1854: August Unshelm lost at sea in hurricane: Weber take over

“August Unshelm, ran the German Hamburg house of Johann Cesar Godeffroy und Sohn based in Matafele, Unshelm was lost at sea in in a hurricane in the Fijian Archipelago. At his death, Theodor Weber, then a young man of twenty-seven, who had come to Samoa from the firm in Hamburg through its Valparaiso branch [...]

American schooner Argo ran aground, brings Asian cholera and sandalwood trade to Fiji

1800: Bukatatanoa Reef, near Lakeba, is where the American schooner Argo ran aground. One crew member died, but the ship carried a deadlier cargo which was to infest the Fiji group under the name “Lila Balavu” a strain of Asian cholera. The Argo was closely followed by the La Plumier which had picked up [...]