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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Clyde

Clyde.

Clyde was formerly known as the Dunstan, and named after the Dunstan range of mountains. It was the centre of a great gold “rush” in the early days, and was proclaimed a gold field district in September, 1862. Miners came from Australia, and all parts of New Zealand, to work on the banks of the Molyneux river, consequent on the great find made by Messrs Hartley and Riley, in the river beach sand. Captain (now Major) Keddell was appointed Commissioner and Resident Magistrate at the diggings, Inspector Morton was the police officer, and Mr. Richmond Beetham the gold receiver. When 16,000 ounces of gold had been sent from the district to Dunedin the Government granted a bonus of £2000 to the original prospectors. Provisions at that time commanded a very high price, as the cartage from Dunedin was from £100 to £160 per ton. During recent years dredging has been extensively carried on in the Molyneux river, but the results have been discouraging in the neighbourhood of Clyde.

Gyde is situated on the east bank of the Molyneux river, at the northern extremity of the Dunstan Flat, and is 135 miles north-west from Dunedin, via Lawrence, and 142 miles via Ophir, and is connected by a coach service with each of these railway terminuses. When the Otago Central railway reaches the district Clyde will undoubtedly be the terminus of that line, as beyond that the country consists of a rocky gorge, through which the Molyneux flows; and out of the mountain side a road has been cut for thirteen miles, connecting Clyde with Cromwell. The road from Clyde to Alexandra—a distance of seven miles—traverses a barren sandy waste, along the bank of the river; but nearer the hills, and on the Earnscleugh Flat—on the opposite side of the river—much of the country is admirably suited for page 719
Clyde.

Clyde.

the cultivation of fruit. Orchards have been planted, and when efficient irrigation and railway communication have been established Clyde will be a prosperous centre. A fine suspension bridge has been built across the Molyneux to connect the town with the Earnscleugh Flat.

The handsome chambers of the Vincent County Council are situated at Clyde, which is the county town, and the Government buildings consist of a magistrate's court and county gaol, a post and telegraph office, a public school, and a local hospital. There are also churches, stores, hotels, and a number of social clubs and societies at Clyde, which has, also, a local weekly newspaper.

The County Of Vincent came into existence in 1876, at the initiation of the county system. Its area is 2684 square miles, and the rating value is £551,279. There are 905 ratepayers, who own 959 rateable properties. A rate of a Id in the £ is struck annually. The county is divided into eight ridings; namely, Hawea, Clutha, Lindis, Carrick, Dunstan, Manuherikia, Matakanui, and Earnscleugh, each of which sends a representative to the County Council. Members for 1904: Messrs James Horn (chairman), John Kane, William Laidlaw, Thomas Mc-Whirter, Robert Rutherford, John Butler, William C. Pitches, and Martin Heaney, Mr. John S. Dickie is the county clerk, and Mr. G. L. Cuthbertson, the county engineer. The meetings of the Council are held at the county chambers at Clyde on the fourth Wednesday in every alternate month. The county chambers, built in 1878, are of stone; they contain the clerk's and engineer's offices, in addition to the council chambers, and are situated at the corner of Longstone Street. The land and building cost £1200.

Mr. James Horn , J. P., who has represented Carrick riding in the Vincent County Council since 1896, and is now (1904) Chairman of the Council, is a general merchant at Bannockburn. He was born at Inverkethney, Banffshire, Scotland, in 1855,
Mr. J. Horn.

Mr. J. Horn.

