ONE MORE YEAR.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1654, 22 January 1913, Page 8

ONE MORE YEAR.

;WELLiGfON'S 73RD ANNIVERSARY'

SOME STORIES OF THE EARLY ■■.;/ '..^■ : ; i '';' : -..DAYS..i :,'.■.;■,'..■' HOLIDAY EVENTS. .',-> , To-day ; Wellington • . celebrates '■ its '.■'■ Beventy-tlnrd'nnriiversary, or'at any rate '■■■the sevonty-fliird anniversary' of the ar.;'rival'of -the, earliest pioneer ships. Many - villages in- places" less favourable to ' : growth' htive" taken longer '■- to' attain to ;a main street. and a clock-tower than .Wellington' has' taken, to 'reach the__ proportions of a'considerable l city,'bufit is pleasanter and easier to view in mass the ■developments -that .-'seventy-three , years have produced than fo'analyse these developments in detail. Wellington seventy years ago was. a hamlet beside a beach. iVdayit/is'a thriving city with a popti- ' lation of over seventy thousand souls, and a commercial .prosperity running as high .;' as its death-fate is low. In many, respects, .. notably in : its' harbour equipment, Wol- ■ lington will bear .'comparison',yrith almost any city of its' population in the world. If the same determination and weight of /endeavour as, have lifted, it from the \ hamlet to the. city stage'continue to be -■displayed-during tlie next seventy years, Wellington will undoubtedly at tho end of : that" timei'takeV high- place "'among tho '..•- greafc.'pcean ports,'of. the''world.

, ", V'n the Early Days.':' '' It- ..ii. ; nofoften';'that one, meets 'living' representatives' caina ! to: Wellington-seventy .years' ago/, but l a. • Dominion" reporter had the good fortune Ito.meet one of them threo'years ngo, v and he'atd'sohw interesting dctai!s;of the early ■': clays'* oft the'settlement.''; The pioneer in .'question, was Donald-Frnser, a High-" lander/born; hailing '/from "the neighbour;h6'6d«of' Fort -William in : Argyllshiie. > i The ship in'which he came. to New Zealand, ''■■, .w,as . the "Blenheim,.. commanded Vby '''Captain'- "Geo, ■ Gray, a >'essel'?t)f.' .'three.'.'.:or ; -' -four; jtoti^'that l carried ; a ; :>totai,> coiripleiu'eire in 'crow,,and of about two,hun- ' 'dred and fifty souls. ...The.trip out lasted ■"four, and a half months,"'and;, although xlnrinig that period there wcrp.'two .deaths, ,'the ship landed two more passengers .than, lehe tonic aboard.'' This is-by ; the/way. .Jt (jnoy-servo as.some small ;of. ;the' conditions under.' which v: our early ( pioneers'journeyed.;out to New ..'.Zealand.' 'When the Blenheim landed her' immir grants at Kaiwarra, Mr. Fraser was a child fivaiyears old., .The passengers when .they : Arrived.':at;'lfaiwarra.:;were.,.ciirricd ashore •by the'Maoris,'of whom-' two'or three hundred lived close by;;' The Wellington hills at, that date' wep> ;clad lin bush, and there TOs'.,only;<a.nor.row,.,traclt, of| : .clean strand on,:the'-line-'now -foll6wed;;by Lambt-ori Quay.' lif 18'll,the',white;pbpujflti6n num',Dered;;.abjjiit,";a' couple.' '.of / /thbusan,d, ..for ; threVor. four/emigrant ships hadprceed- - ed : the BlehheiniiVahd, tw6,,,0r Ltbfcc 'more ■.'■ came during the;twelve'jrrioiiths following ier: arrival...,':lh 'tha.'r-egibii' round /about there. wefja-two, :pr -three, ..Maoris ;f or every . white';.rosideri_t;;bfvWellihgtpn.''.! The first •big fireum' tho 'town,occurre'd'iin; 18-12.', It ;■". broke - oiig Jtr, a house 'ch; the site - now, oc- ■ 'cupjed''by: the Gear Company's shop',''and '.destroyed'.-, about, twenty .'of.-, the' clay 'and. ' thatch: : structures'that' housed-;'Welling-.' ton's pioneers.■' TJie'Jast-building destroyed'in, the run of the"! fire, was the Crown and<.-Anehor.'Hotel..,-ii'.v J ,i.. ;/,;';'•..: ~;;..,: : :

