stones in the canal. This is how the Logos could verify it.

This is the most recent of the shipwrecks, which occurred on January 4, 1988 near Snipe Island, a few minutes after the Chilean pilot disembarked, leaving him the course to follow, which apparently was not to the Captain's liking. These stones, which, with a small bank, constitute a great danger to navigation at the eastern mouth of the canal, is now marked with this library ship.

There is a very recent one and it was more about determination and ignorance than anything else. It was starred in the schooner "Mañana" (formerly "Tomorrow") that, cutting its mooring after a long time having been left in front of the city of Ushuaia, went sailing alone facing the "old airport" (Air Base) in the peninsula. There she was ambushed against the coast until trying to save her in a disinterested way, a friend of the owner, Amador Padín, tried to tow her and went under. Some say that for not removing the water, others because the wood was very eaten by the "teredo", the truth is that now it is covered with algae at a very few meters deep.

When the population of Ushuaia began to grow, Navarino Island, and both sides of the Beagle Channel, immediately populated. This implied having boats to be able to communicate from the estancia to Ushuaia and in any case to Punta Arenas. This is how the bay of Ushuaia became populated with sailboats; the youngest were the famous cutters, the oldest were the schooners. Many of these ended their days in the area. Among them we have the "Goleta Blanca" (Fortunato Viejo, former Crescent of the Ashby family from Buenos Aires who brought it sailing from Great Britain as a pleasure boat at the end of the 800) was moored to the old commercial dock around 1930. It belonged to the Beban family and had a length of 19.95 m. ; 4.5 m. wide and 3.0 m. strut. There were several attempts to save her but none came to fruition. The stem can be seen in the Maritime Museum, the rest was left under the filling of the pier. Another sailboat that also remained in the bay was the "Black Schooner" ("Florence M. Munsié") also from the Beban family. She is had a strong blow to the hull and was put dry on the peninsula in Punta Golondrina. For many years she could be seen from the village until on July 9, 1940, someone set her on fire. She was an excellent schooner who made trips to Punta Arenas and even southern Brazil. The "Garibaldi" cutter ended her days in Aguirre Bay when she released her mooring during a severe storm from the south west (1957). The "Tomasito" cutter (better known as Chucu -Chucu, due to the noise of its Bolinder brand single-cylinder engine) was placed on an eel and left dry in the Tunnel farm towards the end of the 1950s. Later (1995) the Navy Argentina moved it to the Maritime Museum, already in an irrecoverable state. Very different was what happened to the recently launched schooner of Oreste Grandi that hit some stones in the Bridges Islands (off Ushuaia) and went to the bottom of the channel with the entire crew dying, including his 12-year-old nephew.
La Barcelona, ​​a beautiful schooner chartered by the Williams brothers who had an establishment near Douglas Bay (south of Wulaia, Navarino Island). When they were about to board it, the boat sank, drowning both and the schooner was swept away by a storm against Hoste Island. Although it is not a shipwreck on the Beagle, it was the end of one of the boats that could be seen in the bay. There were many others and this topic required a somewhat difficult investigation to carry out since accurate records are not available.

The oldest known shipwreck in the Beagle Channel was starred by Giacomo Bove, in Slogget Bay, and commented on by Lucas Bridges in the book "The Last End of the World", when he recounted how his father (Thomas Bridges) managed to save his children and himself. It happened in 1883 when the "Golden West" (it was the schooner "San José"), from the fleet of the Argentine Austral Expedition, went against the coast during a sudden storm. Something similar to the "María López" also happened around 1890, when the boat with her crew was left under the keel, all of them drowning and the ship ended up on the coast. Although this area already belongs to the Miter Peninsula, where each shipwreck will be more detailed. In Bahía Valentín, almost at the eastern end of Tierra del Fuego, they have been found in successive expeditions, some from the End of the World Museum and others from individuals, porcelain pipe bowls and various remains such as a piece of mast, copper lining of the ship, seals for fabrics, etc. The reasons can be several, perhaps the main one is that it is the bay most exposed to the hurricane winds from the south that arrive with great violence from Cape Horn or Antarctica. Neither the names nor the causes of these shipwrecks are known, but archaeological sites of indigenous people have been found occupying the same sites that the survivors inhabited. Fantasy makes us fly: Have they lived with them? When did it happen? What happened to them? Questions that, perhaps, we will never be able to answer. Like the aforementioned ships: Didn't the Captain of Monte Cervantes know these stones? Why did he order a course change? Didn't Captain del Sarmiento know some stones avoided by all the navigators in the area and that usually emerge, forming a very particular tidal wave? Unanswered questions, in these cases it is not possible to speak of inexperience. What happened?.

ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS AND THE STRAIT OF "LE MAIRE"

One of the worst places in the region can be said to be the treacherous Le Maire Strait and the vicinity of the Isla de los Estados and the south eastern sector of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, known as Peninsula Miter; especially its sector that faces the Atlantic.

With many shipwrecks, the causes are quite different from those of the Beagle Channel, Cape Horn or the Strait of Magellan. The only thing in common is the treacherousness of the place that it becomes a trap, sometimes deadly, for those sailors who, surprised by a storm or by the sudden calms associated with strong currents, were carried against the islands. The Island of the States has the peculiarity of being almost always covered by a large cloud. It is that the clouds are trapped by its hills making it disappear from the horizon. In its vicinity, and especially on the north side, the coast has long shoals and is surrounded by stones, islets and some important islands. All of very low height and practically impossible to see during a closed night or with the typical calm fogs. To make things more complicated, there is a lot of current than in places like Cabo San Diego (Mitre Peninsula) where it reaches 4 knots. In moments of calm, frequent in the area, the ships were thrown against the stones or the long shoals that this coast gives off. The tides are of great amplitude exceeding 6 meters. This caused that many ships have touched without intending to do so in those times when the cartography had many deficiencies.

Duchess of Albany

Incredibly, they transported 193 shipwrecked people in their warehouses, leaving the cargo of "flows" that they brought from "Callao" in the place without any news of it until now. Given the conditions of the sea, the Captain decided to cover all possible water inlets, this is how in that overcrowding 4 men die of suffocation, according to the chronicles of the time. Two cannons of the time and a figurehead, without a face, that possibly belonged to the galleon were found in the surroundings of said cove. But the exact location of the accident is not yet known.

The "Duchess of Albany" is one of the few shipwrecks that much is known about. It is a steel hull built in 1884 by the T. Royden & Soms shipyard in Liverpool for the Cia. W. &. R. Wright also in Liverpool. Its dimensions are: length 253.00 feet; 40.3 feet of beam and 23 feet squash. The displacement of it was 1793 tons. she raw and she had 2 decks, 3 clubs and bowsprit. She was one of the many merchant ships that were built at the time, a mix between frigate and clipper, she shows a perfect construction with perfect water lines. The riveting and ironing work of the sheets is excellent, as is its strength that withstands the onslaught of the sea on a daily basis. She was shipwrecked one winter night in 1893 (July 13). According to what was reported by Captain Greve of the frigate "Aconcagua" in 1897 he sighted a sailboat stranded and abandoned in the area and commented that "it was painted black, its arches were almost intact; its poles painted light brown and the extremities white Of the cover". Later he continues: "On the beach and in front of the ship you could see some remains of tents with ship sails." But what were the reasons for the accident? Answer almost impossible to answer with certainty and where several hypotheses are valid. One of them, and somewhat malicious, is that she was stranded on purpose to collect insurance. It happens that the number of frigates and clippers lining the coast in the last decade of the 19th century is striking. Just when the engine was definitely displacing the sail.

