AMONG THE EXCURSIONISTS TO OAMARU.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3609, 26 April 1886, Page 3

AMONG THE EXCURSIONISTS TO OAMARU.

(by our own repobter.) Saturday morning broke clear and fine, and the large number of people that had made up their mind to take advantage of the excursion train to visit Oamaru were delighted with the prospect that loomed before them of a glorious day. The Timaru railway station was crowded with people at 7.30 a.m., but as the early Christchurch train and tbo Albury train got their quota of passengers aboard, the crush became less dense. At a quarter to eight the excursion train, consisting of about twenty-two carriages, drawn by a Yankee engine, drew up at the platform, and m a very few minutes every carriage was crowded with people. In some carriages, m fact, it was impossible to obtain seats, but the members of the sterner sex present took good care that the ladies and " our girls," did not want for seats. It was estimated that over 1000 people purchased tickets, the majority' of tho passengers, of course, considering the fact that so many men were away at Oamaru, being ladies. At ten minutes past eight o'clock, Mr J. Jones, tho station master, had got overy one aboard, and the shrill whistle of the guard having sounded, tho answering bellow was given by the engine, and the heavy and crowded train steamed out of the station. Full speed ahead was the word till reaching Nonnanby, when the train cased up, and took aboard a few passengers. It then once more glided along the Bteel, and next stopped at St. Andrews, a town renowned: in ' coursing annals as the best country for this splendid sport that is to be found m all Canterbury. At this station some fifty qr sixty people took their seats, or rather tried to do so, and after a few minutes' stay, the whistle was sounded, and the train again dashed along. Otaio, Makikihi, and tho Hook were called at, a few minutes' stay taking place at each town, and many passengers taken aboard. Studholme was reached at 9.20 p.m., and as there were about 120 people to take on here, the station master (Mr Weir) deemed it necessary to put on three extra carriages. ' It was well he did so, for it would have been quito impossible to squeeze this number of people m the other carriages. As the stay at titiidholme was consequently- some minutes, many of the passengers partook Of light refreshments, 6b.eke6n morning air having sharpened their appetites' "pretty considerably. The Waihao was the next station called at, and on Teaching this the v whole face of nature changed, and its smiling look faded away to one of gloomy grandeur. The country passed through to this point was rich and very fertile, and the~ grand rolling downs were the theme of eloquent and general admiration. On the lower ranges of the Southern Alps, the verdure: looked extremely well and the beautiful view of the mountains, which m the morning light gave one the appearanco of being robed m an ultramarine blue dressinggown fringed with gold,^ was more than sufficient- to, distend the eye with wonder] cause the heart to swell with thankfulness, and loosen the_ tongues of the hundreds that were resting with ease and being carried along at the raW of forty miles an hour, almost at the mountains' very base. Truly the country presented some of the finest features of mountain scenery that is to bo met with m almost any country m the world. After passing Waihao, as I have said, the scene is changed. The country becomes less rich, and the beetling cliffs that adjoin the great Waitaki river, and the wild look of the scenery generally impress one strangely. North Waitaki passed, the train rushes on to the immense bridge that spans the river named, and once more excitement reigns supreme among the passengers. The river waß very low for this time of year, but still there was a tremendous volume of water, of a light slate colour, tumbling over boulders and shingle, and pressing on to join the mighty Pacißc ocean, where it gets lost for over. But a short rein needs to be given to the imagination to recall tho time when this very dangerous river had to be crossed by punts, and the records of the many sad and fatal accidents while navigating it are too gloomy to dilate on m these notes. To a layman's mind, however, the danger of crossing seems now to be reduced to the veriest minimum, as the bridge is a very strong one, and is so planked that stock, vehicles and horsemen can cross over it. As the train ran off at the southern end the rubicon was passed and tho provincial district of Otago entered upon. Nothing worth noting then occurred till the Oamaru racecourse camo m sight, when windows and platforms of the carriages were rushed, all the passengers being eager to get a glimpse at tho " tented field," which, from the train, looked remarkably pretty. Tho Volunteers m camp appeared to bo drawn up m line of march, and their bright scarlet uniforms were a conspicuous target m the clear ' morning light. The train reached Oamnru a few minutes before eleven, and aa it emptied ita immense number of passengers the crush was again something to be remembered and chatted ovor m tho future. Eager enquiries were made respecting the event of tho day — the naval engagement, and the3e being satisfied, tho next thing thought of was lunch, and as tho various hotels and restaurants had mado every provision for this kind of invasion, but little trouble was experienced m coping with the demands. Two hours yet remained to the excursionists and others wherein to enjoy themselves before tbo engagement took place, and these wero spent m" various ways — some visiting the Bplendid ship Dunedin which is lying at the wharf loading frozen mutton, and others visiting the Hinemoa, tho volunteer camp, etc. About 1 o'clock the thousands of people that were m Oamaru began to turn their steps towards the flagstaff hill, where it was said (and truly) that the very best view of the engagement could be got. At twenty minutes to two Admiral Scott's flagship, the N.Z6.'s s.s. Hinemoa came m sight, followed by. tho Star, tho p.a. Piuoky, tho s.s. Ohau, and the steam launch Reynolds. The Hinemoa, after firing one of her bow chasers, sent a boat ashore with a flag of truce, demanded an enormous sum of money, and supplies of coal and provisions, and m cose of refusal, threatened to bombard the town,

