SOME REMINISCENCES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2985, 31 May 1911, Page 88

SOME REMINISCENCES.

Mr John White, building contractor, Dunedin, gives the following particulars of his experiences:— " I arrived in Dunedin from Hobart in October, 1860, in the barque Don Pedro (Captain Fisher), heavily laden with timber to within a foot of the deck at 'midships, there being no Plimsoll mark at that time. We had a rough passage, and the large deck cargo was washed overboard. We took shelter in Port William, Stewart Island, and put in time fishing for blue cod until wo got a favourab!e_ wind up the coast. On arriving in Dunedin my father, another carpenter, and I rented a oneroomed house in the Cutting, belonging to an American named Leckie. We got our water from a spring where Messrs Herbert, Haynes, and CJo.'s building now stands. I agreed with Leckie. our landlord, to purchase for £4O the corner now occupied by the Life Insurance Company, opposite the A.M.P. Buildings—33ft to Dowling street and 85ft to Princes street,—which arrangement I did not oarry out, as I left town to work at Waiwera In the beginning of 1861* I was working for Mr Monson, builder (son of the first whose workshop was opposite the gaol in Lower Stuart street. A builder named PetcheH, from Inoh-Clutha, called at the workshop and said he wanted a carpenter, as he had a station house to put up and other work to do at Waiwera for Mr Wm. Telford, who had just come over from South Australia, and bad bought several thousand acres at l(Js per 'acre. I was recommended and engaged at 50s a week and my keep. There were no labour laws at that time about being paid for time coming and going to a job, coach fares, etc. A coach was then running to the Clutha twice a week, but as that was too expensive, I had to walk beside the late John Barnes's (an ex-Mayor) two-horse dray, driven by one of his sons. We reached Taiori Ferry the first night, and Stirling the following evening We crossed the Molyneux at what is now Balclutha, and continued' our tramp to Waiwera. Mr Jarrad kept an a©commodation-houte, a wattle and dab building thatched with rushes, about _4oft x 20ft. where we stopped for some time. Edward Peters (known as "Black Peter") was then engaged with Mr Telford as cook and handy man. He assisted me to build the m'Tn's buthy, and afterwards a footer to hold provisions. We obtained the slabs and timber from Totara Island, on the Clutha, at the mouth of the Waiwera and Pomahaka. The island was then thickly covered with totara, and black and red pine, etc. Birds were plemitful, especially kakas, which sat looking at us with round, wondering eyes. I had not the heart to kill the " innocent-looking things. Peters knocked a few over with a stick, and made them into a pie, which wo promounced to be ' kapai.' Peters was a good cook, and prepared many dainty dishes,, which made a great change from the usual damper and mutton. He was a good, handy, all-round man, pleasant to work with, and very cleanly in his habits. I understood from him that he came over here as a ship's cook from the East Indies. At this time an old Victorian miner named Wattie came over with sheep for Mr Telford, and remained on the station, and ho and Peters