What we do know is that she reached the coast with very little visibility, some authors affirm that it was during the early morning (4 a.m.) and that there were 20 to 25 knots of wind. During winter the hours of light in these latitudes do not go beyond 7 (the sun rises at 9:30 and sets at 16:30). Everything indicates that she arrived at high tide and, if she got so close to the coast, it may be that she was looking for protection to anchor or that the poor visibility and the lack of wind and the current led them to a trap that will become the last landfall. her. The main anchor was released and the chain was released. What happen after? It is not known. But the other anchors are still on deck with all their chain. What was Captain John Williams' decision? Why didn't he drop the other anchor if she had started clawing? What were the exact weather conditions? Only few people could know the truth; today only the helmet and the guesswork remain.

The entire crew was saved. There was only one missing person and according to certain accounts he went by his own decision: he stayed to live with the Onas. The rest were rescued by the steamer "Amadeo" chartered to that end from Punta Arenas and the other group went in a couple of boats to the sub-prefecture of Bahía Thetis. According to own investigations, the English frigate "Glenmore" hit Cape San Vicente and the remains of it can be seen during low tides, totally destroyed by the onslaught of the sea. This happened in 1888 and his crew headed to Thetis Bay, which is a few miles from the place.

The "CORDOVA" sank in the Strait of Le Maire and its crew also went to the sub-prefecture of Bahia Thetis, this happened on July 26, 1888. The "Colorado" was shipwrecked against Cape San Vicente on July 5, 1887, the entire crew was safely in Thetis Bay.

The number of shipwrecks in the same area and so often is striking. Was it just a fluke or a good place to get rid of ships?

The last ship to get lost in the area was the "DESDEMONA", it is exactly stranded in Cabo San Pablo with the double perforated bottom of it. The accident occurred in September 1985 on a trip from Ushuaia to Río Grande. She was stranded on purpose by her Captain, Germán G. Prillwitz, with intentions of refloating him later. The reason for the stranding was that she could not enter the port of Rio Grande with a single engine and as a storm from the south west was announced, she was looking for a cove to anchor and pass the storm. Unfortunately, she touched the shore of Cabo San Pablo and began to make water. It's that simple if we don't echo the macabre intentions that the owners of it apparently had.

An ancient curse, among the seafaring traditions, reads: At the Last Judgment, those who dare to defy the "Cape" cannot be freed from their frozen graves. In any case, during the last half of the 19th century, more than 200 sailboats per year did so, only 5 percent wrecking. There were years that the challengers were very battered, such as the summer of 1906 to 1907 where 12 ships sank in the vicinity of Cape San Vicente or between 1887 and 1888 when three important English-flagged frigates sank in the same place.

CAPE SAN DIEGO. CROWN OF ITALY

This shipwreck is very interesting since it can still be seen underwater in the second bay to the south from Cabo San Diego. It is complete with its sticks and hangers.

TORINO STEAM

Steam Torino, was shipwrecked on September 9, 1902 in Caleta Policarpo, the mouth of that river. Port of seat was Punta Arenas. This small ship was the one that provided great service between Punta Arenas and Río Grande, including San Sebastián Bay.

LA BARCA BEACH

In the photos you can see the place in 1989, in 1990 with the appearance of the cover and in 1994 with the disappearance of it. We also see what remains in 2014. It is an all-wood boat with double oak lining. Bronze pegs and nailed the wood with wooden pegs. Classic type of construction from the 1700s and early 1800s. The iron studs were of different lengths such as 49 cm, and almost 2 inches thick (49 mm). The bronze nails, as we see, are square-headed. We do not find concrete data on its origin but we have a couple of names that coincide with this type of ship and construction that disappeared in the area. This sector was called “Playa La Barca”, which is to the west of Cerro Leticia. It is interesting to see photos from 1986 where the band and the stern of the ship were on the beach. With very low sea, other remains can be seen in the water. Apparently it drowned into the restinga and everything was left between both points and the stones that close the place. It is all very visible. Our excavations indicate that the bow was about 10 meters high. In that place we excavate in the sand up to 7 meters from the stem towards the stern. Year 1990. In the photo you can see part of a pole (mast). The piece found is 5.75 m and a diameter of about 0.70 m (almost 2 m in circumference). Among the remains we find one of the escobenes. What you see in the photo is part of the keel and from what we could deduce the stem and the stirrup band.

