Days That Are Past.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 10 (Supplement)

Days That Are Past.

TVJiR. H. J. CLAYTON IN REMIN. * ' ] SCENT MOOD. j The dust nuisance was so bad in Gisborne in the 70’s that it was nJ- , most impossible to go anywhere when j a nor’-wester was blowing. On race j days everyone, men and women, wore j blue gossamer veils, and I have ; known the leaders m the five-horse j brake turn round and refuse to lace • the blinding dust storm on the road j to Waerenga-a-hika course. Glad- j stone Road was like Waikanae Beach i for cutting sand. But, soon alter- j the Borough Council was formed, it j was decided to try and keep down \ the dust nuisance and punts were , built and were towed up' to the “Is- j land” up the Waimata river and ! there loaded with papa which was j brought down and the muddy papa 1 placed on Gladstone Road from the Post Office to about Grey Street. That was all right in the summer but, when winter came, it was awful, for the cure was as bad as the disease or worse. Stone crossings were then made of fiat stones from the. other “Island”—Sponge Ba) —one crossing from the Albion to Williams and Kettle’s corner, one from there to the letter boxes at tlie Post Office, one at the Masonic corner, and one at Townley’s corner. If you saw a friend “over the road” whom you | wanted to speak to, you whistled to . him and walked up to the stone cross- , ings and met on one side or the other or Gladstone Road. It is said that a man was thrown off his horse opposite the N.Z. Clothing Factory’s premises and lie was never seen again. 1 was not there, so h cannot vouch for this. GISBORNE TO ORMOND IN SEVEN HOURS. The country districts had no roads—only tracks. My first trip to Ormond in September, 1872, took from 1 o’clock till dark. Leaving the old Argvle Hotel in Bidgocd’s coach, a light three-horse vehicle, wc rode as far as Makaraka along the sandy ridges. Then we came to the clay and we children got out and walked and ran along the roadside, while the three horses plodded through the mud till ab'ut King’s Road, when we got into the coach again but had

once mure to leave it ami walk. The late Arthur Cuff, who lived at Mangatu, had a pack of nudes that carried in the tucker to the station. My cousin, the late Alfred Hatton, had a hutcherv hus : nrss at Patutnlu where die killed and then carried the meat to town for delivery. Jt took from 2 a.in. till G n.m. to get the meat to the Bridge Hotel, where it was transferred to the lighter carts and reached town about 8 o’clock. So you see, we are not quite so badly off for roads now as then. BURNING OF MAKAURI BUSH. Tin; Makauri hush supplied us with white-pine for building. Shingles were used .then, hot iron, for roofing and white pine split easily into the light shingles. We also had kauri from Auckland, also from as far p's “Hbhnrfcown” (Hobart now). £ remember well the hot Sunday the hush was cleaned up by fire. It was an awe inspiring sight to me as a child, and I shall never forget it. OLDEST BUSINESS PLACE IN TOWN. The kauri timber came from Auckland in schooners and was rafted ashore here on to the mud flat where the old slip used to stand. The schooner, after being lightened, then came into the river. One shop still stands to-day tb.-vc was built of kauri by mv father for the firm of Eobjohns. Tent & Co. It is on the Lowe Street corner and is now occupied by Mrs. Gunn as a ladies’ supply store. I think it is the oldest business place in Gisborne to-day. LOCAL MARINE DISASTERS. The first wreck I remember was the barque “Lochnagar,” 444 tons, which vessel took our total shipment of wool" Home in those days. The next was the “Arcadia,” a schooner which put in here dismasted. The U.S.S. Co.’s s s. Taupe got on the recks on Kaiti Beach one misty night, the lights of the Maori pah being taken for the town lights. J. also saw the wreck of the s.s. Sir Donald on the Wainui Beach. She was blown awav from Napipr in a southerly and all hands were lost. Of course we often had the Pretty Jane, the Go Ahead, and other small vessels holed on the bar. I Was on the beach having a dip when the s.s. Wairarapn landed our little launch the s.s. Snark. I was also on the beach when the Wnirarapa came in on fire and was gutted. The fire broke out in the linen locker just after leaving Napier. All her cushions and movable fittings were jettisoned and she was filled* with winter bv our fire brigade and her own pumps. Our old manual was taken out on tl)e “cattle punt.” The steamer later loft for Auckland under her own steam hut all her passengers remained here. The wreck or the Tasmania, which occurred one night off Mahia, near Table Cape, will not he forgotten by those old residents of the day—September, 1807. My brother Walter was a passenger and lie was landed with others at the boat harbor, near Cook’s monument, at daylight the net morning. All were saved except one boat load, which tried to land over near Wharcongaonga, the boat being upset in the surf, and I- believe all were drowned. As I was not here at the time, I am not too sure of the details. I have mv brother’s boat pass, which was handed to him that night when the steamer anchored In the Bay, hut as a s.e. moderate gale was blowing the tender did not go out. The. “Tasmania” slowly steamed out of % the Bay on her why j to Napier, hut was wrecked later in | the evening and wont down in deep water. The owner of a hand-bag con-, taining some diamonds worth several thousands'later engaged a,ketch'.and' ’diver'to'try■ and fiecov'or the; 1 )h'g.l • Jvufc'-„ ttvw > Capt. McGee. was 1 master 'of the “‘Tasmania” and I have heard: that tho night of the

