THE CALL OF GOLD

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 August 1928, Page 4

THE CALL OF GOLD

The discovery of gold on the North Beach had a. good deal, to do with the settlement of Cobden, as it did with most of the other townships on the West Coast. In the very early days, before the present bridge was thought of, only the river bank provided access to the * embryo township, and the ‘‘rush led to the establishment of a ferry service across the river. The ferry passengers embarked at Greymouth at a point opposite the sice of the present Criterion Hotel, and were landed in the vicinity of the Cobden Domain, the single fare costing half-a-crown. Before the ferry was instituted (about 1875}, pioneers wishing to reach Cobden swam their horses across the river. A great deal of mining was done for miles along the North Beach, and Cobden was generally the miners’ headquarters. In the early days, the township became almost as important as, Greymouth, and had its Post 1 and Telegraph Offices, .Warden’s and Magistrate’s Courts, police station, gaol, school, stores, banks, and hotels. The leading hotel was under the control of the late Mr John Hamilton, whose livery stables were also well known. The fact that there was then no road to Ahaura on the Greymouth side of

the river necessitated the journey being made on the Cobden side, and this! caused a keen demand for horses. Tn 1 addition to Cobden, there was also a township known as the North Spit, and,it also had stores and hotels. .A party of eleven gold-seekers, three oi*Whom were Harry McCarthy, Chris. Mouatt and Tom Gunn, camped at the Lake one evening. Tn the morning Gunn went out early, sank a. hole, and obtained a vbry good prospect. Two Welshmen said the claim was theirs. “Where are your pegs?” asked the' party. These were pointed out. and on the ground being taped it was shown the hole was just outside. Harry

; WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN. i A dip into history reveals the i fact that, had a project th.at origi inated at Nelson in 1866, a year = after the West Coast gold rush ; commenced, been brought to frui- ; tion, Cobden might have been a : much more important centre. The i Nelson people conceived the idea : of constructing a railway right to ; Cobden, and a special Act of Par- : liament was entitled, "The Nelson, = Cobden, and Westport Railway : Land Act, 1866.’ r Had the promoi ters succeeded in launching their ; scheme, such a railway might i have led to the construction of a ; deep-sea harbour at Point Eliza- ■ ,beth.

McCarthy, on the strength, of news from up-country, induced his party to leave the beach, for what did not turn out as good as what they had left. Another party set. in and were rewarded with a satisfactory return. The beach was found to be composed of three leads of gold-bearing strata, the middle lead being the richest. The gold was very fine. A cradle, boxes lined witli plush (sometimes copperplate smeared with quicksilver being at the end) and pump were Used to treat the wash-dirt. No deep ground could be worked, and in after years gold-winning was undertaken by Taylor’s grab, and lastly by the North Beach dredge. The old-timers included also Alonzo Wisdom, Stephen Wisdom (storekeeper), John and George Spence, AlcNicol, James Sloss, Martin Parker, John Parks, Ben Hurst, James Currie, J. Keeney, James Simpson, William Laughton (known as “BiJJy the Fish,” a mender of hets), Jack Gibson, John Turner, Richard Snell, and Fullerton brothers. The early band have “gone West,” hut their descendants remaini

co ‘ bring to completion the work' they begun.” Naturally, the district had to extend with increasing settlement, the needs of the inhabitants creating a demand for various industries—a bakery to supply. bread to take the place of the miner’s damper, smithy- for horse-shoe-ing. etc., shops retailing footwpar and wearing apphrel. A number of children were of school age, and the necessity of a place where they could be taught confronted the parents.