THE OVERLAND TELEGRAPH By Ron McMullen former Telegraphist, Telegraph Supervisor, Telegraph Instructor, Senior Postal Clerk and

Postmaster in the former Postmaster-General’s Department.

Several detailed books have been written on this subject so I will only briefly cover the topic.

The completion of the Overland Telegraph Line in 1872 from Port Augusta in South Australia to Port Darwin in the Northern Territory and

connection from Darwin to Java on 20 October 1872 by sea cable, signalled the end of communication isolation from the rest of the world.

Apart from being a renowned construction feat it led to the beginning of settlement in the arid central regions of Australia. Before completion

of the line the only means of communication was by sea with landfall at Port Adelaide where steamers were met by reporters who quickly

read the news and rushed to the telegraph office for onward transmission by Morse code to the eastern colonies.

The Scottish explorer John McDouall Stuart, after several attempts, pioneered the route across the continent from South to North from

Adelaide to Darwin. The colony of Victoria was also interested in finding a trans continental south to north crossing and the ill fated Burke

and Wills expedition came close to achieving this having reached the mangroves near the Gulf of Carpentaria, but perished on the return

journey. Queensland also wanted the sea cable to be brought to Normanton and thence down the east coast of Australia.

At that time the Northern Territory was part of New South Wales and with construction of a telegraph line in mind the South Australian

Government successfully applied to the British Government in 1863 for annexation and in mid 1870 construction of a line between Port

August and Darwin was authorised. The responsibility for construction of the line was given to the South Australian Postmaster-General,

Charles Todd who had previously been Superintendent of Telegraphs.

Enormous problems were presented in the construction of the line. South Australia had only a small population and therefore a

correspondingly small financial base. Distance of nearly two thousand miles in desolate country inhabited only by Aborigines, extreme

weather conditions of heat, and monsoonal rains and very little available water were everyday challenges. Time cost penalties were also

critical with such limited finances, and completion of the line within time limits was paramount. Supplies of all types had to be moved

forward as construction progressed, across a wide empty land; logistics was a feat in its own.

Whilst the line was not completed within the agreed time, the end of December 1871, penalties were avoided by a last minute delay in the

connection of the cable between Darwin and Java, due to cable failure, which of course was beyond the control of the South Australian

Government.

First Darwin Telegraph Station

Construction was divided into three main sections — Southern, Central and North. The southern section

from Port Augusta to the Macumba River near Oodnadatta, was contracted to private firm E. M. Bagot.

The central section from Macumba to Tennant Creek was done by Government work parties as this was

initially thought to have been the hardest, but subsequently turned out not to be so. This doubtful honour

went to the northern section. The third section from Tennant Creek to Port Darwin was contracted to

private firm, Derwent and Dalwood.

Work on the southern section commenced on 1 October 1870 and was completed in January 1872.

The central or Government section was divided into five subsections and each started at various times.

Section A started in January 1871 and was completed in October 1871. Section B commenced in

February 1871 and was completed in November 1871. Section C commenced in March 1871 and

completed in December 1871. Section D commenced in May 1871 and was

completed in December 1871 whilst Section E commenced in May 1871 and was completed in

November 1871. By June 1872 the line had been connected to Alice Springs and communications

established with Adelaide.

Map showing route of the line with

the three sections marked.

The Northern section proved to be the most difficult and presented untold problems. All labour, equipment, livestock and supplies had to be

transported from Port Adelaide to Port Darwin. The steamer ‘Omeo’ was chartered for the journey and departed on 20 August 1870 via the

east coast of Australia. Additional stores and equipment had earlier been sent by the barque ‘St. Magnus’. September 9 1870 saw the

unexpected arrival of the ‘Omeo’ at Darwin and on 15 September the first pole was planted at the corner of Cavenagh Street and The

Esplanade. This pole was to be the first of many thousands to be erected.

Work initially proceeded quickly and without too many hitches and by December, 100 miles had been erected and communication

progressively established with Darwin as construction proceeded. However November - December is the time of year when ‘The Wet’

commences in northern Australia with torrential rain and numerous storms. Earlier settlers in the southern areas of Australia had no idea of

this weather pattern when rivers and creeks flooded over wide areas and thick with mud for months, giving conditions in which it was almost

impossible to work. This also brought diseases such as influenza and malaria which affected the workers and even heavy bullocks could not

haul equipment in such appalling conditions. Even though the track had been cleared for about 500 miles it was considered that the contract

was too far behind schedule and was cancelled by the government Overseer of Works.

The Overseer took over all gear and stock leaving the contractors and their men out of work, no one knowing that the ‘wet season’ was

almost over. The men left Darwin aboard the ‘Gulnare’ on 6 June 1871 leaving the fate of the line unknown and arrived in Adelaide on 8

July.

It was decided that the Government should then take control of the northern section which still had a gap of 420 miles of line between north

and south to be completed by December 1871. More equipment, livestock and supplies had to be obtained and sent north by ship. By August

1871 all had reached Darwin. Previously the line had almost reached the Roper River which flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria and it was

proposed to set up a camp there and use the river as a waterway for transporting goods. However the Government in Adelaide insisted that all

goods go via Darwin.

The weather between August and November is very hot and dry with little natural feed for livestock. A lot of time was taken up in digging

for water. Animals brought from the south at that time of year did not do well on the dry conditions and many died or had to be destroyed.

This made progress much slower. It was becoming increasingly evident that the deadline with the telegraph company bringing the submarine

cable from Java could not be met.

The cable was completed on 19 November 1871 and Australia was in contact with the rest of the world. The contract with the British-

Australian Telegraph Company stated that if the overland line had not been completed by the end of 1871 that company could take over any

unfinished section, complete it and use it until all their expenses had been met or alternately extend the line to wherever it wished possibly

leaving South Australia without the connection and in great debt.

Charles Todd then decided that the Roper River was much closer to the line than Darwin and must be used as a supply line to the work sites.

A small paddle wheel steam tug, ‘Young Australian’ was purchased for this purpose.

The next season of ‘the wet’ had now arrived and with deteriorating conditions food supplies were running short. A supply ship ‘Bengal”

could not sail against floodwaters rushing down the Roper and boats from the ‘Bengal’ loaded with food were laboriously hauled up river to

the camp site. With the non arrival of the ‘Young Australian’ it was decided that the ‘Omeo’ should navigate the uncharted river to take

desperately needed supplies to the site. This was accomplished despite the ship being grounded several times and floated off at high tides.

The ‘Young Australian’ arrived a few days later and towed the ‘Omeo’ further upstream to the depot camp.

One party was cut off by floods and had to be rescued. It was now impossible to move anything to the line. Camp life was mostly taken up

with building a boarding jetty and moving everything to higher ground out of reach of the flooding river which could see rises and falls of up

to 30 feet. As more ships arrived ‘Young Australian’ was kept busy steaming up and down the river. One ship arrived carrying iron poles to

replace wooden ones which had been quickly eaten by termites. The whole line was eventually replaced with iron (Oppenheimer) poles.

When the line parties were eventually reached many of the men were weak from lack of food and illness.

With the arrival of the dry season in early May 1872 work resumed on the line at a great pace. When the gap in the line between the north

and south points reached about 250 miles a ‘pony express’ was set up and men riding horses in relays and carrying messages, completed the

distance in 5 or 6 days. In this way a message could be sent from London to Adelaide in 9 or 10 days.

All was well until 25 June 1872 when the submarine cable between Java and

Darwin failed. This was a blessing for the South Australian Government easing

the pressure of contract penalties until the cable was restored. Progress on the line

went well and on 22 August 1872 the final join was made at Frew’s Pond.

The submarine cable came back into service in October 1872 and the great

isolation and silence that had existed for almost a century had come to an end and

led to the opening up of the vast central and northern area of Australia.

The cost of the line was almost £480,000 roughly four times the estimate. Five

men had lost their lives mainly due to the harsh conditions in which they worked.

Memorial where the two lines met.

Along the route 11 telegraph stations were established at Beltana, Strangways Springs, The Peake, Charlotte Waters, Alice Springs, Barrow

Creek, Tennant’s Creek, Powell’s Creek, Daly Waters, Katherine, Yam Creek and of course Adelaide, Port Augusta and Darwin. Of the 11

original stations only Barrow Creek, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs remain.

Powell’s Creek Barrow Creek

Barrow Creek, discovered by explorer John McDouall Stuart was named after J. H. Barrow a member of the South Australian Parliament in

1860. The station was established beside a waterhole in the creek. After completion of the Barrow Creek section of the line in December

1870 a temporary stone hut was erected and foundations for the Telegraph Station laid. It was completed in August 1872. In an attack on the

station by aborigines on 22nd February 1874 the Stationmaster and his assistant were killed, with another wounded.

By 1880 the station comprised apart from the main building, a wagon shed, and blacksmith’s hut. There were seven staff and a police trooper.

Water was a real problem with the waterhole being unreliable and nearest water some distance away. By 1910 the station ceased telegraphic

operations and was used as a Post Office and maintenance depot. In 1930 it became a police station with Post Office duties carried out by the

police officer. During 1942 the Telegraph Station was used as a staging camp for army convoys travelling between Alice Springs and

Darwin. It was used as a line depot until 1980 when a microwave link replaced the telephone carrier system. It is now being managed as an

historic site by the Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Tennant Creek

The Peake ruins

A temporary telegraph office was set up at Tennant Creek in July 1872 and in 1874 a reserve of 64 square kilometers became the site of a

new station. Two three roomed stone buildings were constructed by staff. One was a combined telegraph office and quarters and the other a

combined kitchen and quarters. By 1884 a stone wagon shed and a stone blacksmith’s shop were added.

When gold was found nearby in 1932 and with the influx of miners, a township sprang up 11 kilometres south of the station. The station

ceased operation in 1935 with the establishment of a Post Office in the main town. After being a maintenance depot and lineman’s

accommodation in 1986 it was transferred to the Northern Territory Government and is now managed by the Parks and Wildlife Commission

as a site of historical importance.

Alice Springs named after Charles Todd’s wife, became the most prominent of the 11 telegraph stations on the line. In November 1871 a

combined telegraph office and men’s quarters was built. Later a harness room, buggy shed, police station, post and telegraph office, kitchen

and stationmaster’s residence were added. It was located near important aboriginal sacred sites and ceremonial grounds and designed as a fort

against any attack. Fortunately none ever came.

Initially the staff comprised a stationmaster, assistant operator and four linemen who were responsible for maintaining the line for a distance

of about 200 kilometers from halfway to Charlotte Waters in the south to halfway to Barrow Creek in the north. By 1878 a Post Office had

been added to cater for the growing population of the area. The station was self sufficient with supplies being received from Adelaide at

anything up to yearly intervals.

In 1886 – 1887 rubies and gold were discovered in surrounding areas and eventually the population increased to a point where the station

could not cater for their needs. In 1888, Stuart, later renamed Alice Springs was established three kilometers downstream on the Todd River.

By 1926 improvements in communications had closed some of the stations and in January 1932 a new Post Office was opened at Alice

Springs and the Telegraph Station ceased operations.

The area of the station, 273 hectares and later increased to 437 hectares, then became an aboriginal reserve and in 1942 was taken over by the

Australian army and after the war reverted to the Department of Native Affairs. It was permanently vacated in 1963 and then dedicated as a

Historic Reserve and placed under the control of the now Parks and Wildlife Commission.

Since then the Commission has restored the area and developed the site as a place of historic interest. Buildings have been restored keeping

as faithfully as possible to the originals.

Telegraph instruments in keeping with the era in which they were used have been restored and members of the Morsecodian Fraternity visit

twice a year for periods of 10 days during which members of the public (mainly tourists) can send messages by Morse code to any

destination in the world.

Barrow Creek memorial

Alice Springs Repeater Station 1908

Overland Telegraph line Repeater stations

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OVERLAND TELEGRAPH - PORT AUGUSTA TO PORT DARWIN

Instructions to Overseers in charge of Works

1. Overseer responsible for Works, Tools, Stores Etc. - Every Overseer in charge of construction parties will be held responsible for the

maintenance of strict discipline amongst the officers and men under him and for the proper carrying out of the work entrusted to him: he is to

see that the equipment, instruments, tools, implements, and stores are properly protected from injury; and that nothing is damaged, wasted, or

lost through neglect or carelessness.

2. To appoint Storekeeper. - He is to appoint a trustworthy man as storekeeper in charge of all equipments, instruments, tools,

implements, stores, etc. A list of these has been furnished to each Overseer, to which he is to add all things subsequently received by him.

3. To keep Equipment, Store, and Stock Books. - The Storekeeper is to keep three accounts - one of the equipments, etc.; a second of the

stores, rations, and consumable articles; and a third of the live stock.

4. Receipt obtained for all Articles Given out. – All stores received or given out are to be properly entered in the store or stock-book, and a

receipt, in a column kept for that purpose, obtained from the party to whom they are given out. The Storekeeper is to give nothing out without

an order from the Overseer.

5. Serving out Rations. - The Storekeeper is to be guided by the scale annexed in serving out the rations, diminishing the allowance of any

article if he finds that the quantity, as per scale, is not consumed, so as to prevent waste.

Scale of Rations

Flour .................................................................................. per week 9 lbs

Biscuit ............................................................................... " 1 "

Meat .................................................................................. " 8 "

Sugar ................................................................................. " 2 "

Tea ...................................................................................... " ¼ "

Tobacco .............................................................................. " ¼ "

Peas or Oatmeal " ................................................................ " ½ "

Rice or Pearl Barley ........................................................... " ½ "

Vinegar ............................................................................... " 1 gill

Lime Juice .......................................................................... " ½ "

Salt ..................................................................................... " 2 ozs.

Mustard .............................................................................. " ½ "

Pepper ................................................................................ " ½ "lb.

Soap .................................................................................... " ½ "

Pipes per month 2

Matches .............................................................................. " 2 boxes

6. Overseer responsible for Vehicles and Stock. – The Overseer will likewise be held responsible for the safety and good condition of the

vehicles and stock furnished to him. He must see that all teamsters, or men in charge of stock, do their duty properly, and if he finds any

neglect on their part, he is to put other more competent persons into their place.

7. To make Inspection of Firearms. - The Overseer is especially directed to look after the firearms supplied, and to see that the persons in

charge keep them properly oiled, and in good order. For this purpose he should make a monthly inspection of them. He must also take

especial care of the powder, to prevent accidents.

8. Men to be responsible for Tools, Etc. - Men to whom any implements, tools, etc, are supplied, are to be held responsible for their

condition and safe-keeping.

9. Power to temporarily Disrate or Suspend. — The Overseer has power to suspend, or to disrate, temporarily, any of the officers or men

in his party, in case of any gross disobedience or incapacity, and to appoint others in their place; in which case he is to send, by first

opportunity, a report to the Superintendent, giving the reasons for so doing, and if confirmed by the Superintendent, the officer or man so

suspended will be permanently disrated or dealt with as the Superintendent may direct.

10. Overseer to keep Diary, and make Report. - The Overseer is to keep a diary of all occurrences, and to make a report, at the beginning

of each month to the Superintendent of Telegraphs, giving a detailed account of: the movements and conditions of the party and stock under

his charge, the amount and nature of the work done, and any other matter which may be necessary to put the Superintendent in full

possession of all that has occurred since his last report. In the event of the occurrence of any important matter, the Overseer is to make a

special report, and forward it by the first opportunity.

11. Sub-Overseer to keep Diary, showing Time and Occupation of Men, and Work done. - The Sub-Overseer is also to keep

a diary, showing the daily employment of each man, and the number of poles cut, carted, and erected, with the length of wire

put up each week.

12. Overseer to leave Written Instructions with Sub-Overseer if he leaves his Camp - In all cases in which the Overseer is obliged to leave

his main camp or working party, and delegate his authority to the Sub-Overseer, or some other person to act in his absence, he is to leave

written instructions, and forward a copy of same to the Superintendent of Telegraphs in his next monthly report.

13. Overseer to watch over Health and Morals.—The Overseer is to watch over the health and morals of his party. He should, especially

direct that any one suffering from diarrhoea should report himself at once, so that proper means may be taken to stop it, as this complaint, if

neglected, is apt to run into dysentery and cholera, as well as being one of the symptoms of camp fever. The Overseer is rigorously to

suppress all gambling, to stop all profane language, swearing, and quarrelling, and to endeavour, as far as possible, to promote all rational

amusements amongst his party.

14. To rest on Sundays. - He is to let his party and teams rest on Sundays except in case of necessity or emergency, and is recommended

to read a short service to his officers and men on that day - it being of course understood that attendance is voluntary.

15. To report Death or Accident.— In the event of death or any serious accident, the Overseer is to draw up a detailed report of the

circumstance, with written statements signed by witnesses of the occurrence, should there be any, and forward the same by the next mail to

the Superintendent.

16. Muster Roll called. - The muster roll of each party is to be called over morning and evening, and no person must be allowed to leave

the travelling party, or the camp, without first obtaining permission from the officer in charge, and the person so leaving must report himself

immediately on his return.

17. Expenses on Road. - In travelling through the pastoral districts it may be necessary to purchase meat from the settlers. In this case it

must be paid for by printed orders on the Superintendent of Telegraphs, and care must be taken to obtain the necessary vouchers, which must

be signed by the party from whom the meat is purchased, as well as by someone else as a witness to the signature. No expenses will be

allowed on the road, excepting such as have been specially authorized by the Superintendent of Telegraphs.

18. Driver of each Dray responsible for proper Loading and Harnessing.— The Overseer is to make the driver of each dray or wagon

responsible that the loading is properly balanced before starting, covered by a tarpaulin to keep off the wet (if there is no cover to the wagon),

and made secure; that the wheels are properly greased, and the tires not likely to come off; that the harness is in good order; that the horses

are not galled either by collar or saddle; and the horses are properly shod, according to the nature of the country through which they are about

to travel.