and educated in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, brought up as a draper, and came to Port Chalmers, by the first trip of the ship “Oamaru,” in 1875. Two years later Mr. Horn went to Stirling and was a partner in the firm of Horn, Roy and Co., who built the first store in Stirling. In 1883 Mr. Horn purchased the business of Mr. W. Bennett at Bannockburn and carried it on for some years with Mr. J. C. Anderson as Horn and Anderson, till Mr. Anderson entered politics, and since then Mr. Horn has conducted the business solely by himself. He served as a member of the Clutha licensing committee, and is at present chairman of the Bannockburn school committee. As a Freemason he is attached to Lodge Cromwell Kilwinning, in which he has on several occasions held office. At Port Chalmers he was connected with Court Robin Hood, Ancient Order of Foresters. Mr. Horn is a successful dredge owner and was, with Mr. Charles Coote, the original owner and promoter of the Electric Company, having taken up the original ground. He is one of the largest shareholders in the company, which has been a very successful one, and he is justly regarded as the father of steam dredging in the Cromwell district. Mr. Horn was long well known as a leading spirit in the volunteer movement, and was for years a crack shot in the Clutha and Cromwell Rifles. He holds the record for New Zealand at 200, 400, and 500 yards on the old square target with the Snider rifle, and is holder of the gold medal for the New Zealand Champion team of five men, and the New Zealand silver badge, for 1882–1883. In sports and athletics he has held a good position, and is well known in the cricket and football fields. He can exhibit good stags' heads secured by his own rifle, and his friends can tell the quality of trout caught in the Otago rivers with his rod.
Mr. James Cowan , J.P., who represented the Lindis riding in the Vincent County Council, from 1895 to —, and previously represented the Carrick riding for some time, was born in Roxburghshire, Scotland, in November, 1838. He was brought up to agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and arrived at Port Chalmers, in the year 1860, by the ship “Robert Henderson.” He at once went to the Dunstan district, and was for two years on Moutere station. Afterwards he became manager of the Kawarau station, near Bannockburn, and a year later he was entrusted with the management of the Benmore station at the head of the Waitaki. In 1867 Mr. Cowan returned to the Kawarau station, which he managed continuously till 1898. In that year he settled at Quartz Reef Point, having acquired the Northburn station. This property consists of 33,000 acres of leasehold land, and from 8000 to 10,000 sheep are depastured on the estate. The homestead is situated close to the ferry at Lowburn. Mr. Cowan has been connected with the Cromwell Jockey Club for many years, and has long held the office of president. He was married, in 1877, to Mary, eldest daughter of Mr. W. Paterson, of Ayrburn, near Arrowtown, Otago; became a widower in 1890, and page 720
Mr. J. Cowan.

Mr. J. Cowan.

was married again in July, 1892, to Matilda, third daughter of the same gentleman.
Mr. Benjamin Naylor , J.P., who long represented the Dunstan riding in the Vincent County Council, was born on the 5th of August, 1830, at Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He was brought up as a blacksmith, and worked at his trade till coming to the Colonies in 1851. Mr. Naylor was ten years on the Victorian goldfields, and came to Otago in 1861, at the time of the Gabriel's Gully “rush.” He was one of the first to arrive in 1862 at the Dunstan,
Mr. B. Naylor.

Mr. B. Naylor.

to which he brought goods, and soon afterwards opened a store, which he has since continued. He is also interested in farming, and became the owner of “Chester Mains” and “Matakanui” in 1875. While Clyde was a borough, Mr. Naylor was mayor for four years successively, and was a member of the council for a large portion of the time of the borough's existence; and since the establishment of the county system he has been for most of the time a member of the Vincent County Council, but went out in 1902. He is a member of the vestry of the Anglican Church. Mr. Naylor was married on the 18th of November, 1885, to a daughter of Mr. Thomas Percy, of Woodland, and has four sons and three daughters.
Mr. William Parcell , who served as a member of the Vincent County Council for three terms of three years, during which he represented the Carrick riding, was born in 1835, in Pembrokeshire, Wales. After serving
Mr. W. Parcell And Daughter.

Mr. W. Parcell And Daughter.

