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Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 October 1940, Page 2

An old boiler, formerly used at a sawmill, which has been lying near Mr C. B. Thacker’s homestead at Okain’s Bay, may in the near future be converted to a useful purpose after about 70 years. At a meeting of the Akaroa County Council Mr Thacker, who is a member of the council, offered the boiler to the council and suggested that it should be used to make large culverts. It is 26ft long and the outer cylinder is 6ft in diameter, .and the inner fire box cylinder is 3ft in diameter. The council will investigate the cost of cutting these two cylinders apart and using them for culverts. The boiler - was built by John Anderson and Company. of Christchurch, in the fifties for Mr J. E. Thacker, Mr C. B. Thacker’s father. A special truck was used to get it through the Lyttelton tunnel and it was shipped to Okain’s Bay on the Jeanette, a schooner bought by Mr J. E. Thacker in Tasmania. The boiler was plugged up each end, rolled off the steamer, and floated ashore. From the beach it was dragged to the mill site by bullock teams. Mr Thacker’s mill finished operations in about 1870 and since then the boiler has not been shifted from the mill site.