AN OLD WEST COASTER WHO PLAYED CHESS.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 193, 15 August 1931, Page 29

AN OLD WEST COASTER WHO PLAYED CHESS.

Early Cl itevbury.

Yarns of Gold Taken by Anchor Steamers Under Armed Guard.

By

Johannes C. Andersen.

Many will remember John Connal, who lived on the Canal Reserve. I knew him as a chess player for a good many years before I learned that he, too, had experienced the West Coast in the golden days; but his was business connected with shipping, not digging. Like most chess players, he had his little peculiarities. When considering what looked like a deep move of his opponent, he would lean back in his chair, bring his hands together before him, and flip the forefinger of his right hand, so that it struck the hollow between th j fore and middle fingers of his left—flip, flip, flip, flip—and if it was his opponent’s turn to move, and he was rather long in deciding what reply to make, the flipping would be punctuated with a loud, “ahem! ” —as if he meant to waken his opponent should he by any chance be half asleep. When I kneyr he was an old West Coaster, however, I found an added interest in him, and spending an evening with him I listened to his yarning. He was there only about three months, as representative of the Anchor Line of steamers, owned by Nathaniel Edwards and Co., whose headquarters were in Nelson. The company is still in existence, and doing a brisk trade. Nelson went in for steamers at an early date; they were required for coastal trading. The Tasmanian Maid was the third steamer imported by them, and W. Robinson, the superintendent of the province, was drowned off this boat in the Buller in 1863. The Lyttelton, imported by Cookson Bowler and Co., of Lyttelton, was bought by Nathaniel Edwards and Co. for their line of steamers. They also bought the Rangatira, a “ paddle and screw ” boat. They did most of the trade with the West Coast -when the rushes began. Ships bringing men or cargo had to wait outside the river bars until the tide was favourable, and there was a chance of their being able to cross them. There were sometimes fifty or sixty boats waiting outside, these small boats, schooners, cutters, barques, etc., being known as the mosquito fleet. They were often stranded on the spit dividing the sea from the rivers; but they only had to wait the tide—or, if in a desperate hurry they were, by cutting a channel, floated into the river. The John BulloCk, a big barque, was over 100 days out from Dunedin; she waited, but the rivers were unfavourable, so she returned to Dunedin; came

again—and went on to the beach after all. This did not necessarily mean wreck or even loss, only extra trouble. Thatcher celebrated this event in one of his topical songs, “ Where is the John Bullock?” The Zealandia, a big paddle boat for Hokitika, went bodily ashore the very first time she called. After this tugs were used for towing the boats into the rivers. From September 12 to 20, of either 1865 or 1866, there were about twelve vessels ashore every day; it was a record time for the stranding of the mosquito fleet vessels. The tug boats were brought from Australia from 1864 to 1866; the first were the Yarra Yarra and the Lioness, brought by Throgmorton. During the rushes the Omeo, Gothenberg and Alhambra were steamers plying to the Coast; they were owned by M’Meekan, Blackwood and Co. The Anchor Company bought the Wallaby and Charles Edward for trading on the Coast. The gold was taken by the Anchor steamers; very little went overland by the escort, which was subject to all sort of dangers, by waylaying, flooded rivers, etc.„ etc., while the steamers were practically safe. Once the escort returned to Christchurch with nothing. The members of the escort used to drill in the vacant section between Armagh Street and Glocester Street, where the skating rink was built many years later. In January, 1858, the Collingwood rush took place. In a steamer leaving Collingwood for Nelson there was a successful digger. He gave his bag into the charge of the Captain—Captain Kennedy—for safe keeping, and went up on deck. lie was never seen again. He probably fell overboard, the bulwarks being very low. The affair was reported to the authorities, but nothing further was heard. One boat, the City of Dunedin, left for Hokitika and was never again heard of. The Wongawonga was one of the first steamers on the Coast; the White Swan succeeded her, in 1858 or 1859, and traded between Dunedin and Manukau. In 1857 and 1858 the Jeanie Dove and another topsail schooner took the English mails fortnightly for Sydney.

The favourite drinks on the Coast in the roaring da}*s were gin and black brandy, but my reminiscing friend offered me neither of these when our evening ended, and I took the road. JOHANNES C. ANDERSEN. (To be continued.)