for five years at sea, he left his vessel in Melbourne, in 1853, and engaged in mining. In 1858 he removed to Tasmania, where he was employed in sawmilling for four years. He came to Otago in 1862, when he went to Dunstan with the “rush,” and has since been a resident in the district. In 1866, Mr. Parcell opened a store and accommodation house half way between Clyde and the Nevis, and this house is still known as Parcell's halfway house. From 1866 to 1879, he was engaged in farming, and subsequently bought the Adam's Gully coal-pit at Sheppard's Creek, and worked it for two years until flooded out by water. Mr. Parcell served as a member of the local school committee for a number of years. He was married, in 1864, to a daughter of the late Mr. J. P. O'Brien, of Limerick, Ireland. Mrs. Parcell died in 1806, leaving six sons and four daughters, and there are several grandchildren. Mr. Parcell now (1904) resides at Bannockburn.
Mr. Robert Sheppard , J.P., who was Chairman of the Vincent County Council for six years prior to his death, and occupied a seat on the council for fully fifteen years, was born in Victoria, in 1855, and educated in that colony. He came to New Zealand, in 1867, and settled with his parents in the Matakanui district. He commenced his career as an errand boy, in one of the local stores at Drybread, and went into business as a storekeeper, at Matakanui, in 1879. Mr. Sheppard organised and conducted a very considerable business, and also acted as postmaster and telephonist. The freehold premises connected with the business consist of a large store and office with a residence and bakery. Mr. Sheppard was chairman of the Central Otago Charitable Aid Board, and was largely interested in the development of the mining industry in the district. He was a director of the Scandinavian sluicing and the Klondyke dredging companies, and was secretary to the Fourteen Mile Beach Dredging Company. Mr. Sheppard was married in March, 1883, to a daughter of Mr. J. Harley, of Drybread, and at the time of his death (which occurred suddenly on the 13th of May, 1899), he left four sons and three daughters.
Mr. James Mcarthur , who became Chairman of the Dunstan Hospital Board in 1897, and had previously been a member of the Board for fourteen years, is a farmer who resides at Strathclyde, about six miles out of the town, in the vicinity of Leaning Rock. He owns 1214 acres of freehold, and two of his sons, who are farming in the same district, hold 1800 acres in addition. Mr. McArthur was born in Giltoon, Perthshire, Scotland, on the 3rd of August, 1833, and brought up page 721 to country life. For five years before coming to the colonies he was manager of a farm in Ireland. Mr. McArthur arrived in Auckland in 1863, by the ship “Louise,” remained
Mr. And Mrs J. McArthur.

Mr. And Mrs J. McArthur.

nine months in the North, then went to the West Coast, and settled at Clyde in 1865. About eighteen months later he commenced farming on his own account; he has resided at Strathclyde since 1878, and has fully improved his land. He is a member of the Otago and Central Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Associations. Mr. McArthur was married, in 1863, in Ireland, to a daughter of the late Mr. W. Kenny, and has four sons and two daughters.

Mr. George Frederick Jeffery , formerly Secretary of the Dunstan Hospital Board, was born in Cromwell in February, 1879. He was educated at Clyde, and became a cadet in the Magistrate's and Warden's office, where he served for two years. He subsequently became a law clerk in the office of Mr. R. Gilkison, solicitor. Mr. Jeffery is now (1904) commercial traveller for the firm of J. Rattray and Son, Dunedin.

The Dunstan District Hospital was established in July, 1863. It is situated on the banks of the Molyneux river, about a mile below Clyde. There are thirty acres of land attached to the premises, and the building is partly of wood and partly of stone, the latest additions having been erected in 1897 at a cost of £700. The new ward, which is heated by hot air and contains seven beds, is a very comfortable apartment. There are twelve beds in the hospital, which serves a wide district, extending from Cromwell to Alexandra and Ophir to Matakanui. The grounds are very prettily laid out, and there are vegetable and fruit gardens, as well as paddocks.

Mr. And Mrs. J. Wilson , formerly Wardsman and Matron, respectively, of the Dunstan Hospital, now reside at 134 Great King Street, Dunedin. Their portraits and article appear in the Old Colonists' section, at page 398 of this volume.

Mr. Albert Ernest Gye , formerly Secretary of the Clyde Sports Club, and Deputy-Captain of the Vincent County Cycling Club, was born in 1872, in Melbourne, where he received his earlier education. He arrived in Otago with his parents, who settled in Clyde, in 1880, served an apprenticeship of five years at the “Dunstan Times” office, and afterwards worked as a journeyman for eighteen months. After being for four months in the Government Printing Office, at Wellirgton, and for a similar period with Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs, Mr. Gye returned to Clyde to take charge of the “Dunstan Times” as printer and publisher. He was one of the founders of the sports and cycling clubs, but afterwards left the district.

