FIRST SIGHT OF TIMARU

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18008, 13 July 1928, Page 4 (Supplement)

FIRST SIGHT OF TIMARU

REMINISCENCES OF Mr. Wm. EVANS

Probably no mail in South Canterbury knows more of the early history of Timaru than Mr William Evans. “My first sight of Timaru,” said Mr Evans, “was off the deck of the steamer “City of Dunedin,” 1865, when passing on my way from Dunedin to Lyttelton, at the time' of the goiu rash to Hokitika. I again visited Timaru in the s.s. “Maori” in 1868 with » letter of introduction from the late Mr John Reid, Corner Bush, who wms a sleeping partner in a store known as Lteid and Monroe, situated where the Empire Hotel now stands. After seeing the dead-and-alive town generally 1, on the advice of Mr Murray, Inspector of the Bank of New Zealand, whom I had met that day in Timaru, did not invest, but went on to Dunedin and Auckland, without having seen the, back country or any of tho good land adjacent to Timaru. Again in December, 1874, on the advice of old friends, the late A. Mowart, Oamaru, and Mr Donald McLean, auctioneer, Greymouth, I found tho little town a very primitive and slow-going place. The only two decent buildings were the Bank of New Zealand, just erectecf, and the corner building opposito the Bank of New Zealand, known as Gabites and Plantes, drapers. Mr Peter Cunningham, Christchurch, and Messrs Rovse and Stead, grain merchants, of

DECISION TO SETTLE. “On my return to Timaru that day I said to Mr McLean: ‘Donald, I a,.i not going any further; l will throw in my lot amongst you.’ Within a few hours next morning I picked out an old foundry place next to King’s stables, in Stafford Street, which I rented from Mr Reeco, of Christchurch, and at once made arrangements for the necessary alterations to make it suitable for a grain store, before going back to Christchurch, with the object of bringing my family to Timaru. “In those days there were no railways furLhor than the Selwyn, and wo had to take a coach irom there to Timaru. There was not any over the Rangitata in those days, arm only a few days before we crossed, a coach had capsized in the river and the then headmaster of the Timaru school, his wife, and mother-in-law had been drowned. John Meikle, afte.wards of the Grosvcnor Hotel, was our coachman, and a very good whip ho was. At Temuka some passengers got aboard the coach, amongst them the late Mr W. Priest. “I started the grain business within a few days of our arrival, but had >.■>, remain in the hotel (Royal) for some weeks with my family, as I could not get any house to cover us, for love or

■* Christchurch and Dunedin, who haa '« office agencies here, were the only £ two grain buyers, a Mr Henry Green ’* having for the time being retired from j, business. Mr McLean drove me into ’? the country just before harvest, De- > cember,-1874, when the crops of wheat £ and oats were looking their best. At :♦ that time very little land was under £ crop, as nearly all the country land £ was owned or controlled by station ;♦ holders, mostly leased Crown land. :♦ There was not much demand for £ sheep in those days except at an un- >* payable price (wool was selling from sd. to 6d. lb.), and wheat and oats £ also were very low in price, as home E* shipments did not pay, owing to the £ high rate of freights. Most of the >* Home vessels only came to main ports, :♦ such as Lyttelton or Dunedin. The £ coastal freight from Timaru to these places was 20s. per ton, besides the j, surf-boat charge of from ss. to 7s. per j£ ton, and then the Home vessel’s freight :+ was from 50s. to 60s. per ton, leaving £ no inducement to ship Home. Freezing &■ machinery had not been heard of in those days and all the necessaries of £ life were high in price and hard to :♦ procure.

money. At last we leased a little fourroomed cottage in LeCrcn’s Terrace (until I had a house built in Theodocia Street) where wo resided so many years. About the first day after arrival I was called upon by the late John Mclntosh, who at that time was manager of the Meat Preserving Works, au Washdyke. I had a letter of introduction to him from a mutual friend, and Mr Mclntosh, who was well known by all the early settlers, would insist on my coming out to see the farmers of the district. “From what I saw of the country then (January, 1875) I decided that South Canterbury would later on be about the best whedt-growing district in New Zealand. Up to this time very little wheat had been grown or exported from this district. The earlier settlers were mostly squatters (or men leasing land from the Government for grazing sheep and cattle) and most of the town residents had come out from England as emigrants, direct to Timaru. One of the ships was named the “Peeress,” and the Government laici off a small block of land near the present Caledonian Grounds, that was then known as Peeress Town. The