became great friends. Peters told us about his prospecting at the Woolsbed, and about the gold ho had got. He said very little about Tuapeka, but had great faith in the Woolshed. Wattie thought there was a good thing in it, and I asked to join them ; so wo agreed to go in the summer time ajid give 'the place a good trial. While putting up a new accommodation-house for Mr R. Telford, a horseman from the Clutha going to 1 iu-ercargill informed us of a rush to Tuapeka. We thought it might be another Lindis, so we waited for more news. A day or two afterwards we heard of the wonderful find of Gabriel Read. Edward Peters was engaged', for a term, so was obliged to stop, as Mr Telford would not let him go. Another carpenter named Peter Anderson and I decided to go to Gabriel's Gully as scop as our week" was up. The contractor offered us £1 a day and our keep if wo would stop. Wattie followed us in a few days, bringing ' Black Peter's : tools, tent, etc. We stayed a night at Rarr's, at Balclutha, and as there was no bank there I left my earnings with Mr Barr, not asking for a receipt, I got my money afterwards at Gabriel's Gully from Mr Jack, his storekeeper. I was shown some fin weatherboards, not feather-edged, alongside an entrance door about 3ft from the ground, which it was said ' Black Peter' had) for a. wager smashed with his bead, taking a running butt at it. All the storekeepers sold 3 Star P. 8., etc., which might account for it. I rather think it would be the big negro who prospected with Peters and John Thomson at Evans's Flat. I do not think Peters's head would stand it, as he had no wool on his bead to act as a buffer. I, saw the damaged boards, and Mr Jack, if alive, would vouch for the circumstance. I never saw Peters afterwards. He was not in the Tuapeka district up to the time of the Dunstan rush. I am supported in this view by his application for a reward being addressed from Waiwera Bridge, July 8, 1861 (see Vincent Pyke's ' History of Early Gold Discoveries'). The Government granted him £SO. Wo left Balclutha accompanied by three others, and arrived at a deep creek near Waitahuna at dusk, which we could not cross. We had no poles to put our tent up with, so we tied the fly of the tent on, a shelving bank to some tussocks. It was a cold, frosty night, and the five of us cuddled together under it, our legs sticking outside. After a while Peter Anderson was seized 1 with a shivering fit, so we wore obliged to put him in the middle to keep life in him. We arrived at Gabriel's Gully next morning, and 'bad a look about. One looK was enough for Peter Anderson. He left to return to the Clutha the same afternoon; so I was left a hatter for a few days. I sank a hole on the top of the Blue Spur, and prospected in Holy Joe's Gully. By this time Wattie had arrived, and we went over to Wetherstones, and took another carpenter named Henderson as mate. Wattie sank in a bend of a creek on the side of what is now known as Ballarat Hill, and at 3ft deep he got a good prospect of rough gold. We took about 15Goz out of the claim in a few weeks. Wetherstones was a very quiet plaoa before the Victorians came ove£, We had to carry our provisions from Gabriel's Gully. There was a patch of manuka scrub on the hill next to* cur claim, where we caught Maori hens. At night wo had to light a fire, which attracted them. With a piece _of string with a running loop tied to a stick 6ft long we hooked them over the head, gave a jerk, and they were caught. I remember buying provisions from one of the first storekeepers on Wetherstones. He had only troy weights with which he bought gold and sold his stores. After getting what I wanted I told him ho had given us good weight, and that an ounce of gold was heavier than an ounce of sugar. He evidently thought I was taking a rise out of him, being an elderly man, while I looked like a boy. Be flared up, and spoke of ' the cheek of the rising generation,' and using other epithets, declaring that an ounce was an ounce. With this some of the bystanders agreed. I said, ' All right, old man, I have no objection to pay for 141 b and get 161 b. That is not my trouble.' About this time my mates left me to go to Dunedin, and I was joined by some Tasmanians. The township was mot long in growing, outstripping Gabriel s Gully in size.*"

"We had a claim on Ball-wat Hill, our shaft being 40ft deep. A party of Victorians pegged off a part of cur claim, and the warden bad to be sent for to settle the point Major Croker was to be on the ground at a certain time, and we had to look out for him to guide him to the place. About 100 miners gathered in a circle to hear the disoute. The Victorians gave their evidence, first One of them casually mentioned how the matter would be settled on the other side. That was enough for the Major, who gave judgment for our side. I may say the claim was not worth fighting for, as it returned only 2dwt or 3dwt per man a day. "About a chain away from this claim a party sank a hole about 70ft deep, and told me that the bottom was dipping, and that they had put in a short drive about 2ft towards the dip, but the shaft was dangerous, and timber too dear to make it secure, so they abandoned it. I pegged out a claim and persuaded my mate to try it. We fixed up the windlass over the hole. My mate was to lower me down to the bad part about 20ft from the surface. I put my foot in the loop, held on to the rope with one hand, and held a singeheaded pick in the other. I did not like the look of the sides at all—creamy white balks in the clay, where the sides had o-iven way. I lapned all round and knocked a few loose pieces off, and then called to my mate to lower away, having decided to chance it, I had just entered the drive sufficiently to protect me from stuff falling, when I heard a rumbling noise coming down the shaft, and a rush of air which dashed me against the wall. I found that a few hundredweight of clay had come down. The noise attracted a number i f miners to the windlass. They called on me to come up at once, and four men gave me the quickest hoist to the top I had ever received. Before the men dispersed and while upbraiding me for foolhardiness and tempting Providence, we heard a great noise from the shaft, which confirmed their views, and nearly convinced me that I was a fool. It brought a text of Scripture to mv mind —' For what shall it profit a man, if'he shall ga : n the whole world,' and get the scub knocked out of him with a few hundredweight of muck. I remained at Wetherstones until the Dunstan rush broke cut. I was delayed a little looking for a packhorse which had strayed down by Tuapeka Mouth, but could not find it. Mr Munro brought It to nay father at Dunedin

a •;■'" -.■■.•■:■• ■.■; .■ • , jer arranging v ! -'. . >i::-." --•;• !;<;. i. [-:_ . two sluice-boxes 1 - ; rs ""c • f >d our swags, 1— '._ '• '■■ arge quantity of m'ning tools, pump, „„.._, cradle, etc., far the next comers to annex. We crossed over to Gabriel's Gully, which scorned to ba quite deserted, and went on to Munrce's. but everyone- secured to have gone from there also. We then, went over tho Devil's Backbone to the Teviot, then, to the Dunstan. My three mates at that time were Jas. Stewart, a shipwright, who afterwards went back to Hoba.pt; John Campbell, a

gardener; and Captain Jacob Eekhoff, who was drowned in the Kakanui disaster, when going to relieve men supposed to be starving on Macquarie Islands." Mr White took part in the various rushes which followed —Conroy's, Oardrona, Upper Shotover, Skippers, Hog-burn, and Hamiltons, returning to Dunedin rich in experience but poorer in the way of wealth than: when be left. After working at his trade for a time the fever again seized him, and ho worked at Hyde and Macraes Flat. He was then attracted to the West Coast, and there he worked for three years, where he had bettor luck than in Otago. He eventually returned to Dunedin, .cind resumed his trade, but working since on his own account.

