OUR OLDEST RESIDENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1128, 2 August 1913, Page 4

OUR OLDEST RESIDENT.

MR ANDREW JONSON,

The following are a few particulars of the life of our oldest resident, Mr Andrew Jouson, who, we are pleased to state, is still bale and hearty.

Mr Jonson was born in Fr-lken-berg, Sweden, in 1840. As a boy he was put to work herding cows at the age of 10 years. At 12 years he went to sea in a small Swedish sailing vessel the ‘‘Lance Krona,” bound for Christiana. From there he returned to Stockholm and sailed again for Burgheu and St. Petersburg, thence to Hull and back again to Hamburg and Copenhagen, finally arriving at Hartlepool, where be deserted. After leaving the Swedish vessel he shipped as an A.B. on the “City of Agra,” a new ship bound for Calcutta. He did not understand the language of the officers who were Yankees, so ‘‘four of us ran away on the third night just before she was due to sail,” said Mr Jonson. ‘‘lt was in the middle of winter and snowing at the time. I took tn the country and did not know where to go. I had no food and only the clothes I stood up in, my chest being on board. The first morning 1 found myself under a hedge snowed in and well nigh frozen to death. I could just see Hartlepool in the distance and being hungry and cold I made back to the city again. Passing a small refreshment shop I stood looking in at the window. While standing there the lady who owned the shop came out and asked me if I was hungry, but not knowing the language I did not know what she meant,, but she brought me out a cake which I greatly appreciated. From there I went on to the wharf and found a Danish schooner lying at anchor. While walking the streets the second male of the ‘‘City of Agra” had me taken to the police station where I was locked up with another of the deserters and next morning we were brought before the magistrate. A full crew had been obtained and we were allowed our freedom; but it cost me my chest of clothes. I shipped in the Danish vessel bound for Lisbon, and we fell in with very bad weather in the North Sea. We met an English brig, waterlogged, and-being asked tor help managed to save all hands after some trouble. The captain called for volunteers, but none of the men would take the risk. I had not been asked to go, the captain thinking me too young, but as no one would face it I volunteered to try. I manned a small boat and after a lot of trouble succeeded in getting the full crew of nine men safely to the schooner, and afterwards we landed them at Dover. We then proceeded to Lisbon, Alburg, and returned to Hartlepool, where for the second time I ran away. From this I traded in the colliers for eighteen months. I have been twice to Hamburg, Amsterdam, and St. Petersburg, three times to Rotterdam and Copenhagen. On one trip from Guttenburg, Sweden, to England, we weie caught in a heavy gale in the North Sea. We were laden with timber, and the deck cargo broke loose, killing one of the crew. It was midwinter, and the ship lay over until the masts were under water. We helped one another the best way wejcould, and were eventually picked up by a passing vessel bound for London, where we were all conveyed to the Luspital. We remained at the hospital for two months, being so bad that the nails of both hands and feet fell off, owing to the intense cold we had suffered. I traded in the Mediterranean, and visited Malta, Gibraltar, Alexandria, Constantinople, Odessa; Malacca, and Genoa. I was in Genoa when Garibaldi was captured and brought into that city. I have also visited the Isle of Patmos. For some time I did not go to sea, but learnt shipwrighting. Once more at sea, I went to America, calling at Quebec, Montreal, Havana, and KlO de Janeiro, and at the former port we lost all hands except the captain and myself. From Rio we were bound for Ceylon for orders, but the crew muliued and were payed off alter a big fight. From Ceylon

