The end has come and as our unknown Greymouth correspondent concluded:
> This article is rather longer than I anticipated writing, and may not
interest many, especially the modern Greyite, and for these it is not
particularly intended.
Early in this final passage you'll come across the account of George
HELLIER's death which is what drew me to this passage in the beginning.
As I've concluded already, my grandfather, J.T.E Hellier would have
grown up alongside our correspondent, only being a year younger.
I've found the language and expressions of interest and wonder if others
noted the use of Israelite instead of Jew, and Chow instead of Chinese?
In case anyone wonders, the final word in the article is defined as such:
/Mawhera/, the original Maori name for Greymouth, /means/ 'wide-spread
river mouth'
Cheers for now, and enjoy the peace that'll follow ... until next time
... when South Africa awaits <g>.
ROB!
rnelson@xxxxxxxxxxxx
----< Grey River Argus, 9 December 1913, page 7 >---->
GREYMOUTH IN THE SIXTIES: (Continued)
Tom Fletcher, of Reefton, was for some years connected with the timber
yard. There were two sawmills up Coal Creek, one owned by Watson and
Wickes and the other by the late Chas Holder (the latter mill did not
start for some years after Watson and Wickes.) Kilgour and Perotti about
1878 started a mill near Sawyer's Creek Bridge. It was totally destroyed
by fire and started again.
The coal industry was started by Harry Rochfort, and was afterwards
taken over by Harry Batty, and subsequently by "Hughes and McCarthy" (a
Melbourne firm). Both the latter came over and attended to matters
personally, but had eventually to succumb, and the business then fell
into the hands of Martin Kennedy, the Union Company starting about the
same time and the coal industry became the chief one on the Coast. I was
reading an account of the greenstone industry now in full swing at Mt
Victoria, which reminds me- of the early time when the South Beach was
strewn with it, all shades, shapes and sizes. We thought nothing of it
then; it was too common. The beaches were also strewn with enormous
quantities of quartz. Such as the latter or greenstone has not been seen
on the beaches for many, many years.
For many years the caretaker of the Masonic Hall, Andy became "mine
host" of an hostelry on the Preston Road, known as the "Waverley." He
ran a staging out into the lagoon, rigged two pontoons near the end and
started a bathing club. All his friends of course joined to give the old
chap a lift. The swimming at high water was first-rate, but at low tide
there was very little water and if not careful, you dived into the mud.
The place did not last long. This particular place (the Waverley ground)
was first occupied by Tom Pelling's father, as a garden and a splendid
garden it was. Years afterwards it was the residence of the Sweetmans.
During all the years I was in Greymouth there was only one swimming
fatality. The circumstances were as follows: Old Eli Hellier kept a Pub
down Arney Street, about half way to the bridge. His brother (when he
had not seen for many years) came to visit him one Christmas time. They
went out to the springboard for a swim. The day was warm, and when they
got to the shed they were rather hot. The brother being ready first,
took a header off the board, but never came up. They found his body five
or six days after in deep water at the head of the lagoon. The body was
in exactly the same position as when he dived off the board.
CRICKET.
Cricket was naturally the game of games and was always held in the Camp
Reserve. As may be imagined it did not require a great hit to drive the
ball over any of the fences, on to the Court House or through the latter
window very often across Arney Street into one or other of the gardens.
Matters reached a climax one day when the late W. H. Revell was holding
Court. The ball went through the window and banged him on the head. The
Club had then to place wire netting over the windows. There was always a
ladder kept handy to get the ball off the Court House roof, and the
fielders had invariably to scramble over a fence and hunt amongst the
spuds, etc. in search of 'lost ball.' Sometimes the latter went into the
manure heap (or rather slush) at the rear of the police camp, and the
ball had to be hauled out with a rake and if the latter was not handy
the fielder had no alternative but to 'wade' in and fish it out to the
detriment of his beautiful white shoes and pants. The late Sir Arthur
Guinness and our old friend Mr W.H. Perkins also were two of the
earliest and more enthusiastic cricketers, also I doubt if there is an
older cricketer in the Colony. I believe the latter played against the
Engish team at Dunedin in 1861 or 1862, and Sir Arthur played against
Lilley White's team in Christchurch in 1867.
Annual matches took place between Hokitika and Grey. Unless a steamer
was handy, the journey en coach along the beach was three days, a little
different to the present train journey of an hour or so.
FOOTBALL.