A WRECK IN THESE AREAS

What was a castaway facing in Peninsula Miter? In the first place it was land of "onas" and "haush". Both peoples could react in the same way: either they collaborated with them or they could be attacked. But in addition to the unpleasant situation of being shipwrecked, it should be added that the only salvation was to wander through desolate moors with a harsh climate and terrain almost impossible to travel with cargo. The wind, almost constant from the NW, has an intensity of 20 to 35 knots with intermittent showers. Going against the wind is quite difficult and you must walk along the beaches at low tide. The coast is high and you have to go up and down cliffs to be able to skip the most dangerous parts of the coast, which are the capes with immense rocks. On the other hand, you must be careful with the tide that when it rises it is possible to get stuck at the foot of the cliff.

Outside the beach, the coastal strip is presented with abundant peat, which, as one arrives at Thetis Bay, is in greater quantity. The low forests make it almost impossible to advance laden; but it has the advantage of providing plenty of firewood. There are also mighty rivers such as Leticia, Policarpo, Bueno and Irigoyen, which in order to wade through them it is convenient to wait for the tide to go out. There is food, you can eat algae and limpets or different crustaceans when the tide goes out. There is also wild celery and towards the end of the 800 there were abundant quantities of guanacos. Today there are cattle and a little guanacos. The cold is constant but the thermal marks are not very low. Next to a fire it quickly warms up. Drinking water is in quantity and this was never a problem. At present it must be taken into account if these streams come out of a beaver dam. At that time there were no beavers, and if the water is brownish in color, it is because of the peat.

This is the panorama during the summer but in winter you have to add a semi-frozen land and snow, which even in summer usually falls.
But it is interesting, even in telegraphic form, to read a logbook from that time. Shipwreck in the vicinity of Caleta Policarpo of the wolf ship of Messrs. Brisbane and Bray collected in "Narrations of the Survey Voyages of the Ships of SM" Adventure "and" Beagle "in the years 1826 to 1836" Volume III La Patagonia, written by Robert Fitz Roy.
February 23 (1830) - Busy saving things from the shipwreck; Six Indians visited us .
---------- 24. 25 Indians came, with their women and children.
---------- 25. The Indians start to get very upset.
---------- 27. Forty Indians came to us, armed with bows, arrows, and slings, without women or children. Some of us are busy building a longboat out of the wreck.
------- --28. More Indians, with 12 strong women and 18 children, but without weapons this time.
March 1 - More visits from Indians .
--------- 2. Fifty-one armed Indians.
------ "Until the 9th the crew continued to build their dinghy, being visited almost daily by the Indians, whom a third of the crew were forced to watch with their weapons at arm's length.
------- - On the 21st they were visited by 61 indigenous people (these Indians always withdrew before dark) ...
------ --29. Very annoyed every day by the indigenous people who tried to steal our tools, and extremely pressured by hunger. We have not had dinner for three days (Author's note: dinner was the main meal since they ate outside the presence of the Indians.)
April 8. A large group of Indians, who had been bothering us, quarreled among themselves and they had a fierce combat .
------ 9. The last of our supplies exhausted .
--- --15. Busy caulking the deck of the boat and collecting limpets from the rocks. Almost starved.
--- --17. Not having been bothered today by the natives, and the sea being calm, we left in a small boat that and we had saved and caught eleven mullets ". From that day on they used to fish for something ... but before this they had had to eat leather, and semi rotten whale blubber, which they obtained by exchange with the Indians ...
------ 22. We dropped the boat, or rather we dragged it when the downspout, letting it float later.
--- --24. The indigenous people, more annoying than ever, forced us to shoot them several times.
--- --27. Almost fainted, eating calf hide.
------ 30. Nothing to eat, except calf leather and berries. Due to the great surf we could not cross the reef with the boat.
May 1st - We go out to sea; the boat makes a lot of water; nothing but leather to eat .
---- - 5 We landed on Cape Meredith (in the Malvinas); but we cannot get close due to lack of wind .
------- 6. Two men surrender (3) due to lack of food: they have stayed for six days with only one pound of leather .
---- --- 7 . Great storm; the dinghy on a dry stick and almost flooded, swept away by the sea; men completely exhausted from hunger and from so much pumping and shrinking; It cost us a lot of work to prevent the boat from sinking; at dusk we sighted land amid the rain and splashes, a mile to leeward; We hoist the tip of the jib, and headwind we do for the nearest land; we see a cove, we get into it and anchor. We kill large numbers of geese and thank God for our salvation .
------ 11. Many of ours are ill due to the sudden change.
----- 17. We land at Port Pleasent; we see a lot of cattle, and the dog attacks two animals, holding them until we could kill them Note from Robert Fitz Roy: he took them by the snout. It was a large and strong animal, between bull-dog and mastiff,)
----- 30 of May. We anchored in Puerto Luis, disembarked, and at high tide we threw the boat ashore, (To enlarge, see among the sunken ships in Peninsula Miter).

