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Auckland Provincial Hospital Sir George Grey Special Collections Reference: 4-305 |
A bundle of clothes.
Wednesday, 22 January
The Tauranga reaches Auckland wharf early this morning with
800 ozs gold from the Kuranui Reef Company’s claim. Mr Rowe, manager, bears the
parcel. The Shotover claim is intending
to send up 1,000 oz in a day or two for export by the next Sydney steamer.
James Mackay walks from Manaia to Tapu Creek and on arriving
marks out a small
township. Once the allotments are pegged out, all 49 of them are promptly taken up for business sites. McIssac’s claim at Tapu is yielding gold in the casing and when the solid reef is met with there are expectations it will rival the Shotover.
township. Once the allotments are pegged out, all 49 of them are promptly taken up for business sites. McIssac’s claim at Tapu is yielding gold in the casing and when the solid reef is met with there are expectations it will rival the Shotover.
Hugh Coolahan steps
from the top of an oven now in the course of construction for him at Shortland, treads on some loose bricks and falls.
When picked up he is discovered to have two broken ribs. Mr Coolahan is immediately attended by Dr
Hooper and prescribed a few days rest. Dr Hooper has also been continuously attending Kate Brown at
Tapu but she is now in a dying state.
There is another ill woman on the goldfields. Dr Groth, on his way to the Waiotahi Flat, is
called by several people to a tent. The Waiotahi Flat is a sort of sub-township
which is springing up on some land that until very lately was supposed to
have been reserved for Maori cultivation, but is now being leased
Dr Groth finds Mary Lapine lying on the ground with a bundle
of clothes under her. She is a
Frenchwoman of about 25 or 26. Since
Saturday she has been vomiting and in great pain. Dr Groth concludes
she has an inflammation of the bowels and recommends her immediate removal to
the Provincial Hospital in Auckland. He
gives her an injection, prescribes some medicine and advises hot water
poultices be applied to her stomach. A
woman with several children is also present.
The Wesleyan's are building a chapel at Shortland - the
timber has been purchased at a cheap rate and the nails etc have been
contributed by several gentlemen in Auckland.
Willie Winkie for the Thames with one case bacon, five cases brandy,
one package currants, one box candles, one case pickles, one parcel Vesta
matches, one half chest tea, four barrels ale, two hhds ale, three barrels ale,
one case ale, 4,500 ft timber, 5,000 shingles, one case glass, two packages
sashes, five doors, two kegs nails, six packages.
The report of Auckland's Medical Officer for the year ending
December 31, 1867 is published and makes grim reading. Owing to the continued depression of trade
and commerce, and consequently diminished demand for labour of all kinds, the
number of patients who have applied for relief during the year again increased. The exodus of the labouring
population from Auckland to the Thames goldfields does not seem to have alleviated
the distress existing in the city, as in the great majority of cases the wives
and families of miners are left in Auckland and are supported on government
rations or by charity.
Numerous cases of dyspepsia and debility have come under
treatment, owing no doubt to the want of sufficient nutritious food; the staple
diet of a large number of the poor being bread, tea and sugar. Animal food in any form is quite a luxury to
many. Amongst the dispensary patients there does not seem to be
any case in which remittances have been sent to support the family of a Thames
miner in Auckland. During the past year
there has been no outbreak of disease of an epidemic character, with the
exception of a slight one of scarlet fever.
There has been remarkable immunity from typhoid fever, due most probably
to the lessening of the overcrowding of dwelling houses in Auckland which was
so common until recently.
At Tapu a meeting of miners is
held this evening in a large marquee adjoining Mr Sceats’ hotel. John Chute, an old experienced digger, is unanimously called upon to the chair. The object of the meeting is to secure due
representation for Tapu Creek mining interests – the peculiarity of this place, consisting of both quartz
reefing and alluvial sinking, require different regulations to what is applicable to the Karaka, where all is quartz reefing. In many cases where a claim is struck at Tapu,
it requires experienced diggers to say whether the claim should be defined as
quartz or alluvial.
Thursday, 23 January
A crushing for Daniel Tookey is finished this morning at
Goodall’s machine. There is some 47 lbs weight of amalgam – about
200 oz of smelted gold. The gold is the
produce of eight tons of quartz, most the result of fossiking in the claim
during the Christmas holidays.
The Papatoetoe claim
on the Moanataiari Creek has discovered some exceedingly fine stone - as fine as
flour. For the last four months auriferous quartz has been got out
at Messengers claim, now a very rich leader has been struck, from which
nearly 50 tons quartz have been taken and stacked ready for crushing. The partners in Messenger’s claim are waiting
for the completion of a crushing machine brought from Sydney.
Dr Groth finds Mary Lapine in a worse condition and she
appears to have been drinking as a bottle is lying close to her. She has not
followed his advice in taking the medicine he prescribed for her. No-one appears to be looking after her.
Otahuhu for the Thames with 10,000 ft timber, two cases port, case
oil, three passengers.
Rob Roy for the Thames with two tons
potatoes, 1 ½ tons hay, 2,000 ft timber, four hhds beer, eleven barrels beer,
one bale, one cart and harness, four cases sundries, one fly wheel, ten drums
oil, ten tins paint, one horse, one dray.
Sarah for the Thames with two casks ale, one box
soap, six bags sugar, two cases drapery, one bale drapery, one cask rum, one
box candles, one parcel, two boxes biscuit, three packages drapery, one keg
rum, one passenger.
