In 1880, our young township was becoming heard of, and was honoured with
its first police magistrate in the person of Mr. Robert Johnstone. This
gentleman had been a Native Police officer, and was associated with
Dalrymple in his explorations on the coast north of Cardwell. Dalrymple
so much appreciated Johnstone's work that he named the outlet of one of
our great sugar districts--and a most beautiful stream--after him.
I believe there is only one copy of Dalrymple's narrative of his
expedition extant, and that is in our Parliamentary library. This
narrative should be re-published as a school paper so that present-day
Queenslanders might know something of the history of discovery within
their own country. I doubt if many children, or even adults, know of the
work done by Dalrymple, Hodgkinson, Landsboro, the Jardines, and many
other Queensland explorers.
At this time the Court House and lock-up were in the same building,
opposite our store, in the main street. It was built originally for a
boarding house.
All the Winton streets were named after the stations which lay in the
direction in which the streets were running. For instance, east and
west--Elderslie, Vindex, Cork and Dagworth. Those facing the north were
called Oondooroo, Manuka, Sesbania and Werna.
Mr. Johnstone conducted the first Government land sale this year, at
which Lynett and ourselves secured the allotments facing Elderslie
Street on the north side, extending through to Vindex Street at the
back, comprising an area of about three acres each. We had put a high
figure on our improvements, and we purchased the land at the upset price
of £6/10/- per half acre. Allen had only a half-acre facing the same
street, and this was purchased by the Queensland National Bank. The bank
immediately opened business in a Coffee room, which Allen had erected at
the back, pulling down the public house to erect banking chambers in its
place. Mr. Doherty was the first manager, succeeded by Mr. Alexander,
and by Mr. Arthur Spencer a year or so later.
In 1879, Julius von Berger, a refugee from Schleswig Holstein, to escape
Prussian rule, commenced business as a chemist. He was clever in his
profession, unassuming in character, and behind his retiring disposition
was a fund of kindness and simplicity which endeared him to all. He
died, much regretted, a few years back at a ripe old age.
The Government had now let contracts for building a court house and
police barracks in Vindex Street and post office in Elderslie Street.
In 1881, a contract was also let by the Government to excavate a tank of
15,000 yards, to a man named Collins. He quickly commenced operations
with his plant at Magpie Gully, about half-a-mile from the town. When he
had made a hole of about 12 feet deep, a very heavy thunderstorm filled
the excavation with water. Previously, he had to cart his water nearly
three miles, and he was now desirous of utilising the water in the
excavation for his camp and horses. With difficulty he obtained
permission from the Government Inspector supervising the work to make
another roadway on the opposite bank. When this was allowed, he was able
to continue the work until he had got to a depth of 19ft. 6in., or 18in.
more than the specified depth of 18ft. He then removed the earth from
the opposite side to the required depth of 18ft. When completed, he put
in a voucher to be paid for the extra 18 inches, which the Supervising
Inspector refused to certify, unless the whole depth across was 18 feet
in accordance with the specifications. The earth was taken from one side
of the bottom of the tank and deposited on the other, to reduce the
whole depth by 18 inches. "Great is Red Tape."
There was a change of management on Elderslie by the appointment of Mr.
Alexander Gordon. He was a splendid specimen of a man, 6ft. 7in. in
height, built in proportion, and most popular. I first met him between
Evesham and East Darr Stations. I inquired the distance to the latter
station, which he was then managing. He replied, "Oh! a couple of
canters and a smoke." It is told of him that when he was travelling on
the coach between Charters Towers and Hughenden, he stayed one night at
a stage which was a lignum hut, rather small in size. The driver
informed the other passengers that when he called Gordon at 4 a.m., he
found that he had stretched himself during the night, and that his feet
were through the lignum, and so far outside that fowls were roosting on
his legs.
About this time many of the properties were changing hands. The
Schollicks still retained Oondooroo; Elderslie was held by Sir Samuel
Wilson; Dagworth, by Fairbairns, who shortly afterwards sold out to
Macpherson and Co.; Bladensburg, by John Arthur Macartney; Sesbania, by
Manifold, Bostock and Co.; Manuka, by Anderson and Nicol, who sold out
to Baillie, Fraser and Donald; Ayrshire Downs and Cork, by McIlwraith
and Smyth. The latter gentleman had camped with us when we were on the
road to Winton in 1878. He was taking out a blacksmith named Morgan for
Ayrshire Downs Station. Morgan afterwards started a blacksmith's shop in
Winton.
Mr. Smyth was afterwards elevated to the Upper House, and although of a
retiring nature, was of a friendly disposition.
All these investors were pouring money as if from a stream, and
developing their properties.
The greater proportion of the capital so spent was from Victoria, and to
this State Western Queensland must be grateful for its development.