--.;; Wreckv.Nenr .Torawhiti;; •,'. ",'A' tragic affair that occurred in. 1850,0r 185t';wWthe l .wreck of the .barque llaria, . whert she-.was, oil, her way,- flying light, from; Terawhiti, to Wellington. : ~;On • a: foggy just b;tore. daylight, ■sho .:■ struck:; ort.'! -the/;.THe'al , ,Kock,' near Tera'whiti, and split into, two 'pieces, whichi.were driven ashore, a quarter of a, mile apart* .', lOrthirty-onerpeople- aboard, .twenty-nine, were : ,dr.6w;nod'.!i:'..Slr..l i 'rnser, who was employed on aj run in the neighbourhoodriaiii fcOivboy/'dad/li .man named Mshdown,!were .the, first whites to visit after;the Wreck.'',,:XTiey.broight,. .ashorei'.seventeenibodies 'within-tho space, of a few hours.'•-'.Next'day, they found on tjio,hills' a'rycung.'sailor'named.Stewart and"'of!llolay; -v'l'liesfi twp.Vere,the'only' ■ .-.'if;. ,- :■:.■;■■'.- ' •• r -',"„, ■~ '.;.' "'..1n1184-I'Vor :lsi3> occurred;.the iwreck'of ..thb'-Tyiie, which came to grief W the. Black KbcKs,"naar"lsland Bay. • She Carried four cases of gold, eaeli containing; .£IOOO.. Three of these, were, :- but .the.'fourtli never came to lights •',.'Mr'.' Fraser, then.a small bay, and V.fHeiul; named, Cameron, visited, the locality "of ' the vfijck; and'he related, that a.number .of .pe'ople > were seen' to leave..much-'!fat- ; ter";thnh when they arrived, having don- ' Bed seycraL'snits,.of clothes,-as .tho;most convenient way of'carrying them off. A detachment of the- 89th' Regiment .was isent out to guard the goods, landed, but ; the soldiers seem.to have had. their own peculiar' views of guardianshipi Young Traser and his companion fonnd a solI dier.stantling in. a puncheon of-..wine, arid (ladling but.'itsV.contcnts,-; in reboot, to all .■■.,'"' '■■} ■ '. ,

',:■ Early Settlers' Re-Union. ■'. v Seventy-three years' ago to-day. the \young\nien, of.the day we're celebrating the foundation of this ,'cify. in much the .'ednie'way:as,hiany of their children and; f rand-children will be'doing to-day, at the larly .Settlers'. Re-union at Newtown , Park: •;Many old.games that figured in the sports programmes of the early forties, siich ;as quoit's • (steel quoits),.. skittles, Aunt Sally, Maypole dancing, catching .;. the greasy pig, grinning through a horsecollar, ,are all to be .pneo again revived. : Many amusing, side-shows will be in oper- '■'•' ation.'and a dancing platform' has been. ■•", erected. Hot water will be provided free, :, and the new kiosk'will be open for business. In the, event of to-day being wet, vthe at the -..Town; 'Hall in tho'afternoon':' '■'-'■*.■"■:■■ ■'■■■_■'' •'■'.' . ■: : ' fATTnACTIONS/ ■'''■' ''~. : '/.■'■'-\ y S■'"'■■■'■'H.; ■•;'S- !'".:.■"'■'.■. : To-day will be a public holiday. The . ( '\ : weather at, the ; time' of. writing did not ; look any tqq.pr'pniising., However, there : is plenty jjf.'amUsDment .for- holiday-, 'v makers,.: the 'following 1 , being 'the list of .; attractions:^"'-'"'■■'■'■'•■.• • ': •-.» •■■.■ ' '■'•/■ ';■.':.- , Daytime. .Early SeltlersV Reunion, > at> Newtown -Park.. ' '■•• '■■:■•■■■ -\ • .'<.^..r'-•;</■ AVellingtpit'"Racinir Club's 'meeting,* at Trenthani. Swimming Carnivals, at.Worscr Bay and Masterton. . " Yachting'Regatta,'at Pctohe. ' ' ' ' .-'; Athletic Sports Meeting, at Seatdun. Cricket: Wednesday 'Representatives' v.' South Melbourne 'Eleven,- on .Basin .(Reserve. ■ ;■■'-'.-':">'*" :"- '--' : .*'■•<>.-■ . • : Excursion 'to Pictonby the-sfeaSlr' Maori. Harbour excursions: to Day's and Rona Bays. •„•, -■-''. ..'■,. '. . ■ . Evening. '.. ,;'/ Opera House: "The Tollies,'' • - .■ •_■ -.•,.« Theatre Royal: Fullers' Vaudeville. ."■ His Majesty's and .King's Theatres: Pictures.: ~ '.'.' ' '■■"• ...' Th-j New, Shortts', and Empress Theatres and the People's Picture .Palace: Continuous pictures. ','.'' ■'•'.• Moonlight Merrymakers, at' Newtown Park. -.•':' ; - ' •"-• ' '■ ■■' "■"■• •' .:•"-■