19. Men in charge to look after Horses backs. - The Overseer is to see that men in charge of saddle, or pack, or draught horses, brush the

dried dirt and sweat from the backs of the horses before putting on the saddles or packs, and that they look carefully to see that the horses

have not been galled. If any horse is galled, and cannot be spared, a pad is to be arranged in such a way as to take the pressure off the

wounded part. He is also to see that, where practicable, each horse has its own collar, which should be numbered; in any case, he must be

careful to see that the collar fits properly.

20. Rate of Travelling. - No particular directions can be given as to the rate of travelling, as it must depend upon the nature of the country,

the state of the weather, and the necessities of the case, but generally, the overseer is to take care that the rate of travel neither overtasks the

horses at the time, nor is such as cannot be continued from day to day.

21. Horses or Bullocks not to be ill-treated. - No horse is on any account to be struck on the head or legs, nor punished severely except for

positive vice. Teamsters and others must remember that more is to be done by kindness, and by humoring horses than by blows, and that the

safety of the party may depend upon keeping the horses in good working order, they must, therefore be very particular in looking after them,

and keeping them in good condition. The same remarks apply to bullocks, and similar precautions are to be observed, and care taken with

them as with the horses.

22. Horses and Stock to be watched and Labor divided. - Where water is scarce or where blacks are in the neighborhood, the stock must

be watched at night; and the officer in charge is to arrange the watches so as to divide the labor as equally as possible amongst his party;

thus, teamsters and stockriders who have been working by day should as much as possible be spared at night.

23. To tether Horse. - If there is sufficient feed, it is a good plan to tether one or more of the horses at night, in order to follow at once any

horses that may chance to get away. The same horses should not be tethered for two consecutive nights.

24. Watch to be kept at Camps. - In a country frequented by blacks, every party must keep a watch at night. The same must be done by all

large parties when camped. It is a good plan for the cook to keep the morning watch, as he can light the fire, and prepare the breakfast during

his watch, and thus expedite that starting of the party.

25. Parties to travel in cool of day or by moonlight. - During hot weather it will be desirable for the parties to start at early dawn, and thus

get the whole or the greater part of their journey done in the cool of the morning; or if there is a moon, and the party are going through open

country, they may travel at night; but if the party is large and they are in forest land, scrub, or amongst sand-hills it is better only to travel by

daylight, so as not to risk the straying of any of the men or horses.

26. Horses as a rule to be kept near Camp at night. - It may sometimes happen that there is no feed in the neighborhood of a waterhole,

where otherwise it might be desirable to camp. In this case the party after filling their canteens or water bags, and watering the stock, should

go on until they come to a suitable place for camping. In the morning the horses and bullocks should be sent back before starting to be

watered. As a rule the horses must be kept as near the camp as possible for greater protection.

27. Explorations for Water to be made before moving Camp. - In a country where water is scarce, or where the state and situation of the

waterholes are unknown, the officer in charge must either send some competent person ahead or go himself, to ascertain the best place for the

next camp, before moving the party on; and he is on no account to risk the party suffering from want of water.

28. Precautions to be taken for saving Water. - On camping at a small waterhole, the officer in charge should take such precautions as

may seem best to save the water from evaporation for the use of his own and other parties following. If the water is shallow, a deep, narrow

trench, or a well should be dug, and the water led into it, and bushes put across it. Sometimes a larger quantity of water may be obtained from

the next rains for future use, by throwing up a small dam, which may readily be done by a large working party. No precautions must be

omitted in a dry country for storing water, no matter whether the party travelling is ever likely to revisit the place again or not.

29. Places where to look for Water. - Water is, as a general rule, more likely to be met with in the gullies amongst hills than on the plains,

and upon the side where the strata dip into the hills rather than upon the opposite side of the hills; above a bed of conglomerate or solid rock

crossing a creek is a likely place to find water, or to get it by sinking. Stuart says that water may often be obtained by digging in the beds of

the creeks, and this should therefore be tried. All bright green places should be visited as being likely spots in which drainage water has

collected. Mound springs may sometimes be discovered by a fringe of rushes or reeds upon an apparent sand hill. Reeds are almost always a

good sign of permanent water. Rushes often only indicate where water may be found during the wet season; they are, however, not a bad

indication for shallow sinking. When a creek, as is often the case, runs in a valley between sand hills it often forms long reaches with gums

growing about them, and then seems to die out on a plain, but forms again perhaps a mile off. If, as may be the case, no water is found in the

gum reaches it should be searched for in the plain, and might possibly be found in some small channel away from the creek itself, under the

sand hills. If the main creek dies away on an arid sandy plain water may very likely be found lower down the valley, either on the surface, if

the nature of the soil changes and becomes retentive, or by digging. If, on the contrary, it loses itself upon a grassy plain, the chances of

finding water by digging are less; but no effort, however seemingly unlikely to be successful, should be left untried in order to find so

important a thing as water.

30. Man Lost to be searched for. - If, on calling the muster roll, any man is missed and there is reason to suppose that he has lost himself

he must instantly be searched for, and the search must be conducted in a systematic way. The time elapsed since he was last seen will give a

clue to the possible distance to which he may have got, if allowance is made for the fact that a person who loses himself seldom follows a

straight course.

31. Direction in which he left Camp to be ascertained. - Good trackers should be directed to make a complete circuit of the camp at such a

distance as may be beyond the limit of ordinary stragglers, in order to ascertain the direction in which the missing person has gone; and if his

tracks, as often happens, become so confused from his wandering backwards and forwards that they cannot be followed, another circuit

should be made farther off in the direction of the tracks, until it is positively ascertained that they do not extend so far; and if so, the person

must be sought for within the circuit.

32. Fire and Signals to be made. - Meanwhile a fire (as a signal) should be made in the most conspicuous place near the camp; and at

night wood, calculated to make a blaze, and by day to cause smoke, should be kept burning. If the party is provided with means, signal lights

should be sent up at regular intervals during the night.

33 Party Searching to leave Marks pointing in Direction of Camp. - The Party tracking should make their tracks as conspicuous as

possible, and here and there draw arrows on the ground pointing in the direction. of the camp, so that if the person lost falls in with them he

may know the right direction to pursue. Cunningham, the naturalist to one of Sir Thos. Mitchell's expeditions, who lost himself, would have

been probably saved had some such precaution been taken.

34. Directions for Persons lost what to do. - Most recorded cases of persons being lost in the bush show that they lose their presence of

mind, and frequently wander round and round often coming back to the same place, so that their own tracks still further confuse them. The

safest plan for a person to pursue, who is lost from a party, is, as soon as he finds that he is uncertain in which direction to go, to stop still, as

he may be sure that people will be sent to look for him. If he has a match he should light a fire on the highest place near him and keep it

blazing or smoking as above, until found.

35. Men to be Left to continue Search after Party gone on. - In the event of all immediate efforts to find the straggler proving unavailing,

two or more men, with horses, should be left behind to continue the search; nor should the search be abandoned until all hope of the man's

recovery is lost.

36. Notices to be Left, with Directions, in conspicuous places. -If all the men have to leave the camp in carrying on the search, a notice is

to be posted in some conspicuous place at the camp, which the straggler may see, should he find the camp in their absence; and similar

memoranda with directions how to find the camp, should be left at all likely places during the search.

37. Notice of loss to be sent to Party following. - Notice of the loss should be sent back to the next party following on the same route, so

that they also may be upon the lookout for the straggler.

38. Parties detached from Camp to take Compass and Matches. - The officer in charge must see that all men detached on service from the

main camp are provided with a compass and matches.

39. Treatment of Natives. - Should any natives be met with, they must be treated kindly but firmly. No native must be allowed to come

within 100 yards of the Camp without permission from the officer in charge, and then not more than three at any one time.

40. Not to visit Native Camp without leave. - No one is to be allowed to visit the natives’ camp without special permission; and, in all

cases, previous intimation is to be given to the natives.

41. No Communication with Native Women. - The officer in charge is especially cautioned to allow of no communication between any of

his party and the native women, or of any conduct likely to create jealousy on the part of the natives. This is not to apply to any woman

engaged by him, in the absence of a man, as a guide to point out the. situation of water.

42. Property of Natives not to be touched. - If a native camp, or burial ground, is met with, the property of the natives, it is to be left

untouched. If any natives are seen, they must be warned by cooeying of the approach of a white man, as their first impulse of terror at the

unaccustomed sight often leads them to throw their spears at him.

43. Mode of Attack by Natives. - When natives attack a party, they generally do it by setting fire to the grass, and approaching under cover

of the flames and smoke. It is therefore desirable, when deciding upon a camping place where there are signs of the presence of natives, to

bear this in mind, and either choose a place where the grass is scanty, or burn a piece round the intended camp. Under these circumstances, it

could be well to choose a good position commanding the surrounding country, and where, for say 100 yards around, there is no shelter for a

black to creep unseen towards the camp.

44. Not to Fire upon Natives except in cases of necessity. Statement of affray to be drawn up. – It is most strictly forbidden to fire upon the

natives except in the last extremity, when it may become necessary for the safety of the party; and in such a case a statement is to be drawn

up by the officer in charge, detailing all the circumstances which led to this action, together with all subsequent occurrences, and this

statement must be supplemented by the written evidence of such men as were present at the time, duly signed by them. These documents are

to be forwarded to the Superintendent of Telegraphs by the first opportunity.

45. Good Crossing-places to be made. - As not only for his own use, but for the use of the construction and transport teams following, it is

important to make a good crossing-place over difficult creeks - unless a crossing has been made by a preceding party - the Overseer is

authorized to employ some of his men in making one whilst his teams are spelling.

46. Crossing-place how made. - The easiest way of making a crossing will probably be to cut down the upper portion of the bank and

throw the earth at the foot; and, if the bed is boggy, to put brushwood, or in bad cases to make a corderoy road over it. In cases where there is

a narrow deep channel to cross, and timber at hand, it may be even advisable to throw a bridge across; but the Overseer must decide

according to the nature of the obstruction, bearing in mind that it is better policy, if possible, to make at once a crossing sufficient for all the

parties who are to follow, rather than a mere temporary crossing for his own party only, which would probably have to be frequently renewed

by those following.

47. Overseer to determine commencement of Section. - On arrival at or near the commencement of the section entrusted to him, the

Overseer is to determine his position by latitude or by other means, and to fix his temporary camp five to ten miles further on upon the line in

the neighborhood of timber. Good feeding ground should be selected for the cattle, and an experienced man put in charge of them.

48. Latitudes of Sections. - The latitudes of the different sections are as follows:-

Section A about 27o 00' to 25o 30'S Mr. Knuckey.

" B 25o 30' to 24o 00'S Mr. McMinn.

" C 24o 00' to 22o 30'S Mr. Beekwith. ............................

" D 22o 30' to 21o 00'S Mr. Woods

." E 21o 00’ to 19o 30'S Mr. Harvey.

The overseers in charge of two contiguous sections are to mutually fix their point of junction.

49. Overseer to define piece of Line, and set Party to Work. - The overseer is next to define a sufficient portion of the line, to enable the

whole of his men, not otherwise employed, to get to work, whilst he is roughly determining the general direction of the telegraph, as far as

the northern limit of his section. For this purpose he must, in the first instance, examine what timber there is suitable for telegraph poles for

the first or southern portion of his section, and organize parties to fell and prepare poles, to cart them to the ground, and erect them on the

line, putting a competent man in temporary charge of the working parties.

50. Men not to be kept Idle. - The Overseer must remember that he has a working party of twenty men under his directions, and that it

would therefore be a serious matter to keep them idle, even for a few days after their arrival on the ground. He must, therefore, before

leaving, make full arrangements for the immediate carrying on of the works, and leave written instructions with the Sub-Overseer for that

purpose.

51. Overseer to Explore Section, and fix Northern Boundary. - Having set his party to work, the Overseer, with the Sub-Overseer, and two

or three men, with three weeks' supply of rations, is to make a two days' exploration in advance of his working parties, when the Sub-

Overseer, after receiving instructions for the further progress of the works, is to return to the camp, to take charge of the party, and the

Overseer is then to explore the rest of his section, so as to fix the northern end in conjunction with the next surveyor beyond him.

52. Overseer on return to complete Exploration. - As he returns he will be in a position to complete the exploration of his section, the

objects of which are :

Objects of Exploration –

i. To define roughly the line of telegraph in as direct a course as possible, carefully avoiding low lands liable to inundation,

drift sandhills, and selecting favourable places for crossing creeks and watercourses. The route selected is to be roughly

marked by blazed trees, mounds, and posts, as often as may be necessary, and approximately laid down on map.

ii. To examine what timber there is within reach of the line, available for poles, and to form a rough estimate of the amount of

gaspiping required, and the number of poles to be spliced.

iii. To look for the best crossing-places of any creeks or ranges, and to select generally the best road by which to bring up his

teams.

iv. To visit the waters along his route, marking the water-level at such as are not running, to enable him at his next visit to form a

better idea of the time that they are likely to last.

v. To select the best camping places to which to move his party as the work progresses.

53. Overseer to forward Report to Superintendent. - Having thus obtained as much information as he can respecting the nature of the

country, the Overseer is to forward to the Superintendent of Telegraphs, by the first opportunity, a full report of his exploration, and a tracing

of the line selected by him.

Instructions for Constructing the Line

54. Line to be cleared for Fifteen Feet - Scrub, Etc., to be removed. — The Overseer is to set some of his men to clear the line for about

ten miles ahead of his working party, causing all scrub, underwood, and overhanging trees or limbs to be cut down, so as to leave a clear

space of fifteen feet on each side of the line. Any tree which may endanger the line must be cut down, and all the top branches cut off and

removed to the outside of this space. The butt, if heavy, may be left, provided that it is not nearer to any pole than fifteen feet.

55. Pegs to be put in and Survey made. - The Overseer will next range the line, putting in pegs approximately to mark the position of the

poles, and higher pegs at each angle or bend of the line. He is to chain the line, making a survey of the country near, and map it to a scale of

one inch to the mile. He is to take the magnetic bearings of each straight line; to ascertain the variation of the compass; and to take latitudes

about every ten miles, checking these latitudes by frequent observations as often as opportunity serves.

56. Description of Poles ,ETC. - The poles may be straight rough gum, pine,or stringy-bark saplings, or other timber not liable to be

attacked by whiteants, perfectly sound, stripped of the bark, eighteen to twenty feet long, nine to ten inches in diameter at the butt and five or

six at the top; or square poles, perfectly sound, of the same length, eight inches square at the base and five inches at the top. The butt of each

pole to be charred for five feet up. Where only stunted timber is procurable the poles may be scarfed (scarf two feet long, and made in

manner shown by drawing in margin) in two pieces, well bolted together with 3/8-inch, iron bolts, and bound with three bands of hoop-iron,

or binding-wire, in four or five turns each, securely and tightly fastened, the piece forming the butt to be at least thirteen feet long and extra

stout. A six or seven feet length of 1¼-inch gaspiping let twelve or fourteen inches into the top of the butt, and cemented in, may be used in

place of the upper piece. Number of poles to the mile, twenty, or four chains apart; but where poles of the dimensions before specified, but

only sixteen or seventeen feet long are used, not fewer than twenty-five to the mile must be planted. Bearing in mind the importance of

making the line thoroughly substantial, it will be far better to cart poles from greater distances rather than use inferior timber or too many

spliced poles. Great care must be taken when erecting the poles to range them in a straight line. The Overseer's pole pegs are to be taken as

only approximately placed. Sound straight trees of the requisite girth, not less than twelve inches through, situated on the direct line, may be

used if ringed and topped. Wrought Iron brackets for insulator pins are to be driven well into such trees, and fixed so that the insulator may

be two inches clear from the tree.

57. Masts to be put in at Wide Creeks; Wire Guards at top of Masts –- Where wide creeks or rivers are to be crossed, requiring a span

exceeding four chains masts are to be erected of proportionately increased dimensions instead of ordinary poles. Wire guards not touching the

insulator as shown in margin, are to be fixed at the top of these masts, to catch the wire in the event of the pin giving way, and a lightning

guard is to be fixed to each mast. Cleats are to be nailed on at convenient distances apart for climbing the mast.

58. Top of Pole to be bound. - The top of each pole is to be bound with hoop iron, securely and tightly fastened.

59. Insulator Pins. - A hole of the proper of exact size to receive the insulator pin to be bored vertically into the centre of the top of the

pole to the depth of five inches, and the insulator pin driven into the same depth, and firmly fixed so that it cannot be drawn out.

60. Planting Poles. - The poles to be accurately ranged in a straight line, and planted vertically to a depth of four feet, the ground being

afterwards well rammed. In digging the holes care should be taken to disturb the ground as little as possible, the hole being square, with

vertical sides, so as just to admit the pole.

61. Pins to fit Insulators. - The insulators and pins, previously fitted, are packed together in cases of fifty each. Care must be taken to fit

the insulator very tightly on to the pin. Should the pin be a little small for the socket, a wedge must be driven in the top of the pin, or a piece

of leather wrapped round the pin, so as to fit the Insulator tightly.

62. Wire. - The line wire to be securely tied with No. 15 tie wire, in the manner shown by a pattern supplied, and strained so as to leave a

deflection of three feet in every span of four chains. The wire must not be strained tighter than this, and the Overseer must be especially

careful to make a thorough examination of each length as it is run out; all flaws or defects must be cut out and the ends joined.

63. Joints. - Special attention is drawn to the joints, which are to be made in the manner shown by a pattern provided (the Britannia joint),

well soldered with solder consisting of two parts tin and one of lead. The joint to be afterwards washed to remove the acid. The Overseer or

Sub-Overseer is to particularly inspect each joint to see that it is properly soldered before the wire is raised.