Of all the then owners I have mentioned, and most of whom were resident
on their properties, only one remains--John Bostock, of Sesbania. If
those men did not win success they deserved it, and no one was more
worthy (and there were many worthy men) than John Bostock. Schollick's
spent over £100,000 on Oondooroo, and left it practically penniless.
Macpherson drove from Dagworth with all his belongings on a buck-board,
leaving unprofitable, and lost many thousands of pounds. Fraser, of
Manuka, who came a little later, died of a broken heart. Western
Queensland is greatly subject to mirages, and it is of the nature of
these which deluded many men with bright hopes to spend great fortunes.
These men battled on to the end, but being of fighting races, when they
went down they were still fighting with never a word of despair or of
defeat, and John Bostock alone remains.
In this year Sir Thomas and Lady McIlwraith passed through Winton on
their way to Ayrshire Downs. The whole of the inhabitants turned out to
meet them at the police water-hole (six miles from Winton) after dark.
An address was read to Sir Thomas by the aid of a lamp on the road. I
had the pleasure of having them as guests in my cottage.
This was my first meeting with McIlwraith, and I was greatly struck with
his personality. He was a man, big and broad, both physically and
mentally. Yet like most strong men, he was very head-strong and
impatient of obstruction to or criticism of his proposals. Neither could
he understand that it was not given to every man to see quickly and to
act promptly, attributes he possessed in a remarkable degree.
At this time he had his Trans-continental Railway in mind, and he
patiently tried to get me to realise how closer settlement of the
western country by smaller areas would obtain under it more than it
would, under the conditions by which it was then held, that is, in very
large areas. The then short experience of residents of the western
country were conditions of drought, and I must admit that I thought his
ideas were visionary. I have, however, lived to see the success of the
grazing farm system and the great improvements effected by underground
water supplies. In 1881, these were practically undreamt of. It is
likely that McIlwraith could see farther into the future and dream
dreams unthought of by others.
The publication of McIlwraith's scheme without doubt gave the hint to
Dutton, whose Land Act of 1884 was the inception of our present system
of grazing farms. It was unfortunate that the most bitter opponents of
McIlwraith's scheme were of the squatting class, who generally resented
the cutting up of the vast areas held by them. Had the squatters of the
day not defeated his proposals, the grazing-farm system would probably
have come into existence some years earlier than it did, and long ago
the Gulf country would have had an overland railway. That country would
be maintaining a large and prosperous population instead of being, as it
is now, almost deserted, and open to danger of occupation by coloured
races, and a menace to the safety of Australia. McIlwraith was a far
sighted statesman, having the interests of Queensland at heart, and not
a politician ready and willing to secure votes.
In this year, Fitzmaurice's sight became affected, and he made a trip to
Sydney for expert advice. The whole business of the store and hotel was
now thrown on my hands. It was found on Fitzmaurice's return, after an
absence of six months, that he was almost blind. By mutual arrangement,
it was decided I should buy him out, and he left Winton one of the
best-liked men connected with its foundation, and as I found him, a good
friend and an honest partner. The life of a hotel-keeper did not appeal
to me, so I found a purchaser for the hotel at a satisfactory figure,
in Mr. W. B. Steele, of Aramac, who took delivery in April, 1882.
William Brown Steele was a strange character. I believe he had qualified
as a chemist, but followed the different gold rushes from California to
Victoria, New Zealand, and Peak Downs, thence to Aramac and Winton. His
delight was to be accused of being an unscrupulous gambler--of the type
described by Bret Harte. I know he was fairly successful at a game of
cards, but this was due more to superior playing than to good luck or
manipulation. Still, if one who thought he was Steele's equal, proposed
a game, the latter would ask:--"Shall we play the game, or all we know?"
If the former was agreed to, the game was strictly honest. If the latter
was decided on, well, there was some wonderful playing on both sides. I
never knew of Steele playing with one inexperienced, or of transgressing
the rules of the game unless he was first challenged by his opponent.
Then he did play all he knew, and that was something. For many years
Steele ran a consultation on the Melbourne Cup which was well
patronised, until the anti-gambling legislation, which drove Adams from
Queensland, suppressed it, but did not stamp out gambling.
I arranged a partnership with Mr. W. M. Campbell, traveller for Stewart
and Hemmant, of Brisbane. He and his wife and family were settled in
Fitzmaurice's house by the end of this year.
The Bank of New South Wales had also opened a branch in a small building
on the south side of Elderslie Street. Mr. Barnier was the first
manager, succeeded afterwards by Mr. Alf. Thompson.