Dunstan Times (Stevens Brothers, proprietors), Sunderland Street, Clyde. This journal was founded in 1862 by Mr. G. Fache, who conducted it till 1895. The premises are on freehold land, and consist of a wooden building, which contains a Wharfedale printing press and a complete jobbing plant. The paper is a weekly publication of eight pages of seven columns, and has a wide circulation throughout Central Otago.

Mr. Richard Sidney Gilkison , J.P., formerly Proprietor of the “Dunstan Times,” was born in Glasgow in 1866, and educated at Alloa Academy and Dunedin High School. He arrived in Dunedin by the ship “Forfarshire,” in 1879, joined the head office of the Colonial Bank in 1883, was an officer of the bank for twelve years, and left the service when accountant at Cromwell. Mr. Gilkison was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1897. He was chairman of the Clyde school committee, a member of the Clyde Trust, and vice-president of the Clyde sports club, and other societies, and carried on business as an auctioneer and commission agent. Mr. Gilkison was married, in 1898, to a daughter of Mr. R. Thompson, of Oamaru, and has one daughter and one son. After leaving Clyde, Mr. Gilkison was manager for Messrs H. L. Tapley and Co., grain merchants, Invercargill, and now (1904) carries on business in Dunedin as a land and commission agent.

Mr. And Mrs R. S. Gilkison And Infant.

Mr. And Mrs R. S. Gilkison And Infant.

The Magistrate's And Warden's Court at Clyde is a stone building facing Longstone Street. Besides the courthouse, there are two offices for the use of the officials, and a strong-room. The magistrate holds a monthly sitting for the despatch of civil and criminal business, and intermediately urgent matters are disposed of by the local justices. Sittings of the court are also held at Roxburgh, Alexandra and Ophir.

Mr. Frederick Thomas Duke Jeffery , Olerk of the Magistrate's Court at Clyde and Alexandra, Receiver of Goldfields Revenue and Mining Registrar for Clyde, Alexandra, Blacks, and Roxburgh, and Deputy Registrar under the Old Age Pensions Act for the Clyde District, was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1848. He was educated at private schools and brought up page 722 to agricultural pursuits, came to Port Chalmers in 1868, and settled at Waikaia. For a time Mr. Jeffery was engaged in storekeeping, and subsequently in mining, and established a store at Clyde in 1875. He entered the public service in 1876, as bailiff at the Magistrate's Court at Cromwell. In 1879 he was promoted to the position of Clerk of Court, Receiver of Gold Revenue, &c., at Roxburgh, where he continued till 1881, when he was transferred to his present position. Mr. Jeffery was married, in 1878, to a daughter of the late Mr. Whyte, of Inverness-shire, Scotland, and has three sons and three daughters.

Waddell, Alexander , Farrier and General Blacksmith, Sunderland Street, Clyde. Mr. Waddell was born in Blairgowrie, Scotland, on the 19th of April, 1835. He was brought up as a blacksmith, and was for a short time in business in his native town, before coming to Port Chalmers, by the ship “Silistria,” in April, 1863. After two years' experience in Dunedin and Balclutha, he was subsequently about three years in Wellington and the West Coast respectively. He returned to Otago and opened a blacksmith's shop at Alexandra for a time, and was subsequently blacksmithing for about one year at Bendigo. Since June, 1872, he has been in business in Clyde. In the early days Mr. Waddell was a member of the Clyde Borough Council and licensing committee, and is now a member of the local school and library committees, and of the Clyde Trust. His premises consist of a wooden and iron building, including a smithy and six-roomed residence, all on freehold land. Mr. Waddell was married in June, 1883, to a daughter of Mr. E. Baker, of Dunedin, late captain of the ship “Henry Ellis,” of Liverpool, and has six sons and one daughter.

Mr. A. Waddell.

Mr. A. Waddell.

Naylor, Benjamin , J.P., General Merchant, Clyde. Bankers, Bank of New Zealand. Mr. Naylor's business was established in 1862. The premises consist of a substantial stone building, erected on free-hold land. Mr. Naylor possesses a large and well assorted stock of goods, and his customers reside over a wide stretch of country, with Clyde as the centre.