EARLY COACHING AND HUNTING DAYS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28050, 18 August 1956, Page 13

EARLY COACHING AND HUNTING DAYS

Exploits Of The Versatile Captain Cotton

[Special written for « The p ress - b „ G R MACDONALD]

Of the various coach services from the outskirts of the town to Christchurch, the Riccarton coach had the longest life, and was much the best known. There was a service from Papanui run by various men, and William Hayward—later owner of the Rink Stable—ran a coach from Abberley. St. Albans. Later he abandoned this and concentrated on the Christchurch-Sumner run, which he continued till the tram started The starting point of the Riccarton coach was the old Horse and Jockey Inn at Coach Corner which George Willis opened about 1860. There were good stables behind, which were used for the coach horses. The inn was burnt down in the eighties, but the stables were unharmed and continued to serve the coach until the tram took over.

Francis Leach was a well-known racing man and part-owner of Snowdon Station. He was unfortunate with both, and with what was left of his capital he built stables in Worcester street, opposite the present Government Buildings. They ran through to Gloucester street and were christened the Cathedral Mews. This was in 1879 When the age of the motor-car arrived these stables became A. W’. Smith’s garage, and later were pulled down and replaced by the Mayfair Theatre. Leach took into partnership C H Lewis—usually known as “Four-in-' Hand Charlie”—and between them they started the Riccarton coach and Charlie became the best known of its drivers. Charles Lewis had held a commission in a cavalry regiment and had come out to New Zealand in charge of a shipment of brood mares. Conversation on the Box He was not only a first-class whin but he was an agreeable man and had great conversational powers A seat alongside Charlie on the box was keenly competed for. The coach left the Horse and Jockey every morning, picked up business men on the way, turned into Cashel street from Oxford’ terrace, swung round the town into High street with a flourish, and pulled up at Morton’s Commercial Hotel opposite Strange’s. Several drivers of the Riccarton coach came from a Riccarton family named Thomson. John Wood, another driver, and later manager, married a Miss Thomson. He was not the conversational type—in fact, he was rather dour—but he was very able and reliable. When the Christchurch Tramway Company took over the Riccarton coach, John Wood joined the company and became traffic superintendent of the trams. He rot«e to be chairman of the Tramway Board and a steward of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club. He bought one of the finest of the Cheviot small grazing runs, just south of the Waiau, which he sold to Thomas Wilkinson in 1919. A retired cavalry officer, Captain Frederick Cotton, came out to Canterbury in the early eighties and leased Captain Clouston’s house on the south side of the Riccarton road. This section about 40 years ago came into the possession of W. S. Lovell-Smith and he built “Midway” on it. Cotton, looking round for congenial occupation, decided to buy a share in the Riccarton coach service. He drove for a time but tired of the monotonous work. Probably he was no* very polite to the passengers. To conclude here the story of the coach, he sold his share, when he left New Zealand, to C. J. Penfold, the first Said secretary of the Canterbury ockey Club, who used to live at the Racecourse Hotel. Penfold went across to Australia in 1890. and white there succeeded in obtaining the appointment to the very much bigger job of secretary to the Melbourne Racing Club. He. in turn, sold his share to Pyne and Boyle. “Conciliating” Farmers When Captain Cotton tired ol coach-driving, he turned his attention to the Christchurch Hunt. The hunt was in one of its periodical conditions of crisis. The first master. Alfred Cardale, had gone bankrupt and left the country. There had been various changes in the positions of huntsman and whip. When Captain Cotton, a very self-confident man who had had considerable experience of hunting. offered to hunt the hounds, look after the kennels, and find himself in horses for £2OO a year for three years, they jumped ai the offer. He was appointed master as well as huntsman. The first hunt under his regime was held at Riccarton in April, 1883. He opened proceedings by giving a short talk on manners in the hunting field and conciliating farmers. During his thiec years he made a marked improvemen* in the standard and organisation o* the hunting, but in spite of his talk on conciliating farmers, it was in thio very important point that he laiiea lamentably. , . At the end of his three years he announced that he was leaving for a brief visit to England, and he offered, while there, to obtain some fresh blood for the pack which he thought was greatly needed. The committee acquiesced in his proposal.