THE TOWN AND THE HARBOUR

people were living in mud and wattle ami dab houses in Peeress 'town for years after I arrived here. STARTING BUSINESS. “I lost no time in starting my business. 1 .had the foundry altered within a few days into a grain store, and t also secured some adjoining premises. This property soon blossomed out into a timber and coal yard, so that in the first week in January, 1875, I started in business as a grain, timber, and coal merchant combined. “Our greatest trouble at that time, was the want of proper shipping facilities, as the mode of loading and discharging vessels was by surf boats from landing services erected on the open beach. These services sent out the surf boats to vessels lying in the outer roadstead, and each boat had a rope line moored and buoyed from the service to the ship pulled by two men band over hand. The surf boats, both wood and iron, generally eontaineu about 10 tons, and could only be worked in fairly smooth weather. The process was a very slow one. The class of vessels at that time in use were mostly wooden schooners from 50 to 800 tons, and the only two steamers then trading between Lytelton, Timaru, and Dunedin were the s.s. “Maori” and

the “Beautiful Star,” neither of which would be much, if anything, over 200 tons. The landing service charge for loading and discharging the surf boat was from ss. to 7s.' per ton each way, and 20s. (later reduced to 165.) steamer freight to either Lyttelton or Dunedin. There were only two services—• the Government service, run by the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works, aud the other known as Captain Cain’s Service, under the management of the late Captain Cain, in conjunction with Messrs Russell, Ritchie, and Co. The Government service was let by tender for some years to Mr 11. Greene, afterwards Green and Wraggc. SHIPPING. “The growing necessities of the place got much ahead of the shipping accommodation, and vessels were detained through bad weather and want of surf boats for six weeks to two months at times. Sailing vessels were mostly used. Steamers wore more punctually attended to, and always i-eceived first, call on surf boats. I have often had vessels consigned to me lying a full month in the roadstead without being tendered. I remember a schooner of

about 150 tons capacity for which I was agent lying about six weeks in the roadstead, and we could only manage to get two boat loads of cargo into her alter her inward cargo was discharged. This vessel, amongst others, was ordered to sea by the Harbourmaster, as the weather looked tlu'eatcning. On the return of another schooner some days after, which went away from the roadstead in company with the white painted schooner 1 refer to, on my questioning the master bo informed mo that the last he saw of hur that wild night was about mid-night. All at once she disappeared and was never .seen again. He bad no hesitation in thinking she had turned turtle, as she had no ballast sufficient to stiffen her, so that every soul went down with her and were drowned. We afterwards got up a subscription for tne captain’s wife and family, amongst the townspeople, and the shipmasters coming to the port. “This, then, was the state of things often occurring when the landing services and surf boats tendered vessels coming to Timaru roadstead at that time. As our only mode of working cargo and carrying passengers was by surf boats, many passengers met their death whilsl being transhipped iron vessel to landing service, and vice versa. Our first marine engineer (Mr Balfour), who was sent out by Sir John Goode, to report on the feasibility or otherwise of constructing a breakwater hero, met his death by drowning in this roadstead in 1874. One can easily understand why the early residents

of Timaru, more especially men connected with the shipping business <d this port, as in my case, sbonid he, so anxious to obtain better shipping Polities than were then obtainable. 1 therefore fully made up my mind at ti.ac time to do my best to assist to mains a safe port to shelter vessels con,mg here, if it was possible to do so. If not, T would dear out to some more favoured place, as I was sick and tired of worrying landing service people for the use of surf boats, for which we hau i.< pay not only an exorbitant price, but had to consider it a great favour to get boats on any terms. PROTECTING 'THE HARBOUR. “About this time I took several trips to Australia, and made it a rule to take particular notice of what was going on there in the way of breakwater construction, and bad come to the conclusion that rough rubble stones of a large size would suit the requirements of Timaru for a breakwater moi-. much better than concrete blocks, besides being not nearly so costly. Tlii.s was especially the case, as I knew there acre splendid quarries of i-.ii best quality blue stone where blocks of any size could lie procured .-within a, short distance 'of , the contemplated breakwater. I strongly advocated rough nibble accordingly, but the marine Engineer of that day ridiculed the idea of rubble stone for the breakwater mole. Nothing would do but 25-ton blocks of concrete, as they insisted that the rubble stones would not withstand the storms we were sometimes having. As a matter of course my opinion bad no effect, as the other members of the Board sided with the then Engineers, many of whom had never seen a rabble breakwater.

