RECONNAISSANCE SURVEY OF THE CLARKE AND LANDSBOROUGH COUNTRY, WESTLAND.
[Report of Mr Mueller, Chief Surveyor.] (excerpt)
The mountain-range between the Clarke and Landsborough from point B to the Otoka Pass is loose stuff, and slipping away at a tremendous rate. Between traverse-points 41 and 44, for instance, the slips meet, dropping at angles of 50deg. and over, for 1,000 ft. or so, terminating at precipices, and it requires remarkably steady nerves to carry a load along these sharp razorbacks. But the crowning piece of this particular style of country we met at "Break-neck Point," about half a mile east of Solution Point, where the Clarke and Landsborough slips must have met many, many years ago, and must have continued slipping ever since leaving the sharp razorback ridge fully 30ft. below the undisturbed surface of the adjoining ground. To make matters worse there were large stones sticking out of the perpendicular face of the rotten stuff, which might at any time come down upon whoever descends by the rope. I could not possibly have found a more favourable mountain-range from whence to fix the principal features of the country than the one I was on, and I therefore felt very loath to abandon the idea of running it out to abreast Mount Hooker at all events, and I therefore accepted — though, I admit, with a certain amount of fear and trembling — the offer of Charles Douglas, an experienced and able bushman and cool-headed climber, who accompanied me on many of my former explorations, to be let down by the rope and clear away the dangerous projecting stones, cross the razorback of over a mile in length, and see whether it was practicable at the other end to get off it on to the grass lands again. He did this, reported favourably, and then men, swags, and dogs were lowered by the rope, and the trip across was safely accomplished, rather more than half of it, however, "on all fours," for there were many surface slopes so steep, and the drops at the end of them so ominous looking, as to make all of us feel that it was too much of a risk to attempt to walk erect. About two hours after we got across this dangerous place the terrible thunderstorm to which I have already referred, and which drove us down to Marks's Flat, commenced. -West Coast Times, 5/12/1887.
We regret to learn that Mr Charles Douglas, the intrepid explorer and prospector of South Westland, is at present laid up at Mr Scott's station, Karangarua river, suffering from the effects of lead poisoning derived from a tin of sardines. It is more probable the poison is traceable to the spirits of salts used in soldering the tins. Mr Douglas has recently returned from an exploring trip made across the southern slopes of Mount Cook, with a view to ascertain the practicability of constructing a horse track for the use of tourists from the Hermitage across the Alps into Westland. He considers it quite possible to find such a track but the lateness of the season prevented the necessary exploration and Mr Douglas will try again next year earlier in the season. -West Coast Times 1/6/1892.
While Mr Seddon was at Mataroa he had a profitable quarter of an hour's conversation with Mr Charles Douglas, who is connected with the Survey Department, and for fully forty years has explored the wild regions that lie under the very shadow of Mount Tasman and Mount Cook. Mr Douglas knows every stream and tributary that emanates from the dividing range, and, next to Mr Roberts, whose intimate associate he has been on many a dangerous exploration, no man on this coast has so profound an acquaintance with nor has a more sanguine opinion of the potentialities of the vast mineral belt that is some day destined to unfold its huge wealth to this country. He discourses most profoundly about deposits of copper, galena, iron, and other products of value when capital and easy means of bringing the ore out of the mountain range are placed at the command of the prospectors. He also speaks enthusiastically about the possibilities of linking Otago with Southern Westland through the Wilkin Pass. With the knowledge begotten of actual acquaintance with the relative merits of the routes, he declares emphatically that although this pass reaches an altitude of over 3,000ft, the grades on both sides are remarkably easy, and that this route will give great engineering advantages over the Haast Pass, besides opening up fine pastoral land all the way to Martin Bay. It will be well worth the while of the Otago League putting themselves in communication with Mr Douglas, for he possesses information not within the ken of anyone else alive to-day, and so adventurous a spirit may not be gettable when the question of providing a railway route between this locality and Pembroke (Wanaka) becomes one of practical politics. -Evening Star, 15/1/1906.
Many people will regret to hear of the sudden illness of Mr Charles Douglas, who is widely known as an explorer and naturalist in South Westland. News of his illness came through yesterday and that he had been brought up from Paringa, where he took ill, to enable a doctor to attend to him. -Greymouth Evening Star, 15/9/1906.
PERSONAL ITEMS.
Mr Charles Douglas and Mr W. Smith of the exploration and survey parties, who required medical aid, were brought on to Hokitika from Bruce Bay by the Jane Douglas on Thursday. Mr Douglas is making satisfactory progress, but Mr Smith is far from well, and was removed to his residence in Hampden street, Hokitika. -Grey River Argus, 22/9/1906.
The death is announced of Charles Edward Douglas, who was a member of a well-known and historical Edinburgh family. He left Scotland at the age of 19 years. After a visit to the Shotovcr (Otago) diggings, he came to the West Coast, and was employed by the Survey Department for many years in making exploratory and geological surveys in the far south of Westland. The very valuable topographical plans of Westland compiled by the late Mr Douglas bear testimony to his ability as a pioneer explorer, and his records generally should prove of incalculable value to the district in the future. This special knowledge of geology was of extensive value in regard to the mineral deposits with which Westland abounds and his reports on the possibilities of the West Coast are borne out by the many valuable plans which are now in possession of the Lands Department. His labors were principally confined to South Westland, and there was no man who was better acquainted with that part of Westland. This work was frequently carried out under very great difficulties and privations, but it is gratifying to know that his records have been preserved for future generations. That his ability was recognised in other quarters is shown by the fact that he was some years ago presented with the Gill Memorial Prize for exploration by the Royal Geographical Society. Mr. Douglas retired from the service on a small pension and has been an inmate of the Westland Hospital for some time. His many friends in Westland will regret to hear of his death. -Greymouth Evening Star, 24/5/1916.