. While he was away the annual meetmg of the hunt was held, and without his firm control and authortative presence the members broke loose and said that, while acknowledging his in giving them good sport, it he held office for another season not a farmer would allow them to hunt over his country. F. J. Kimbell, the president, and one of the best-liked men ever to live in Canterbury, and the complete opposite to Cotton, was appointed in his place; and when Cotton arrived back in Canterbury with tne new hounds he found that he had been sacked. He took to auctioneering thoroughbreds and hunters. He gave the local sporting writers a good dinner at Warners, and got an excellent return in the form of a write-up for his sale the next day.

When ‘Walking” was Walking It will be seen that he was a man of pai\s. But he had another accomplishment which was the last that would be expected of a retired cavalry officer. He was an athlete, and the particular form of athletics he excelled in was walking. It should be noted that in those days walking was of much greater importance relatively to running or jumping than it is today. He backed himself to walk from Stonyhurst to Christchurch—a distance of some 68 miles—in 18 hours. The road at that time barely existed north of the Waipara. Wool went away from Stonyhurst by sea and stores came in the same way; and the same applied to Cheviot Hills and Hawkswood. From Waipara onwards the principal user of such road as existed was John Boyce, the Cheviot mailman. This was about 10 years before the cutting up of the Cheviot Hills estate. Cotton left Stonyhurst at midnight and reached Amberley at 8.25—a distance of 39 miles which he had covered at an average speed of four and a half miles an hour. A man riding a good hack would not expect to do any better. He stopped at Hugh McLeans Crown Hotel and had a bath, a light breakfast, and a sleep. He left Amberley at 10.20 and reached the Christchurch Club with a quarter of an hour to spare. It was generally believed that he won £l5O in wagers by this exploit.

After his Stonyhurst walk he backed himself to walk in a hall 100 miles in 24 hours. This feat had been too much for various professionals and he was able to get odds of two to one against himself. He walked his 100 miles with an hour to spare and won £2OO. Taking on the “Peds” At this time professional athletes used to come across periodically from Australia and tour New Zealand, arranging matches as they covered the country. Walking was quite as good a draw as running. They were always referred to as “pedestrians,” and the journalistic slang term for them was “peds.” They travelled with a man-ager-trainer, who had to make arrangements, the most important of which was to find a backer. Betting greatly stimulated interest and the public put their money on freely. Training reports were issued and also the varying odds. A 24-hour match with another athlete, or against the clock, was often put on, and these were usually held in a hall. Enthusiasts would pay their money and drop in at all hours during the day or night and chaff or cheer on the competitors. The athletes had to do 20 to 30 rounds to a mile, according to the size of the hall. It must have been a wearisome business. Cotton was looking for further fields to conquer; and when a professional “ped” named Scott challenged him to a 24-hour walk, allowing Cotton 10 miles. Cotton had no hesitation ip accepting. He announced that, if he won, the stake would go to the regimental funds of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles (of which he was commanding officer at the time). He kept a steadier pace than Scott, and covered 109 miles, excluding his 10-mile handicap. and beat Scott by a mile. The C.M.R. benefited by £7O. and gave him a dinner. Two days later he appeared in amateur theatricals in the Opawa School room. Scott challenged him again, the match to come off at Dunedin. This time Cotton was beaten. He said he was unwell, but couldn’t let his backers down by retiring. He left New Zealand in 1887. He wrote two successful songs, "The Meynell Hunt.” which was published in the Christmas number of the “Graphic,” and the words and music of another. He also published ? novel called “Gone Away.” ‘‘written in a racy style and couched in language which is that of one who has seen life.” He had a very bad spill in the hunting field, and for a time it was thought he was killed. As a result he lost the sight of his right eye. While he was lying in bed in hospital a few days later, he read, with his remaining eye. his own obituary notice. He joined the staff of an African explorer in 1890 When last heard of in 1915, he was living at Horsey. Sussex.