we were bound for Basene, 150 miles up a river full ot alligators, and here we loaded rice tor London. On this trip we had bad luck, two men dying of cholera within half an hour, and on rounding the Cape of Good Hope we ran into a heavy storm, losing the main topmast, and I had to make a new one. I was working part of the time almost under water, and the adze I was using slipped and went through my boot, almost severing my, five toes. What with loss of blood and no proper food or attention, I was blind for some time. On returning to London, I subsequently made trips to the Mediterranean again, and was in the Bay of Biscay on the Christmas night that the Loudon went down. While trading in the Mediterranean I went through the catacombs of Rome, and also saw Cleopatra’s Needle, which has since been erected in London. At twenty-five years of age I decided to come to New Zealand, and we sailed in the good ship Electra (Capt. Mowlem, late of Palmerston N.), bound for Wellington in 1566. In that year I came to Foxton, and started cabinetmaking in a small way, and later on opened a small store in Main Street, and did fairly well, In ’7l I started a store in Palmerston N., and was appointed agent for the first immigrants who came out. At this time there was only a track from Foxton to Palmerston, and it was such bad travelling that it used to sometimes take a day to get from Oroua Bridge to Palmerston. At this time there was only one hotel in that town, and it was kept by Messrs Cole and Stanley. A few months after, Mr Snelson opened a small store, in the Square, and also took a hotel lease, which was shortly afterwards carried on to the Royal Hotel. I remember buying an eight-day clock from Mr Snelson’s store, which I intended to take to Foxton. I had always to make the journey on horseback, and on arriving at Mr McEwen’s —where I always left my horse —he told me to stay the night, as I would be unable to get through to Foxton on account of the flood in the river. I did not take his advice, but set out that evening, and got as far as Jackytown, where I found the water so high that I had to leave the clock tied to the wheel of a half-submerged dray which had got stuck on the road, and when I came back for it in seven days it was there sale and sound, and still going, which will show how very little traffic there was in those days. I then built a boat capable of carrying two tons, and used to cart goods to Moutoa and take them by water to a point near Palmerston, afterwards carrying the goods on my back to Palmerston Flat. I was very lucky, having no accidents until the last trip I made. Coming down I had three passengers aboard, Messrs Halcombe (Government Immigration Officer), Bramley and Lawrence, and also two of my men. I had passed all the worst places on the river, when Mr Halcombe offered to stear while I got into dry clothes. We had not gone far when the boat struck a snag and capsized. Mr Lawrence was drowned, while the other two passengers swam ashore. My two men and I hung on to the upturned boat for two hours, until rescued by the Maoris. I then gave up business in Palmerston and came back to Foxton for good, starting in my trade again, which I am still carrying on. I started a sash and door factory on a section I had bought from Mr Clark Dunn, where Mrs Nye's and Mr Woodtoofe’s shops now stand. About this time I was asked to take shares with three others in a steamer for sale in Wellington, valued at Arthur Howe being engineer. We went to Wellington to bring her to Foxton, but were stopped by the Marine Department until we had made some repairs to the vessel. We started on Saturday night tut only got to the pilot station when she broke down and two of us had to row back for assistance to repair her. Thinking we might need the engineer again in case of another breakdown I got him to sleep in the cabin and while still asleep slipped anchor and set out. When he awoke and felt the steamer tossing in the open sea he was in a terrible rage, but I told him there was no chance of getting back until we reached Foxton, which little trick gave us two engineers instead of one. On Wednesday night we arrived off Porirua Bay, our provisions and water having run out. Two of us walked into Porirua and were told that our boat had gone down with all hands. After securing provisions we set out for Kapiti which we reached on Friday night, leaving on Saturday morning again and arriving at Foxton wharf at 10 o’clock that night. The next few days we spent in fixing her up for river trading and the first load we had was a mob of sheep to bring from one side of the river to the other. Half-way across the sheep got to one side ot the boat causing her to cant so tar over as to throw all the sheep into ■vater, so seeing she was not .ted to the river work I sold tny share in her at a considerable loss.

I then built a boat of my own, known as the “Ivy,” and a very substantial boat she was, too. I took a partner in with me, Mr Sam Howan, and we ran her for some considerable time, after which my son Arthur took her over, and ran her night and day, when I sold my share out to Capt. Sawyers, I was also the first to build a house on the beach at Foxton which paid me very well. I am now 73 years of age and think I can safely say that I have been through some very rough times since I started working for my living 62 years ago at the age of eleven.”