64. Angle Poles. - Every angle pole is to be well strutted with an extra pole, sixteen or seventeen feet long, and of the same girt as the

angle pole, the foot of the strut to be let two and a half feet into the ground and well rammed; the tread of the strut to be let one inch into the

pole, and securely nailed.

65. Lightning Rod. - A length of wire, ten or twelve yards long, is to be securely stapled on to every second pole, as a lightning rod,

projecting three inches above the top of the insulator, on the opposite side to the line wire, the other end being buried in a coil at the foot of

the pole, four feet in the ground. Care to be taken that the rod does not touch the insulator. The upper part of it above the pole is to be bent

outwards, so as to leave at least three inches clear from the insulator.

66. Instructions to apply to Overseers of Contract Work. - The preceding instructions are to apply to all Overseers of Works in charge of

contract work, with the exception of that part which relates to the actual construction of the line, which is to be taken by them as a guide as to

the manner in which the contractor should execute his work.

67. Overseer to be furnished with Specification and Agreement. – The Overseer of Works will be furnished with a copy of the

specification and contract agreement for the work under his charge; from which he will learn the rate and time of payment

68. Certificates to be forwarded. - The overseer is to make a certificate of the value of the work done, estimated at the contract price, at

the beginning of each month, and forward it with the monthly report; and, upon the contractor becoming entitled to a payment, he is to make

a special certificate of the measurement and value of the work done.

69. Overseer responsible for carrying out the works. - The Overseer of Works will be held responsible for the proper carrying out of the

work, in accordance with the spirit and intention of the specification, and in terms of the contract. He is to be careful to check at the

commencement any departure from the specification which may lessen the stability or insulation of the line.

70. Officers to abstain from interference with contractors men. The Overseer and his subordinate officers must carefully abstain from any

interference between the contractors and their men, and must not mix themselves, up with any disputes should they arise.

71. The Overseer of, Works, and the Sub-Overseers, are to do everything in their power to co-operate with and to assist the contractor in

his work. They are to treat all the contractors employees with courtesy, and are to make in writing all complaints as to the mode of carrying

on the works, or the materials employed. All instructions given to the contractor, or his employees, are to be in writing.

CHARLES TODD, Superintendent of Telegraphs

Electric Telegraph Department, Office of Superintendent,

Adelaide, September 30, 1870..

–——————–—————

Addendum -Directions for Loading Colt's or Whitney's Revolving Pistols

Fire a cap on each nipple to clear them. Hold the Pistol at half-cock, muzzle up, in the left hand. Tear the covering off the cartridge, by

pulling the piece of tape attached to it. Place the cartridge without breaking the paper containing the powder, in the chamber. Turn the

chamber with the cartridge in under the ramrod, or lever, and force the bullet below the mouth of the chamber. Place another cartridge in the

next chamber, withdraw the lever from the chamber, and proceed as before until the whole are charged. Place a cap on each nipple, pressing

them well home. Take care on each cocking, between the discharges, to hold the muzzle down, or the revolver may be fouled by the

exploded caps.

With Whitney's Revolver, observe that the cypher ("O") on the cylinder rod-fly-pin is turned from the cypher on the body when loading. If

the pin is reversed, the loading lever becomes disconnected, and, if used so, is rendered unserviceable. The chambers should be discharged,

the revolver cleaned, and reloaded once a week

——————————————

THE PORT DARWIN LINE (From South Australian Parliamentary Papers 191/1884)

We now come to the overland telegraph to Port Darwin, concerning which it is proposed to give here a succinct account from its first

commencement up to the present time.

In March, 1870, a letter. dated June 22nd, addressed to the Governor, was received from Admiral Sherard Osborne, Managing Director of

the Telegraph Construction and Maintenance Company, Limited, enclosing a prospectus of the British-Australian Telegraph Company, and

stating that that company had received orders from the latter to manufacture a cable and construct a land line to connect Singapore and

Burketown, the then proposed terminus of the Queensland telegraph system; but as a portion of such land line from Port Darwin, where the

cable was to be landed, would pass through the Northern Territory, Commander Noel Osborne, R.N., as agent for the company, was to be

sent out to seek the sanction of the South .Australian Government for the execution of these works. In reply, the company were informed that,

whilst every facility would be afforded to Commander Osborne, the Government would much prefer the construction of a telegraph line from

Port Darwin to Port Augusta, then our most northern station, and that, with this view, they were prepared to submit to the Legislature a

measure to authorise the entering into an agreement with the company for a direct line across the continent to Port Darwin, to be erected

either by the company under a Government guarantee. or constructed and worked by the Government.

Commander Osborne arrived in April. Mr. H. B. T. Strangways, then Attorney-General, had always taken a deep interest in the projected

overland telegraph, and in Stuart's explorations, as promoting its successful consummation, and after consulting with him and hearing

Commander Osborne's views, as the representative of the Cable Company, in a full report on the subject I wrote:- “A careful consideration of

the whole question induces me to recommend that the Government should undertake to introduce a measure, immediately after the new

Parliament meets, for providing, by means of a loan, for the construction at once of a line of telegraph from Port Augusta to Port Darwin,

Commander Osborne guaranteeing, on the part of his company, to terminate the cable there. This, I understand, Commander Osborne would

be quite willing to do, or at least to recommend to the British-Australian Company, with whom he would communicate, to save time, by the

Indo-European telegraph next mail.

To remove all cause for jealousy. as well as to provide an alternative line, Queensland should be invited to connect with us at some

convenient point, and this, in my opinion, would be far better than having, a central station at Cooper's Creek with radiating lines to each

capital, as has been suggested, but which I have shown to involve a useless expenditure of money." (P.P. 24. 1870.)

It was finally determined that the Government should undertake the construction of the line to Port Darwin. to be completed by the 1st of

January, 1872, and the company agreed to lay and complete by the same date a cable from Singapore to Batavia, and from Banjoewangie to

Port Darwin, the two sections to be connected by an intermediate land line through Java, to be constructed by the Government of Netherlands

India.

A bill was accordingly introduced and passed, authorising a preliminary loan of £120,000 for the land line.

The Government further undertook to provide a site for the Cable Company's office and quarters for staff at Palmerston. and proceed to

erect the buildings at the expense of the company.

In planning the work I proposed that one section from Port Augusta, for about 400 miles northwards and another from Port Darwin to the

Roper, should be erected by contract, and that the intermediate section - the longest and most difficult - should be undertaken by the

Department. On this middle section I propose to employ six working parties, four in the interior, north of the Neales, and two from the Roper

southward, but as it subsequently appeared that persons would be willing to tender for longer portions of the line, or for the whole, tenders

were invited, and Mr. John Rounsevell's tender was accepted; but the negotiations fell through, and it was then decided to divide the line into

three sections, viz.:

1st. From Port Augusta. 500 miles northwards, to about latitude 27o.

2nd. From latitude 27o to 19o 30'.

3rd. From latitude 19o 30' to Port Darwin.

The first and third sections to be carried out by contract, and the central and must difficult portion by the Government.

Tenders were accordingly advertised, and the following accepted:-

First Section.- Mr. E. M. Bagot, from Port Augusta, 500 miles north, at £41 per mile.

Third Section.- Messrs. Darwent & Dalwood:- Port Darwin to Southport, 39 miles, at £39 per mile.

Subsection A, 250 miles from Southport, at £60 per mile.

Subsection B, (remainder of line illegible)

The Government in each case, provided wire and insulators, and about 1,500 iron poles were supplied to Mr. Bagot, which were used

north of Strangway's Springs.

The route I selected was that travelled by Mr. John McDouall Stuart in his successful explorations through the interior to the north coast,

the terminus, of course, to be at Port Darwin. As the only information, we possessed of the country was that supplied by Mr. Stuart, I felt it to

he necessary to fit out and dispatch an exploring expedition in advance of the construction parties under the command of Mr. John Ross. with

Mr. Harvey as surveyor and second in command. The other members of the party were Mr. Alfred Giles, Mr. T. Crispe, and W. Hearn. Mr.

Alfred Giles subsequently rendered valuable service in connection with the construction of the line. Mr. Ross left Adelaide in July, with

instructions from me to proceed as far as the centre of the continent, following generally Stuart’s tracks, and then return to meet the

construction parties. or myself, with full information as to the nature of the country, timber, water. &c., and advise as to the best course the

line should take.

The following is a copy of my letter of instructions to Mr. Ross for his guidance:-

O.T. 17/70. "Adelaide. July 7th, 1870.

Sir - 1 have the honor to inform you that the Government have appointed you as leader of an expedition to be fitted out for making an

exploration of the country to the north of Mount Margaret, at a salary of £450 a year, to commence from the 4th inst.

I have therefore to direct you to proceed to Beltana, by the northern mail leaving Adelaide on Friday next. At Beltana, you will select ten

(10) good saddle horses and twelve (12) packhorses, and procure the necessary rations (excepting meat, to he obtained at Mount Margaret)

for a party consisting of yourself as leader, a surveyor as second in command. and three men. The selection of the three men will be left to

yourself, their pay not to exceed 21s. per week.

The surveyor, to be selected by the Government, will join you at Beltana. The necessary horse equipment, together with arms and

ammunition. as per annexed statement, were shipped for Port Augusta on Saturday last, and will arrive at Beltana in about ten days.

The object of this exploration is to determine the best route for the line of electric telegraph, with which view you will direct your special

attention to the following.-

1st Timber suitable for poles 20ft. long, 10in. in diameter at the butt, and 5in. or 6in. at the top -- or. sawn poles.Twenty or more will

be required to the mile.

2nd. Permanent or other waters.

3rd. The facilities afforded by the general character of the country for carriage of the necessary materials - also the nature of the ground

for sinking holes to the depth of 4ft. for the poles.

Care must be taken to select a route not liable to inundations, where the line would be subject to injury, or be difficult to inspect.

Favorable places for crossing creeks or watercourses should also be noted, as well as suitable sites for stations and depots, at distances of

about 150 miles to 200 miles.

The surveyor accompanying you as second in command will lay down on a map the route followed in course of the exploration, indicating

the localities of suitable timber and permanent waters.

A detailed report is also to be furnished to me on the return of the expedition.

As it is probable that the advanced construction parties will arrive at Mount Margaret by the end of September or the middle of October,

you are not to extend the exploration farther than will permit of your returning to Mount Margaret by the latter date, so as to avoid delay in

deciding on the route to be followed by the telegraph.

Bearing in mind that the general direction of the line must be such as, to cut Stuart`s tracks north of the Centre, making towards Newcastle

Waters. or the Roper at the 134th degree of east longitude, it is undesirable for you to go to the east of the 136th meridian, unless the nature

of the country should compel you to do so.

Before leaving Beltana you are to furnish me with a copy of the brands of the horses purchased, and a. list of all the stores, arms, and

rations in your charge at starting.

In carrying out the duties entrusted to you, you will use all the dispatch compatible with the attainment of the objects of the expedition and

the safety of the party under your charge.

Your services will probably he retained for further explorations in the interior in connection with the construction of the line subject to

termination on one month's notice.

- I have, &c.

CHARLES TODD, Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs

“Mr. John Ross."

Mr. Bagot commenced his work about the end of September. Mr. W. E. Abbott was appointed overseer of the first section of 250 miles,

commencing from Port Augusta; and the late Mr. B. H. Babbage had charge of the northern section of the contract. Owing to the difficulties

arising from the absence of timber suitable for poles over more than 300 miles, this section was not completed till the end of March 1872; but

by allowing the contractor to put in at first only ten (10) poles to the mile (i.e. every alternate pole), on the northern end of the contract, the

whole of the wire was suspended and joined on to the middle section by the beginning of January.

Messrs. Darwent Dalwood's contract broke down, principally owing to want of transport power, after about 225 miles of poles and 156

miles of wire bad been erected, and the overseer of works, Mr. W. McMinn, having determined the contract, returned to Adelaide in the

Gulnare (arriving on July 5th) to report the great disaster. A fresh expedition was at once organised under the command of Mr. R. C.

Patterson. the Assistant Engineer-in-Chief, who left Melbourne for Port Darwin in the s.s.. Omeo, in August, 1871, followed by a fleet of

vessels (the Himalaya, Golden Fleece, Leju, and Antipodes), conveying horses and bullocks. In all 170 horses and 500 bullocks were sent.

In my letter to the Hon. the Chief Secretary of July 8th. reporting Mr. McMinn's return and the breakdown of Darwent & Dalwood's

contract. recommending what should be done, I pointed out that the Roper should be the future base of operations, and advised that three or

four sailing vessels, with men and stock, should be dispatched without delay from some port on the east coast to the Roper, being preceded

by a steamer, which should in the first instance go to Port Darwin to land some horses required to complete the line between Port Darwin and

some point south of the Katherine, and then proceed with materials to meet the sailing vessels off the mouth of the Roper. The steamer was to

be of light draught, to go up the river, which at my instance had been surveyed, and soundings taken, which showed that it was navigable.

Had this been done, much waste of time and expenditure and loss of valuable stock would have been avoided. Unfortunately, I was

overruled, and the whole of Mr. Patterson's expedition was sent to Port Darwin, and to this may be attributed nearly all his disasters.

In the meantime rapid progress was being made with the central section which had been divided into five subsections. Viz:-:

Section A, from about lat. 27o, the north end of Bagot's contract, to lat. 25o 30'.

Section B, from lat. 25o 30' to 24o 0'.

Section C, from lat. 24o 0’ to 22o 30'.

Section D, from lat. 22o 30' to 21o 0'.

Section E, from lat. 21o 0' to 19o 30.

The fitting-out of the working parties for the interior was a matter of grave concern, as upon it, and the selection of good officers and men,

their success mainly or entirely depended. It was necessary, above all things, that they should have efficient transport power - thoroughly

good staunch horses and bullocks. In this last important particular I was greatly assisted by the late Commissioner of Police, Mr. G.

Hamilton, who at my instance personally selected nearly all the horses. In the selection of good officers, the Surveyor-General afforded

valuable aid in recommending Messrs. Harvey, R. R. Knuckey, Gilbert R. McMinn, and W. W. Mills all of whom, as well as Mr. A. T.

Woods, whom I subsequently made chief officer on the central section. rendered good service, and carried out the difficult work entrusted to

them with a zeal and intelligence worthy of all praise.

The five parties were made up as follows:

Section A.— Overseer, Mr. R. R. Knuckey; sub-overseer, Mr. Christopher Giles, jun.; cadet, Mr. J. H. Aldridge; and sixteen men.

Section B.— Overseer, Mr. G. R. McMinn; sub-overseer, Mr. C. Musgrave; cadet Mr. T. Bee; and sixteen men.

Section C.— Overseer, Mr. J. Beckwith; sub-overseer, Mr. W. W. Mills; assistant, Mr. A. G. Burt; and seventeen men.

Section D. —Overseer, Mr. A. T. Woods; sub-overseer, Mr. S. Jarvis; cadet, Mr. C. M. Bagot; and nineteen men.

Section E. — Mr. W. Harvey; sub-overseer, Mr. J. L. M. Roberts; cadet, Mr. A. Y. Forster; and nineteen men.

Mr. Beckwith became so ill that I sent him back to Adelaide on my arrival at the Peake, and placed Mr. Mills in charge. Mr. Harvey, as

will be presently explained, was, in the first instance, attached as surveyor to the exploring party under Mr. John Ross.

The parties were supplied with fifteen horse wagons, seventeen bullock drays and one bullock wagon, and five express wagons; in all

about 165 horses and 210 bullocks.

A small party, under Mr. Harley Bacon, was fitted out to take charge of a receiving and forwarding depot on the Finke, and this party took

2,000 sheep.

Three parties (A, B, D), in charge of Mr. Christopher Giles, jun., left Adelaide an the 29th of August, and the remaining two parties on the

5th September.

The cartage of rations and telegraph materials, wire, insulators, &c., for this middle section was let by ,contract to Mr. E. M. Bagot at the

following rates:-

From Part Augusta. to the Peake .................................................................... 24 0 per ton.

.4 .. Section A .............................................................. 26 0 "

" B ................................................................ 48 0 "

" C ............................................................... 75 10 "

" D 102 10 "

" E 130 10 "

It will give some idea of the difficulties to be overcome and the distance to be travelled over when I state that Mr. Harvey's party did not

reach the scene of their operations (section E) till the 24th of May in the following year, the first pole on that section not being planted till

June 1st.

I personally proceeded as far as the Peake Station. lat. 28o 4', leaving Adelaide at the beginning of October 1870. in order to complete the

organisation of the central parties and fix the route for the first 500 miles. And on my way I met Mr. Ross on his return from his first trip at

the Strangways Springs. on October 22nd.

From the Peake, on November 18th. I sent Mr. Ross out a second time to explore the country north of Central Mount Stuart into section E

and after this had been accomplished, he returned and met the construction parties at the junction of the Hugh and Finke rivers, where he was

again fitted out, in accordance with my instructions, by Mr. Woods to go north and effect communication with the Northern Territory party.

In this last trip, Mr. Ross, with Mr. Alfred Giles as second in command. crossed the continent to Port Darwin, where he arrived in August,

1871 and returned by sea to Adelaide. per Omeo, on October 5th following.

With regard to the central portion of the line it may be added that section A was completed by the end of September, 187l. Section B,

commenced in February, 1871, was completed in every respect by the 15th of November following. Section C, commenced March 22nd, and

finished December 29th 1871. Section D was also finished by December and the wire was suspended through to the north end of section E as

early as November lst, only every alternate pole being planted over the last thirty-four miles of that section, as, in consequence of the

breakdown in the Northern Territory, I had sent Mr. Harvey instructions to go on with erection of the line north of section E, and he actually

constructed 82 miles 16 chains 41 links of line additional, or 190 miles 12 chains in all, thus greatly facilitating the completion of the work.