Football of course was the usual winter game, played in the Reserve. Sir
Arthur was also an enthusiast, and the late W. H. Revell, S.M. There
were no inter-town matches played until about 1885.
Fishing afforded great sport to those who indulged in it. The late W.
Robinson, tinsmith, was the greatest fisherman I ever saw or knew. Even
when I was in the knickerbocker stage, he spent all his available time
at it, and kept it up until his demise. Herring was the chief sport. The
river in those days swarmed with them, and everyone had lines and hooks.
The herring fishing was all done from the sterns of the different
vessels in port, and there were great disputes with the mates and
sailors on account of the mess made. Another kind of fishing was
"greyling." These congregated in shoals in the still waters along the
rivers and were caught with jags, (three or four large hooks
straightened out and fastened on the end of a stick.) In the sixties and
early seventies these fish were very common, but some disease seemed to
have got amongst them and they disappeared completely. I never saw one
in the river again. What the disease was I do not know, but it gradually
ate the parts affected, and the fish no doubt succumbed. Prior to 1872
the river under the wharf and inside the wooden breastwork was alive
with shrimps, but no one ever took the trouble to catch them. They also
disappeared with the 'old man' flood of 72. Whitebait of course, was
always good and profitable sport. The Pakeha's first fishing net was
made of scrim used by the paper-hangers, not until years afterwards did
it srrike anyone to use the mosquito netting. The Maoris nets were large
oblong baskets made of flax and fitted with a long manuka pole. The
Pakeha would be running up and down, getting very wet, and often falling
into the river. The Maori would stick his basket in the river, sit on
the river bank, contentedly smoking his pipe and watching the basket.
When the latter had a good haul, he would quietly draw it in. He could
always beat the Pakeha at catching whitebait. There were no factories
and the whitebait caught (save in the beginning of the season when the
good price could be obtained) were mostly used for house copsumption.
When the season was in full swing you could buy them for 6d a bucket, or
even less; they were then chiefly used to feed ducks, etc.
The first factory was started by old Tom Foxcroft, the tinsmith, of High
Street. The Chows caught and also purchased large quantities. They
spread them out on sheets of galvanised iron, placed in the sun and
dried them, then packed them in bags and sent them to China or elsewhere.
During the drying process you could not approach within a mile of the
place. When there was only the breastwork along the river the boys
fished for white bait off this and also the stringers from the works to
the river bank and there were always one or two rows over who would
first get his net before the shoal; very often one of the lads got a
clout or shove, and sent into the river. That did not trouble them, they
could swim like ducks. Any objectionable individual caught very few
whitebait, as the boys would throw stones in front of his net and
scattered the fish in all directions. Often a large boulder would be
"flopped" into his net. I expect such things are still done.
Another kind of fishing was spearing flounders, and flatheads; at the
tail end of the Cobden shingle bank, near the North Spit. The water was
shallow and the river bed was all beautiful sandy bottom, in which were
large numbers of both kinds of fish. Some of the fishers used jags,
others proper shaped spears.
Another favourite place for this kind of fishing was at the Hospital,
and on the island in the Hospital lagoon and also at the mouths of
Sawyers and Tidal creeks.
These places were also beautiful sandy bottoms. The fisher stripped off
his pants and tied up the remainder of his cloth with a piece of flax,
waded in and felt about with his feet until he discovered his fishship,
or saw him which he often did, paiticularly the flounders, and then he
let go his jag or spear. Night was a very good time for spearing. There
were no electric lamps in those days, a candle stick in one of those
lolly tins with a glass front; was used. If the water was deeper than
usual the fisherman stripped altogether.
It is nearly fifty years since the times I have written about, and a
long time to remember, but when I look back, I can in my minds eye, see
everything and everybody as they were in those days of long ago. Nearly
the whole of the business people, drapers, merchants, hotelkeepers,
together with bank managers, customs officers, etc. etc., were little
more than lads. Such a thing as an elderly person was hardly to be seen;
where are they all? If a parade were made of those still in existence,
what a sorry sight they would look. Not one of those who were boys and
girls remains, save as a silvery haired, and perhaps decrepit, man or
woman, many of them even grandparents.
Of all who were in business in Greymouth in the sixties I doubt if there
is one now alive; and the bridge of time seems very short.
This article is rather longer than I anticipated writing, and may not
interest many, especially the modern Greyite, and for these it is not
particularly intended. If considered of sufficient interest and time,
etc. allows, I shall give some reminiscences of individuals, incidents,
matters political etc., connected with Greymouth's early history.
MAWHERA.
<----
