Aug 20, 2010
He's not directly related to me, but he married my great Grandmother's sister Maggie, and he lived at Boatman's and was a very active citizen there, and his path crossed with that of my ancestors and with Pam's grandmother too, so he deserves a place in the archives. Strangely the only memories of him handed down by my father concern his handwriting and his excessive drinking.
But his record in the Inangahua Times show him to have been the part-owner of a coal mine, the principal owner of a the Argus Gold Mining Company which went into liquidation in 1890, a prospector after gold and "minerals other than gold" and a public figure of some standing in the Reefton-Boatman's area. He was a member of the Reefton Hospital Committee in 1883 at the time when Pam's grandmother, Jane Preshaw, was the hospital matron, and her husband, D.O.Preshaw, was the pharmacist. One of Sam's gold claims on Murray's Creek in 1882 adjoined that of Pam's grandfather. In 1885 he was also the handicapper for the Boatman's Racing Club.
But he seems to have taken a close interest in the affairs of his fellow citizens at Boatman's.
I have previously mentioned his bringing an information against William Archer for breach of a prohibition order against serving liquor to my great grandfather, Daniel Ferris. He also appears in case in 1887 giving evidence relating to indecent exposure on the part of a one George Lawry who apparently urinated while standing six feet away from the wheel of his dray, in contravention of the law that a carter may, if taken short, urinate against the wheel of his vehicle. In a les confrontational mood, he gave evidence before the coroner's court at Boatman's in an inquest into the circumstances attending the death of Rebecca and Martha Jane Hooper, saying, "I recollect yesterday morning (Sunday), 11th instant; between 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning, I heard a very loud and unusual kind of noise; got out of bed and lifting the window-blind saw a landslip coming down the hill; I then called out to my wife that Hooper's house would be buried in a few seconds; put on my trousers and ran out to the front of my house. I could observe none of the Hooper's family about, and the doors of the house were closed. The slip was then in motion. I ran in the direction of Hooper's place, and while running I observed Jonathan Borlase dragging at something which appeared to be stuck in the debris from the slip. A man named Joshua Barkley was assisting Borlase in pulling. By this time the slip had passed Hooper's house which had tumbled over. I heard people calling out for shovels so I went and got some. When I returned two of Hooper's children were being handed through the door of the house. I assisted in taking them out. I then observed two more of the children beneath the woodwork which lay on them. These were rescued from their position with a good deal of trouble. It was then seen that all the family were got out, but Mr Hooper, who had been some distance away from the house, came and said his wife and one of the children were still missing. I assisted, along with a great many more, looking through the debris for Mrs Hooper and the child. The child was first discovered at the back of the house. The body of Mrs Hooper was found about three quarters of an hour afterwards, lying on the right side, the face embedded in a bag of oatmeal, and a small bag of wheat lying on her head. There was no sign of life in either of the bodies when extricated. I think that four hours had elapsed from the time I first saw the slip moving until the body of Mrs Hooper was recovered."
Daniel Ferris, the storekeeper at Boatman's was then sworn in and told a similar story, as did James Hooper the blacksmith.
In September, 1891, the boot was on the other foot. Robert Gardner sued Barr and Wilson in the Magistrate's Court for twenty-six pounds for wages due as a carter of coal. Samuel Barr, one of the defendants, was part owner with Wilson of a coal mine for which Gardner had carted coal, admitted the indebtedness. After some confused evidence, the magistrate gave judgement for the amount claimed plus costs of four pounds.
Strange, then that my father's boyhood recollections of his Uncle Sam, relate almost entirely to his excessive use of alcohol. He remembered coming into the kitchen one day, to find Sam with his trouser leg caught on the hot water tap at the side of the coal burning stove, which was out at the time so the water, which was trickling into Sam's boot, was only warm. "You know, Sonny," said Sam, I think I've turned all to water." Dad also claimed that Sam died in a state of delirium tremens, a condition of tremulous convulsion accompanying terrifying hallucinations. This may or may not have been true. His only other story of Sam refers to a boat trip from Greymouth to Sydney on the "Hero", on which Sam shared a cabin with a Mr Gulline. Sam awoke in the morning to find Mr Gulline busy cleaning his teeth with Sam's toothbrush. When Sam protested, Gulline said, "Oh! I thought it was provided by the company".
Those were stirring days.