Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Tales of Banks Peninsula

No. 16.—French Farm and the Survey

page 175

No. 16.—French Farm and the Survey.

About the years 1858 aad 1859 a great many new settlers came to New Zealand, and of these not a few came to the Peninsula, more particularly the passengers by the barque Indiana and the ship Clontarf, most of whom settled in the various Bays of the Peninsula. Amongst these we may mention Messrs G. J, Checkley, Joseph Bates, Kennedy, and S. and J. Hunt. Some of these new settlers went to dairy farming, others to bush work. Few had much capital to start with, and most of them are now comparatively prosperous men—thanks to their energy, and the splendid timber, capital soil, and good climate of our Peninsula. The timber was then to be found everywhere in very large quantities, and the climate was more humid in consequence. Its removal has largely increased the droughts in summer, and old settlers think that planting should be largely carried on, to mitigate the extreme heat of the sun, which now burns up the bare hills for several months in the year

One gentleman, Mr. F. Moore, left the barque Indiana in Lyttelton, in the year 1858, with a very small capital, which he, like a good many more, speedily got rid of. not seeing at the moment what he was to do in New Zealand. He came down to the Peninsula, and joined Mr. Triba's gang in the French Farm Bay, cutting blocks for the old Government buildings, piles for the Lyttelton jetty, firewood, etc., at "which employment he was occupied nearly two years. Very jolly was the life led by these bush fellows in the old days. Many of them had been delicately nurtured and well brought up, but they turned to with a will, and found that they could do hard work as well as those to the manner born. Their hard-won earnings were, however, in most eases speedily disposed of. They used to work like slaves for a month or two, and then go to Akaroa and knock it down in a few days. Mr. Gibbs kept the principal hotel, which was the one now known as Bruce's. He was a decent fellow, with a large corporation, page 176and the boys all liked him, for he was of a very genial character,

Mr. Tribe rented the Government bush in French Farm, and employed a great many men. He was universally respected, but, in spite of all his enterprise, he never (through a series of misfortunes) succeeded in making the fortune he thoroughly deserved. At one time he was burnt out in Lyttelton, and afterwards took the Central Hotel in Christchurch. He eventually found his way to the West Coast diggings, when he was returned as a member for the General Assembly, and did much good for the community he represented, and was as generally beloved by the diggers as he bad been on the Peninsula.

When Mr. Tribe gave up French Farm, Messrs. Keegan and Wilkin bought a spot of ground on the south side of Akaroa Harbour, now the property of Messrs. Porter Bros, Mr. Moore went over with them, and stopped for a year. At this time Mr. Townsend was traversing the Peninsula on the survey. He was joined by Mr Moore, who stopped with him six months, and afterwards went with him up north.

At the time the big works were going on in French Farm, Mr. Shadbolt took the Head of the Bay Hotel, and succeeded in it most admirably. His predecessor was a Mr. John Anderson (a Russian Fin), and in his time there were high jinks at the Head of the Bay, for in those days timber was worth twenty-two shillings per hundred feet, and the sawyers made their money very easily, and spent it as freely as they got it.

A gentleman named Dicken resided in French Farm before Mr. Tribe came there He was a dairy farmer, and a good deal of the land there belonged to him. One day, in the year 1857, he left the house without saying where he was going, taking his horse with him. When night came he did not return, but his dog came back, and a search was instituted, which lasted for many weeks. His horse was discovered tied up in the supplejacks, but no trace or tidings of the missing man himself have ever been discovered to the present day. Mr. Dicken was very page 177much respecked and regretted, Relatives of the above gentleman owned property in French Farm for a number of years.

There were many narrow escapes in those days, particularly to those engaged in boating. On one occasion, at Christmas time, Mr. Townsend sent a boat's crew to Waikerakikari from Akaroa. It came on to blow fiercely from the south-west, and the crew had to put into Lucas Bay, where they laid that night. There was a keg of rum in the boat, and before midnight they were drinking it out of the heel of an old boot. Next morning they resolved to start, though it was still blowing very bard from the south west. Jack Miller was the steer oarsman, and he kept the men in good heart, In spite of the heavy seas and furious wind, they managed all right till they got near a reef that runs out near Waikerakikari shore. Here the sea was running furiously over the reef, and they had to wait for over two hours before Miller gave the word to pull across. When he did he said "Pull, and pull like h—l, boys!" and so they did pull, and just as the boat cleared the reef the rowers saw the bare rocks staring up abaft It was a marvellous escape; another moment and the boat must have been dashed to pieces, and all on board drowned, for no one could have swum in such a sea; and had it not been for the iron nerve and quick eye of Miller, none would have lived to tell the tale.