The rush continues to the diggings at Tapu Creek. It is
the opinion of experienced diggers that this place will turn out a good
poor man’s diggings, the gold being more equally distributed than at Shortland,
with a chance of turning out what is called by miners a “heavy pocket.”
Kate Brown is still living as the Fly leaves Tapu this
evening with the newspaper correspondent’s reports.
An absolute necessity for a hospital.
Friday, 24 January
The Resident Magistrate and Warden’s Courts at Shortland sit
for some hours today with a large number of cases.
A smart new customs boat is towed to the Thames by the Tauranga.
It was built at Messrs Clare and Waymouth’s yard in Custom House Street,
Auckland, for the use of the Acting-Sub-Collector of Customs at the Thames and
on arrival is duly handed over to the Custom officer, Mr Lundon.
Constable John Wallace is at Waiotahi Flat when a person
approaches him and says there is a woman dying in a tent and a doctor is
attending her. At the tent Dr Groth
tells Constable Wallace that it is imperative Mary be removed to the
hospital. He gives the constable a
certificate stating her disease and recommending her removal to Auckland. Constable Wallace takes the certificate to Commissioner Mackay who gives him authority to have Mary conveyed to town. Constable Wallace takes a spring cart down to
the tent but on arriving finds Mary in a very weak state. Wallace goes and gets Dr Groth who
accompanies him back to the tent but within ten minutes, around 1pm, Mary
dies. A woman present scornfully says
“Look at this poor woman. It should be a
warning to others not to drink.” She
adds she believes from marks she has seen on the body that she has been ill
treated - Mary appears to have a black eye and her arms are blue. Archdeacon Lloyd, of Auckland who is at the
Thames, has been informed of the unhappy state of the woman, and though greatly
fatigued, he rushes to visit her, but is too late. Rumours sweep the gold field that Mary Lapine
has been grossly maltreated.
The Venerable Archdeacon Lloyd is announced to preach at the
diggings on Sunday, and on February 2 the Right Reverend Bishop Pompallier is to
open a new Catholic Church at the diggings, according to the Daily Southern
Cross.
Avon for the Thames with 12 head cattle, nine tons flour.
Rangatira for the Thames with ten cases wine, 22 cases
spirits, three kegs spirits, ten tons potatoes.
Fly for Tapu Creek with 15 sheep,
one cask beef, ten packages, two parcels, three cheeses, three cases, one cask
etc.
Saturday, 25 January
An inquest on Mary Lapine, who died horribly in a tent on
the Waiotahi Flat, is held at Frank Furlong’s Reefer’s Arms Hotel, on the
corner of Pollen and Richmond Street’s. The jury views the body which has been
removed to the outer portion of the hotel. Mary is described as being of slight
build and middle height, with dark hair and features. She seems to have been a person who had both
education and position. Mary was a
single woman who had been living in a tent at the Thames with the Kennedy family for about
five weeks. She had been in New Zealand for two years. Mary
never seemed to eat but took milk and brandy in quantities of a cupful at a
time. She was addicted to drink and was
always falling about and had recently been in a quarrel. Dr Groth believes the cause of death was
typhlitis brought on by constipation of the bowels and accelerated by the
excessive drinking of ardent spirits.
Some evidence is elicited showing that she had been maltreated.
After more than two hours consideration the verdict is given
that Mary died of typhlitis (inflammation of
part of the large intestine) accelerated by excessive drinking and want of
proper care and nourishment. Contrary to
gossip, there were no marks of violence on the body.
Mary’s death causes outrage.
There is a gross want of humanity in leaving a fellow creature, and a
woman too, to die alone and uncared for.
There is an absolute necessity for some hospital accommodation at the
Thames. Mary may have lived had she been
cared for. The Provincial Government will give some old beds and
bedding towards hospital accommodation at the Thames but a building is needed,
and a medical officer, medicines and attendants.
A sample of gold obtained from Thompson’s claim,
Karaka Hill, is shown around. The gold
is of a very fine quality. Mr Thompson disapproves of the practice at present
adopted of squeezing the amalgam through chamois leather - all the fine gold is
lost. The whole of his amalgam shall be
retorted, without using the chamois leather.
A great Maori meeting
of the King tribe is held at Tokangamutu (Te Kuiti). There are between 3,000 and 4,000 assembled. The Kawhia people are still on their way,
bringing up supplies of fish etc, anticipating a prolonged meeting. Information leading up to this meeting has
been vague and uncertain – evidently discussions on the question of peace or
war will be carried out. Thames tribes
attend to discuss the goldfields boundaries. However no discussion whatever takes place.
The assembled tribes form themselves into a circle – the King and his
councillors in the centre. The meeting
opens with a religious service after which there is silence for some time -
silence ultimately prevails for the rest of the day.
The company performing at the American Theatre at Shortland
have had several very successful performances during the week and as the
‘rawness’ gets worn off, they are coming to their work very well. Tonight
they have one of best attendances yet.
In addition to the amateurs themselves the singing and dancing is of
more than average order. Each and every
one connected with the theatre seem determined to pull well together. A really enthusiastic audience
tonight enjoys a very full programme opening with a one act drama – ‘The clock
on the stairs', followed by a vocal, acrobatic and terpsichorean interlude. The
farce of 'The four wheeler’ is well played and received capitally, as is
the burlesque opera. Captain Butt’s American Theatre is now open every evening.
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DSC 25 January, 1868 |
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