Diseases on board

Harsh weather, sea, storms, hunger, cold, constantly wet, Indians, shrinking so as not to sink, calm in the middle of strong currents, an extremely discouraging outlook. They were not the only ones who were saved by building another boat and going to sea again. So did those of the Immaculate Conception or the great Luis Piedra Buena on the Isla de los Estados, their island. Life of true men of the sea.

We are especially grateful for the collaboration of the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich, the Argentine Navy that made possible the investigation on the ground, the Museum of the End of the World and the Naval Museum of Paris.

As for diseases, if it was already a mystery on land, it was even worse on board. He took centuries until he knew the cause of scurvy and how to change it. James Cook, who never had a scurvy patient, kept a state secret how he controlled it thanks to lime juice. It was a key secret for voyages of discovery. It was one of the greatest discoveries of him besides having sailed around the Antarctic continent establishing that there was no union with another continent. To better understand the time we are going to take as a basis the analysis carried out by Rodolfo R. Poletti Formoso on the expedition of the Beagle to the extreme south of America during the years 1826 to 1830. On this trip each ship had a "Surgeon" among the crew. and a "Surgeon Assistant". Let's think that a fracture, exposed or not, could lead to amputation. From 1745 the "Royal College of Surgeons" functioned; surgeons and barber surgeons had been separated. On board the "Beagle" was the assistant Bynoe who held the position for 5 years of campaign.

