THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18954, 30 August 1923, Page 3

THE OLD ORDER CHANGETH.

BOUND ABOUT THE WHARVES IN THE LATE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES. Written for the Otago Daily Times. By J.B.S.C. The demolition of the old small wooden offices at tho corner of Bond and Jetty streets recalls Uio busy scenes wnich weie to bo seen about them in tlio sixties anil seventies. Tho diggings wore in full swing, and thousands of people were coming in and bringing food and clothing witn mein, for not inneu was purchased or made here in those days. These corner olhees in Bond street wero occupied by 'Messrs ilastio and Sons, general carters. Old Air llastiu was a. bluii, noisy person, with a ■wooden leg', but ho moved about in sprightly tasliion, and his loud Scotch voice was to bo heard far and wide. Later on lie went on to land in the Taicri, his twq sons carrying on the carrying business. ±\ peculiar feature about this family_was that two sons wero of dark complexion, with thick black hair and beards, whilst the others had light complexions and fair hair and beards. Next their office waa that of an old English “sea dog,” named Cl. Lumb. who earned his living by acting as an unofficial shipping master. At the corner was the office of Mr Keith Ramsay, who then acted as agent for practically all the small coasting vessels which traded between Dunedin and Timarti, cargo being curried to and from Moeraki, All Day Bay, Kakenui, Oamurii, unci Tiniaru. Most of tho slono of which First Church is built was brought here by a schooner, tho Lloyd’s Herald (Captain Henry). The stone was quarried at Toiara, carted to Moeraki, and shipped there to Dunedin. Tho shipping fleet was composed of the Planet, Hope, Three Brothers, Midlothian, Anne. Pioneer, and others. The Midlothian used to load and discharge about where the Milburn Lime and Cement Company’s offices now' are. In course of time larger vessels came on the scene, such as the Endeavour, Lloyd's Herald, Elizabeth Curie. Jane Anderson, and, later, two line topsail schooners built by P. Sutherland and Co., at Port Chalmers, for trading to Hokitika, Greymouth, Wanganui, and other ports north of Timarti. Messrs Anderson and Mowat, millers, of Oamurii and Dunedin, had a half interest; tho captain in each case possessed a fourth interest, and Mr Ramsay, who , acted as agent, owned the remaining fourth. The advent of steamers in place of these vessels brings ns to still later years. The next office in Jetty street was used by Mr John Hanmnn, a gonial German, who for many years was a Customs agent there, and was the working, though not the official. Consul for Germany. Next Mr Hainann’s office was that of Mr Edward Lambton, carter, whoso business was, after his death, carried on by his brother. Later, the Pier Hotel was built, completing the block which has been pulled down to- make loom for the store and offices of the Otago Fruitgrowers’ Co-operative Association. From tho east side of Crawford street to about the present railway fence line were two wharves. Tho southern one was used by sailing and steam vessels, and also by lighters- which brought the cargo up from Port Chalmers from the larger sailers and steamers which discharged there. The other was used by the Harbour Company’s two steamers, the Golden Ago and the Peninsula, both paddle boats, but very much unlike. The Golden Ago was a long narrow wooden steamer, with a tall, genial Scotsman (Captain Ferguson) as skipper; the Peninsula was a dumpy iron vessel, and her skipper (Captain Densem) was a short, stout Englishman. These steamers were the forerunners of the Union Steam Ship Company. Mr James Mills (now Sir Jatnc-) was the manager of the Universal Bond, and later manager of the Harbour Company's steamers. Mr Baxter was accountant. and Mr W. B. Marsh was wharfinger. A familiar character of the time was “ Dick,” whose donkey and cart wero used for tho conveyance of luggage. The southernmost wharf was tho place over which Iho sea-borne goods for Dunedin passed and was a busy place when the few steamers and many sailors and lighters wore working. Captain Dickie, as deputyharbourmaster, controlled tho shipping, and Mr F. Baltson, who died at Thames a few years ago at tho ripe age of 91 years, was wharfinger. Mr Battson was tho first slationmaster at Dunedin for the Port railway line. His assistant was Mr Pnflott. ■who subsequently joined the staff of tho Union Steam Ship Company and was for some years