Mr R. R. Knuckey, having completed his section (A) proceeded with a party of volunteers northwards, to assist in the prosecution of the

work north of Mr. Harvey, and ultimately met me at the Roper river, after an arduous and perilous journey through flooded country.

It will be seen, therefore, that the middle or most difficult and inaccessible portion of the work undertaken by the Government parties,

extending from latitude 26o 52' to 19o 30’ (a distance of 626 miles, was completed by the end of 1871. On Mr. Bagot's contract the wire was

up by the beginning of January, so that, but for the collapse of Messrs. Darwent & Dalwood's expedition, we should have been able to

communicate with Port Darwin in January, 1872; and as the cable was laid, communication would then have been established with England.

It was hoped that the large force and transport power placed at the disposal of Mr. Patterson would have been ample to enable him to join,

by wire, on to Mr. Harvey's work - not by the end of 1871, that was impossible, perhaps, but certainly by March or April, 1872. In the

meantime an estafette, it was thought, could bridge the contracting gap between the two ends of the wire, at each of which I had placed a field

operator to keep up the communication; but unfortunately, further disasters occurred to prevent this. Mr. Patterson's expedition arrived at Port

Darwin during the dry and hot months immediately preceding the setting-in of the north-west monsoon. The country was bare of feed, and

long stages had to be performed without water.

Before wells could be sunk, and all materials carted up from Southport, a wet season of. remarkable intensity was upon them, and all work

was stopped; 20.968 inches of rain fell in December, and. 18.261 inches in January, up to the 24th. Very severe losses of stock were

sustained (30 to 40 per cent. of the bullocks), and Mr. Patterson, after dispatching the Bengal with stores and material to the Roper, where he

subsequently met her having proceeded overland, had to send Mr. Little from the Roper in a boat to Normanton, and thence to the nearest,

telegraph station (Gilbert River) in Queensland, to telegraph for further help.

It was then decided – all anxiety respecting the work on this side being at an end - that I should proceed to Mr. Patterson's assistance. I

accordingly left for the Roper, in the s.s. Omeo on the 3rd January, with eighty horses, and was followed by the s.s. Tararua, with seventy-

seven horses, of which seven were landed at Port Darwin, sixty-six at the Roper, and four died on the voyage.

I arrived safely at the mouth of the Roper on the 27th of January, where I was met by Messrs. Patterson and Little and Captain Sweet who

were encamped on Maria Island.

As it was not expected that such large steamers as the Omeo and Tararua would be able to navigate the Roper, a small paddle-steamer, the

Young Australian, was purchased, and was dispatched from Port Adelaide under the command of Captain Lowrie, in December, with orders

to proceed via the western coast to meet me at the mouth of the Roper.

On my arrival, however, nothing had been heard of the Young Australian, and, after ascertaining that there was sufficient water on the bar

at high tide, I decided to take the Omeo up the river as far as possible, so as to land the horses safely. The captain (Mr. Calder), who

throughout had shown the greatest interest in the work, very naturally declined to take so great a risk. which was not contemplated in the

charter party, and was not covered by his policy of insurance, unless I would sign a bond making the Government responsible for the value of

the vessel. This I did, and the evening of our arrival found the steamer fifteen miles up this comparatively unknown river.

The horses were landed a few days later at a place called Three Island Reach, about fifty miles above the mouth and on the arrival of the

Young Australian. on February 3rd, I transhipped a quantity of cargo, and proceeded in her to the Roper depot, or landing . about ninety miles

from the mouth, taking careful soundings on my way. We passed the barque Bengal anchored a mile or so above the Omeo, where she had

been since the middle of December.

After landing the cargo I returned to the Omeo, and made a fresh start with her up the river, the Young Australian leading the way, with

the Bengal in tow. We had, however, to drop the Bengal and the Young Australian towed the Omeo up to the depot, which was reached

without any disaster.

The Omeo’s horses were subsequently brought up by the Young Australian in two trips and I then proceeded to the mouth of the river to

meet the Tararua.

The Tararua, unfortunately, arrived during my absence up the river, and the captain having missed the actual entrance to the river went on

to Port Darwin. and did not reach Maria Island, where I was waiting for her in the Young Australian till 3rd of March. A fine freshet enabled

me to take her up to the depot and land the horses and cargo without accident, although the presence of several rocky bars rendered the

service somewhat dangerous.

A protracted wet season kept us at the depot for some weeks, and as it was feared that the working parties near the Daly Waters - of whom

nothing had been heard for some months, - would be out of provisions, a supply was sent to them on about fifty pack-horses, in charge of Mr.

Arthur Giles and Mr. Patterson followed almost immediately to look after the work. Ultimately as soon as the country became passable, all

the teams were got away with full loads, and I then proceeded in the Young Australian to Port Darwin, having previously sent Mr. Little

round in the Bengal.

Completing all arrangements at Port Darwin, I returned to the Roper, and leaving there on the 13th of June, travelled overland to Adelaide

thoroughly inspecting the work and putting all the stations in good working order on my way. Some time was spent with each working party

and on my arrival at Daly Waters I was able to send a telegram to the Agent-General, London, advising him of the satisfactory progress

making with the work., and of the establishment of a horse express to convey messages between the ends of the wires. A few messages were

received from London which were duly forwarded by horse express to the north end of the wire from Adelaide, but some messages brought

from Adelaide could not be sent as the cable broke down between Port Darwin and Java the day after I reached Daly Waters, and the

communication was not restored until some weeks after the completion of the overland line.

At Attack Creek I met the end of the wire from the south, and was able to communicate with Adelaide, and from that time could give

almost daily reports of the progress being made.The two ends of the wire met and were joined on August 22nd, and from my camp, near

Central Mount Stuart, I received and acknowledged messages of congratulations from His Excellency the Governor, the Government, from

the foreign consuls and from numerous friends in all parts of the colonies. Our great national work was so far un fait accompli - the north and

south shores of Australia were electrically connected, and our distant settlement at Port Darwin was brought within speaking distance of the

Seat of Government.

On the final completion of the Northern Territory section, the working parties, under the command of Mr. Patterson, and Mr. Harvey's

party, the latter having. as before explained, erected about eighty-two miles of line north of section E, or 190 miles 12 chains, thus greatly

facilitating the work, went to the Roper, where they embarked in the Omeo, for Port Adelaide. in October.

The work throughout was of a most substantial character, but the white ants, especially on the section north of Tennant's Creek, were

numerous, and very destructive, and in view of this I thought it advisable to have the line from about twenty miles north of Daly Waters to

Tennant's Creek repoled with iron poles while we had teams in the country. I therefore telegraphed, when at Tennant's Creek. to the Hon. the

Chief Secretary, Sir Henry Ayers, K.C.M.G., recommending that orders should be sent to England for 6,000 iron poles (Oppenheimer's

patent), 19ft. long. and that the teams employed on the Northern Territory section should be left at the Roper depot, so that the poles might be

carted and distributed during the following year, 1873.

The wooden poles already planted were good, and would no doubt last for some years, but where the white ants were so numerous no

timber, except the cypress pine, could be expected to stand as long as in the southern portions of the colony, and the course I proposed,

therefore, was the most economical, and would only anticipate by a few years the. work of repoling. Sir Henry Ayers immediately concurred

in my views, and orders were forwarded to the Agent-General accordingly.

To carry out this work the following stock and plant were left by Mr. Patterson at the Roper landing, viz. :

174 horses 17 bullock wagons

325 bullocks 13 bullock drays

16 horse wagons 32 saddles, harness, &c.

4 spring drays

Besides these, forty-one horses and six bullocks were sent down to the landing from Daly Waters; but four teams of horses and six

bullocks had to be sent to the Katherine with building materials.

In addition to the construction of the line, we had, at the time of my journey. built substantial stone stations of eight or nine rooms

including office, roofed with galvanized iron, at the Peake, Charlotte Waters, Alice Springs, and Barrow Creek; temporary huts of three

rooms at Tennant's Creek, Powell's Creek, and Yam Creek; a substantial log hut of six rooms, with galvanized iron roof, at Daly Waters; a

similar building was in course of erection at the Katherine; and at Palmerston (Port Darwin) we had erected a large stone building, consisting

of a central building and two wings for the accommodation of the cable staff as well as our own. The central building comprised three

offices, one being for the cable.

The South Australian quarters, forming one wing, consisted of five large rooms, besides detached kitchen and bathroom. The cable staff

occupied the other wing, containing ten rooms for the resident superintendent and five assistants. One of the rooms was used as a billiard-

room, the company generously providing their officers with a good billiard table besides a well stocked library. There were also two large

underground tanks, each capable of holding 12,000 gallons of water; stores, workshops, stables etc. The cost of the buildings at Port Darwin

was £6,670 6s. 10d., of which the Cable Company paid £3547 0s. 8d. All this work was accomplished in less than two years.

To complete this historical sketch I may add that, having ridden overland and carefully inspected the whole of the work, and placed every

station in thorough working order, I arrived in Adelaide on October 30th 1872. The cable was repaired and communication with England was

established on October the 21st and on the, 15th of November banquets were held in Adelaide, Sydney, and London to celebrate the event.

(the next line is illegible)

having in addition the supervision, under my direction, of the line and stations as far as Attack Creek. The supervision of the southern

stations, viz.. Attack Creek to Beltana, was entrusted to Mr. J. F. Mueller, then, station-master at Alice Springs. He was succeeded 1878,

by Mr. E. S. Flint, who still holds the appointment.

Repoling of Line,-With the exception of 3,000 iron poles, used partly on Bagot's contract on section A and in the Northern Territory the

whole of the poles were of wood, the best local timber obtainable being used. On Bagot's section a large proportion of poles were of cypress

pine and a short piece of line south of the Katherine in the Northern Territory was poled with the same description of timber, which is found

to be less liable to the attacks of white ants than any other. Elsewhere the poles were mostly gum in the interior, and in the Northern

Territory, gum, stringybark and bloodwood. The white ants, especially in the Northern Territory. are terribly destructive besides which we

had bush fires to consider; and in re-poling the line it was decided to use light iron poles (Oppenheimer’s patent), except where the local

timber was plentiful and durable.

The work of repoling could be done gradually, but for the sake of economy - cartage being the principal item in the cost - it was necessary

that we should be able to avail ourselves of every favorable season, which in the dry interior are few and far between, but are the only times

when the work can be prosecuted. It was therefore decided to provide for it by loan, instead of seeking annual votes.

The first section re-poled was from thirty miles south of Tennant’s Creek to twenty-two miles north of the Elsey Crossing, eighty-six

miles north of the Daly Waters. This work was entrusted to Mr. R. R. Knuckey, who left Port Adelaide in April with a party of sixty-three

men and officers, the steamer Lord Ashley being chartered to take them on from Sydney, a small steamer (the Enterprise) being purchased at

Brisbane to assist in the river, the Young Australian having been wrecked in the Roper the previous year.

By my direction, a small party bad been left by Mr. Patterson at the Roper landing in charge of the teams with instructions to have the

wagons and drays repaired, ready for carting the poles on Mr. Knuckey's arrival.

Report on repoling line from Elsey Crossing to thirty miles south of Tennant's Creek,

by Mr. R. R. Knuckey.

"A party, consisting of sixty men, besides three officers, left Port Adelaide on the 9th April 1873. They were conveyed to Sydney by the

s.s. Rangatira. Mr. Todd accompanied the party to Sydney. The party arrived in Sydney on the 14th April, 1873.

The Lord Ashley, chartered by the South Australian Government, sailed from Sydney with the party on the 23rd of the same month.

At Brisbane the Enterprise steamer, 27 tons register, was taken in tow, and the party arrived at Maria Island, off the mouth of the Roper,

on the 12th May. One thousand iron poles ordinary 19fts., in one length, had been left at Maria Island by the Springbok, in 1872, and Mr.

Knuckey's instructions were to take them up to the Roper landing. and immediately dispatch them to the telegraph line.

On the completion of the overland telegraph line, in 1872, and the return by the s.s. Omeo of the bulk of the northern construction party, a

party, consisting of mechanics and stockmen, had been left at the Roper landing under the charge of Mr. Frederick Davies, his instructions

being that all the drays, wagons, etc. were to be thoroughly repaired, all harness, etc., mended, and everything got into thorough working

order for the cartage of the iron poles during the coming year 1873. The s.s. Young Australian, under the command of Captain Lowrie, was

also left in the river for the purpose of lightering and towing the vessels that might be sent around from South Australia with the iron poles. 0

Unfortunately, the Young Australian was wrecked in the Roper whilst towing the Flying Cloud, Government schooner, from the landing

to the mouth of the river, about eight miles east of the landing. There was a heavy freshet in the river, and the steamer stuck on a rock, which,

in the normal state of the river showed above water, but which at the time was submerged.

Instructions had been sent to Captain Lowrie to try and float her, but he could not succeed in doing so. Failing this, Mr. Knuckey was

instructed to purchase the Enterprise as a tender.

On the arrival of the Lord Ashley and the Enterprise at Maria Island, Captain Lowrie was met with. He was very ill with the scurvy, and

unable to move. On being informed that all efforts for floating the Young Australian had been unavailing, Mr. Knuckey made arrangements

with Mr Manning, the owner of the Lord Ashley to take the poles up to the landing. It was found that the length of the poles prevented them

being stowed in the hold of the Enterprise, so they were shipped on board of the Lord Ashley. The Enterprise having lightened her of about

20 tons of cargo, steamed up the river on the 15th May, having. besides the cargo, twenty men on board.

Having safely landed this lot, she again came down the river and took 30 tons more from the Lord Ashley, and then, in company with that

steamer went up the river.

Unfortunately, the Lord Ashley could not get up further than the Omeo Reach about thirty miles from the landing, and the Enterprise had

to carry the remainder of the goods and poles to the landing and on the 26th of May everything was safely landed at the depot. The men in the

meantime had been busily engaged in getting everything in readiness for a start for the line. A line party. under the charge of Mr. A.

Robertson, had started on the 27th They had one team of six horses and a wagon, and were dispatched to the Elsey Crossing, about 126 miles

distant. They were instructed to make all creek crossings good, and to repair bush tracks where necessary.

The first teams, carrying poles started from the camp on the 7th June, under the charge of Mr. K. Bayfield These were followed during the

week by four other parties under the charge of Messrs. G. Bayfield, W. Masson, S. Jarvis and R Browne.

Everything went prosperously; the line was reached in two weeks, and the work of distributing and planting the iron poles commenced at

once. The line was repoled, from the Elsey Crossing for twenty-two miles north, with continuous iron poles, twenty to the mile, and for four

miles south to No. 1 Well in like manner. From there to the Daly Waters Station, a distance of eighty-two miles, the line was repoled

alternately with iron and wood, and from Daly Waters Station to the North Newcastle, a distance of seventy four miles, in like manner. From

the North Newcastle to thirty miles south of Tennant's Creek, a distance of 207 miles (with the exception of five miles on each side of

Powell's Creek and Tennant's Creek Stations which was left all wood) the line was repoled continuously with iron poles, at the rate of sixteen

poles to the mile.

The teams, fifty in all (twenty-four horse and twenty-six bullock teams - horses worked six and bullocks worked ten in a team), had been

kept continually at work from the 7th of June until the 28th of December when, the rainy season having fairly set in, the work had to be

stopped for a time. During this time the horse teams had made six trips, averaging within a trifle of sixty-five miles per week. The bullock

teams made five trips, and averaged nearly fifty-five miles per week. The horse team loads averaged 2 tons 5cwt.; the bullock teams averaged

over 3 tons.

The Glasslyn, barque, with 3,495 poles on board, arrived in the Roper on the 18th August, and was towed up the river by the s.s.

Enterprise. She was discharged by the teamsters under her lay days, and sailed for Batavia. The Emily Smith, with stores, &c., came round

from Port Darwin in November. She was also towed up the river by the Enterprise. On her departure in November there was sent back by her

a quantity of wire and other line material; also a lot of machinery taken out of the Young Australian s.s., and fifteen men, in charge of Mr.

Davies, the storekeeper. Then men's time had expired.

During the year several fruitless attempts had been made to raise and float the Young Australian, and on the arrival of the Glasslyn,

Captain Kirkpatrick surveyed her, and he gave an unqualified opinion that, with the appliances to be had on the Roper, no one could succeed

in floating her, and that to bring special appliances round from Adelaide would cost more than the steamer would be worth when she was

floated. Upon this, further efforts were abandoned.

As the whole of the poles and stores required for the expedition had arrived, the Enterprise was no longer required in the river, and she

was sent round to Port Darwin, after having towed the Emily Smith down the river. She arrived at Port Darwin safe, and from thence Captain

Lowrie brought her back to Adelaide.

The Emily Smith was wrecked off Cape Bowen. All her passengers and crew were saved; but all cargo, consisting of surplus telegraph

materials and stores, was lost. Value of cargo estimated at over ;£1,000.

The carting operations were suspended until the beginning of April, 1874, when the remainder of the poles that were at the Roper, and all

stores, besides building material for Daly Waters and Powell Creek stations, were loaded up on the drays, and the depot at the Roper

abandoned.

The whole of the poles, material, &c., were got up to Daly Waters Station early in June, 1874, and from that time until September all

teams were busily engaged distributing the poles from Daly Waters southwards.

The bulk of the party (and bullocks and horses) left Daly Waters for Part Darwin at the end of September, and returned to Adelaide by the

Gothenburg steamer, arriving in Adelaide on the 24th December, 1874. A line party was left behind. under the charge of Mr. J. R. Knuckey,

who finished the repoling as far as Tennant's Creek; the remainder of the poles were put up soon after,

Eight teams of bullocks. under Mr. A. Hart, had also been left to finish the distribution of the poles. These afterwards came overland as far

as the Charlotte Waters, where they were sold.