wreck his wife in Sydney was-awaken-ed by a crash and, on rising to find out the cause, found that the cord holding an enlarged photo of her bus- j hand had broken. The p-ietu'e fell and was smashed by the fall; next ; morning she heard of tho wreck. The Union Company's Aralmra was also holed in the roadstead and beached near the groyne, eventually getting away all right. An old ship’s boat that Jay at the wharf bottom up was bought by two men who went | fishing in her and never returned. The small barque Rio Grande became i a total wreck rear the groyne, also j the cutter Spray near the end of Grey Street. I remember the loss off I Walplro Bay of the Aotea with all hands. Capt. Nicholas was in comI mand. Also the upsetting of the i surf boat belonging to the s.s. Australia with loss of life off Tola era Bay. I was present at the City Rink when Constable Stagpole received the R.H.S. silver medal for bravery in saving life on that occasion. I must not forget to mention the s.s. Star of Canada, whose hones rest beneath the waves off ibe Ka;t: beach.

BULLOCK RUNS AMOK ON GLAESTONE ROAD. There was great excitement in Gladstone Road one very hot day in about 188-3, when some cattle were being shipped at the wharf; in the evening, one beast got away on to the Waiknnae. Later, about 630 p.m., it ran amok up Gladstone Road and was about to toss some children playing in the street opposite where Mr. Langrldge now has his shop The mothers of the children, who saw the beast tearing up the road rushed cm, to save their children which they did, but both were tossed by the iu'uriated animal, one being a cripple to this day, and one horseman who went to- the rescue had his horse disembowelled. The animal was, later, shot on the site of the garage next the Wesley Church in Bright Si.

NOTABLE CHARACTERS. Du Verney.—A man who was well connected at Home ami had been in the Horse Guards. He used to drive a dray for John B'dgood. I saw his sword, which Undo Blab- held for him and, hoy-like, enjoyed looking at the same very much. Geo. Williamson, who iived where the Wi Pore monument now stands. I remember him as the man who used to bite off the terrier dog’s tails. “Dusty” Stevenson —Who was always prominent at election tunes. He named the bullocks in his team after the rival candidates and would give the one “McDonald” all the whip and “Locke” his own favor.te candidate no whip at all. “General” Chute—An old chap who lived around the Riverside Road. Charlie Peterson.—Who carried the mail from Muriwai once a week. SOME OF THE OLD HANDS. Captain Read, Mill, Williamson, John Harvey, “Blind Charlie,” Joe Kennedy, Old Mackav (the ferryman). Geo. Nesbitt, Ton Reardon, Dr. Nosbit (first Dr. Magistrate, and . who took the church services in the old Court-house), John Bradley (of the Albion Hotel), Wi Wbarek'no, Andrew Park (fisherman), Sam Stevenson. Matt Hali, Jas. McCaft'ery (saddler), Skipworth, J. H. Stubbs, M. G. Nasmith, John Maynard, John and Peter Breignan, Joe Hmnon, George Bruce, Geo. Scott, Ewen Cameron, Ffed. Hardy, Alex. McKenzie, W. H. Horsfall, John Ferguson, Henry and Edward Harris, W. W. Smith.* Wm. King, A. Kempthorn?, John Parsons (Matawhere). Larry Dunn, Tnrr family, Wm. Walsh, Espies, Jas. Dunlop, Finuoanes. Peter MbFai’lane, Martin Casey. Joe and John Kennedy, Capt. Porter, Edwin Rourke, Brooke Taylor. Ba"sde!l, Bob Cooper, Bedford Shorriff, John Brotlie, Johnstone, L. Mclntosh, W. Byrne _(boot repairer), Edward Burch, Parkb<ur-e. Caulton, Blfrir. Arch. Gray, Mickey and Jimmy Mullooly, Andrew Reeves, Wm. Milner (Tnparoa), Edward Murphy, Andrew Reeves, A. Y. Ross, W. Dean Ij,ysnn r > Cant. Tucker J BPovnter, A. C. Arthur, David Dobbin, John Clark, A. Bruce. Newman. A. M. Newman, Benson, J Bidgocd. T. Cahill, the Harrises, Ovigons. John Dick, John RoV-rt Fovhos, R. M. Skeot, Wvlli» and fa’vd'v. Fred. All-wood,-Chas Evans Jolm Tillers. Albert Penttord. Edwin Webb (G'-s----horne Standard new-snapm) W. PI. Turner (Bank of N.Z ), Rushbr-oK, Alf. Tibbies, C. Ferris, C. D. Pitt, W. E. Gudgeon, Major West-uno, John and Tom Uren, John Wall, 0. L? W. Bousfield and family. OLD COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS Of great interest to me are tlm glass eases containing the photos ct the. old-time, cmmneicial traveileis j who visited-tin's district, many j ago. Every one of those same pnotos ; recalls the'days that aio gone* never to leturn. . There is Sal,non of the Kaiapci; Waters, of Well.nglon; B. , Jones, Lcvisuhn. etc. .; Old “Kiltie”