THE SCORBUTE

We will continue with the analysis made by Ch. by Navío Rodolfo R. Poletti from Fitz Roy's book "Narrative of surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure examination and Beagle describing their of the southern shores of South America and the Beagle's circumnavigation of the globe". This disease, formerly known as "sea plague", is caused by a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the body, as a result of a diet that does not contain it. Scurvy devastated the crew of the "Adventure" (Captain King) and to a much lesser degree (thanks to the exercise of effective preventive medicine) the "Beagle", commanded by Stokes. As early as 1720 a physician named Kramer wrote: "... if you can get fresh vegetables, if you have oranges, lemons, or their pulp or juice, and give doses of 3 to 4 ounces of juice (85 to 110 g ) nothing else is needed to cure this terrible disease. " In 1804, the Admiralty made mandatory the daily provision of a ration of lime juice (citrus aurantifolia) to each crew member of Royal Navy ships, with which the definitive elimination of this scourge was gradually achieved. In several texts from 800 books we see how with great ignorance they gave the causes and sometimes outlined the real reasons but did not know how to sustain them. They also explained what the symptoms were like and the appropriate treatment. "It recognizes by cause an insufficient assimilation, whatever the environment and the conditions in which it takes place, or the overcrowding associated with a persistence of disassimilatory losses under the influence of continuous work". They also stated: "It has no specific cause nor is it contagious. Cold humidity is its main predisposing cause; ... hence its sudden appearance after great storms on the high seas ..." "Voluntary or forced idleness; overwork, moral depression, nostalgia, are auxiliary causes. " "Most understand that the lack of fresh vegetables is the almost sole cause of the disease, both on land and at sea." Symptoms: "... towards the month of navigation an unaccustomed laziness is observed in the whole crew; the features show a characteristic yellowish color ..." "Shortly after, those who present this aspect ... remain lying down, with a Extraordinary laxity, invincible prostration, ... teeth fall out, then unbearable joint pain occurs ... bleeding of this or that mucosa, which can cause death ... ulcers that spread rapidly; hair loss , ... there is usually moral depression, despair, nostalgia, suicidal tendencies, deep disgust, disgust towards food. " Treatment: "... it will almost always be hygienic: a good diet, clean air, exercise, the passage from a cold and humid temperature to a hot and dry one ..., also having to resort to topicals, bitter ones and in particularly antiscorbutics (gentian, quinine). All fresh vegetables are recommended and especially potatoes, acidic fruits, lemon or lime juice, whose use is regulated in England and France. " The following "heroic" treatment, as Don Poletti calls it, is worth reproducing. It was applied during Bouchard's long and eventful cruise on the frigate "La Argentina" (1817), at the end of the voyage from Madagascar to Isla Nueva, in Java: "Scurvy invaded the crews and wreaked havoc on those lives dedicated to such a noble cause. There were days of counting eighty-four patients, of which more than half found a burial in those waters. After eight days of permanence on the island the disease did not decrease; and it was then that he sent the expedition surgeon the extraordinary procedure of burying the attacked alive, in wells four feet deep, covering them with earth up to the neck. " From the result of such treatment, Bouchard only records in the parts of him "that the past of the evil died at the time of being in that position, and the others improved, repeating that operation many times." (From Naval Campaigns of the Argentine Republic Vol II.). Captain King mentions that "... a kind of wild celery ... would be valuable to us as an antiscorbutic." (Volume 1 pg. 39) "The harshness of the weather brought the most unpleasant consequence. Scurvy made its appearance and increased ... "" The monotony of their occupations, the glacial and gloomy aspect of the region and the harsh climate, all contributed to increasing the number of patients, as well as the unfavorable symptoms of their illness. " (Volume 1 page 181) "The list of patients, especially those with scurvy, increased so much with this humid and rough weather, that I decided to send the" Adelaide "... in order to procure ... a supply of fresh meat ... "(Volume 1 page 187)
Among the precautions he took: "abundant supply of fresh provisions, bread made on board, pickles, blueberries, a large quantity of wild celery, preserved meat and soups; covered always airy, dry and hot. But all had been unsuccessful." (Volume 1 pg.187) In effect, days later he stated: "... three new cases of scurvy were recorded, with which our list of patients increased to fourteen." King trusts that with fresh guanaco meat, "... our patients, at least those of scurvy, would recover ..." However "... everything was in vain, the list increases ..." (Volume Y - p. 188/190), although he later states that "the timely supply of guanaco meat had undoubtedly contained scurvy, since there were no new cases to add to the list of patients, which numbered twenty." (Volume 1- page 229) Upon arriving in Montevideo, he had the help of a certain Juanico who "... provided us abundantly with bitter oranges ..." "The extensive consumption of this fruit was enough to produce a rapid change in the health of the scurvy patients, and within a week everyone was at their post. " (Volume 1 page 231) On Tuesday, April 7, 1829 (Volume II page 272) he notes in his diary having sent several crew members to "collect blueberries and preserve them for future consumption. They are antiscorbutic, the same as wild celery, from that much use was made in guanaco soup. " Captain Stokes comments "... fortunately they were abundant (clams and mussels), useful to ward off the symptoms of scurvy." (Volume 1 page 224).

