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- Daniel McLaren was born Perthshire, Scotland and spent his early days at farm work. Came to New Zealand in 1858 in the ship 'AVONDALE', Capt. Petrie, (who was drowned sometime after in the 'PRIDE OF YARRA').
(Note: The 'Pride Of Yarra' and it's sinking in 1863, was featured on "Epitaph", on Television One (NZ) on 21st March 2001. Otago Boys' High School's first rector and his family were aboard.
Pride of the Yarra 6th July 1863, Steamer, Otago Harbour
Twelve Passengers were killed when this 24-ton Otago Harbour ferry collided with another harbour ferry the Favourite. The accident highlighted the need for life saving equipment to be carried on harbour ferries.)
When I landed at Dunedin, the "HENSBOROUGH', which had previously arrived at Port Chalmers, took fire and hands were wanted to cut away the masts and sails, what could be got at. A man came on our ship to see if anyone would take a job. One of our Officers said "Will you go, Dan?" and I said "What about the Powder?" (we had been told there was a ton of powder on board). He said, "We must chance it as it will be good pay." I said, "Right, if you go I'll go". Those who were willing to go rose to cross the deck, so we two and others went. We were getting on board the burning ship when the powder went off. The explosion lifted the after deck cabin and all, up in the air a few feet then fell right down on top of the seat of the fire. We saved all the ropes, sails, spars and gear, anchor and chains, there was not much as a rope or sail burnt. She was then drawn to shallow water and our carpenter scuttled her and saved the cargo from fire. The late Mr. Macandrew brought her cargo for 500 pounds. Then there was a sale held every day for weeks selling the cargo. The passengers lost everything. At one days sale I saw a man bid for his own box, he stacked it and some other person bid against him, but he got his own at last. Another man brought a box which must have belonged to a lady passenger because when it was opened the first article he took out was a ladies crinoline which no doubt had been spread on top so it would not be crushed. I got 3 pound as my share, that was the first job I got in New Zealand, I next got a job drawing stone from Caversham Quarry. I carted all the foundation stones for H.M.Jail. I took two stones at a load; they were a fair size, 7ft long 3ft wide and 13 inches thick. Had two horses and went two loads in the day. I remember my first trip; I had only one horse and he was a jib. I got to the building and when I arrived a bell rung. I said to the contractor "What time was that" he said, "Twelve" I said I should have been at the Quarry, he replied "We are glad to see you have got here even at this time". I got 8/- per day. I had only to drive the horses and feed them at night. They were fed and harnessed for me in the morning. I then went into the quarry at 7/- per day for a start and worked at that for eighteen months, 10/- was the highest wages there for a quarryman.
I then came out as far a Toko and got a job with Major Crocker of Meadowbank, this was in 1860, worked with him 'till the diggings broke out. Major Crocker was an old soldier, he had a bulldog and some valuable sheep (Merino), the dog was the means of killing them all. His wife would not allow the dog to be shot and when he was to be thrashed it was done in Military style, he ordered 25 lashes and took them all without saying a word. I worked a two-horse team; he also had a Bullock team. Some of my mates at Gabriel's Gully were late John McFarlane (Tapanui) John McAvar and Andrew Craig. I went to Dunedin to get a dray and two horses to take up our stuff, 18cwt. We could get a dray but no driver; it was to cost 9 pounds, so I said I would drive, so we got our goods up really for nothing. It took us 8 days on the trip, our party was there the 1st or 2nd week, and ours was about the 1st team on the ground. On the whole had fair luck, made only 3/6 the 1st and 2nd week. After a while we brought out the calder and party, gave them 150 pounds, term�s half cash, half in 3 months. They had some stripped in the paddock and before they got to Dunedin we had taken gold out of their claim to the amount of 150 pounds. Got 19oz out 3ft fall, got 36oz out of a place 3ft round. Next went to Waipori but had no luck, only got one small piece, which Willie Robertson got made into a Tui.
I then went back to Dunedin and took out my passage for home country in the ship 'STAR OF TASMANIA', loaded with wool. My passage money was 30 pounds. Returned New Zealand 1863 in ship "SILISTRIA', we had a lively crowd on board 120 single women 50 single men and 50 married couples with families ranging from 1 up as far as 10 children. I came back to Toko and engaged with Smith and Hibbert. (Smith late of Greenfield.) They had a large store in Toko and branch shops on all the diggings. One of their drivers had taken ill about Mosgiel and left his dray and horses. I was sent to take it to Dunedin, and bring it back. I got 3 pounds 10 shillings per week for a start. Then I drove a wagon called the 'Melbourne' and six chestnut horses, five imported from Tasmania and one he bred, the horses cost 75 pounds per head. Our trips were principally to Dunedin.
