A REMINISCENCE OF BENDIGO GULLY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 58

A REMINISCENCE OF BENDIGO GULLY.

By Geo. M. Hassing

Fifty-five years ago, when Fox's rush took place, miners and packers from the Dunstan were unable to cross the Upper Clutha, in order to reach the new rush, unless they travelled up the eastern side of the river as far as Albert Town, where at that time I had a ferry established. A few months afterwards, or early in '63, another ferry was started at Rocky Point by two enterprising fellows known as Pat and Charley. , After doing a roaring, trade for a few months, a bridge was erected over the narrow gorge in the Clutha above the point, or the junction now known as Cromwell. A toll on passengers and goods was levied by Mr Henry Hill, the enterprising builder, who shortly afterwards levanted to South America, and left many lamenting, myself included. This bridge diverted the traffic from Rocky Point, and the Roaring Meg and Gentle Annie now became the nearest and most direct route from the Dunstan to Fox's. Pat and Charley therefore sold out to George Rainor and William Rankin. The latter, familiarly, known as " Scotty," worked for many years afterwards about Cromwell and Bannockburn. Good payable gold was struck in Bendigo Gully about this time by a party who came over the Dunstan Range from Thomson's Gully or Tinker's. Anticipating a trade, I bought out Rainor and Rankin, and put on a new boat. Soon about 150 miners took uo claims and located themselves in the gully, and things began to hum. Though there were no •• pile" claims, yet from £lO to £ls per week a man was' not A store and saloon was started by Mr Sam Box, a tough old Cornishman, and his estimable wife/ -nrj. Irish lady, with a captivating and persuasive brogue; and, my wordf didn't she rake in the shekels! Mr Box and his son Sam did the packing from the ferry. Other saloons speedilv followed—Mr and Mrs Charles Hare, Mr and Mrs Geo. Blanchard. Mr and Mrs Joe Smith, and Mrs J. Wilson (wife of Drummer Jack). These places became crowded with diggers in the evenings, when the shouting, drinking, and yelling were something to astonish a new chum. -*A butchery was also started by Wm. Smith (Sydney Bill) and Chas. O'Donnell. In the upper part of the gully, which was the richest and shallowest ground, were located some 25 miners, hardworking, honest fellows, but wonderful "boozers." This upper reach was known as "Swipers* row." Each Saturday forenoon the boxes were washed up; after this, dinner and a wash. Then all would troon down to Box's store to soil the week's gold, buy next week's tucker, have two or three drinks each, and then return to the camp, each carrying a couple of bottles of liquid stimulant. On arrival at the camp a big bonfire of manuka would bo lit, the liquor pooled, and

the fun started. It generally commenced with vocal music; but as tho liquor diminished and the hour grevr later the singing increased in volume till it became a hideous demoniacal ..yelling that entirely overpowered and drowned every other sound within a radius of a mile or so. Frequently of a Saturday evening, though three miles away, have I heard the echo of tho jubilation of Swipcrs' row wafted on tho evening air like the sound of reverberating ocean billows breaking against a rock-bound shore.

I said these were hard-working, honestminers. At any rate I found them so. But tho indulgence in and the love of liquor make tho best of men depraved. This was evidenced on one occasion when, on a Friday night, the sluice-boxes in Swipers' row were swept clean by a flood, and the usual Saturday's gold could not be obtained. A consultation was held, when it was decided to proceed to the store as usual and raise an alarm of fire. While the crowd was at the store one of the miners set fire to an empty strawthatched hut some distance down the gully. An alarm was raised by the crowd, and all, including Mr and Mrs Box, ran to the rescue. Then " Harry the Slogger " nipped into the saloon and dexterously emptied 'the contents of the cash basin into his pocket, and disap peared. On their return to the store it was found that a robbery had been committed : but the culprit remained a mystery, and the boys in the row had their usual concert and. spree in the evening.

An' event forming a, red-letter day in the history of this period was the arrival in the gully of a charming young lady named Mary Ann. It happened this way : The young lady was engaged to be married in Cromwell, but on the wedding day the lover, a young German named Charley, failed' to turn up, nor could ho be found. The young lady, in her lovely wedding dress, was ready and willing, and a splendid wedding cake had been turned out by Scott, the baker. However, she did not go.into hysterics, but took the situation philosophically. After assuming her ordinary dress, she raffled the wedding cake, thereby realising a handsome sum. Engaging with Mrs Box, she left for Bendigo Gully, the first single lady to be located there. Needless to say, intense excitement took possession of the miners-. On her appearance behind the bar, in her beautiful bridal robe, trimmed with orange blossoms, all work was suspended, and a rush made for the saloon, which was completely drunk out in about two hours. However, a fresh stock of stimulants was speedily procured, and the pandemonium kept in full swing for nearly a week. Though there were much drinking and revelling, there were absolutely no acts of violence or ruffianism. The diggers were a happy, kind-hearted, and intelligent community, liberal to a degree when appupached for any financial assistance in a good cause. As the speedy means of communication which we now enjoy was entirely unknown at that period, newspapers arrived only weekly at Bendigo Gully. The redoubtable Jock Graham was running the mail to the Dunstan, where the Dunstan Times had just been established by Messtte Cope and Fache. There was no paper published in Cromwell, but Mr Warren had started the Wakatip Mail at Queenstown. The mail carrier to Bendigo used to make weekly trips via Cromwell. He was an active, elderly man, well educated, and of a cheerful disposition. Mr Humphreys was always a welcome visitor among the diggers. Before coming to New Zealand he kept a newsagency at Ballarat, Victoria. The principal newspapers at that time on the diggings were the Otago Witness and the Australasian, and these used to sell like hot cakes. Humphreys always managed to sell, all his papers, and would return to the ferry full of glee. I well recollect crossing, him over on the last occasion, when he appeared in an especially happy mood, after effecting a big sale. He started on his last long journey to the Dunstan full of joy; but, poor fellow! he never returned. It was a very hot day, and when he got to Ihe Five-mi'e Creek, near Cromwell, he must have lain down to get a drink of water and been seized with a fit of giddiness. In that position he was found dead shortly afterwards, drowned in about 3in of water, which swished around the poor old man's head.

