TALK ON OLD TIMES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 2 (Supplement)

TALK ON OLD TIMES

MR. JAS. ERSKINE AND HIS 50 YEARS IN GISBORNE.

WAGGON BOGGED IN GLADSTONE ROAD.

THAT GRANDFATHER FLOOD

REJOICINGS OYER CREATION OF BOROUGH.

Gladstone Road a broad muddy track, suitable only for horse and waggon traffic, wide stretches of manuka and ti-tree, a township in embryo. .several small schooners tied to a not very substantial looking jetty, groups ot chattering, pleasant-faced Natives —such were a few of the first impressions of Mr. and Mrs. James Erskino when they, landed in Gisborne over fifty ye'iies ago. Mr. and Mrs. Erskino, who had formerly resided in Belfast, Ireland, came out to New Zealand in 1875, landed at and spent fourteen days in Auckland, and then came down the coast to Gisborne in a sailing vessel, the “Pretty Jane,” which made the trip in three days. “It was a bewildering change.”

commented Mr. Erskine in the course of toil versa tion on these early days. “After our life in Belfast, here we were landed into the midst of scrub and"mud. with only a few letters of introduction to various business people in the township. Fortunately, we had made some ship-board acquaintances in the cramped quarters of the old ‘Pretty Jane.’ ” A PRIMITIVE HIGHWAY. Mr. Erskine went cn to state that the quantity of scrub about was what struck them most. Gladstone Road was but a primitive highway worn by constant use, but with no pretentions of foundations. In wet weather, it became a sticky morass and travel on it then often became impossible, except for the pondrous bullock-waggons. Even these last, however, occasionally found it too baa and he recollected one instance when such a vehicle became hopelessly bogged just opposite N the site of the present Royal Hotel. Everybody about was pressed into service and it was only the united efforts of more than a dozen men and eight oxen that finally hauled the waggon to comparatively firm ground, that was, wliere the wheels sunk into the mud only a matter of a foot or eighteen inches. Gladstone Rond, in those times, really terminate] at the entrance to the old Albion stables (now the alley-way on the western side ol the Albion Club Hotel) and a short road, half a chain wide, branched off at that point to lead down to Capt. Read’s store and business premises situated in the vicinity of the present hand rotunda.

Scrub stretched out on either side of Gladstone Bead, Mr. Erskinc related, and the Kaiti side of the river was an expanse of manuka right out to Pomuva. There, particularly, the scrub had flourished and had generally attained a height of fifteen or twenty feet. Mr. Erskinc recalled that a horse belonging to him had strayed away on Kaiti. It was a valuable beast and strenuous efforts to locate it proved fruitless. Four years later, however, purely by accident, Mr. Erskinc chanced upon the animal within a few hundred yards of the river and re-captured it. No sign of it had been seen during all that time, but it had apparently been quite close at hand. White people did not then reside in that locality, but along tlu> present Esplanade were quite a number of Maori whares, always a great source of interest to new arrivals. There were no bridges, of course, but an old man with a row-boat, in the vicinity of the present Kaiti bridge, ferried anyone across at any time for a small foe. Wliataupoko was also a wilderness then.

EARLY BUSINESS SECTION OF TOWN. . '

“The business part of the town,” Mr. Erskinc remarked, “was situated from Peel Street to the river and mainly about the present Albion Hotel, which, by the way, was then in existence and was conducted by the late Mr. Bradley. Captain Bead, Mr. William Adair and I had other business places near the hand rotunda and Dr. Currie’s establishment adjoined the Albion. A brewery was in full swing in Lowe Street close to where the Wi Pere Memorial now stands and nearby, in the half-chain road, Mr. 11. E. Webb issued the “Standard,” a forerunner of the “Times.” Later, however, Mr. Webb removed further up Gladstone Boad. The. Masonic Hotel occupied it present site and next to Tattersall and Bayly’s place the “Herald” was issued. Graham and McKinnon, general merchants, occupied Pcttic and

Co.’s present situation. Where the Bank ot Australasia now is, there was a nice grass square, with some patches or scrub, where the Maoris used to congregate ami camp on Land Court days, j hey sat around there, had leasts and, generally, made merry. Between tins green and the Albion was a sk.ttle-aliey which was a very papular resort for visitors and townsfolk.

“Later on,” continued Mr kine, “Captain Read sold out V illiam Adair ana, m>t long this property laid changed hail whole block was burned. Retbuilding, they straightened out v stone Road to its present posits the small road at an angle becoming private property. Mr. Adair did not re-build on the same site, but moved higher lip Gladstone Road.” According to Mr. Erskine, Gisborne even then enjoyed quite a good mail service when the sees were smooth. The only methods o; travel overland were by horse or loot over rough, narrow tracks bareiy discernible to any but experienced buslimen. Consequently all goods and mails came by the boats. The A.S.P. Co., of Auckland, sent down two boats per week, the “Frettv Jar.o” and the

“Go Ahead,” according to schedule at least. Unfortunately, both these vessels took a minimum of three days' to make the trip ami on one occasion the “Pretty Jane” spent a fortnight over the journey. Nevertheless these two did goad work and were nearly always able to come right up the river to the wharf. They would stick in the channel sometimes and, on a few occasions, one or the other tore part of her bottom out. When this occurred, bags of Hour were almost always used to stop the leak, and these, packed into the gaps in the hull, were, of course, ruined. Thus, when the river was bad, Gisborne’s Hour merchants had a prosperous time. The “Rangitira,” from Wellington, also visited Gisborne- more or less regularly, but she always kept outside in the roadstead.

FLOOD TERRORISES TOWNSPEOPLE.

“When the river rises a ’.title now,” continued Mr. Erskine, “people talk of the flood menace, but there is little danger under the present conditions. I always remember January (!, IS7G, when there is any mention of floods. On that day, botli r.’vei's came down in continually-in-creasing volume and, on the following day, wo had the biggest flood 1 have ever seen. It ciid not affect the town, hut many people were really terrified that it would. Hundreds of head ol stock were drowned, all small boats on the river were carried out to sea and for finiy throe days the Turanganin literally brimmed its banks. Many of the settlers were hard-li t by the losses of stock and took a long time to build up their flocks and herds again.

“Another special incident that stays in my mind,” lie. went on to say, “was the second To Kooti scare. At the time, I think, Te Kooti had been Hardened by the Government and he decided to pay Gisborne a visit to see various relatives here. He belonged to this district and his visit was intended to lie purely peaceful, but there were too many relatives of people he had killed living here. They didn’t want him back and a great outcry was raised Immediately. Everyone became seriously alarmed, lor it certainly appeared that, ii To Kooti arrived here, trouble would assuredly follow. Volunteers were, therefore, called for, and, with Captain (afterwards Colonel) Porter in command, set out to turn Te Kooti back. They stopped his career somewhere not far on til's side of Whakatane.

“I well remember,’’ said Mr. Erskino in conclusion, “the excitement when the R irough of Gisborne was inaugurated in 1877. It was a splendid excuse for some of the wilder spirits to celebrate in rowdy fasßon. Ninety-two attended the inaugural banquet, which was held in a tin shod belonging to Mr. A. O’Meara and hearty congratulations were showered on Mr. ~SY. F. Crawford as the first Mavor of Gisborne".”