PIONEER PASSES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20782, 17 July 1937, Page 5

PIONEER PASSES

DEATH OF MR JOHN JONES PLEASANT POINT RESIDENT The death occurred at Pleasant Point yesterday afternoon of Mr John Jones, in his 94th year. The circumstances surrounding his death were somewhat unusual. It is stated that Mr Jones had been in the habit of spending his afternoons in a shed in his garden, and it was also I his custom to light a fire in a big basin. I similar to a miner's washing-up tin. J Deceased visited the shed yesterday afternoon, and lit his fire, and when ■ found he was lying across the fire. A j call was put through to Dr. C. A. , Paterson, in Timaru, but when he reached Pleasant Point he found that I Mr Jones had passed away. He had ; been somewhat severely burned about I the body.

It is understood that an inquest will be held to-day. The late Mr Jones was born at i Machynllth, North Wales, on March 8. ’ 1844, and emigrated to New Zealand ’ 20 years later. He arrived by the ship | Ivanhoe and landed at Lyttelton in ; 1864. Mr Jones commenced work ■ immediately with a Mr Hall, of Temuka, and after a period of three or four years he purchased a team for the purpose of carting goods for storekeepers in Temuka. running between Timaru and Temuka. In the winter months Mr Jones did a considerable amount of contract ploughing, principally for the Orari Gorge Station and the Levels Station, the manager of which at that time was Mr Hassall. After a few years he purchased 160 acres of land at Washdyke and 200 acres at Dovey Downs, near Pleasant Point, but he continued to have teams on the road transporting wool and grain from the Mackenzie Country to Timaru. In the disastrous floods of 1868, Mr Jones was engaged in rescue work at Temuka, doing an immense amount of work with his horses in conveying people to safety. On May 16, 1870, Mr Jones married Miss Ellen Stephens, of South Wales, who had travelled in the same ship to New Zealand. In 1879 Mr and Mrs Jones moved to Longbeach, where they purchased a farm of 700 acres, but were extremely unfortunate in this venture, as two seasons running they encountered nor’-westers so severe that the crops were blown out of the ground, and so they returned to Pleasant Point, where Mr Jones has resided ever since. Mrs Jones predeceased her husband three years ago.