As the ground in the gully was very shallow, many of the claims were by this time worked out, and the West 'Coast rash cleared out the balance of the miners. I therefore out a man in charge, and removed to Wanaka. where I purchased the first vessel built at Makarora. Subsequently, in companv with the late Mr Wm. Docherty, I explored the Haast River and its tributaries. Afterwards, in following up rushes from Okuro to Karamea, I dropped across several Cromwell and Bendipo residents. Jack Butler, formerly hotelkeeper in Cromwell, was located at Arahura; Pat Kelly, also of Cromwell, had an hotel at' Okarifo; Dobie was also there. Sergeant Leslie', first po-ice officer stationed in Cromwell, had an hotel at Addison's Flat when that place s was rushed. Charles Schofield. who had the Golden Ape, and Geo. Blanchard. from Bendigo Gully, were both located at Ross.

On mv return to Wanaka in '6B I visited Bendigo Gully, and found it all but deserted. Charley O'Donnell and a few others were, there. I iourneyed on to Cromwell, and there, while seated in Bill Smitham's lOiwaran Hotel, a man whom I kr«jw well in the early digging days entered. After *a friendly greeting he confided to me how he and his mate "had rtruffflrled on proroectinp for a reef in Bendijo Gully until thev became so poor and heavily in debt that thair tucker credit was stormed in Cromwell. " But." added he. " old boy. we have struck the golden stone at last." This* was Tom Logan and his mate Jack Garrett. Thev thereupon offered me a full third share in their find for the sum of £2O; but as I had already entered into an arrangement with Tom Pinn, of Pigeon

Island, to build a 60-ton vessel on Lake Wanaka, I was, much to my regret, unabld to join them. I, however, laid them on to a mate with a little capital, one Brian Hebden. who had made a living for several years by burning charcoal on the islands in the Upper (Jlutha. He was a hardworking, decent fellow, and known locally as "Charcoal Joe." The three of them opened out on the reef, which daily improved in quality, some of the quartz being fairly studded with gold. As the three partners lacked the means to erect the necessary machinery for the first crushing, they approached an enterprising hotelkeeper in Cromwell, George Wellington Goodger, who, in order to raise the necessary cash,, mortgaged his property, erected the required machinery, and became a partner in the claim.

How' the first crushing yielded £6OOO a man is now a matter of ancient history. The Bendigo mine yielded enormous dividends for many months. became a busy, flourishing town, and Bendigo eclipsed its former glory. But, alas! for those worthy and enterprising miners who opened the mine and were the means of bringing about this prosperity. Poor Jack Garrett broke his neck off a racehorse in front of Perriam's Hotel at''Lowburn Creek. Brian Hebden invested in an aristocratic brougham, a flash horse, 'silverplated harness, and a wonderful array of flash togs. He became known as "Lord Coalyard." He subsequently sold his share to Mr Baird, clerk of the Cromwell Court, for £12,000. I think he went back to the Old Country. My old and respected friend, Mr Goodger, put up a large brewery, near Hartley and Riley's Beach. He also laid out a large sum in cultivating and planting a lovely apple orchard near Lowbum. He stuck to the mine till the gold ran cut. But the brewery proved a white elephant, and the orchard became a perfect wreck in the big flood of '7B. Then his wife, his -. faithful companion, died. These and other severe losses and trials preyed upon a mind always active, sympathetic, and speculative, until final relief was found in the cold, dark waters of_ the Ciutha. Poor Tom Logan! His wealth melted away like mist before the morning sun* A few years -before the opening of Bendigo Reef Logan made a rise of £I6OO at Skippers ; but that disappeared like magic. Logan left this country for his old haunts in Australia, where, I believe, he died some years ago at Forest Creek. r The subsequent eventful history of the famous Bendigo quartz mine did not come under my personal observation, except through articles in the Press. Though several unsuccessful attempts, involving much loss of capital, have been made by various com-panies to trace the golden reef; yet all have so far proved ineffective. However, I fully believe that a line of highly payable quartz reef exists, and will yet,_ perhaps, at any time be located between Bendioo Gully and Quartz Reef Point, on the Upper Ciutha. Should my prediction eventuate, then Cromwell will get a start that will eclipse the bier dredging boom of a couple of decades ago. I trust these .reminiscences will prove interesting to many in our goldfields district, especially to those few remaining good old pioneers whose lot was cast and who fought the rough battle of progress during the feverish and exciting period of the roaring sixties.