Smith of the Masonic Hotel, Nap'er, is also there. There are so many faces there that I knew intimately, but time has obliterated many of i n- ! little incidents and jokes ; with each cue. 1 1 PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE EARLY } DAYS. To get or have your photo taken fifty years ago was no joke and was not an amateur’s job. My first photo vies taken when five years old by Sammy CarneU of Napier, and it took all day to do the trick. My motile! left* home with four of us at 10 n.m. and got home again at 4 p.m. The light, the long exposure,, the arranging of us 1 ;ur in the correct positions was net the work of an instant. We j had to stand so long in tho one position that iron stands were required to prop up our heads and hold them in a fixed position. Wo were all very ! tired, net. forgetting poor mother, ! when the job was over. The old pho|t' grapb.er had to make h:s own j “plates’’ in those days and many a itone l have watched tho Die .C. P. Brown and Ids wife at work in their j s.tud'o, vv' ieh stood on the site of Mr | T. D. Harries’ boot shop of to-day. j Pin te.grajihv was then only for the j professional.

MY BOYHOOD DAYS. My hovl’.oed from the ago of six was spent in Gisborne. My first school master was Mr. W. Dean Lvsj*ar, father of Mr. W. D. L-ysnnr. M.P. The sriioo! \rp« m the corner of Lowe Rtre-t and Childers Rond, opposite the R.C. cliu-c-h. The hotel opposite, now the “G sbrrne,” was then the “Shamrock” kept by Tom Scrivener. _Noxt to tlm school in Lowe Street 'was John Dick’s shop, where he was blacksmith and wheelwright. We loved to gather rourci the forgo, to watch “the many sparks that flv like wheat on a threshing floor.” One day. whilst watching the nrocess of shoeum a ho: so. my earthly career was nearly ended. After tho farrier had fitted the slice to the foot, he threw down the fitting spike and a bov picked it up and threw it at me. Fortunately, it only hit me a glancing blow'on the head, or mv “lights” would have been out. As it was, mv head bled a good doa] and the hoy who was the cause of the trouble was cxnelled from the school. Mv next master v*a* Mr. Hav. who also edited the local paper, the school being left in charge of Kate and V '- lie Hav. son and daughter of the master. Thus did we “learn” in those da’-s. We were caned with a hard walking stick and it did hurt! On Sum!amornings, '- a went to Sundav school in the “Old Court-house,” vdreh stood where the premises of Adair Bros, now stands. Mv days were happy enough, but some of mv nights were not, as I had some terrible nightmares for, whenever the old people foregathered, the one topic was the “Massacre,” which had only occurred a few years he!ore arid we kids used to sit and listen to the tales of how Major Biggs and Capt. Wilson and his wife and the Yv vibes and others were murdered by To Kooti. There was a pah where Lady Carroll now lives and a Maori going home late .with a full skin of rum would'always sing as loud as he could to her", elf the ”kohaa’’ or ghosts, and this always struck terror in my little heart, and T thought it might hr; that the ilanhnus had coma again to murder us all. We used to fish, and float'our toy heats and get water melons fr -m ofi] “rioe,ra” or “Monkev Mouth,” as wo called him. Of course cvcrv one had a horse and we tctlmrcd thwn ,vr. where about on the vacant land, and it was nearly all ■vacant, except for rorn and ii-irea scrub. Wo a’w-ys “tin kett’ed” a ! l ncwly-married people and Sergt. MdD. once came to a wedding nail’ on,’ house and was going to arrest us tor making a no.se. for that, was all we ■did. We also placed “nick nock” on the duo- Hobs. Kite living was also fashionable, also marbles, tops and whip tops. * THE PIONEER- CYCLISTS. My first sight of a bicycle was one owned by the late James East. T ue next was one owned and ridden by Bar]’.' and Pat O’Meara. These were al ; the. old “ordinary” kind that had a big wheel and a little wheel. A LliCKsmith named Williams made one which had a wheel similar to buggy wheels. All these riders used to ride about on the narrow smooth tracks before there were any roads at all and were heavy and cumbersome tilings, hut they were the only kind known and were just as much enjoyed as those of the present day. i owned a bike for a while of the old-fashioned, kind and had a tew “headers” off the same.' My next bike was a “diamond” frame with 2-inch solid tyres imported by the late W. Et. Akroyd and was made by Marriott-and Cooper, of England. .\ly next was one with tyres like a garden hose, hohow rubber tubing, out not pneumatic. The old, people used to talk, of the 1 velocipede," a tii.ee-wheeler that they had seen in j e!ie ’Old Dart. ’ The late C. D. Ben-j