NERVOUS DISEASES

As we will see, the officers and also the crew members used to suffer from depression and nervous disorders. This is how it happened with 2 of Luis Piedra Buena's crew when she was shipwrecked or Magellan's stay in San Julián where several sailors were thrown overboard. In this particular case, Don Poletti analyzes what happened with Captain Stokes, the outcome of which is suicide in a place near Puerto Hambre, in the Strait. The Admiralty entrusted this Captain with particularly difficult missions due to their length and the hostile environment in which they must be carried out. Returning from the strenuous campaign to the western mouth of the Strait of Magellan, he goes without hesitation to collect the shipwrecked from the "Prince of Saxe-Cobourg" wolfhound. The spectacle of that "shattered schooner with great directions", his own difficulties and the hardships suffered by those rescued, must have deeply hurt his spirit. The untold miseries of the Second Campaign, lifting Chile's rugged western coast, with nearly 70 percent of the crew sick "... and during the worst weather conditions," sealed their tragic fate. As Captain King puts it (Vol. 1 pg. 225), presumably by Lieutenant Skyring, on leaving Port Otway "... Captain Stokes began to show symptoms of an illness evidently caused by the terrible state of anxiety in which he found himself. he had encountered during the uprising of the Gulf of Peñas. He locked himself in his cabin, in complete abandonment, indifferent to everything; and after entering the Straits ... he lingered at various points for no apparent reason ... "King interviews him on the "Beagle", and finds him "... apparently very ill, and very down in spirit. He manifested himself greatly distressed by the hardships suffered by the officers and crew; and I was alarmed by the downcast tone of their conversation" (Volume 1 page 188). After that conversation, King says: "... the idea took shape in my mind that he was not entirely in his right mind." (Volume 1 page 190) King continues: "... it was due to a hint that was made to me, that I asked Tarn (doctor of the" Adventure ") to meet with Bynoe (doctor of the" Beagle ") and They will inform me if Captain Stokes's salute was sufficiently restored to allow him to start a new cruise. " When both doctors, after reviewing Stokes, prepared their report "... which was as I later learned, very unfavorable ...", King learns that Stokes "... in a moment of despair, had shot himself one shot". (Volume 1, page 191) He died twelve days later, on August 12, 1828, and was "... buried in our cemetery, with the honors due to his rank ..." (Volume 1-191) In In reality, it was not common for a captain to commit suicide. It is real that they have suffered from nervous diseases of different kinds and a little difficult to determine from a distance, like Captain Blight of the "Bounty".

ILLNESSES DERIVED FROM MOISTURE AND COLD

Captain Stokes writes (Volume 1 pg. 225) "The effects of this damp and afflicting weather ... became more visible in the list of the sick, including many patients with colds, pneumonia and rheumatism." In a chaos he ordered that "... each man be given canvas for a jacket and trousers, which would be painted at the first opportunity, as a shelter against rain and wetness." (Volume I page 222). This measure was imitated, years later, by Fitz Roy, as we will point out later. At his request, the ship's doctor informed him that "... as a result of the highly exposed crew ... their health had been very seriously affected, mainly from lung, catarrhal and rheumatic ailments ..." ; (Volume 1 page 224). Consequently, the "Beagle" goes into wintering for 14 days. As Stokes puts it: "... I had mast and yards lowered and the ship was covered with sails. Precautions were taken to prevent people from being exposed to the elements ..." (id.) Referring to the "Adventure" already the "Beagle", says King (Volume I page 229): the "Beagle" did not have so many patients, but during the last cruise it had added up to 40 patients, mainly pulmonary, and some were still in treatment. "Fitz Roy adopted Special measures to avoid the high percentage of patients suffered by Stokes In Volume II, page 283, he writes: "During the humid weather in these regions, the awnings that we had painted in Rio de Janeiro and Maldonado were very beneficial for us; they kept the lower deck and much of the upper deck completely dry, even with heavy rain. "Later he insists:" Each individual wore their clothes covered with sailcloth or canvas, well painted; and instead of a hat, a "sueste" (like a chickadee's cap). "It is a hat used in the past in the navy that has a brim and the back covers the nape, making the water slide through the cape or the waxing (sack waterproofed with wax or paint.) Then he highlights (Volume II page 285): "Each officer and crew member who had to spend the night outside the" Beagle "wore a large blanket or poncho (sewn in the shape of a bag, and with a jareta), which served to sleep comfortable and very warm. "In the final phases of the Expedition, Fitz Roy recognizes an alarming percentage of patients:" During the last part of our stay in Seno Navidad, and up to the present our list of sick had been considerable, which is why I did not dislike being in a safe place and restoring his health. The main ailments have been colds and rheumatism, due to the freezing wind and high humidity. This has been the only time, since the departure of the "Beagle" from Rio de Janeiro, that the list of patients has deserved to be taken into account "(Volume II pp. 532 and 533).

