THE OLD WEST COAST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19143, 8 October 1925, Page 14

THE OLD WEST COAST.

EARLY DAYS RECALLED, SHIPPING, AND COALMINES-. RIVER ENTRANCE CASUALTIES. BY BABNACUJ. ~ Perhaps in 1860 Auckland bore little resemblance to the present city, nevertheless it was a town with a considerable trade f big windjammers, out of any of the world's ports constantly dropped anchor in the Waitemata; and that was a time when the west coast of the South Island was not even fully explored, lei alone settled. New Zealand was largely colonised at the instance of variou:; powerful jSnglish and Scotch companies; not so the "Coaiit" (as it is called)., magnificently picturesque perhaps but badly wanting in harbourage for vessels of any kind. The unceasing drone of the surf for ever beating on its 300 miles of shore is a sound familiar to all West Coasters. Even in Nelson, so close to it, it was spoken of as the "wild ana woolly.* When in 1860, a well-known character named Reuben Waite, hearing from some Maoris of gold being found on the Buller, with 15 others, chartered the ketch Jane and sailed from Nelson for what is now the commodious port of West port, they were looked upon as being crazy. They crossed the bar safely after s two-days' run, and this wais the beginning of Westport—as is so often the case, the pioneers were drawn by the lure of gold. This holds true as being the first atI tempt at cettlemant. Some years previously, in 1856, the cutter Supply, Captain J. Walker, when cariymg provisions for explorers employed by the Nelson Provincial Government, entered the Buller River, the fast vessel to cross the bar. The same year the schooner Gipsy (bound on a similar errand) anchored in the Grey River. In 1862 the first steamer, tho Tasmanian Maid, Captain WhitwelJ, a skipper well known right through _the ! "seventies" on the coast, crossed the Bid--1 ler bar and two years later another steamer, the Nelson, Captain Leech, entered the Grey. A humble beginning perhaps, but these early craft were the pioneers of that large' fleet of vessels, some of considerable tonnage, which now make constant journeys between these two west coast ports and the other centres of the Dominion; some crossing over to Australian ports. Early Explorations. Nelson, which figured so largely in the early history of the colony, was of course the metropolis. In 1846' the New Zealand Company despatched their surveyor, Thomas Brunner., on an exploring trip overland. He left Fc-xhill nea? -Nelson, and slowly made his way through untracked and uncharted, wildly inhospitable country, traversing the Buller to its mouth and thence by the beach to Greymouth. 'Thence lie went up that river to Ahaura, discovering the coat seam which -hears his name, not far from Grevmouth, and back to Nelson. He was absent 18 months. He was granted the Royal Geographical Society's medal—and well he earned it, suffering as he did terrible hardships. In 1859. John Rochfort, when surveying for the Provincial Government, discovered the coal seam on Monnt_ Roehfort., near Westport, and again in 1860, the geologist and scientist, Julius von Haast, when carrying oat a geological survey, made a similar disWhen ascending the mountains he noticed odd bits of coal in the creeks, and presently uncovered a magnificent coal seam. These deposits vary from a few feet thick to over 50?7fc., whole mountains of it, some of the finest steam coal in the world. Town of Westport. The original Westport (surveyed in 1863) vanished long ago; it was by the combined effects c-f the flooded river on one side, of fire and the ponderous surf thundering on the other. Its original site is now all water. Sheltered from the prevailing southerlies by Cape Foulwind and the Needles, and with the help of protective -wor 123 (designed by Sir John Coode), the Buller runs out straight and deep—with a width of 700 f- between the moles. Quite large vessels habitually use the port,, the main difficulty being one of turning in inc river, no"i depth of wat'&r on the bar. Few casualties of note have occurred, the Taviuni, which lay stranded for a long time—eventually being launched through an opening cut in the protect ito works—and the collier Kauri, which holed herself ■ and was beached—subsequently refloated being the best known. In the early "eighties" coalmining operations were first seriously undertaken, the original companies being . the Westport Coal Company and the Wellington and the Koranui Coal. Companies.' The two latter were bought in 1883 by Captain W. R. Williams, of the " Black Diamond " line. His early boats, carrying passengers as well as coal, were the Koranui, Mawhera, Grafton and Manawato. The Westport Coal Company's early colliers were Kawatiri, Wareptea and Orowaiti; good, useful boatsthe present writer can remember them well. They did not carry passengers. The mines were of a varying distance of 10 to 18 miles from the towu, by rail of course, 2000 ft. up the mountain, the coal lowered in trucks by means oi: gravity balance, the loaded truck hauling up the empty one. Port of Grfymoutlu Greymouth is quite a different river port from Westport. It has not the inestimable advantage of the natural protection afforded by Cape Foulwind. The river runs out "through the breakers between moles, 500 ft. apart—Sir John Coode's design again. As in the case of Westport-, it is width to turn in, not depth of water, which -is the problem. The first wrecks date back to 1865 when the steamer Eleanore and the schooners Christina Thomson and Excelsior were lost. Up to 1880 a total of 26 went ashore, of which half were saved. From then on owing to harbour improvements, only 12 casualties occurred up to 1910. The latest was, the steamer Perth, lost iu 1921. Some well-known boats, which have had unhappy experiences on this bar are the Mawhera (1886) and Mapourika (1898), both being refloated, and the Taupo and Hawea in 1900 and 1908, both lost. The old Kennedy—of the Anchor Line —spent thrse vacations on the Grey sands —and got off each time. They built those old-timers yell. In 1864 Matthew Batty and party made the first attempt at working the Brunner mine—and failed. Then followed a Ballarat- company with the same result. Then the Nelson Provincial Government worked the nrine until 1874. after which the firm of Kennedy Brothers—the makers of Greymouth—tc*s6 over and successfully worked it. Their great handicap was that they could not employ bottoms of sufficient tonnage to compete; against the big cargoes running out of Newcastle. The improvement- to the channel gradually overcame this difficulty and now vessels of heavy draught commonly work the bar. The Kennedy Brothers' first vessels were the steamers St. Kilda and Maori, and the windjammers Pelham (barauej, St. Kilda- (barquentine), Eliza Firth (brigantme) later on an old Kaipara trader, and Cora (schooner). In later years, as we all know, the Union Company ran an endless stream of colliers and passenger boats to both Westport and Greymouth, the latest and best being the Mapourika and Arahura—-long since withdrawn. Another old friend was the smart' little Wainui, now a familiar ship at our wharves. Gradually the motor "(making possible with a partial train service, a one-dav trip to Obristchorch), and then the railway through the big tunnel, destroyed the passenger traffic to these ports, and that was the end of those reallv comfortable passenger-colliers so familiar to old West-coasters. Nowadays, one can leave Hokitika by the early % train and, with the help of the express '"feriy." have breakfast in. Wellington the ing day.