The line party had two teams of horses left them, which were afterwards handed over to Mr. Little.

The number of iron poles sent to the Roper and carted and planted, with the exception of planting thirty miles south of Tennant's Creek, is

as follows:

Received.

Ex Lucy. in 1872 ................................................................................ 168

" Springbok " 1000

" Glasslyn, 1873 3,495

" Emily " ................................................................................... 415

5,078

Used.

" North of Daly Waters 1,340

" South of Daly Waters, to thirty miles south of Tennant’s Creek 3,732

............................................................................................................... 5,072

In addition to the iron poles now planted as per foregoing statement, there are at present lying on the line. between the Peake and the

Stevenson angle, 800, deposited at the following places:-

At the Hamilton crossing ............................................................................... 380 At the Alberga " ..................................................................................... 310

At the Macumba " ......................................................................................................................................... 0 ........................................ 110

Total ....................................................................................... 800

Planted as above 19,009

Grand total 19,809

We have iron poles lying at Port Augusta sufficient to repole the line between the Hergott and Strangways Springs; but the original poles,

mostly cypress pine, are still standing on this section, and it is intended in repoling, to plant the iron poles along the railway about to be

constructed to Primrose Springs, shift the present wire, and add another wire for railway and local traffic. The cost of this, including

additional poles, extra wire, batteries, and instruments, is estimated at £3,000, for which it is proposed that provision shall be made on the

next Loan Bill.

It is also proposed to shift the line in the Northern Territory to the railway between Palmerston (Port Darwin) and Pine Creek. The original

line on this section has been only partially repoled with iron; but along the railway all iron poles will be used, and an extra wire for railway

and local traffic is to be supplied. The cost of this work, including the extra poles, the second wire, batteries, and instruments estimated at

£11,000, has also to be provided for by loan.

Between these points, Pine Creek to Strangways Springs a distance of 1,280 miles, 3.027 iron poles are required on the following sections

to complete all necessary repoling, viz. :

Pine Creek to Mount Todd .............................................................................. 32 miles. 350 poles.

Seven miles north of Katherine to eight miles south ....................................... 15 " 160

Six miles north of Providence Knoll to Roper Creek ...................................... 11 " 120

Sutherland Creek to Taylor Crossing .............................................................. 50 " 500

Five miles south of Barrow Creek to Stirling Swamp 16 " 185

Teatree Well to Prowse's Gap ......................................................................... 30 " 312

Doctor's Stones to Horseshoe Bend ................................................................ 91 " 1,000

Six miles north of Charlotte Waters to Crown Point ....................................... 40 " 400

Total ................................................................ 3,027 poles.

On all these sections the poles are now alternate iron and wood. From Crown Point to Strangways Springs, a distance of 309 miles, iron

poles are now being erected.

The foregoing works being completed, we shall have an iron line almost throughout from Port Augusta to Port Darwin, with double wires

from Adelaide to Strangways Springs and from Port Darwin to Pine Creek. Between Port Augusta and Hergott Springs the line has already

been shifted to the railway, and a second wire put up, and between Adelaide and Port Augusta we have five wires — three via Clare, and two

along the northern railway via Orroroo and Quorn. We shall therefore secure an almost perfect immunity from interruption between Adelaide

and Strangways Springs.

The following table shows the total expenditure charged against loans, up , to December 31st, 1883:-

£ s . d. £ s . d.

Provision.-Act No. 2 of 1870 ...................... 120,000 0 0

" 2 of 1872...................... ................................ 100,000 0 0

" 2 of 1874...................... ............................... 76,229 5 6

" 57 of 1876...................... ............................... 187,004 0 9

Total provision ................................................................................... 483,233 6 3

Expenditure. - Construction (vide P.P. 109/76) ................................... 322,645 10 10

Dalwood Blackmore .............................................. 15,414 3 7

Total cost of construction ...................................... 338.059 14 5

Repoling to December 31st, 1883 ......................... 151,554 14 6

Expenditure to December 31st, 1883 .................... 489.614 8 11 Less sales of plant. &c . 10439 10 8 Total cost to December 31st, 1883 ................................ 479.174 18 3

The natives, principally about the Newcastle Waters, where they are very numerous and treacherous, at one time frequently damaged the

line breaking the insulators, the fragments of which they used for spears; the binding wire was converted into fishhooks, and the iron

footplates of the poles were dug up, broken, and made, with much ingenuity, into tomahawks, of which I possess some very creditable

specimens. We now distribute fishhooks and a few cheap tomahawks to friendly natives for occasional service rendered, and wilful injury to

the line has become a rare occurrence. Within the last few months, however, I regret to say that we have had cattle speared at some stations,

and in the neighborhood of Alice Springs.

Messrs. Grant & Stoke's station was attacked, as was also, some weeks previously. Messrs. Spence and Murray's station at Annas

Reservoir.

From the first, every effort has been made to maintain friendly relations with the natives, and generally; with fair success; there have,

however, been occasional outbreaks or hostilities from time to time of a more, or less serious nature,

The first of these, involving loss of life to our staff, occurred at Barrow Creek Station, on 24th February 1874.

The staff at this station consisted of Mr. Stapleton, Station-master; Mr. Flint, assistant, and six station hands, including a native boy. The

whole party were, on Sunday evening (the 24th February), sitting outside the station building smoking. when they were suddenly attacked

from the eastern side of the station by a large body of natives, who first speared Mr. Stapleton. Our men then rushed for the entrance gate at

the rear of the building, which formed the only means of ingress, but were driven back by a shower of spears, wounding the assistant

operator, Mr. Flint.

They then ran round the building so as to draw the natives after them; this succeeded, and they fortunately reached the gate, which they

entered, but not before John Frank, a lineman, had fallen, mortally wounded by a spear, and the native boy attached to the station was also

wounded in three places.

Once within the walls of the building, which, like nearly all the stations was so planned as to afford every security from attack, the men

armed themselves, and pouring a volley through the loopholes of the station speedily cleared the ground and forced the natives to beat a hasty

retreat into the scrub.

The natives re-appeared next day, and attempted to surround the station. but were fired at from a distance of 500 yards, which caused

them to disperse with the loss of one of their number.

The wounded lineman expired a few minutes after the affray was over. Mr. Stapleton lingered till the afternoon of next day, when he also

succumbed. Mr. Flint, the assistant (now station-master at Alice Springs, and senior officer of the central section of the line), after much

suffering eventually recovered, as did also the native lad belonging to the station.

The remains of the deceased were interred on the station-ground, and a subscription was made for the widow and family of the station -

master. Frank had no relatives in the colonies, and was unmarried.

Parties were at once organised to scour the country in pursuit of the murderers, but partly owing to the facilities afforded for eluding

pursuit by the scrub, the perpetrators of this unprovoked attack were never captured. Mr. Stapleton, I may state, had always treated the

natives with the utmost kindness -- indeed, his confidence in them was probably the cause of his death.

The next year - on the 16th June, 1875 - the station-master at Daly Waters, Mr. C. H. Johnston, with a party consisting of two men and

two black boys, left his station to search for lost horses on the Roper River, where the party arrived on the 29th.

Shortly after his arrival Mr. Johnston went down to the river to bathe; one of the men (Deer) went for water and Rickards, the other

man, was left in camp. Deer, turning towards the camp, saw a native, without any warning, spear Rickards. Deer at once ran to report this

to Mr. Johnston, who was in the water, but found he also had already received two or three wounds. While assisting Mr. Johnston, Deer

himself received a spear wound on the bridge of the nose, and with difficulty, using Mr. Johnston's revolver, compelled the native who

attacked him to make off.

Mr. Johnston died of his wounds the next morning. Deer, with Rickards returned to the Daly Waters, a distance of 185 miles. He

suffered fearfully from his wound, and ultimately died on the 7th August; but Rickards eventually recovered.

Parties were formed to pursue the natives, and the Flying Cloud schooner was sent round from Port Darwin to the Roper to assist in the

search; but, from the difficult nature of the country, the murderers escaped. I

In an undertaking so extensive as the erection of nearly 2,000 miles of telegraph across the continent of' Australia, the greater part of the

distance being through the comparatively unknown, and at that time wholly unsettled interior (north of the Peake), it would be strange if we.

had no casualties to report. They were, however, very few; and considering the number of men employed, and the nature of their work under

a burning sun, or exposed to the torrential rains and storms of the tropics, the health of the different parties was remarkable; in fact, it may be

said that we had no longer sick list than would be found with an equal number of men employed in the settled districts. Much of this freedom

from sickness and disease was doubtless, due to the ample provision made in fitting out the parties with the best provisions, tents, hammocks,

&c., and with a carefully selected stock of medicines. Nor must we overlook the appointment of a medical officer, Dr. Renner to whose

exertions in carrying out his often arduous duties I can bear pleasing testimony.

Five deaths were recorded during the construction of the line, viz., C. W. Kraegen. operator, from want of water; C. Palmer. teamster,

from consumption; J. Harcus, lost in the bush while looking for horses; one man from fever on the Roper, and one drowned. We had very few

accidents, but Mr. Milner, a sheep owner (from whom we purchased 1,000 sheep), travelling with stock across the continent was

treacherously murdered by the natives.

The circumstances attending the death of Kraegen possess a sad interest, and may be briefly narrated. During the construction of the line

he had been stationed at the Peake, looking after the transport of materials and rations. As the central section approached completion he was

sent with five other operators up the line to take his place at Alice Springs, and open up communications with Adelaide as the work

progressed They arrived at the Charlotte Waters with Mr. Boucaut an experienced bushman, in charge, on November 30th, 1871, and made a

fresh start, after a short rest leaving Mr J. W. Johnston, one of the operators, at Charlotte Waters.

Being eager to reach their first destination, Alice Springs, Messrs. Kraegen, Mueller, and Watson pushed ahead of Boucaut and his team

on horseback, having for their guidance a sketch map of the route showing position of surface waters. The second day out they camped

without water, and then they lost their way, and failed to discover water. On the following day Kraegen, being the strongest of the three,

pushed on for water, but did not return. Mueller and Watson wandered that day and the next in all directions under a. burning sun, vainly

looking for water, and finally, after killing one of their horses and drinking its blood, they succeeded in recovering the track, and retraced

their steps and were met by Boucaut. Search was made for Kraegen, who was found lying dead at the foot of a telegraph pole. His remains

were interred on the spot where be was found, a railing and head post being erected at his grave. The operators. on their arrival at Alice

Springs, a few days after the loss of Mr. Kraegen. were in time to telegraph to me a report of the sad occurrence prior to my departure for the

Roper. He left a widow and family in poor circumstances, in whose aid a subscription was raised.

The following is a table of the distances of the sea and land lines connecting Australia with England:

Miles

Falmouth to Gibraltar. via Lisbon (sea) ..................................................................................... 1,250

Gibraltar to Malta (sea) ............................................................................................................. 981

Malta to Alexandria. (sea ) ........................................................................................................ 819

Alexandria to Suez (land line) ................................................................................................... 224

Suez to Aden (sea) .................................... ................................................................. 1308

Aden to Bombay (sea) .............................................................................................................. 1,664

Bombay to Madras (land) ......................................................................................................... 600

Madras to Penang (sea) 1,213

Penang to Singapore (sea) ........................................................................................................ 381

Singapore to Batavia (sea) ........................................................................................................ 560

Batavia to Banjoewangi (land) ................................................................................................. 480

Banjoewangi to Port Darwin .................................................................................................... 970

Port Darwin to Adelaide, S.A. (land) ....................................................................................... 1,975

Total 12,425

Total length of cable ......................................................................................... 9,146

.................................................................................................... 3,279

Total 12,425

We have the following stations on the line commencing north from Port Augusta:-

Distance from Adelaide

Miles

Beltana ................................................................................................................................. 355

Farina ................................................................................................................................... 410

Strangways Springs .............................................................................................................. 545

The Peake ............................................................................................................................. 636

Charlotte Waters ................................................................................................................... 804

Alice Springs ......................................... I .................................................................... 1,036

Barrow Creek ............................................. /I .................................................................................................................................................. 1,207

Tennant's Creek .......................................... ....... ................................................... 1,354

Powell's Creek ................................................................................................................... 1,467

Daly Waters ....................................................................................................................... 1,605

The Katherine .................................................................................................................... 1,771

Yam Creek . ............................................... ................................. ...................................... 1,848

Southport .......................................................................................................................... 1,934

Palmerston ................................................. ..... ..................................................... 1,975

An office was opened in 1874, at Pine Creek, between the Katherine and Yam Creek, but it was closed in 1881.

There is a temporary station on the Elsey, between Daly Waters and the Katherine, chiefly used during the wet season, with the object of

being able to effect repairs to the line far more promptly than could have been done from the Katherine.

The following is a brief description of the buildings erected:-

Beltana. — Office and four rooms, pantry, and bathroom. Outbuilding, consisting of kitchen, bedroom, and storeroom, attached.

Strangway Springs.— Six (6) rooms, stone; large detached stone store; detached old stone building, containing kitchen cook's room,

and men's living room (not used at present); bathroom, large overground tank (stone), 10,000 gallons; smithy, paddock (post and wire

fence) about one square mile. This station was purchased from Messrs. Warren & Hogarth.

Peake.— Seven (7) rooms, stone; blacksmith's shop cartshed, harness room and stockyard.

Ckarlotte Waters.-Eigbt (8) rooms, stone tank in courtyard, Blacksmith's shop, cartshed and harness room paddock and stockyard, large

tank to hold 20,000 gallons, not quite finished.

Alice Springs.— Eight (8) rooms, stone; office, Station-masters quarters, men's hut, harness-room, transport store. blacksmith's shop,

cartshed, all of stone; stockyard and well.

Barrow Creek.— Eight (8) rooms, blacksmith's shop, harness-room, cartshed and store detached, all of stone; stockyard, tank, and well.

Tennant's Creek.— Six (6) rooms stone; men's hut, cartshed, harnesses-room, blacksmith's shop, stockyard, and well.

Powell’s Creek.— One room for telegraph office; one room for quarters for station-master; one room for use of assistant; six rooms for

storeroom, kitchen. and quarters for men; several sheds; one paddock containing 300 acres; one small stockyard; one small sheepyard; two

100-gallon iron tanks; one well of good water.

Daly Waters.— One room for telegraph office; five rooms for use of station-master; one room for assistant; five rooms for kitchen,

quarters, and store for men; several sheds; one paddock, containing 640 acres; one small stockyard; one small sheepyard; four galvanized

iron tanks, each 1,000 gallons; two 400 gallon iron tanks, three 100-gallon iron tanks; one well, but no water has been struck in it yet.

Note.-Above particulars include new Daly Waters Station, which will be completed in course of next few weeks.

Elsey (temporary station).— One hut, very temporary character, containing three small rooms; one small hut for kitchen; one small

stockyard; one small iron tank, 100 gallons.

Katherine.— One room, telegraph and post office; four rooms for station-master's quarters; one room for assistant; one room for store;

three rooms and kitchen for use of men; one shed; one paddock containing about 900 acres; one small stockyard; one small sheepyard; three

old and three new 400 gallon iron tanks.

Pine Creek.—Temporarily closed, but will probably be re-opened in two or three years hence, after completion of Port Darwin and Pine

Creek railway; six rooms in all, with several sheds; no paddock; one yard, area about half-acre; three galvanized iron tanks, capacity about

2,000 gallons; one well good water.

Yam Creek.— One small room for telegraph office and post office; three small rooms and detached kitchen for use of station-master and

assistant; one small room for men, also stables and sheds; one paddock area about 210 acres; one yard, area about half-acre; four 400 gallon

iron tanks; one well of good water.

Note.-Buildings at Yam Creek Station are small and only of a temporary nature, also old.

Southport. — One room for post and telegraph office; three rooms and detached kitchen for station-master's quarters; two rooms for

assistant; one storeroom; stables; sheds for storing goods for inland stations; no paddock ; one yard, area in all half an acre ; eleven iron

tanks; one well of good water.

Port Darwin.— One large room for operating; one large room for post office mailroom; one room for station-master's office; one room for

stationery; station-master's quarters, five rooms and detached kitchen; quarters for operators and clerks, fourteen rooms and one detached

kitchen; also, one building containing store, stables, and men's quarters; no paddock; one yard, containing in all about two acres; one

underground tank out of repair, capacity about 15,000 gallons; also, fourteen 400 gallon iron tanks, all very old; one well of good water.

In 1874 a Government reserve of twenty-five square miles was secured round each of the following stations :- Charlotte Waters, Alice

Springs, Barrow Creek, Tennant's Creek, Powell's Creek, Daly Waters, and the Katherine.

Number of Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Camels, and Goats on the Overland Telegraph Line, between Beltana and Port Darwin, at the end

of September, 1883.

Name of Station Sheep. Horses. Cattle. Camels. Goats. Remarks.

Beltana nil 4 nil nil an 1 filly unbroken included.

Government Gums nil 5 nil nil nil 1 foal included.

Strangways Springs 134 7 nil 2 nil

Peake Station nil 17 nil 2 nil

Charlotte Waters 538 32 100 nil* 150 The five hundred sheep purchased

from Warren Bros. included in

this.

Alice Springs~ 3,400 31 nil nil nil

Barrow Creek 280 24 54 nil nil

Tennant’s Creek 183 22 4 nil nil 6 foals not included

Powell’s Creek 530 16 nil nil nil 250 sheep for Daly Waters

included.

Daly Waters nil

32 15 nil nil Horses include seven

unserviceable.

Elsey Creek ~ nil 13 nil nil nil

Katherine Station nil 29 nil nil nil

Yam Creek nil 8 nil nil nil 1 unbroken included.

Southport~ .............. nil 3 nil nil nil

Port Darwin nil 34 7 nil nil

Total numbers 5065 277 180 4 150

Two animals were supplied to Charles Waters, but they were lost soon afterwards; one was ultimately recovered near Mount Lyndhurst, but

the other has not been found.

