Wailangi last Was Felled Like Tree

Northern Advocate, 7 November 1946, Page 8

Wailangi last Was Felled Like Tree

(Special.) WAITANGI, This Day. A party from the naval dockyards in Auckland, which has been here for more than a week past, is leaving today after having felled the old flagstaff on the site of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

The party from the city, numbering originally seven but latterly reduced to four, has also made necessary preparations for the erection of the new mast, for which job another trip is to be taken to Waitangi, probably in a fortnight’s time.

The old mast was erected in 1934. The mainmast was taken from an old coastal ship and was a pitchpine spar. The topmast and yardarm were new kauri timber. A man was sent aloft a few days ago to retrieve the yardarm, which can be used in the new mast. He loosened its fastenings and the yardarm was lowered to the ground. MAINMAST WAS ROTTEN His report on the degree of rottenness of the mainmast was so strong as to preclude his being sent aloft again to unfasten the topmast. In any event the topmast was not required for the new job. The mainmast was then cut down with axe and crosscut saw. just as a tree would be felled. When it crashed, the topmast was damaged. The old mast was 94ft to the peak. The new mast consists of two spars, one of 70ft, the other of 50ft. There may be an overlap of about Bft, making the whole structure roughly 20ft higher than the preceding one. It is not intended at the time of reerection to hold any ceremony, but it is possible that one may be held to commemorate the significance of the occasion at some future suitable date.