its agent at Napier. Tho Customs Department was represented on the wharf by Messrs Caldwell, Slater, Laing, Robertson, and, later on, Messrs Mackintosh and M’Phcrson as landing waiters. The Customs tariff was levied on the cubic foot, and the officers’ duties in the winter months on an open wharf were performed in very different circumstances from those of the present time when there are covered sheds and cosy offices and it is unnecessary to measure everything. Among tho vessels of the days of tho early coastal steamers was the s.s. AVaiiui, a wooden topsail-rigged auxiliary steamer built at Akaroa and owned for a while by Mr John Reid MacKenzie, manager of the Bank of Otago, a gentleman who was so upright in stature that lie appeared in walking to lean backwards. Tho steamer ran on (jiiaraniiiio Island on one occasion and was nearly wrecked there, most of her cargo being damaged by salt water. .She was later owned by* Mr Keith Ramsay, but she represented the transition stage prior to the introduction of the hotter class of iron steamers such as the p-s. Samson and s.s. Beautiful Star. The Banshee was a fore-and-aft schooner, and was wrecked on Fish Reef, off Moeraki. Her muster was Captain Eekhoff, who. at his own request, went to the Macquarie Islands in the s.s. Kakamii on her fateful lasi voyage. The Tauranga was another good coaster. TTI6 Matihla Hayes was a smart schooner engaged on tlie run to Oamaru and intermediate ports, and she had the reputation of carrying her cargoes dry. One trip sho brought a cargo of 500 bags of oats, which were discharged on a warm day by hand labour, there being no steam-winches then os there now are. Tho oats were owned by Mr Duke, a good Wesleyan and Prohibitionist of those days, and he was slow to understand what tho crew meant when they urged on him that they wore dry as well as the oats, and that a visit to the Jetty Street Hotel would put matters right. The Jessie Nicoll was at one lime the private yacht of Sir George M'Lean, and was owned later by Captain Duncan, who sailed her to the South Sea Islands, and on Ids honeymoon trip lost his life along with that of his wife and tho crew. The Janet Ramsay was a fine schooner built in Pelichet Bay—a striking proof of what the shipwrights could do in those early days. To the south, Messrs H. Houghton and Sons ran tho Waihopai, Wanganui, and Coonioruiig to Invercargill and Riverton, T he. Coornerang was a queer wooden paddle steamer, held together by great iron stays from stein to stern attached to four great logs standing up from her deck. She was commanded by Captain Win. Best, who was master of the s.s, Kakamii at tho time she was lost. Captain Best also sailed the barque Frederick Basil from Port Chalmers to Newcastle. At one lime this vessel carried a number of passengers to the Australian port, tho faro being £3 10s per adult. Practically all these old “wind jammors” and early steamers, with their captains, have gone to their last resting-place and have been succeeded by a new ora of fine steamers and smartly-uniformed officers. The schooner Dunedin should lie specially mentioned. She was built in Dundee to tho order of Captain James Stewart, and was sailed out to Dunedin by him. He brought his wifo with him. It was a feat, surely, to sail out in' a 65-ton topsail schooner. The Duriedin traded on our coasts for many years till Captain Stewart took eliarge of tho s.s. Taiaroa. the largest steamer at that rime to navigate the old or eastern channel. On the transfer of that steamer to the Union Steai'n 'f-hip Company, Captain Elewart was first in charge of the s.s. Beautiful Star, and later was sent to Glasgow by the. Otago Harbour Board to bring out the dredge 222. This job required the host of courage ami seamanship—qualities that were natural to him. He was most trustworthy. One of his troubles at the varidus porta of call was to got bedrock, prices for coal and stores. Rebates to captains were the usual practice, but ho would have none of that stylo of business. A Dnnedin merchant, whose brothers were shipowners in Glasgow, said at a public dining table that they bad German skippers who were more reliable, but at that lime—about 30 years ago—l had just had a business transaction with a Gorman master and found his practice was contrary to what his owners expected of him. Wo have learned more about the Germans since then. There may lie many omissions from Ihis_ list of cml traders, 'but if so the excuse is that it is compiloc) entirely from memory.