Besides the wells and tanks enumerated in the foregoing list, there are iron tanks placed (for inspectionpurposes only) on the line at the

following places:-

Hamilton Crossing, 400 gallons.

Burt's Camp, 16 miles south of Daly Waters, 200 gallons.

Milner's, Lagoon, 33 miles south of Daly Waters, 400 gallons.

Sturt's, Plains, 60 miles south of Daly Waters, 100 gallons.

Between Daly Waters and Ironstone Hill, 400 gallons.

Giles's Camp, 60 miles north of Daly Waters, 1,000 gallons.

Fourteen-mile Angle. north of Daly Waters, 300 gallons.

There are also iron tanks at many of the stations where the supply of well and creek water is limited and where the quality of the water is

unsuitable for battery purposes, as at the The Peake and Strangways Springs.

At the Peake, Alice Springs, Powell's Creek, and the Katherine the water supply in permanent.

At Charlotte Waters there are several large holes in the Coglin Creek which usually last twelve or Fourteen months. At Barrow Creek

there was a fine running spring when the station was built, but it failed in the dry seasons which followed the erection of the line; and water

has to be carted from some distance.

At Tennant’s Creek the water holes are of no great size and the supply only lasts about five months, but water is readily obtained by

sinking.

THE NEVER NEVER TELEGRAPHIST

CONTENTS Review of Frederick Goss’ ‘Never Never Telegraphist’ 1

Life in the Never Never country of South Australia in the 70s to 90s 1

Part I; 1878 – 1887 2

Adelaide to Palmerston 2

Southport 4

The Shackle 7

Journey to Powell’s Creek 9

Powell’s Creek 10

Katherine River 11

Daly Waters 12

Part II 20

Darwin 20

Adelaide River Railway Banquet 21

Adelaide River 21

Pine Creek 24

Darwin 24

Part III; Daly Waters 25

The Ugly Duckling 25

Daly Waters – Lord Kintore 27

Daly Waters – Bush Funeral 1895 27

Daly Waters – The Horse Killers 29

Daly Waters – Camels 29

Daly Waters - 1896 to 1903 30

Snake Story 30

Rough Journey – 1897 30

Duplex 32

Mrs. Gunn 32

Review of Frederick Goss’ — ‘Never Never Telegraphist’

This description of service as a Telegraph Operator on the Northern Section of the Overland Telegraph, and covering the years 1878 to 1903,

was published in serial form (10 parts) by TELECOM in 1978.

It is by far, the most accurate and detailed description of work and living conditions in the ‘Top end’ of the Northern Territory that I have

read. As such it is a most interesting and historically valuable document.

I have spent some time checking the memoirs with various other sources and find very little about them to criticise. If, as has been stated the

memoirs were written from memory in 1956, when Mr. Goss was 94 years old, then it was a remarkable effort and the errors of one or two

years in the timing of events understandable.

C Leonard August 1980

LIFE IN THE NEVER NEVER COUNTRY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA IN THE 70s to 90s By a Telegraph Operator

This little booklet is a record, from memory, of twenty-four years (1978-1903) residence and experiences in the Overland Telegraph Line.

The incidents recorded were everyday happenings, pertaining to a life of little dramatic importance. Detailed dates have not been given. For

the few historic events recorded, correct dates have been secured from official records. The sequence of years is correct.

The generation of today knows little of the life in that country at that time. Its rough hard living, its trying climate, its malaria, its lack of

social and domestic amenities, and its temptations, summed up a life that was not for moral weaklings, but a job for men who were prepared

to do pioneering that must always precede successful opening of new country.

FG 1956, aged 94 years

1

Part I — 1878 – 1887 ADELAIDE TO PALMERSTON

Early January 1887, I left Adelaide for Port Darwin. I was learning the trades of goldsmith and jeweller at Henry Steiner’s of Rundle Street,

Adelaide, where G J Coles Store is now located.

Being in delicate health in early life, I was medically advised, at the age of 16 years, to go to a warmer climate. I obtained permission to leave

my trade after serving two years at it.

With my mother and two-step brothers, I sailed to join my stepfather, who partly owned a lighter in Port Darwin. To avoid confusion in

names, let me explain at once that Port Darwin now was Port Darwin then, but the Darwin of today was Palmerston and remained so for

several years.

We sailed from Port Adelaide in a Dutch steamer of about 1,800 tons, named the ‘Aejeh’ (Captain Van der Gevel) with Dutch officers and a

Malay crew. We were just a month on the trip, less two days spent in Sydney and another two on Thursday Island, the only breaks in our

journey. Sydney not, of course, the Sydney of today. Circular Quay was ankle deep, or over, in mud. The ferry to North Sydney, then called

the North Shore, was a double-ended barge, square toed at each end. I went aboard. The only other passenger was a cow, and the cargo a bale

of hay. After a long wait and no other passenger appearing, we crossed over to a muddy landing.

In the market, then located at the opposite corner of Park Street, and separated from that street by the Town Hall, I saw bananas for the first

time. I asked the girl attendant what they were. She told me, and obligingly ate one at my expense as an object lesson.

There was no Central Railway Station, the nearest station being Redfern.

It was an uneventful voyage, but interesting, especially inside the Great Barrier Reef. The calm sea, the numerous islands of assorted sizes

dotted around, with many signals showing passages for ships to take. Even then it seemed incredible that anyone could keep the correct

course with such a network of islands and signal marks to confuse him. A number of wrecks were seen inside the Barrier, with the hulls

mostly submerged and the masts pointing at all angles. These had a depressing effect on the beholder and suggested that there was room there

for a lot more wrecks.

Ultimately we got to Torres Straits, and around to Thursday Island, generally known as TI Here for the first time was the smell, the feel and

the atmosphere of the Pacific and the Tropics. Everything tended to add to this effect, the humid heat, and the diverse nationality of its

people. Chinese, Japanese, Kanakas, Cingalese, Natives, Indians and Malays; a mixture that was puzzling at first. Many of these came to the

steamer with their wares to sell; pearl shell, pearl ornaments, native weapons and many other things. There was no jetty at TI; the ship had to

lay off about a mile from the shore.

The island is flat, not at all interesting, about six miles long and two miles wide. Most of the buildings were of galvanised iron without any

attempt at decoration or finish, mere barns. The Hotel was a stone building, kept by Mrs. McNully, Billiard Saloons, conducted by Malays,

seemed more numerous than any other class of public buildings. Thursday Island must have been a fairly busy shipping port; at times it was a

gravitating centre for ships from India, from the Eastern coast of Australia, for New Guinea and the surrounding Islands.

We now started on the last stages of our voyage across the Gulf of Carpentaria and arrived at Port Darwin Heads nearly three days later.

The entrance to the bay is narrow, it is between two heads; something like Sydney Heads, but they are only about a quarter of the Sydney

Heads distance apart. The entrance opens out into the bay, which is a kind of irregular circle, and said to be eight miles across. On our left as

we passed in, we had a good view of the South side of Palmerston, situated on the cliff, showing the Hospital, the Club Hotel, the OT and

BAT offices and buildings and the Government Residence.

The steamer fired a gun on entering the Heads, to notify the populace. There were no regular mail steamers in those days. The day of our

arrival became a gala day for everybody. It was said that there was one interval of nine months without a visiting ship. Several months

between was common, if not usual.

I landed with others at the Gulnare Jetty. My first impression was an unpleasant feeling of stifling heat. This became more pronounced as we

toiled up to the town. Had I been at liberty to do so I would have gone on by the same steamer. The time of the year was the hottest part of

the season. The wet season was so cloudy and humid that thermometers did not register the temperature experienced in the more Southern

parts.

2

The layout of the town was somewhat scattered, or the scattered buildings made it appear so. There were many vacant allotments. In addition

to the buildings already mentioned there were two European general stores, four hotels, of which one, the Palmerston Club, was considered

the chief, two banks, English and Scottish and the Commercial, a Methodist and a Catholic Church, Government Offices and Police Station.

In the Chinese quarters of the town, there were twenty or thirty Chinese stores. Some time later the law permitted Chinese to land, and soon

thereafter, a whole street became lined on both sides with Chinese shops. Until that time vegetables, fish and meat were short. The influx of

Chinese altered all that when fish and vegetable markets were regularly held. Meat was the chief difficulty. There was soup and bonilli in

four-pound tins, a tasteless product, I believe of French preserving, and there was butter in 1lb tins, whose second name, both by appearance

and taste, was cart grease.

There was no proper jetty in Palmerston in those days. There was a substitute for one called the Gulnare Jetty, made up of a part of a hull of a

ship that had been wrecked on the beach near the Point. All of the superstructure had gone and the lower part of the hull, full of rubble and

stones served the purpose for boats and such small craft. Larger ships had to anchor about a quarter of a mile off the Point.

My stepfather and his partner owned a ten-ton lighter. The partner was called Spanish Charlie. The name of the lighter, the ‘Lepanto’,

seemed to account for one another. Charlie was a dandy when on shore; always wore a white suit, a silk shirt and tie, a red cummerbund and

a panama hat. His appearance was somewhat marred by the loss of his nose, which gave to his face a somewhat skully look. He was a very

good and respectable citizen.

I worked on the lighter for a time, bringing cargo from the ships to the shore, then from there to Southport, and enjoyed myself, and would, I

think have settled down to the life, but my stepfather thought different, saying that I was not up to that life, and the life was not fit for me.

The population of Palmerston consisted of a large proportion of Government Officials. Customs, Lands, and other officials connected with

different Government Departments, Police and Harbour Officers, but in addition there was the B.A.T. staff (British Australian Telegraph Co)

and the OT staff (Overland Telegraph). These were always known by their initials, and the Government Resident (GR) and his staff.

The Overland Telegraph Line was commenced in September 1870, and completed on 22 August 1872, covering a distance of 2,140 miles

from Adelaide to Port Darwin. Business was transferred to the B.A.T., both offices being in the same building with a dividing wall broken by

a small opening about 18 inches square, with two glass doors, one on each side of the wall, through which the business was passed from one

to the other.

The cable was connected directly with Singapore, via Banjiewangie-Java.

The Overland Telegraph Line was divided by a departmental arrangement into three sections; the Southern Section from Adelaide to

Charlotte Waters, the Central Section from Charlotte Waters to Powell’s Creek and the Northern Section from Powell’s Creek to Darwin.

The stations being approximately 150 to 200 miles apart, each section being independent of the other. The dividing line being as the

permanent water would permit, halfway between any two stations. These inland stations were not post offices, but telegraph repairing

stations, fully equipped for the work. Palmerston, Southport and Pine Creek were Post Offices. The Katherine, Daly Waters and Powell’s

Creek were not, because there were no mails and nobody to make use of them. The station staff consisted, at the time of which I write, was a

stationmaster, an assistant, a cook, a shepherd, and three or four linesmen, teamsters etc.

The telegraph poles were all of local timber. Faults were fairly frequent, owing to fires, floods, lightning, hornets’ nests, cobwebs and other

pests, including white ants. When a fault occurred which interrupted the traffic or even slowed it down, there was one collective aim, and that

was to get communications restored. Long distances without water, or flooded creeks, or boggy country, would not be accepted as excusing

any avoidable delay.

The Senior Officer of the Palmerston Section told me that South Australian Government was under a penalty of five hundred pounds to the

Cable Company for every twenty-four hours the OT line was interrupted. The Cable Company was under a different set of obligations. When

their cable became interrupted through a submarine upheaval, which was not frequent (I remember three such occasions), our Department

would interview the captain of any steamer entering the port and would inquire if he was open for charter to Banjiewangie, or Singapore. If

he answered, “Yes”, good, “How much for the single or preferably the round trip?” “So much”, “Right, when can you be ready?” That was

all and the Cable Company had to foot the bill. The one in charge of the delayed business and his staff would have a nice little holiday,

though it didn’t come my way. A company repair steamer, (there were three) probably at New Zealand, would proceed direct to the trouble,

the mileage to which could be accurately measured. It might take a fortnight or even more to restore communication, and I understood that

this chartering procedure would be repeated with any other ship or ships that might turn up.

3

Once a year there was a Government Ball in Palmerston. All those whose names were in the visitor’s book at the Residency received an

invitation on these occasions. A man with an accordion, from Southport, a storeman named Spurgeon, was sent for to furnish the music for

the entertainment. As Spurgeon only played by ear and only knew a limited number of tunes, it was not very helpful, but everybody made the

best of it and probably enjoyed themselves as much as if they were dancing to a Broadwood.

There was one story in connection with a ball before my time. I do not vouch for it but considering the place and the people, however, it is

quite feasible. It was early morning following the evening’s festivities. All of the guests except two had left; one of these was a B.A.T. man

and the other the local magistrate. The latter certainly needed assistance to get home. Both had looked on the wine when it was red. The

B.A.T. man looked around and found a wheelbarrow. Seating Dickie, the Magistrate, on the barrow with his legs hanging over the front, one

on each side of the wheel, away they went. There were only three or four hundred yards to go. When they arrived at Dickie’s door, the B.A.T.

man said, “Now Dickie, hop out. I’m tired and sleepy and want to go to bed – are you alright? Good. So long,” and picking up the barrow he

returned it to where he had got it, and went home to bed, not knowing that when he had arrived at the magistrate’s place, Dickie was not in

the barrow. He had perhaps fallen out or had possibly met with disaster. An early pedestrian found Dickie reposing happily on a heap of hard

mud sods left by the Councilmen, and helped him home.

SOUTHPORT The River Blackmore, 25 miles from Palmerston, running South East, was about half a mile wide at its mouth in the harbour, but gradually

narrowed, reach by reach, until at Southport it was only forty yards wide.

The trip was an interesting one. I applied for a position in the Post Office and in the meantime made several trips in the lighter to Southport.

The scenery was good when the tide was high and covered the mud and snaky appearance of the mangrove roots. But at low tide it was not a

very lovely sight, nor did the river produce a pleasant smell. Plenty of crocodiles were to be seen sunning themselves on the mud banks,

apparently dead, judging from their immovability. Some of them would slither down into the water at the sight of the lighter, but others took

no notice. Any of them, however, would have become awake and active enough if a man had fallen overboard anywhere in their

neighbourhood.

Southport was 45 miles from Palmerston by land, which route was seldom used. Southport was the starting place for all teams, horse or

bullock, engaged in carting or loading inland to the gold diggings or to the telegraph stations further south. It was quite a busy little town in

its way. There were two stores, two pubs, blacksmith shop, and saddler’s shop, Police Station and the Post and Telegraph Office and a very

good jetty with a useful crane. The latter being a necessity on account of the excessive rise and fall of the tides, about twenty five feet.

There was a Mr. Lindsay Crawford at Southport, who had been in the Telegraph Service as Stationmaster at Powell’s Creek. Thinking he

could better himself at storekeeping, he opened a store, the second in the town, and gave me a job as assistant. With him I put in a couple of

months before he closed down. One day he asked me if I could ride. “Yes,” I said promptly. “Oh,” said he, “Where did you learn to ride?” “I

never learned,” I said, “But I can.” He looked at me with an amused smile and said, “Right, a few of us are going to ride to Tumbling Waters

tomorrow – Sunday – and if you like you can ride Gypsy, and come with us”. Of course I accepted the offer. Gypsy was a grey mare, and

equine factotum not over young, but useful in saddle or harness.

The next day we assembled for our ride and somehow I found myself on Gypsy, but not quite clear how I got there. We started off at a

walking pace, and I was confirmed in my opinion of my riding ability, until, whether prearranged or not, I don’t know, but without a word

they started off at a canter. Gypsy started with them but not to stay. Startled by the unknown load on her back, she left the party and galloped

through the bush towards Tumbling Waters. I had lost my reins and stirrups and was hanging on to the pommel of the saddle, scared to death,

until Gypsy, reaching the bank of the river, had perforce to stop, unless she broke her neck, by tumbling down on the rocks of Tumbling

Waters. The party then came up and reorganised matters and shed a lot of mock sympathy on me. On the return trip they were more

considerate about me and we got back O.K. I was nervous with horses for a long time after that.

One day a lighter came from Palmerston with loading, of which rice composed the greater part. She was alongside the jetty. The bank of the

river declined sharply from under the jetty, down to the riverbed. Whether the boat was not properly secured or not, I don’t know, but as the

tide receded during the night, the boat canted over until she lay on her side with her masts stretched out towards the opposite bank.

Fortunately it was discovered, but only just in time. The alarm went out, every man in town turned out, all worked like beavers at the crane,

getting the cargo out; it was done and the lighter brought to an even keel again. Had the incoming tide caught her canted over it would have

been an end to the boat and her cargo.

4

My boss and the goldfield’s mail contractor had a small wooden cottage near the river and I joined them. The living was not bad, meat rather

short, but there was plenty of game and fish. I ate sweet potatoes for the first time and liked them. The Blackmore, like most rivers in the NT

was full of crocodiles. The chief store (Adcock’s) was built partly on piles over the edge of the water with double doors, opening over the

water for the convenience of lighters discharging their cargo directly into the store. From this doorway, I had frequently stood firing shots at a

croc that regularly paraded up and down in front of the store. Probably got scraps out of refuse thrown in the river from the store. There was

only about an inch or two of his back showing above the water. Every time I hit the only part visible, the croc would sink quietly out of sight

and a few seconds later would reappear 20 or 30 yards further on. It would then turn around and come back and the performance would be

repeated, but I never got him. One man was drowned in the river before my time, his body was recovered but without a hand that had been

taken off by a croc.