I remember on one occasion taking a dray with 13 bales of scoured wool to Dunedin and as the roads were in a fearful state of mud, my mate and I decided we would drive into the lake and wash our horses. We had bows and tilts on the dray and wagon and I sat outside on top. We were in a good way when my dray capsized and I was sent flying into the water, when I looked round I could only see the head of my shaft horse sometimes above the water so I went and held his head up on my shoulder until my mate came and got him out. We then put 2 horses onto the wheel and pulled it up but it would not stay, we did this a few times and every time it fell back. The low wheel was working a hole in the sand so we put some horses on the front of the shafts and I pulled it and held it with my horses, and my mate's eased it forward out of the hole so we got it put right. It was a clear frosty night and we were working in the water up to the waist. I lost my hat in the lake. We drove on to the hotel. I said I would go back to Toko and tell Mr. Smith but my mate said "No, we could get it dried on the road the next day", so we went on, and next day we turned my load clean upside down, and by the time we got to Dunedin the bales outside were dry.
The wool was carried by men on their back from our dray to the wharf, two did it and as only one side of my dray had got wet I took care to give the same man the wet bales. When carrying it one said to the other, "it was the heaviest bale he had ever carried," but the other said he did not know any difference. We got our bills signed as having received the wool in good order and condition. We had barely got back to Toko when Smith got word to go to Port Chalmers as some wool was wet. He was in a towering rage and asked us on our return about it. We said our papers were signed as having been received in good order. It had all to be taken off ship and dried at Port Chalmers, as far as I know he never found out about it. I found that I had driven over a Maori head and that was what upset my dray.
I remember my first trip to Heriot with a load of general merchandise, there were 3 wagons of us, 2 six horse and one five horse. When we got to the Clutha, the river was very low and the man said he would have to weigh my load. There was them a weigh-bridge on the north side of the river, my load weighed 4 tons, so I said to him, "Take off 30cwt for the wagon," he said that wouldn't do any good, he said I would have to take off half my load but I said I would get over all right. He said, "Take your own way". As I had never been across the Clutha Punt I said to the man with 5 horses you go first and we will see how you get on. He got safe across, as did the other men, I came last. When I got on, the punt went down pretty low but the trouble was only beginning, when we got to the other side and let down the door it seemed all safe but as soon as the wagon got to the other end of the punt it sank down and the door stood on end. The horses got on the landing stage, all but the shafters who only got their front feet. The door was standing straight up under their bellies and there they stuck. However there were a lot of men about and we lifted the horses' fore legs and rolled the wagon a bit back. I said to my mates, "Bring back your leaders", and someone suggested putting some sea matting that was lying there, on to the front of the punt so as to make a slope up. We then put in all the horses 13 in number and I got on the seat and we made a drive for it. I got out but I think every stick of sea matting went over my head. I had crossed the Taieri river often but the tide made it all safe then but not so the Clutha. We got as far as Kaikiku and camped at the Three Bridges. Next morning we started and got as far as Waiwera when my load went through the planking but we just put on more horses and got out. We had very little trouble for a while, got on fairly well, stuck a few times, when passing a station a man came out to see if we had any oats, we said "Yes, 13/- per bushel". We asked if he had any meat he said half a sheep at 1/-lb. He got half a bushel of oats; we got the half sheep.
We were going up a long hill, I waited at the foot for a pull, my mate said, "Keep a little more to the nearside there". I did, "And I think we will get up better". I said, "Fire away", we only got a start when the front wheels dropped into a maori oven and we got out of that and then dropped into another, by that time both hind and front were in holes. Had the horses kept going all would have gone but they had almost got out when they found they were not able so let it track, and over went the show. I was on the low side, I jumped clear but my load, which consisted of butter in tapered casks rolled some one way and some another, everything in the wagon with the exception of a cask of rum was thrown out. It took us four hours to collect everything and retract, by that time it was dark. My mate drew some rum out of the cask and we had a drink of what he called Coffee Royal. We camped, and had a look around next morning to see that I had everything. Although the tilt was torn to pieces not a bow was broken, not so much as a bolt out of place. My bucket was completely flattened and that was the way Smith found out about it, one of my shifters had her leg cut but I bathed it night and morning and put castor oil on it and by the time I got back to Milton it was completely healed. On our way home we sold all our empty bags to the diggers for to fill clay to make dams. We got I think 3 pounds for the lot. Smith was a good boss. As long as a man would put on a good load and look after things he was well pleased.
Shortly after I left Smith and went back to Dunedin. I got a job and worked 3 days only. It was with Proudfoot on his first contract in New Zealand. On my second trip to New Zealand we had a very uncomfortable voyage, there were only two days that the decks were dry. Our ship had on board 200 tons of flint for China and it had been put on last making the ship top heavy, that was, I was told, the reason she rolled about so much.