a searching investigation of the locality, baucled to the Harbour Board bis report. “The report was well thought ous, 'and seeing that Sir John Coode was an engineer of wide experience, I. heartily endorsed his views and advocated that his plan of a breakwater should be carried out. Other plans were brough forward, designed by local layieu and New Zealand engineers of that day. Several meetings were hem by the Board, and many warm debates took place before they decided which plan should be adopted. . Eventually that of the late Mr John Goodall was accepted and the work was commenced. The successful contractors for the-first-contract were Messrs Allan and Stumbles, railway contractors at'that time. In Mr Goodall’s plan the structure commenced from the sea beach.

“The majority of the people anticipated that the work'would be a failure. They insisted that the sea could not. be controlled from washing away any structure we .might, erect. The majority of the Board, however, persevered, and Allan and; Sriicnpble.s smarted therr contract by laying down 25-tou' blocks of concrete with a crane. The work.was progressing* satisfactorily, blit. • some people nevdr Aydll be .and, as the contractfor.'the' strength 0 f chine was for a -60 ton- lift,the .majority o-r the Board -dedded..-■that the crane should be made to stand this test. A breakdown of the crane delayed the work fully two months before the crane was repaired. Meantime the sea and shingle had done much damage to the work, so much so that the then chief Government engineer (Mr Blackett) strongly advised the Board to have the whole structure so far carried out blown up with powder, so that the sea might be allowed to take its natural course along the shore, as it was folly for them to squander publics money on so foolisli a project. “Other leading engineers of that' day, mostly railway men, were of the same opinion, ' including the late” Mr C. Y. O’Connor. In fact, Mr O’Connor informed me that our stopping tue natural course of the travelling shingle would likely be the means of causing a groat encroachment of the sea north of the breakwater, and in his opinion a great portion of Seadown land was even then being washed away. Much correspondence over this denudation of shingle on the north beach took place through the columns of the “Timaru Herald” of that tim.,,. Some hundreds of tons of large stone rubble were brought down by rail from the site of the Lyttelton breakwater that was then being constructed, and was tipped over the cliff adjacent to the Timaru railway viaduct, known as Perry’s, with the object of protecting the shore from the encroachment of the sea. After results have proved that the sea has ever since been receding from tli.’ shore and cliffs, not encroaching. Our trouble now is to prevent the sand filling up our harbour. “The majority of the Board, however, had made up their minds to get better shipping facilities, and they per-

FIRST HARBOUR BOARD. : “The Government Landing had been up to this time under the management of a Board of Works, the members of xvhicli had been nominated by the Government of that day, but about 1877 au elected Harbour Board succeeded the old Board of Works. The Harbour Board xvas somewhat differently con-, stituted from the present Board. So far as I can remember two or three members were nominated by the' Government. The xvriter represented the Chamber of Commerce on the first Haibour Board. The late Fxxlbert Archer (of Miles and Archer-, and Co.) being first chairman.

“I beliex r o I am the only member or the 1877 Harbour Board alive to-day. One of the first actions of the Board xvas to engage The services of Sir John Coodo to import on the proposed xvork. Sir John was at that time considered to be the loading engineer of the British Empire. The Board of Works had eviously been in communication xvith him, and he had some two or three years before sent out his i-epresentn-tive to report on the practicability or otherwise of constructing a breakwater xvorks at Timanx (this xvas Mr Balfour) xvho, whilst making a survey, xvas unfortunately droxvned. Sir John then visited Timaru himself, and after

severed with the carrying out of the breakwater extension. One contract was let after another, all in a straightout easterly direction, until some of the laembers and their friends thought; that the, extension had gone out far enough on the straight, and after much lieated discussion the majority decided to put on a cant towards the North. By this time the engineers wno had previously opposed the breakwater began to have more confidence in the work, and the late Mr C. Y. O’Connor informed the Board that they weie making a mistake in deviating from the straight out course, and said that if the proposed bend was put on, it would cost tjie Board at least £50,000 more when they again wished to extend the straight out mole. But the Board carried out the bend or' cant to the north.