The store proved a failure and Crawford again joined the Telegraph Department, and went inland, and about the same time I was appointed

Junior Assistant at Southport Post and Telegraph Office, pro tem at 3/- salary with 4/- per day subsistence allowance. This last went, of

course, to the Postmaster, with whom I had to board. So I entered on a job that lasted for fifty years. I started at once to learn telegraphy, and

I soon was as expert as was possible at that particular Post Office. The Postmaster, who could not read by sound, looked with disfavour on

one who was ignorant enough to think that sound was faster and more sure than tape. He would not allow me to practice it.

In the meantime an interruption to the line occurred between Southport and the next station, The Shackle. I was sent out with a linesman to

get a lesson on work of which I should have much to do in the future. As I could not read by sound, it was arranged, that when I ‘spoke’ from

a shackle and single dots were sent to me, I was to go on, but if double dots were sent, it meant that the party from the other station had

cleared the fault, and that I could return to my station.

When operators wish to ‘speak’ on the line they can choose where there is a shackle. This contrivance is made of specially shaped insulators,

fixed about twelve inches apart by iron straps. The telegraph line is cut, and each end is fastened around one of the insulators. This is a

permanent arrangement, but of course no current can pass. To overcome this a piece of line wire, about eighteen inches long is fixed to the

telegraph line, one end on each side of the shackle, thus forming a bridge by which the electric current passes over the gap. Now when the

operator wishes to ‘speak’, he unfastens one end of the bridge and leaves it clear of the telegraph line - then he attaches his instrument, by its

two wires, one each side of the shackle and the instrument and its wires take the place of the bridge and he can do his speaking. When

finished, he closes the bridge, disconnects his wires and instrument; the whole only occupies two or three minutes.

In outback places, these shackles are placed in the lowest part of the sag in the line between two telegraph poles. This would be nine or ten

feet from the ground. By throwing a cord or bridle rein over the wire, he can pull the shackle gently down to within his reach and when

finished he can let it go easily back again. These shackles are placed at all permanent water holes or camping places, but in any case not more

than ten miles apart.

Although I was now settled in a job, I was not quite satisfied and didn’t like office work. I had heard so many tales about life in the Never-

Never that I was anxious to go there, my desire being accentuated in 1879 on the arrival of Mr. Alexander Forrest and his party, overland

from Western Australia. These people looking so like what I imagined hardy pioneers and such like people ought, and who did things.

There was a weekly mail service from Southport to Pine Creek, the limit then of the auriferous country. In the dry season by coach, and in the

wet by pack horse, these mails on reaching Southport, were sent on to Palmerston two or three times a week in a launch.

I might mention here that there were a good many perks for the postmaster in those days that were promptly nipped off when the

Commonwealth took over the Department. For instance the PM received a commission on the sale of stamps. He received half the

commission charged on money orders, and the fees for private mail bags, at two guineas a year, went into the PM’s pocket, and within the

limit of the NT we did not use postage stamps on our correspondence. These and other little inducements to men, including the subsistence

allowance of 4/- per day north of the Katherine, were dropped and the Department supplied the inland stations with food and stores.

The goldfields were in the vicinity of Pine Creek, about 150 miles from the coast, and were both alluvial and reef. Heavy consignments of

gold were sometimes received by the weekly mail. In this connection I may relate the circumstances attending the only gold robbery I ever

knew in the NT July 1880. It was as follows – our Southport policeman had been transferred inland and a new unknown police constable,

named Stone, was sent from Palmerston. He was an immediate success, popular with everybody, and particularly with the fair sex. Among

other privileges that were not normally extended to police, he gained a friendly footing with the PM’s family circle.

5

Well, one weekend brought the usual package of gold in the mail, and one, the largest, was from a Police Constable on the goldfields, named

Fopp, and these were, of course, locked in the PO safe until the morning. That night the PM and the Constable sat up rather late card playing.

In the morning the safe door was found open and all the gold parcels gone. Of course a great stir and Stone made it pretty clear that he

suspected a certain Chinese storekeeper. One night, a little later on, he dug up the wrappers of the gold packages in the garden of the Chinese

storekeeper. He was instructed to bring his man to Palmerston and a man would be sent to Southport to relieve him during his absence. This

man and Stone passed each other on the Blackmore. It transpired later that the relief man was not at all satisfied that Stone was on the right

track regarding the robbery, and he must have had his suspicions, because on entering the Police Station, one of his first proceedings was to

search Stone’s cottage, where he found the gold at the bottom of a clothes chest. Mr. Stone, receiving an invitation from His or Her Majesty,

was retired from private life for some time.

Now occurred an incident, which helped in my desire to go inland. Mr. Todd (he was not yet Sir Charles) invented a new insulator, or

perhaps I should say an improvement to the old. The improvement was designed to lessen the number of faults caused by the breakage of the

ordinary insulator by lightning, faults which were very frequent in the tropics, but were negligible in more temperate localities. A supply of

these was sent from Adelaide for our Palmerston Senior to test. As there was no one else available, I was deputed to undertake the job. I was

given two men, a dray and horses and a load of new insulators. I had to install 10 miles of them and see what happened. I was strictly

enjoined to carefully test each insulator before using it, and for this purpose I was supplied with a battery and a galvanometer.

It seemed a peculiar thing that not one of those insulators showed a sign of leakage when tested singly, but showed an alarming leakage when

200 of them were tested on the line circuit. Of course to the official mind, anxious to make them a success, the cause of the trouble was

apparent. They had not been carefully tested according to the instructions given to me. I was therefore ordered to take them off and put on

another lot and to make sure of them being properly tested. This was done, with the same result as before.

A change was indicated and a Mr. Johnson, who was the Stationmaster at Yam Creek (commonly known as The Shackle), was instructed to

take on the job and I was sent to The Shackle to relieve him for this purpose. This officer was a particularly careful man in all he did. If he

could not make a success of the new insulators, nobody else could – that could be taken for granted. Well, the result was a foregone

conclusion to me. I proved to be right. His work turned out precisely as mine. That was the death knell of the new insulators. Mr. Johnston

then being appointed to some other work, I remained at The Shackle nearly two years before being relieved.

Tumbling Waters, five miles south of Southport, was the terminus of the Blackmore River, but there appeared to be a stream coming from

further south, and tumbling over some rocks, emptied itself into the tidal river. Hence the name. There was a bush pub there kept by an old

man and his wife, named McDonald. All teams leaving Southport always tried to make that five-mile stage in the evening, so they could get

an early start the next morning. Teamsters were not as a rule drinkers, consequently the Macs gained a precarious existence. Well, Mrs. Mac

died and was buried in the backyard by her husband. It was not reported. It was several days before the police got wind of the affair. The

constable inquired if I would care to go with him to look into the matter. He took a coffin out in a cart, and I rode horseback. The old lady

was exhumed. She was wrapped in a blanket which her husband asserted would not be needed if she were to have a coffin. He was over-ruled

by the police. She was placed in the casket and lifted into the dray. Mac jumped up into the dray, sat on the coffin, struck a match on the side

of it, lit the pipe, and said, “Right-oh!” I could not help thinking that this poor old soul, unloved, unwanted, and thrown into a hole as one

would bury a dog, was once a young woman, full of life, hope and bright dreams which were never realised.

There was little or no traffic between Palmerston and Southport by land. When I did get the chance to make the trip, I did so and lost the

track several times and might easily have been bushed altogether. The Methodist minister stationed in Palmerston, Mr. Hanton, I think was

his name, had made one of his periodical visits to the goldfields and other localities. When returning, he had a bad attack of malaria. On

reaching Southport, he was strongly urged to leave his horse and goods at the launch. He could not do this because he needed the horse in

Palmerston, and as there was little chance of getting it taken there, he decided to risk the 45-mile journey. He started off and travelled 18

miles to a creek named Elizabeth.

After a rest, a pot of tea and perhaps a sleep, he saddled up and rode straight back to Southport. He did not discover his mistake before he saw

the Police Station and Post Office, the first buildings he would see. That finished him, so he decided to take the launch back to Palmerston,

but was troubled about the horse. The PM asked me if I would like the trip and take the horse through for him. Of course I agreed, and so I

made the journey. I had a day or two in Palmerston and then returned by launch.

There was another bush pub 18 miles south, called Collett’s Creek, kept by a man named Ted Holmes, who lived there, alone. Its trade and

usefulness was about on par with that of Tumbling Waters. One day, just before I left for The Shackle, he was found dead with his skull

smashed. It must have been the work of natives because there was no one else to do it. Still it seemed that nothing could be done about it, but

to bury the body.

6

Southport, Tumbling Waters and Collett’s Creek were blotted out by the building of the railway. Probably long before this, the tropical

vegetation had claimed its own. It might even be difficult to find any trace of the town of Southport, unless it is in the decaying remains of

the old jetty. In the game season, geese would fly honk honking over the town. They were coming from the North East and going South

West, too high for a gun. I used to fire rifle shots at them. I got one. One morning, after the night before, a man came to the office from the

town and said to me, “was it you firing shots last night?” I said he, “One of your bullets came down and killed one of Brown’s pigs.” That

seemed strange to me, because I always fired towards the bush, where pigs could not be. Besides that I did not think that Brown or anybody

else in Southport had pigs. My informant added, “Brown is coming along directly to see you about it.” Brown, I should observe, was the

Hotel keeper. Sure enough, a little later, I saw him coming so I prepared my defence. Brown arrived. Asked for me. Now for it, I said as I

came out. His attitude was not that of a man after my blood or the price of a pig.

“Look here, Fred,” he said (I was Fred to one and all in those days), “But it will be rather expensive. I have no means of melting gold and

would have to make it out of a sovereign. It would cost you 30/-.” “That’s all right. When can I have it?” “Give me the size and you can have

it the next day.” Brown had been to Adelaide and brought back a barmaid with him. This apparently was the outcome. I got my thirty

shillings and the pig. We remained in peace.

THE SHACKLE The Yam Creek Post Office (generally know as The Shackle) was a small wooden slab building about 115 miles from Palmerston (which is

now Darwin). Its staff was made up of the Postmaster, a linesman plus half a dozen horses. The road, what there was of it, ran along a valley,

and the township occupied the rising ground on either side. It consisted of a Police Station (Corporal Masters and two constables), a goldfield

Warden with his quarters and Office, and the Doctor, when there was one, who shared the Warden’s house. On the North Bank, on the

opposite side of the valley, were the Post Office and the Hotel, the latter being kept by an Italian called Bernardi. One of his claims for

consideration was that he was the owner of two Timor ponies, and was very generous in lending them to anyone wishing to pop over to Port

Darwin Camp or to the Margaret Gold Rush. These ponies are truly wonderful little beasts. They are diminutive horses, altogether different

from the more popularly known apple dumpling Shetland ponies. These, although smaller, would carry a man all day over any country and

were as sure-footed as a goat.

About a quarter of a mile away lived an old prospector, who got a precarious living at his job. He spent his money in drink, and had no

thought for the future. He was a German, named Heiser, who had a beautiful tenor voice, which brought him a good many drinks.

Unfortunately after one such spree, whether from remorse or from a touch of the DTs he committed suicide, by chopping off his left hand

with a tomahawk.

This was the whole population, the reason being that The Shackle had been a goldfield. As the Overland Telegraph Line ran through the

field, the official building was erected on a scale to last. The gold became exhausted, and a new field was found five miles away, which was

called Port Darwin Camp. The unofficial residents and the business places pulled up stakes and went there, where there was both alluvial and

reef working. The telegraph line could not be shifted. To do so would have been too costly with the possibility of a railway and the

uncertainty of the route it would take. The railway was ultimately built.

The first thing I did after taking over was to banish the telegraph tape recording mechanism. It did not take me long to qualify as a reader by

sound.

The Margaret Gold Rush was a find four or five miles NE from The Shackle. This was only a small field, all alluvial, and, what seemed

strange to me, mostly nuggets. The proportion of fine gold was small. I saw one nugget, which was bought by a representative of the

Commercial Bank in Palmerston, Mr. William Chester, about, I think, as large as my fist. The find was soon exhausted, after a few months it

was never heard of again.

On the stony ridge on which the buildings were situated at The Shackle, pineapples and bananas grew well. I had been told that the pines

prefer stony ridges to good gully soil.

There was a weekly mail from Southport, which served both Port Darwin Camp and The Shackle. Telegrams could only be sent from The

Shackle. At Port Darwin Camp there was one mine in full work, two stores, a hotel and a number of diggers’ tents. Spirits was the chief drink

– especially ‘Square’, two brands from Holland, AVH and JUKZ, and limited supply of bottled beer. Draught beer would not keep in that

climate.

7

There were two constables usually stationed at The Shackle; however one, named Wood, had died there and had not been replaced. One day,

the other man, named Lucanus, a German, came to the Post Office and said to me, “Look here, I have got reliable information that so-and-so,

the Chinese murderer, who we have been hunting so long is in the big Chinese store at Port Darwin Camp. I am going over tonight to get

him, but I want some help. Will you come?” Of course I would come. “Good – it’s a job for two. I have had a look at the store – a big place,

but there is only one entrance. It is an iron building, with a double door stone end and no windows. It couldn’t be better if it was built for the

occasion. You can have Wood’s uniform.”

About 10.30 that night we set off. The uniform fitted me well enough for the purpose. We tied up our horses about a half-mile from the store.

As we walked on to it I said, “Now just give me the lot of this business – where do I come in?” “Quite simple,” he said. “I am out to arrest a

murderer. I call on you formally in the Queen’s name to assist me and this will be the procedure. I have a small piece of candle, which will

allow me to have a clear look at the doors. Then, if needs must, I burst in the doors. You will stand in front of the doorway, revolver in each

hand, and don’t let a soul out. If they rush the door you must shoot. By all means that’s what you’re there for, and if you wound or even kill

one, that would be just too bad for the Chow. But don’t worry your head about that. The responsibility is mine.”

I decided that I would do my best not to kill. All was quiet, and Luke, having examined the doors, motioned to me to stand aside. Taking a

short run, he threw himself against the doors; they were not strongly fastened and went in with a great clatter – nothing happened. Luke then

walked around and found a kerosene lantern on the small counter, and having lighted it, took a good look about. There were plenty of

Chinese there; apparently there had been an orgy of opium smoking. The place reeked with it. Of the 25 or 30 Chinese there, not one stirred.

They were all over the place, on the floor, the counter, anywhere. Luke went to work systematically, and turned over every man carefully,

scrutinised his face. He knew the look of the man he wanted, but alas the man was not there. He spent about an hour there, turning over

everything that could hide a man. He had to go home without the murderer. I do not know if he was ever caught.

Whilst on this cheerful subject, there was another case, which was more successful in this same town, just a little later. There was a man

named Lawless, a blacksmith whose shop was near the hotel. One evening after he had left, he fancied he heard something moving in the

shop. He unfastened the door and went in. Seeing a Chinaman making for the door to escape, at once closed with him. The Chinaman,

apparently prepared for all events, slipped a knife down Lawless’ neck and neatly severed his jugular. In a few minutes the man was dead.

The struggle had already attracted some notice, when several men ran in and caught the Chink red handed. It was a clear case of murder. The

man was taken to Palmerston and tried and acquitted. Owing, so it was said, to some defect in the indictment, he was acquitted and sent back

to China at the Government expense. There must have been some justification for such an apparent miscarriage of justice. The verdict

seemed almost incredible.

We began getting better supplies of fresh meat. The drovers were bringing cattle over from Queensland. There was a pleasant surprise at

Christmas time in 1881, when a man named Goatee Blair, came over with a small flock of sheep. Although he had passed through both The

Katherine and Pine Creek in coming down, he still had a few sheep left, of which I managed to secure one and kept it tethered until it was

time to kill.

One day a fault occurred between The Shackle and Pine Creek, which meant I had to close the Office for two days at the most and start out to

locate the fault. As it happened, the telegraph line, which I had to follow, was close to the road track. I met a man coming towards me and

had a few minutes chat. There was something about him that seemed foreign to the circumstances. It was clear to me that he and his horse

had been working. He wore an open necked cotton shirt with sleeves rolled up, and a slouched felt hat. I noticed a quart pot in his saddle, yet

it seemed that he did not belong to that life. After a minute or two he said, as if divining my thoughts, “I suppose you re wondering who I am.

I am the Duke of Manchester.” It was on the tip of my tongue to reply, “Oh, how do you do; I’m the Prince of Wales.” But something

restrained me from doing so. I introduced myself, and after answering a question as to how far he was from the Hotel, we parted. The next

evening, when I returned I found that he was the Duke of Manchester – the next issue of the weekly paper from Palmerston settled that

beyond a doubt. He was looking around for an investment and apparently believed in doing the job himself.

I had by this time (1884) been at The Shackle for two years, when a man from Alice Springs was appointed to the station. I became his

assistant, but not for long. It happened there was a vacancy at Powell’s Creek for an assistant and a young man named King, who was a

nephew of Charles Todd, was sent from Adelaide to fill the position. In due course he reached The Shackle and while he was resting there for

a day or two, news came along that a man had been killed by the blacks at Barrows Creek, roughly 700 or 800 miles away. That was enough

for Mr. King. He definitely refused to go on, and being the nephew of the Head, I knew our Chief at Palmerston would not insist on his doing

so. I could sense the order coming for me to go in his place. To forestall the others, I volunteered to go in his place. There was no difficulty

raised about that, and as the OM (Old Man) would be starting his inspection trip, I was instructed to go to The Katherine and wait for him

there.

8

JOURNEY TO POWELL’S CREEK Perhaps I had better describe the Chief. His name was Little, his weight eighteen stone. He was a secretive man who would not let his left

hand know what the other did. A most observant man, with a wonderful memory. He would notice scores of things that would not appear to

be of interest to anyone, store them away in his mind and perhaps never use them. He had many good points. Being human, he had what we

considered many bad ones, not the least of which was having a favourite, a white headed boy, for whom, whilst he was in favour, nothing

was too good. But the day would inevitably come and then great would be the fall thereof. I had never seen much of the OM, as he was

generally referred to in the office. I was curious to see what he would be like under other conditions. In due course he arrived at The

Katherine.