ui>tt for years rede a tricycle, v.nch was capable of four in dps per liotu as a maximum, HAPPY PiOKXXKINa DAYS. Pieni s in the old days were nearly always boating parties tip the Yvaimata river, it was the ambition of most people to either “catch’' the tide or to oe first at some favored spot or to avoid the gicat heat on the river. The favored spots were “A pipe Tree’’ Corner, the “island,” or the “Kole-in-the-Wall.’’ The young men of the town used to like a rid? to the “Oil Springs” at Whatatutu. The site of the first attempt at Irving for oij in this district was up that wav and the company was known as the “South Pacific.” The “Ormond Onarry’ and To Arai Valley poach grove were also favored by those v. ith vehicles. Everyone made a picnic of the race days. One picnic attended w .s hold o 1 Kaiti Leach. There was no bridge then, so we were ferried across at the month of the river and walked round to the favored spot, ft was very hot and, as we walked, the heat and the' shaking caused the lemonade bottles to “pop off” ; the corks were only tied down '/ith string. Towards m d-day. dark ■•lands -'-itiier"-' 1 ami. at three o’clock, a terrih • t ’*i:t:• ■ sto in broke out and we :>i] liud'ai'd into otic tent wo possessed c'd ’• • 1 n good view of the sCerm of iT.ia at-T leaked lightning e' e ■ Nick’s Head. Anetkov sPvm of great sr.v n ritv occur re -i on a Coxing Ni-lifc. Ve had beer r*'i”"od up- tile T'Vrr for Xmas • •'it f. I ;ai to a’rend a "'’•we; t that night en l get hnm*» rarlv. List as the r->n hto I’ell. but one svutv, in a largo ‘bin's boat. •'• t sf’'f-k on the “TTbr'd” and "of. the ? >dl force <>? tlm ru n fkiinder and lightning. The vo”V"i "nd ild’dvn were terrified a”d !>•'•’ in wd'- to the nearest house f>r sla-15..-. Ter- Hived there the nialt. Fi-as ■■-v ’edited and ino-i and women dr : cd tlieir c-lothos hX re two fe-.’s at tlm house of the late Josiah ?i rr ley. At the concert that night. Miss I/vec, of Napier, was singing “Clio’-ry Pino.” hnt could not he heard as the noise of the rain and thundtv made it' imwossib'e to hoar a sound, so wo just had to wait til the s+ovin roased and then go home. The holiday was generally “wound ur> - ’ with a dance in AYhinrav’s '>r P -'w’v H. 11. Oh, those were happv days! VOLUNTEERING IN THE PAST! Vo had originaliv the “Defence Force” of mounted men, who wore swords and also envied a carbine. Then came the militia who, stil] in existence, were never called out in

Gisborne in my day. The volunteers were Ormond Rifles, Mnkaraka Rifles and Gisboriys Rifles, also the J Battery, who were a very smart, well drilled enthusiastic body of men, but they had only two obsolete twelvepound breech-loaders, which we, in these days, now look back on and laugh. \Yo also had a Cadet Corps, under Sevgt. Daley, an old soldier. The hoys were a merry lot and had just as much ftm as their elder brother soldiers. They played “Kelly Gang” iu the scrub a Input Cobden St., and many boys had narrow escapes, with boys firing “blank’’ at each other in tiie mu row paths through the scrub. The names of the late John Warren, Col. Winter, Capt. Daly. Pavitts (2), Dill Miller, Joe Cross well, Rolit. Thelwa.il, tinny Stark. George Williams, Wm. Lump Jack Berry, Gould, Cecil Ward, Col. Deere, Joe Fyson ancl many others ware prominent in the mil.iarv life of the town from ’72 to ; SS, when J left Gisborne ior a wane, me 10. C. Hussars were a.so p.umufeut here from ’B6 on.