I soon found my way out to Clutha and got a job with Donald Ross, Warepa, the brothers Ross and Milligan worked in the next claim to us on the diggings. I was with him for a few months then engaged with Somerville and picked up an old shipmate on Sunday in Warepa Church, Geo H S Lawson, went with him fencing as he had taken a lot of fencing to do for the Somerville Bros. I worked among the settlers fencing etc. at Dr Manning's other farmers. After about 18 months I went to A Gordon's to do bush work. Fencing, post and 2 rails with ditch on either side or 3 wire cost 14/- per chain. Wire at this time was 23/- per cwt. My first experience in bush work was at J Somervilles. James Somerville and I went to cut a totara tree, the largest tree I had ever seen, we got it down and had it so far opened with the wedges. We had to use wooden wedges as well as iron ones, we had it fairly well opened up and I put a wooden wedge in crossways and stepped into the opening to cut the pieces that were holding it from splitting. James Somerville had gone back to the stump to sharpen the saw, I happened to strike the cross wedges with the back of my axe and back the log came smack up and caught me by the legs. I was firmly held I can tell you, right up to the waist with one leg behind the other. I called on James, he gave me a good rounding up then proceeded with maul and wedges and got me out. I may say this was the first and last time I was ever held by a log, I soon learned a few things in bush work.
I remember once losing a pound note. James McCallum and I were sawing a log and another man, W Garvie said to me "I will bet you a pound I will chop it through quicker than the two of you will saw it" and by jove he did it. Garvie had been in America and was a born axeman; he felled trees, cross cut and piled up 100 post in one day.
Thos. Somerville also did the same one-day to be upside with Garvie. John Somerville had a horsepower-threshing mill, which was sent round the district threshing, we worked three horses. The mill and horsepower were put on a large sledge and pulled from place to place. The farmer taking the panners with their team. James Somerville and I went one season with the mill; we went one season up as far as Moa Hill then down Waitepeka and Puerua district. One day we put through at Rocklands 100 cwt oats this was considered a big days work. Robt. Christie purchased the power and mill from Somerville and sold it afterwards to Mr D Dunn, Romahapa. It was still there the last I heard about it, this was the first horse power mill in Warepa. I left Warepa and purchased Tom Stark's place (it was right opposite W Paterson's Puerua Store). I paid rent to Mrs. Shields as the building was on her farm. I stayed there a short time then shifted up to A Mercers whare near Peter Grant's house is. I was surface man for off and on about 12 years round the district from Puerua to Catlins, the mode of patching the road in those days was perhaps a little strange. When the road got into holes we had to cut flax and tie the bundles, put it into the ruts to help to carry the drays, then when the roads got dry, we had all the bundles of flax to take out and fill up the holes with clay. The engineer would not allow us to put clay on top of the flax. It was a lot useless labour.
In the year '67 when Sir Geo. Gray visited the district; W.Wilson the old shoemaker erected 2 arches across the road, one at Cheviot House Gate and one at Underwood. I gave him a hand. We worked from 12 o'clock midnight till about six in the morning before we got them finished. The old shoemaker had a food table at the roadside, Sir George dismounted and had a snack, said a few words to those that were there, then rode on to Major Richardsons where he had lunch. We left the Port in good style 4 deep but had not gone far where we were going, anyhow Sir George had Dr Smiths horse and he was in good fettle and the pace soon was fast and furious. You could not see your next neighbour for dust. I rode Mr. A Petrie's celebrated mare Mary Walker. She was nursing a foal at the time and I had it shut up in my stable. She was as keen as the rest when her blood got warm. When we got to the Major's house the horses were very hot so we slackened the girths to let their backs cool. The Major had any amount of refreshments and a keg of beer for us common folks and I can tell you full justice was done to them. I had had no breakfast and by this time I was a little empty. After lunch and a few remarks it was to saddle again. I got on my horse and forgot to tighten my girth, and going down the first hill my saddle came round and I was left sitting in the middle of the road. The mare went straight home for her foal, and as I had to foot it, Sir George got my company no further. That same night there was a crowd gathered at my house. Some of the men's names were William Stewart, Arch Hada, John Johnstone and five or six more. My horse was home but no rider, so they were consoling with my wife saying I was lost and perhaps killed. Willie Stewart went up as far as the Major's then saw Mr. Bannerman and asked if he knew that Dan McLaren had been bucked off his horse. W Bannerman said he had not seen him, so Stewart returned back without me, but I got back all safe about midnight. So ended my first and last escort of a Governor. I shifted up to my present home about 1870.
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