COBDEN’S LOST GLORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 February 1928, Page 16 (Supplement)

COBDEN’S LOST GLORY

Miners’ Headquarters i! • . 1 L

IN the early days, Cobden was almost as important a town as Greymouth; having its Jost and Telegraph offices, Warden’s and Magistrates Courts, Police, gaol, Government school, stores, hotels etc. Its. leading hotel, run by old John Hamilton (uncle to the Gilmers)., was equal to and as important as any on the Coast.'A great deal of mining was being done for miles along the North Beach and Cobden was generally the miners’ headquarters, besides as there was no road to Ahanra on the Grey side, all hands went up the Nelson side of the river, starting from Cobden, and this enabled Old John to keep a large number of horses etc. Those journeying from Greymouth up the valley per noddy, swam their horses to Cobden, as there was no punt until about 1875. Besides Cobden, there was what was then known as the North Spit, also a pretty decent township with its stores, hotels' etc. To save the walk from Cobden to the Spit, a very large number' of ferry boats plied between the latter and Greymouth, the fare at first being 2/6 single, then 1/6 and finally 1/-. The late Frank Sweetman was by profession a boatbuilder; in the early days he ran an hotel at the Spit and there built one of Greymouth’s first racing skiffs. Old Tom Brown (also a boatbuilder.) arid Frank were naturally keen on bOatracing and on several occasions pulled an oar in one or other-, of the races. ''

,In 1871, the population of the Borough of Greymohth was 2181 persons; in 1896 the number was 3,099, and in 1906 it hds increased to 4,569. The present population is 5,630, excluding Cobden (1,155). ' Greymouth was the first borough to adopt the principle of rating upon unimproved values.