Major Lewis, a veteran of the Indian Mutiny and Papal war, and a fine
old Irish gentleman, arrived to succeed Mr. Johnstone as police
magistrate. One of the first cases brought before him was a claim for
the return of money, under the following circumstances:--I had received
a letter from a man on Hamilton Downs Station, stating he was coming in
with the station dray for a load of rations, and was anxious to get
married. He asked me to look for an eligible female who was willing to
yoke up with him, and enclosed his photograph. Treating the matter as a
joke, I read the letter to the girls employed at the hotel. The
laundress, a big strapping woman, said she was willing to negotiate with
him. On the man's arrival I took him round and introduced him. After a
couple of days' courtship a date was fixed for the marriage. As an
earnest of his good faith, the man gave the woman a cheque for £26 to
buy her wedding trousseau. When the day arrived she refused to carry out
the promise of marriage. The man came to me for advice, stating that she
would not have him, neither would she return any of the money advanced.
I wrote Mr. Conran, the owner of Hamilton Downs Station, explaining the
cause of the man's delay, and as the station was short of rations,
Conran came in. He and I interviewed the woman, pointing out her
dishonesty, but we were told to mind our own business. Mr. Conran then
went to consult the P.M. The sergeant of police told Conran the P.M. was
engaged, and asked could he do anything for him. Mr. Conran said he had
come up about a girl appropriating a sum of money given as a condition
of marriage. The sergeant said, "An' shure, an' won't she have yez now."
Conran enjoyed the joke of being taken as the rejected lover.
Major Lewis and the police eventually recovered a portion of the money,
and the man returned sadder but much wiser, and I renounced for the
future any desire to act as matrimonial agent.
About October, 1882, we received a wire from Hughenden, advising that
some teams which were carrying our loading had been caught in a flooded
creek, and the goods damaged. I immediately started for Wongalee Creek,
about 25 miles the other side of Hughenden, or 170 miles from Winton. I
found on my arrival the ground in the vicinity covered with drapery,
boots, ironmongery, besides nearly empty salt bags, etc., etc., put out
to dry. It appeared these teams had crossed the creek and camped on the
flat below the bank. A heavy thunderstorm had fallen up the creek during
the night and brought the water down a banker, submerging the waggons,
and destroying about £1,000 worth of goods. We had no redress against
the carrier, the accident, or incident, being considered an act of
Providence. The merchants assisted us by renewing our bills for four
months longer.
In the same year, we ordered a large consignment of goods from
Townsville. It was a dry year, and the teams carrying them were stuck at
Hughenden.
In those days the Government had not made the water tanks on the road
between Hughenden and Winton, and on the high, open downs country
permanent natural water was not obtainable only at long distances.
Hearing of the teams being stuck up, we immediately wired a duplicate
order to Rockhampton. The latter goods were despatched by rail to
Bogantungan (the then terminus of the central line), and loaded on
teams. The drought conditions, although not so pronounced as in the
Hughenden district, also existed in the Central. These teams were also
blocked.
In about six months after the first order was given, the whole 14 teams
with the Rockhampton and Townsville goods arrived on the same day at
Winton, and I was called upon to pay £2,000 cash down for carriage
alone; while our summer goods arrived in the middle of winter.
Fortunately we were able to meet our liabilities.
In 1882, we had a visit--and the first--from a clergyman of any
denomination.
He asked me if there was a place in which he could hold service on
Sunday. I told him that the only place was the billiard-room at the
hotel. I prepared it for the ceremony by draping a blue blanket over the
table, and I put a red one opposite over the cue rack, thinking it might
help him to put a little fire into his discourse. When all was ready, I
obtained the bullock bell from the kitchen. The Chinaman cook, who was a
sporting character, said:--"Wha for, nother raffle, all ri, put me down
one pund." He refused, however, to give the money when he learnt it was
for a church.
When the clergyman was leaving, we decided to present him with a purse
of sovereigns in Campbell's house, and I was deputed to hand it to him.
In making a short cut to the house I had to pass the hotel stables, into
which a squatter in the orthodox breeches, boots and spurs, was riding.
He called out:--"I say, Corfield, what are you wearing a coat for?" I
replied, "There's a function on; I'm going to present these sovereigns
to a parson." He asked, "Any champagne?" I replied, "Whips of it." He
then said, "Hold on, till I put my horse in the yard, and I'll come with
you." On reaching the house, I introduced him to the parson prior to the
presentation, and we had some champagne. With a few words I presented
the purse of sovereigns, when we naturally concluded we would be
thanked, but instead the parson said, "Let us pray." We all then knelt
to our chairs. Suddenly, as if from one in great pain, I heard the word
"Ker-ist." Thinking the parson had been bitten by a snake or something,
I looked round, but he appeared quite at ease. I then saw over in the
corner the young squatter with blood oozing out of his pants. He had sat
upon his long-necked spurs. The parson went on with the prayer, but
those present were more occupied suppressing their laughter than in
listening to the parson's prayers.