I and then to land and give it over to pillage. The demand was refused point-blank by Lieutenant-Colonel Brett, officer m charge of the land forces, and after Admiral Scott had received this message, he took his squadron out, piped all hands to quarters, and then stood m for the harbour again. At two o'clock precisely the " firing of the first gun" took place by the Hinemoa, and it was not till she had fired another gun that the shore battery opposite the gas works replied. The Beautiful Star, Plucky, and the Ohau soon followed their consort, and poured m a tremendous fire upon the guns on shore. The vessels' fire was quickly responded to by the artillery, the working of the Armstrong guns on the hill immediately behind the wharf and breakwater being extremely good and very accurately directed. Soon the atmosphere became so dense with the smoke that issued from the guns that it was almost impossible to watch the proceedings with a good Hold-glass. Boom after boom from the lino of ships was followed by a similar loud roar from the guns on shore, and as the echoes sounded from point to point among | the hills immediately behind and around Oamaru, the noise was something awful. After a quarter of an hour's brisk cannonading, boats packed from the stern sheets to-the bows with plucky jack tars, were seen making their way into the harbour, under cover of their ships' guDB. The rattle of musketry then began to make itself heard from the p.s. Plucky, the men aboard of which had " drawn a bead" on the redcoats that lined the shore opposite the railway station. As the steam launch Reynolds came between the moles towing a cutter full of Navals the torpedo boat under Captain Goldie sneaked out from the breakwater and exploded a torpedo right against the launch, and was supposed to have sent her and all hands down to join the majority m Davey Jones' large kingdom. In the meantime the other boats had got into the harbor and were making plucky efforts to reach the shore, but m vain, aa the reception they met with proved far too hot an one. From the flagstaff hill right round to the northern end of the railway station were lying tho troops m extended order, and tho way they poured m a deadly, continuous and well directed fire reflected the greatest credit on officers and men. The noise at this time resembled peals upon peals of tho loudest thunder, tho " boom, boom " of tho ordnanco being continuous for fully ten minutes. At this time the boats headed once more seaward, and joining their ships again, the latter tried to force an entrance, but were again foiled, and the signal to retire then fluttered from the masthead of the flagship. The torpedo boat after blowing up the launch, ran out of tho harbour, first of all blew up the Hinemoa, then the Star, the Plucky, and the Ohau. As tho deadly-looking little craft approached each ship, her crew got volley after volley of musketry poured on them, every effort being inado also to sink her. The hostile squadron then got under weigh again, and made trucks for the high seas. One, however, that waa supposed to have got too close m (an old surf-boat rigged up for the occasion) and got over a mine was, just as tho ships were getting steerage way on, blown up, and pieces of the boat and a great volume of water were tossed into the air fully 80 feet. The engagement was then at an end, and the word passed from man to man and from battery to battery on shoro to cease firing. Sir George "Whitmore, the gallant Commandant of New Zealand's forces, watched the whole affair from the cross-trees of the ship Dunedin, and wns, I heard, greatly pleased with the way each man did his duty. I was also informed that Admiral Scott was so dolighted with tho bluejackets under hie command that ho invited them nil to join him m a glass of wjne, and personally congratulated nearly the whole of them. Tho engagettient was throughout excellently planned and most successfully executed, and gave the spectators a most graphic idea of what a real naval engagement actually is. Oamaru, I may here state is exceptionally 'well situated for such a display, that is, of coarse, presuming an enemy were to advance from seaward the same as was done on Saturday. As tho vessels came m sight each wag raked by a terrible fire from the heights above the breakwater, and the guns there were so protected that it would have been almost impossible to lay a ship's gun on them and so disable them. I carefully watched tho battery of Armstrongs, and was well pleased to see that the non-com-missioned officer m chargo of each, coolly sighted his gun, and so laid it that every shot, had it been a real instead of a mimic engagement, would hare told. The other batteries and riflemen were also, I understood, equally careful m this respect. The engagement must have been witnessed by folly eleven i thousand people, many of whom had come from as far south as Invercargill,- and as far north as Wellington, on purpose to see it. Thousands of them lined tho hills to the south of the town, and the greatest, interest was taken m the afternoon's proceedings. Tho engagement over the excursionists once more tnado for town, and filled in'their time by watching the various companies of infantry, the bands, and the artillery with th'oir guns march through Thames street to the racecourse, which was reached shortly after five o'clock. The train for Timaru left at a quarter to fivo o'clock, and nothing of note occurred till just upon reaching Makikihi. This was the " firing" of an axle attached to one of' tho Pullman cars, and the guards found it necessary to leave the carriage behind at the station named. This done-, the train once more speeded on its homeward journey, Timaru being rsaohod at exactly ten minutes to eight o'clock. Everyone "of tho excursionists spoke with pleasure of the day's outing, and the enjoyment they had derived through their trip to tho " white stone city." I