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''Allen Gardiner'' was a
In 1858 ''Allen Gardiner'' was used to return a Yahgan family to Wulaia, and it brought others to Keppel Island to study with missionaries. Homesick, they departed after several months in October 1858, again on the ''Gardiner''. The idea had been to educate the Yahgan in English and Christianity. They and the British suffered serious cultural misunderstandings. When the ''Allen Gardiner'' failed to return to Keppel Island, Captain William Horton Smyley was sent to Tierra del Fuego in 1860 on the ship ''Nancy'' to investigate. Smyley discovered the ship afloat at Wulaia, but stripped of all valuable possessions. He learned from the one survivor, the cook, that Captain Fell, four mates, two seamen, and the
Chapter 5
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110810013536/http://samsusa.org/about_history.html Schooners Anglican mission in Tierra del Fuego Missionary ships 1854 ships Maritime incidents in 1859 Maritime incidents in 1893
''Allen Gardiner'' was a schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
owned by the South American Mission Society, based in England. Built in 1854, the schooner was named after Captain Allen Gardiner, the founder of the society. He had died of starvation with the rest of his mission party at Spaniard Bay on the SE coast of the main island of Tierra del Fuego in 1852, after resupply was delayed.
The schooner was sailed to Keppel Island, Falklands, to support the missionary effort there and in Tierra del Fuego. In the fall of 1858, it was used to return some Yahgan natives to Wulaia after their months-long visit on Keppel. After the ship did not return, the missionary society sent out the ''Nancy'' to try to discover what had happened. In 1860, the captain and crew found one British survivor at Wulaia. They learned that the captain and rest of the crew of the ''Gardiner'' were all killed by the Yahgan on November 1, 1859, after a conflict. SAMS withdrew for some time from trying to establish a mission in Tierra del Fuego, but one was established in 1871.
Massacre
In 1858 ''Allen Gardiner'' was used to return a Yahgan family to Wulaia, and it brought others to Keppel Island to study with missionaries. Homesick, they departed after several months in October 1858, again on the ''Gardiner''. The idea had been to educate the Yahgan in English and Christianity. They and the British suffered serious cultural misunderstandings. When the ''Allen Gardiner'' failed to return to Keppel Island, Captain William Horton Smyley was sent to Tierra del Fuego in 1860 on the ship ''Nancy'' to investigate. Smyley discovered the ship afloat at Wulaia, but stripped of all valuable possessions. He learned from the one survivor, the cook, that Captain Fell, four mates, two seamen, and the catechist
Catechesis (; from Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of converts to Christianity, but as the ...
, Garland Philips, were all killed by Yahgan while on shore on November 6, 1859.
The ship's cook and sole survivor of the massacre, Alfred Cole, was rescued by Captain Smyley. Cook later described the attack:
The Yahgan natives were angered by the search. While on board the ship, one attacked the captain, grasping him by the throat. Captain Fell threw off the man and sent all the Yahgan on the ship to shore. On November 6, 1859, Yahgan men attacked and killed Fell and most of the crew while they were holding church services on shore. The cook of the ship claimed that the attack was led by Jemmy Button but he denied any role in this.
Wreck
On August 10, 1893, ''Allen Gardiner'', under command of Captain Robert Thompson, was seriously damaged during a storm. Captain Thompson was found to have acted wrongly by attempting to sail the ship in poor conditions. He received "severe censure".See also
* Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum, includes history of ''Stirling House''References
{{ReflistExternal links
* http://anglicanhistory.org/sa/gardiner/marsh/06.htmlChapter 5
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110810013536/http://samsusa.org/about_history.html Schooners Anglican mission in Tierra del Fuego Missionary ships 1854 ships Maritime incidents in 1859 Maritime incidents in 1893