OTHER DISEASES

Stokes records that Sergeant I. M. Lindsay: "In recent days he had suffered from inflammation of the intestines, badly that he concluded by cutting off his existence." (Volume 1 page 219). Mr. Skyring notes that "... we had the misfortune to lose Mr. Alexander Millar, as a result of a serious inflammation of the intestines that carried him away after only three days." In Volume 1 p. 155, Mr. King upon meeting with the "Beagle", learns "... of the death of Lieutenant Robert H. Sholl, after ten days of illness." Skyring records (Volume II-419): "From the beginning of January I was confined to bed, of a tedious and stubborn evil." Robert Fitz Roy attributes it to "... fatigue and he will be sitting for a long time while he traced the charts." (Volume II page 418); like so many ailments that were attributed to the only visible explanation they could find.

Food on board

Thus, he prioritized hunting and catching fish and other foods that nature could provide. In any case, he took measures that today would be debatable, such as rationing without a prevailing need. This is how he rationed his crew on two occasions: "For three days all kinds of salty food was suppressed to the crew and instead they were given preserved meat, seafood and a large pig brought from Montevideo." ... "The reason that led me to completely cut out salty meat for a few days was the belief that, to produce an effective variation in the organism, a change of diet of at least two or three days is needed; and that it is much better to give fresh supplies three days in a row, and salted meat the rest of three weeks, than to give fresh meat three times at intervals, in the same period. " (Volume II page 282).

One day "... he put everyone on a 2/3 ration ..." as it seemed preferable to shorten the ration - now that everyone was in good health and spirits and that he could get fish and poultry reinforcements - to do it Later, when perhaps we were in a different situation. "(Volume II page 479) A singular detail is that Fitz Roy had a" Hunting Diary "kept, recording what was hunted, the hunter, and to whom the collected piece or pieces was destined. ( Pages 586-587 of Volume I).

It is worth clarifying that before 800 the diet was very bad and they were based on the famous "biscuit". Live cattle, chickens and whatever live animals could be transported were carried on the ships. It was not the case of the trips through the south of the continent since with the storms and the cold they were succumbing one after another. By the end of the 700s and the beginning of the 800s, the explorers had taken the habit of practically getting rid of the salty meat and trying to renew it, whether it was for penguin or sea lion meat or whatever. If they did not know for sure, at least they sensed that it was necessary to renew the stock with fresh food. The English Pilot of the late 800s recommends stopping at the port of San Juan de Salvamento to make water, harvest wild celery and renew the meat stock by hunting penguins and sea lions; he gets to the point that he warns that if he stops in October it is possible to harvest penguin eggs.

(Extracted from the book "Shipwrecks in Cape Horn, Isla de los Estados, Magallanes, Peninsula Miter, Malvinas and Georgias del Sud" by Lic. Carlos Pedro Vairo. Edited by the Maritime Museum and Zagier & Urruty Publications).