FUNERAL NOTICE.
THE friends of the late CHARLES DOUGLAS are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the cemetery. The funeral to move from the residence of MRS WARD, Fitzherbert street TO-MORROW (Thursday) MORNING at 10D o’clock.
H. A. THOMPSON, Undertaker. -West Coast times, 24/5/1916.
The Roaring West Coast.
In 1865 or thereabouts Captain-Tizard was in the thick of the gold-digging rush on the Golden Coast of Westland. He followed up the rushes and he was for a time harbourmaster at the little bar harbour of Okarito, a hundred miles south of Hokitika. It is a little all-but-deserted village nowadays, Okarito township, but there was a time when there were 10,000 diggers on the fields and beaches there, combing the ocean shore black sands and following up the rivers seeking for the supposed source of all the treasure.
The old-timer talked of men who have been dead this many a year — of my old acquaintance Charlie Douglas, a splendid explorer, an educated Scot, who named mountain peaks and rivers out of Homer. He wore his hair long, down to his shoulders, like the old American plainsmen and scouts we read about. There was Fred the fiddler, too; he earned his living by going about playing at public houses and dance shanties — and there were hundreds of those on the Coast.
"Fred was drowned in the Three Mile, near Okarito," said Tizard. "All those snow creeks were dangerous. Why, there were hundreds of men drowned in Westland in the rush years. I remember that when I left Okarito, after a short while there, there were 23 graves in the burying ground on the sandspit, and all but two of those were men who had been drowned. -Auckland Star, 21/4/1928.
Stores were generally landed in quantities of fifteen tons from a small steamer which ran from Hokitika. £8 a ton was the freight charge, while another £3 a ton was charged for landing the food in a surf boat. In spite of these charges, goods were comparatively cheap: Flour 30s a 100, butter 2s a lb, jam 2s 6d a tin. Meat was dear, 2s a lb, but this was brought by packhorse from Gillespie’s. Birds were plentiful, however. Trouble arose when the surfmen threatened to increase their landing charges by £2 a ton. For £l0 a ton, however, the steamer was prepared to land the goods at the mouth of the Karangarua River, and this offer was accepted. When the first load was landed, Fiddian placed Charlie Douglas in charge while he went for pack horses. Charlie Douglas had just received a legacy of £2000. The cargo contained several cases of porter, and when Fiddian returned Charlie and his friends were surrounded by empty bottles, in the midst of which they slept soundly. Charlie promised to pay the full amount, but on being questioned admitted that “he only remembered up to twenty-four bottles." -Star, 19/9/1931.
MOUNTAINEERING
EXPEDITIONS IN OTAGO
PAST SEASON'S ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED
The second annual review of alpine climbing in Otago was given in the concert Chamber last night, when Mr A. P. Harper, president of the New Zealand Alpine Club, and mountaineers of note in Otago held a large audience, enthralled with the vividness of their descriptions of conquests and climbs, the lectures being graphically supported by films and slides.
Mr Eric Miller, the chairman, said that Mr Harper had been elected to life membership of the Alpine Club of London in recognition of his devotion to alpine climbing over a period of forty years. At their last display it was stated that the whole of the proceeds would be devoted to the erection of a hut in the Matukituki Valley, and he was glad to announce that this hut had been erected during last Easter. It was known as the Cascade Hut, and its erection bad been completed in four days. Mr Miller then showed a number of slides illustrating various stages in the construction of the but, also scenes from the country in the vicinity.
The pioneering days of mountaineering were recalled by Mr Harper. The New Zealand Alpine Club, he said, was very much misunderstood. He and Mr Mannering had started it forty years ago, and major and minor explorations had been carried out by its members. It had done much useful work in the interests of climbers, and had been instrumental in securing legislation to ensure that guides knew their jobs before they took parties out. What work they did was in the interests of those climbing mountains. He added that he had never seen any country in New Zealand finer than Otago for mountaineering. The mountains were mostly unnamed and many unclimbed.
An interesting collection of slides taken on his excursions in the Southern Alps about thirty-eight or thirty-nine years ago were shown by Mr Harper, who said that in those days he and his companion, Charlie Douglas, one of the finest explorers Now Zealand ever had, were away sometimes for nineteen weeks from human habitation, and by habitation he did not mean up-to-date hotels and homes, but one or two tumble-down shacks “something like this,” he added, throwing a picture on to the screen. “This is the ‘pub,’ and beyond it is the store. To reach the store you had to pass through the ‘pub,’ and you were invariably asked to have a drink, so that by the time you reached the store you were in a mood to spend all you had on stores.”
They did not carry tents, but camped under boulders and built bark shelters. They lived on birds, which were easy to capture, as they had never seen human beings before. Mr Harper showed a picture of some of the boulders they had to negotiate, and said that the biggest one he measured was 150ft high — about 50ft higher than the Express Company’s Building — and 80ft in circumference. Another photograph showed what he described as one of the most weird places in the Southern Alps, which had been seen by only about six people. It was a basin surrounded by cliffs over 4,000ft high, with ice dropping over the rims. Avalanches broke into the valley below and formed a glacier. This was in the vicinity of Mount Sefton. Mount Tasman, Mr Harper said, was the finest peak outside the Himalayas, and he also spoke as one who knew the Swiss Alps intimately. Distinguished visitors, including Mr Amery, had said the same thing. Great stretches of river, valley, and forest, one tract of which had been levelled by a mighty avalanche and which proved a serious obstacle to progress, and snow-clad mountain slopes were illustrations shown by the lantern during Mr W. G. McClymont’s description of the club’s camp in the Hoes Valley. -Evening Star, 4/5/1932.
Hokitika Cemetery.
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