THE EARLY DAYS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 148, 17 March 1908, Page 4

THE EARLY DAYS.

■ INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. : 1 - i CI|T'rELIQK-iI"H—SI'KOIAL OOHKiBPONBKTr.T A-A . phrlstohurch, March 16. . - . At tho, Irocmaßters', Conferenco .Hifld; hero 'i^xJ'^ii^on6ds , wero recounted (says the " Times ") by aomo of the older.-'.members •of ,; tho Association 1 . Among these,'was.-Mr. D., Robertson,",-of ''li9|^n )^^J^''rAma£rl^scLjtha^£ln.":tlie'"eiaTi3icla7a > the' |suppjy; ; 6'f tools. had - required, engmeeriiig'in':the double seriso to be'availed 1 of ,in;order the'wqrk called for, might, bo done.' ' Fer special jobs ,-tho tools had to iie the;'material picked 'here t ii'n'ds,t{i?re.'li : He£recalled .tho. raising of the.s;B. l 'Tai : 'aha'lii from 108 ft.'of water by-Mr.--C.--Sosger : - 1 i4,;1860., , .mth'.' appliances 'made on', tho spot,' which,:-he , said,; woro stilli in his shop'.' v'Mr. - Senger had to alter the. Bpeed'' : ''6f 'the s ,s.'s'. ''rWongawonga, ... and '.had...mariufactured- for her out of iron tanks, theco-being no .other- material handy. :£>he .had sprung from four to nine,knots. By-'arid^byV-a 1 now-^iirbpiller: had been-, imported it,-bad..not:boen as,good as' Mr. Seagor'a''' tiii'": on'ej for sho had: only..'ma:do eight, knots -.ivith I "'tho now. one.,•''Many. years', ago, ho himself had been entrusted with tho tisk of lengthening the s.s.. Stormbird by ZTft.'j^aridheightening ; hei-V by 4ft.y* and that' lis- had .occp'ffiplished lup 'iri ftSrfti t «f;t-hiV'''S&Bido 'shop. Outtirig 1 her in half," he had inserted a. new part, mean-, blpcking Quay by his. ! opeVatioris,'; an J ?! bfiaging wyath. to the. heart of . carters. . The , new engines and boilers ,'thatjh6, f had .made for -the vessel, .wore still runnin:" sweetly, and wero one of the - be«t ijob'sVdoue in New Zealand. Mr. Seager hadbuilt the. first cream separator: and the first bbililig-docri-'iplanti and freezing machinery injtho coloay, and in 1862 he had constructed preserving pkn far tho Gear Meat Company. Mr. Bobjrtson said ono of the' -big', jobs; camod',through was Ithe'making 'of.-'a'. big: ; hyjdrfliilic : press for. tho. Wellington Harbour Board; Ho scarcely realised-; howo;hp. had managed 'to but. it had been doijo,'. and the work had stood the tremeHdous t-?st' imppsed v-»JfJoi\plod -' to-; an : s.imported, engine the..press -naff tee* tested, and: the ■ram shaved through .• a six-inch slab sf cast iron. Tho engineer for whom it had beori made bad wished to havs-it tearted to' 3f tcno.per aquaro inch, and tho speaker had rioi! Btoppod. fesiring-. far his, press. till ■ho -had femtd.'tlist ;ths«could' riot\ pump such a preßsurfl;'ipJ,tet^®''jj!ja6hine., His firm-' had steam''hammer '.i*to."W<#l-' • It ' in'ni"great hurry to" forg# a cr.snk' shaft "for the steamer Beautiful Star, 1 Me. (imyl heing.placed npon';,some foundation i pft&\'.''';,"'H«lf''^*nih(Bl»*went '-te seo it nt .work. 1 St«am was led . into it and it.-waij started, but the anvil to sink at S®a7«b.y iand by tho - ste|nii>pipo ,;carried away, whereupon everybody fled 'icV'oss the reclaimed ground, shrieking, '' Mills's steam hammer lias bust." But tho hammer was not "bust." 1 It was fixed up again and tho Work was, finished. Tho en--ore'. novel''stuck. .-Mr,'. Robertson cappcd his .rccitnl with "the accouritgshK; - request, of how he cut tne' 'gi" 1 ;l o'f the stove." Sho was a. fino big Irish" ;*irl, and sho was cleaning out tho 1 flues of tlio stovo'when sho put her arm: through ono of tho round holes abovo the; and:was .stuck. The'firo was ready feid, but thero could bo no breakfast tiilthe:girl was removed.., He .was sent: for, and, with an assistant, yliO'.went.' to ■" seo what .was, jirbng.;witK.^hev'6ld*,:Btove;".. : JThero. lay, the, girl;t,mpabnig-,oK'vthp. stovo.," So what, did; I id'P^s'iaS^^l^fcruck-,a-match.-. and lit' tho s fireiH : sho'. ,wris; oiit' in a a'ecbnd.',