us, canvassed the different districts, called and addressed meetings on public platforms. Our opposition did their best to prejudice the public against carrying out the work and went so far as to induce the then Leader of the Government Opposition (Captain Russell) to oppose our Bill. I met the Hon. AY. Rolleston on the Timaru platform, and asked him why Captain Russell opposed our proposed extension, 1 as he could not know much about it. Mr Rolleston informed me that he felt annoyed himself at Captain Russell’s action, and told him he was making a mistake, as the majority of ratepayers in South Canterbury were in, favour of extension. Captain Russell/at once owned he knew very little-about it except what he had been told by friends of the opposition who were opposed to the extension of the mole. Finally the Harbour Board loan of £IOO,OOO passed through.

“AH went well for some time, until the shingle made up towards the bend; then trouble commenced and all sorts of engineering proposals were made, and several commissions of inquiry could not solve the difficulty of preventing the shingle encroaching L towards the bend. Eventually the removal of shingle from one side of the mole to the other, by machinery, was recommended. At this stage the ratepayers took alarm, and at the following election of members the election cry was shingle-shifting v. extension. Nearly all the old members lost their seats, and a new Board was elected, pledged to extending the eastern mole. ,“The new Board hung fire for gome time, as they feared asking the ratepayers for more money, and it was not until the breakwater cant wao nearly destroyed by the shingle that the Board appeared to realise t«e danger of their position. They had spent- £B,OOO on blocks of concrete, the ■year before the eastern extention was commenced. I- had all through kept urging them to extend the mole with rubble stone and placed my opinions before the ratepayers through the newspapers. At last the Board sent a deputation to me asking me to accept the chairmanship. After discussing tnu position for some time, I agreed to accept the chairmanship on one condition, that the Board should be unanimous in supporting me in the action I intended to take to try and carry out the work of extension. They all agreed. I was elected chairman, and with the able assistance of our then secretary (Mr Tennant) went to work in earnest. I first got (he support of the Premier (Mr Seddon) and through him the Government. Mr Maxwell was deputed to draw a plan of the mole, which aftex some alterations insisted on by myself, was reported On by a Royal Engineering Commission, composed of Messrs. Hales and Co., and was accepted. We then had to obtain the consent of the ratepayers of South Canterbury to a loan of £IOO,OOO to cany out the work, in two instalments of £50,000 each. We had also to obtain the consent of both Houses of Parliament before the loan could be placed on the market. My friends of the Board and some few ratepayers who were in sympathy wan

“Later another member of the Board, giving evidence before a Government Parliamentary commission appointed to inquire into and report upon the AA’aimate Harboard Board rate inclusion Bill, stated that he voiced the opinion of the ratepayers m his district when he said they did not believe there was a possibility of building a harbour at Timaru, as at any time during any storm the whole of the reclamation works might be swept away, and it was only throwing money into the sea to attempt to make a harbour at Timaru.. We obtained a majority in favour of rating AVaimate on that Committee, and also secured promises of a majority from members of the Upper House, but at the last moment before the session closed the Premier informed the House of Representatives that all Bills that were opposed would not be gone on with that session.

“After this, all went well for « couple of years. The extension had reached about 2,000 ft. without any mishap. Our resident engineer (Mr Dobson, junr.) had laid out the tramway, surveyed the quarry, and we had only just commenced the eastern extension mole when he took ill. We did not appoint. anyone in his steau, but the whole work of quarries and pile driving was carried on under Mr P. Bradley, our Clerk of AVorks, supervised' by Mr Dobson, senr., who for the time was our visiting engineer.

“A new engineer was subsequently appointed, and it was only after my continued insistence that the inner berth was blasted and deepened. An inquiry was held, following the loss of about £SOOO worth of work in the harbour, this loss having been brought about by carelessness. Then an accident occurred also through carelessness. In this I was injured, and have never recovered.

Under the circumstances I saw that my best course was to retire from the Beard altogether. Before doing so I placed all the facts before the public in a small pamphlet, which is, I think, still procurable. My health at this time began to give way, for the first time in my life, and I deckled to take a trip to the United Kingdom.”