Mr John Blair has sent us a- printed copy of his experiences. His brother and Mr Callander, East Taieri, now his brother-in-law, went to tho Lindis rush and had a bad time of it. Mr Blair was at work harvesting for tho late Mr Arthur Burns a little before the news arrived of the discovery at Gabriel's Gully, He then went with his brother to work at Saddle Hill. Tho discovery by Gabriel Read they learnt from Mr Hardy as he was passing to Dunedin to report it. Mr Hardy and others [ho does not say how many] started off almost at once. A stay was made at Murdoch's accommodation house at Tokomairiro on the first night. There a young fellow from Dunedin joined them. They got directions as to the route from Mr Thomas Murray, at Mount Stuart, and later on they mot Mt Mansford. They reached Mr Peter Robertson's hut that evening, and arrived at Gabriel's Gully by noon on tho third day out from the Taieri. There were then only two tents in the gully, and Mr Blair says that his party increased tho total population to eight. After having seen one party wash up about half an ounce of gold, Mr Blair and his companions determined to return to the Taieri to form a party. Mr Blair, his two brothers, and three others secured a pair of horses and loaded a dray with provisions. It took them eight days to make the journey, and they had to leave half their load at Tokomairiro. This, Mr Blair explains, was due to one of tho horses being so accustomed to the Government stroke that when 5 o'clock came he would pull no longer. The other horse was even worse. By this timo a number of men from the Clutha and Tokomairiro had settled in tho gully. The principal parties who arrived afterwards wore Mr Arthur Burns and party,' Mr . Donald Reid and party, Mr Jeffries and party. Most of the claims paid well, in some cases from eight ounces to a pound weight of gold being taken daily. Gabriel Read and i Brookes, his mate, sometimes took one and two pounds weight of gold in a day. Mr Blair's claim did not come up to expectations, so they removed to Munroe's Gully, where they obtained a good claim. They then removed to Waitahuna, where they were again fortunate. Mr Blair says some diggers made £IOO per week at Waitahuna. The first store there was owned by Mr James Green and Edward Peters, better known as Black Peter. After six weeks at Waitahuna tho party returned to the Taieri and purchased two horses at £BS and £75 from the celebrated Scotch Jock, and loaded up 180 cwt at the rate of £95 per ton. Mr Blair's impression is that there is still abundance of gold to bo obtained in the Tuapeka district. As there appears to be a good deal of misunderstanding as to the accommodation that was obtainable on the way to Gabriel's, Mr Blair asks us to state that there were accommodation houses at Spring Bank, East Taieri, Dowie's, East Taieri, Adam's at Otokia, the White House at Henley, Dawson's at Waihola Gorge, Murdoch's at Tokomairiro, afterwards tho police camp, and Robertson's at Clark's Flat.

Mr George Fred Elvery, of Palmerston North, who is 74 years of age, and claims to have been one of the first to arrive at Gabriel's Gully, has been giving his experiences to the Manawatu Standard. Mr Elvery's memory must have played him some tricks, or the reporter must have misapprehended what he stated. For instance, he is reported as saying that Dunedin of those days was a collection of tents. " all of which wero consumed by fire the night before wo arrived." Then he says, or is so reported : —"There was very little food obtainable, and we were practically half starved. In fact, we had almost to fight for a bit of tucker when we first saw Dunedin." Later on it is stated : " On shore we found everything at famine prices, a shilling for a one pound loaf. The only business places were a chemist's shop and a saddler's shop. There were two hotels, but one of these, the Union Hotel, had iust had its_ license taken away." "The only habitation on the road" [to Gabriel's], we are told, "was a shepherd's hut." After this it is not surprising to learn that on the way there were any number of kakas; that mutton was very dear, and you could see daylight through it; that there was just one policeman and a sergeant at Dunedin at the time: that, the first escort was composed most.lv of boys in long blue serge shirts and belts round their waists; that there wero s?reat grass and scrub fires at Gabriel's and tlie'-eabouts. One thins: is satisfactory: Mr Elvery saved about £SOO, which he invested in Nelson Province 6 ner cent, debentures, which he bought at 92.