An assistant named Marsh, whose destination was Daly Waters travelled with the Chief from Darwin. The Chief Officer of the Northern

Section, Mr. Little, used to inspect his section annually, from Palmerston (which from now on we can call Darwin) to Attack Creek, which is

roughly 600 miles away, in between seasons, from May to August, when travelling could be done in comparatively comfortable conditions.

The Northern Section included the following stations: Darwin, Southport, Yam Creek (The Shackle), Pine Creek, The Katherine, Daly

Waters, Powell’s Creek and about 80 miles south of the latter station, the section ended at Attack Creek. His usual staff on these travelling

jaunts was an operator, who would accompany the OM over a subsection, or halfway from the preceding station towards the next station, a

linesman, who would also be cook and general helper, and a black boy. He needed a hefty horse to carry him – the two outstanding qualities

of which must be strength and quietness. Pace did not matter, the horse could choose his own.

When travelling, the linesman and the black boy would have the best of it. They would get along without interruptions to the next camp. The

Chief’s intention, when starting on one of these trips, was to inspect every foot of the line from start to finish. I should observe that by this

time the greater part of the wooden telegraph poles had been replaced with iron poles. On the journey horses and food would be supplied by

the station; but the food only if the stations were provisioned by the Department. There were many things to attend to, including the state of

the line clearing, which was a chain wide, and whether the new undergrowth required cutting. The debris from the original cutting, which

was still there, was of little consequence.

The main causes of faults to the telegraph line were from cobwebs, hornets’ nests, dead tree branches, litter and broken insulators. The most

important item of all to be checked was the lightning conductors on each pole. These were so fixed as to provide an easy path for the

lightning, and a protection for the insulator. The lightning occurred generally right through the wet season. These conductors, or pendants,

were made of an ordinary piece of telegraph wire, about four to six inches long, fixed to the telegraph wire, one on each side of the insulator

and hanging down to within one-eighth of and inch, or less, of the top of the iron pole. The idea being that lightning striking the telegraph

wire ran down the pole to earth. It was the practice as we passed along on horseback to see if we could see the sky through that one-eighth of

an inch gap. If the gap was considered too narrow, the job was to shin up the pole and widen it a little. Hornets’ nests gave the most trouble.

The hornet would commence with mild wet clay, right on top of the pole, then extend his house until it touched the pendant and result a dead

earth and so a line trip to clear it.

Frogs coming down in the rain were another pest. The little frog would apparently wander around the top of the pole until it touched one of

the pendants; the shock would kill it instantly, and, although the electric current passing through its body dried it up quickly, it still remained

a short cut to the earth, which had to be removed.

Daily travelling routine with the Chief would be as follows: - after breakfast, when all was packed up, two men would get the OM on his

horse, one to give him a leg up, and the other hanging on to the off side stirrup to prevent the saddle turning. The chief had a riding whip,

with which he would tickle the horse’s shoulder all day long. The horse soon ignored that, so the pair wandered along at not over three miles

an hour. A day of twenty miles of this would be a hard day’s work. On this particular journey I was taking a racehorse, named Iderway,

belonging to the Stationmaster at the Katherine, to Powell’s Creek to be sent on from there to Alice Springs for the race meeting. Being a

high-spirited animal, this dawdling along fretted the horse greatly.

Now the Chief was a very conscientious man and would not have missed travelling over every foot of that 600 miles. The detailed inspection

of it was more or less theoretical. The Old Gent would perhaps travel a mile or two lost in thought, then suddenly come to himself and say,

“Mr. Goss, I don’t think I quite saw the sky through that last pendant clearly.” “Well, I did, Sir,” I would say. “Ah’m, I th ink we had better

go back and make sure.” Back we go. He would walk around the pole squinting up from the wrong side and then say, “No. I can’t see it

clearly. You had better have a look at it.” I would have to shin up the pole, and this would happen perhaps a dozen times a day.

Marsh was fortunate and was left at Daly Waters, but I had to go on to Powell’s, and then on to Attack Creek, the end of the Northern

Section, and then return with him to Powell’s Creek and over the half subsection to Daly Waters, where the assistant from that station took

my place.

9

POWELL’S CREEK The Southern boundary of the Northern Section was Attack Creek, and was also the limit of the Powell’s Creek subsection. It was about 80

miles south of the latter place, and about 60 miles north of Tennant’s Creek, I noticed what appeared to be a curious thing. In my 24 years in

the NT, I never heard of frost north of Tennant’s Creek, nor of a case of malaria occurring south of Powell’s Creek. Can there be any

connection between the two? I had malaria at every station on the Northern Section, except Powell’s Creek.

The station itself is in hilly country. The main building consisted of two blocks, each containing three rooms in a row. The rows ran parallel

to each other about fifteen feet apart. The ends carried heavy double gates, which when closed, formed with the buildings a quadrangle – with

only one entrance – a doorway in the middle front of the office building. The rooms in the office building were loop holed for firing. There

were no windows, only the loopholes, which made the rooms gloomy and depressing. A separate row of rooms was built outside the quad.

These were the men’s quarters with two spare rooms.

The living at the station was good. There was plenty of good water and the soil was productive. Vegetables were plentiful. Fowls did well

and we often had one, sometimes two, for Sunday’s dinner. Butter, eggs and milk were also in abundance. The staff consisted of a

stationmaster, and assistant, cook, gardener, shepherd, two linesmen (all Europeans) and a black boy. Later the cook was replaced by a

Chinaman, and the shepherd by a black boy.

Bush telegraph was in operation. One morning, about 9 a.m. the station boy came in and reported that a man with two pack horses had left

Tennant’s Creek that morning for the Powell. To check up on this, we called up Tennant’s Creek Stationmaster and found the report was

correct. The man had left an hour before, 150 miles away. We questioned the boy about the report and he said he had been told by bush

natives. That was as far as we could get. The black will not give away their methods.

The whole life with its conditions was new to me and I was thrilled with it. A beautiful comet appeared about this time, a short, but very

brilliant one with a bang tail. It appeared high in the sky, East South East from the telegraph line. We all turned out about 2am to admire it.

One evening, after tea, we were sitting by the fire. The weather during April and May was cold, at least to us, although a Southerner would

not have noticed it. We were suddenly startled by the sound of a horse being ridden or driven. It was the former. It turned out to be Lindsay

Crawford, my former boss in the store at Southport. He had come from Queensland with a party, one of whom was a woman. Knowing

something of outback ways in the matter of clothing, he had ridden ahead to warn us – “A woman!” – we were galvanised into life. When

others of the party arrived half an hour later, all was well. Our clothing had been donned and we felt quite respectable again.

The party consisted of Messrs Crawford, Ernst Favenc, explorer and journalist, and Major and Mrs. Creaghe. How they came together,

especially Crawford, or why they came, we never learned. That morning at breakfast appeared the last of their food, a half cupful of rice.

Chivalrously, of course, the men found that they had no appetites and declined to partake of it. Not to be outdone in self-sacrifice, the lady

declined it also. They all wanted it. They agreed to let Crawford throw it away. Their visit seemed to imply something important. Favenc and

Crawford went without delay to Darwin. The Creaghes travelled more slowly, but lost no time in leaving the Northern Territory via Darwin.

I was now transferred at least temporarily to the Katherine as assistant, and it was arranged that the Creaghes and I should travel together at

least as far as Daly Waters. From the Ashburton Ranges we had a fine view of Lake Woods, the near edge of which was about ten miles

across, anyway we could only see where the water and sky met on the further side. Later we approached Sturt’s Plain. This plain, which is

fourteen miles across, appears to be a spur of the Great Australian Desert, reaching out Eastward and extending a few miles beyond the

Overland Telegraph Line. There is not a bush on it, nor could one find sufficient twigs on it to boil a quart pot, nothing but tufts of coarse

grass. The soil, which is called Bay of Biscay is friable when dry and opens out into large deep cracks. These openings, hidden by clumps of

grass would easily be sufficient to break a horse’s leg, should he stumble into one. But the horses know them.

In the wet season, the soil closes up like dough with no sign of cracks. The soil is then very sticky. The horses collect great pancakes of it on

their hooves, until it falls off by its own weight. I have seen buggy wheels lock after a few turns and the stuff had to be dug or chopped off.

As we drew near the plain, I was explaining to Mrs. Creaghe what it was like. Nothing to be seen but the telegraph line stretching across,

shown up clearly by the sky. The Major was a half a mile or more ahead with the packhorse.

10

We emerged onto the plain, when the lady said to me, “I understand you to say there were no trees on this plain.” “That is so,” I replied.

“Then what is that?” said she, pointing ahead abreast of Major. I looked and to my great confusion I saw a clump of about four full size trees,

all close together. Now I had crossed that plain at least a dozen times, and at all seasons, and I knew that a clump of trees was impossible. Yet

there it was. I felt, and indeed probably looked, very foolish. I did not know what to say. The lady I suppose noting this, tactfully spoke of

something else. But only for a few minutes, when she said, “Look now at those trees.” I did so and saw they were beginning to disappear

from the bottom of the trunks, and by the time we reached the place where they seemed to have been, there was nothing there. Neither of us

thought of a mirage, nor had either ever seen one before.

On reaching Daly Waters, it was arranged that I should stay there for a short time. The assistant from there went on with the Major and Mrs.

Creaghe to The Katherine. I followed a week or two later.

On reaching Daly Waters, it was arranged that I should stay there for a short time. The assistant from there went on with the Major and Mrs.

Creaghe to The Katherine. I followed a week or two later.

KATHERINE RIVER The Katherine River is a comparatively important place. Traffic from the North, South, East and West must pass the Katherine. The river is a

large one and has been known to rise silently seventy feet during the night. A Government boat was kept there, in the charge of the Telegraph

Staff. A Police Station with two police was there. The river is about 200 miles from Darwin. The country is hilly, the vegetation sub-tropical.

The river was named in three sections. At its source it was the Flying Fox Creek, at the Telegraph crossing, the Katherine; and westwards

towards the mouth, the Daly River. The Daly River was frequently confused with Daly Waters, which is hundreds of miles in another

direction.

The house of the Telegraph Staff was built of galvanised iron over a wood framework, four rooms in a row, and on the river and right on the

edge of the south bank. A good building with French casements instead of windows, and a good eight-foot verandah all round. The old

building of slabs was used as an office and dining room. The Staff was comprised of a Stationmaster and assistant, a knock-about labourer,

and Chinese cook. This station and others north of it were not provisioned by the Department.

Pine Creek, 150 miles from Darwin, was supposed to be the limit of the auriferous country. But later some gold and reef was discovered at

The Katherine. It was only a small field – a very limited one.

There were crocodiles all along the river. About ten or twelve miles east was a deep, long, silent and sinister reach that was full of the brutes.

We called it Maud Creek after one of the Stationmaster’s little girls. Parties sometimes went there shooting. Should a wounded duck fall into

the water, a pair of jaws would quickly and silently claim it. Pig, game and fish were available, the latter at all times. The usual method of

fishing in those inland waters was to throw in a plug of dynamite – a wasteful way. There was no sport about getting pigs – they were simply

shot.

I was shown by the Stationmaster a new and more economical method of supplying the needs of the table. It was as follows:- take a rifle and

cartridge and a blackboy down to the edge of the waters, watch for a school of fish, and when it approached near enough, select fish if there

is one to suit you. Watch it until it is near the surface of the water, then fire a shot immediately above it. The shock or something would cause

it, and perhaps many others to turn turtle for a few seconds. The boy would jump into the water and throw your stunned fish out on to the

land: The others would soon recover from the shock and swim away.

The gold mine at Maud’s Creek, where there was a small battery of, I think, five head of stampers, was abandoned by the owners. A

caretaker was there, Seymour by name. Wages were due to him with no prospect of getting them. I had never seen a battery and knew

nothing of gold digging. One day, a friend and I went out to inspect the mine. The caretaker complained, of course, about the manner in

which he had been left, and said he had enough gold bearing stone ready for crushing if he could get some help. “Could we help him?” we

asked, if so we were willing to do so for the day. He jumped at the offer and suggested we go shares in the clean up, as he called it. Of course

we would not accept that. He had a claim against the Proprietors and we had none. Anyway we set to work. He showed us what we should

do. He took the engine, my friend took the stamper, and I was given the riffle tables. I was working like a mere automatum without knowing

what I was doing. The result was satisfactory. When the amalgam had been retorted and the gold poured into a mould, it showed about the

length and width of an ordinary matchbox, but only about one quarter as thick.

11

I had been out line inspecting on the North side of the river. I got back at daybreak, wet, tired and dirty, and not in a patient mood. The boat

was, of course, on the station side, the South side. I called out for the boat. No one showed up. I fired a couple of shots. This brought a sleepy

blackboy, who, after leisurely surveying the situation, scoured around and found a bucket, then strolled down to the boat, and with an empty

meat can began bailing the water from the boat. He filled the bucket taking no notice of what I was yelling at him, carried the bucket half way

up the bank, emptied it, and came back for another load. I was mad. When he ultimately brought the boat over, I felt like kicking him.

Knowing that would be useless, I asked him, as calmly as I could, why he did not bail the boat out into the river, and he said with a

reproachful look at my ignorance, in pigeon English, what was the sense in throwing the water into the river, when it would come back into

the boat.

Very few people in my time knew that there was a carbonate of lime cave close to the township. I only knew of two others who were aware

of its existence. It was difficult to find, even by those who knew. There was a large rocky mound outside the station fence. Between that and

the Police Station, the entrance to the cave was at the bottom of a dark crevice in the rock about five feet deep, and at the bottom of the

crevice ran a narrow tunnel, just large enough for one to crawl through. It extended downwards for several yards, and then opened out into a

small chamber, roughly about 8 ft x 8 ft, with all the usual characteristics of the stalactite cave. There were suggestions of cream paper, organ

pipes, hanging drapery, and with the stalactite and stalagmite points working towards each other with other fantastic and suggestive shapes,

that would be very interesting to people, more so than to me. I think I must have a touch of claustrophobia in my composition, because I hate

to be shut in. After a brief look around I scrambled out as quickly as I could. Once would be enough for me.

About this time occurred what became known as the tragedy of the Police Search Party. From various reports and scraps of information we

got and pieced together, the story was something like this. King had a mate, and the mate having some business in Queensland, proceeded to

Attack Creed, he turned off there and went Eastwards. All knowledge of him was lost. King considered it was his duty to go after his pal, and

he followed, as nearly as his scanty knowledge would permit, on his friend’s track, and he was not heard of again.

The police and other authorities now became aware to the fact that something was wrong that needed investigating. An efficient party was

organised to go and investigate. The party comprised quotas from all stations in the vicinity, and numbered twenty-two men with all

necessary equipment. There was Mr. Allen Giles, Stationmaster of Tennant’s Creek and his blackboy. Two men named George and Arthur

Phillips, but not related, linesmen from Powell’s Creek Telegraph Station and others, including Police Constable Shirley of Barrow’s Creek,

who was placed in charge. The party started out over the same ground. From here there was only the report of Mr. Giles, the sole white

survivor. It was said that the party travelled 70 miles from the Overland Telegraph Line without water, it seemed that anxiety crept in, and the

men took a vote as to whether they should go on or return to the Telegraph Line. The result was in favour of returning. It sounds incredible;

140 miles in that climate without water. Anyway they started back, with the result that all perished except for Giles. Giles gave up when he

was within a comparatively short stage of Attack Creek. His blackboy, who went on, brought back water to his master, who then staggered

into Attack Creek.

It was not, however, quite the end of the incident, for about two months later, some travellers coming through, picked up a grey horse near

Attack Creek. The horse was one of my official riding horses when I was stationed at the Powell. He was rolling in fat, and contentedly

grazing his way back to his own home. That was the end of the search party.

DALY WATERS During 1884, I was transferred as assistant to Daly Waters, and further more I was taking a new Stationmaster with me, a Mr. Roach, who

was appointed and sent from Adelaide. He weighed about twelve or thirteen stone. He was not accustomed to horses, had never slept out of a

home, was very nervous about the bush in general and of the blacks in particular.

We started off. Made our first night’s camp at the King River, 28 miles from The Katherine. It was fairly hot and nearing the wet season.

Anticipating a possible shower during the night, I rigged a fly. It was a bright moonlit night. I felt myself awakened by the Stationmaster,

who whispered, “Fred, I see a black fellow making signals.” “What?” I said sleepily. “There. See that big tree with the white trunk. He’s up

against that.” I looked and the tree, a gum, was about a hundred yards away and there was a black patch in front of it, about the size of a man.

I knew too well that if it was a nigger, he wouldn’t stand out there in the bright moonlight making signals.

12

I explained to my companion, but he was not satisfied, so I took a Snider rifle, put in a cartridge and fired at the suggested black mark. The

bullet struck the tree without disturbing the black shadow. A fire had blackened the lower part of the trunk. So off to sleep again. But my

friend was a sticker, and I heard later, “Fred its daylight, and we had better be getting up.” I told him to make up the fire and boil the pot

while I went and got the horses. We had breakfast and packed up. Everything was ready to saddle up and start, but the daylight had not

arrived. I had a look at my watch. Four o’clock! Roach had been taken in by a false dawn, which not infrequently happens. I took it for

granted that it was the real dawn. As it was too late to do anything else, we saddled and started, aiming to camp that night at Bitter Springs

which was 18 miles from the Elsey Cattle Station, which we reached the next day, plus another four days to the Daly Waters.

Up to this time, we had only the old original station, which was built partly of iron and partly of slabs. More room and more commodious

premises were just being completed, similar to The Katherine, but with an extra room. Five rooms in a row and with an eight-foot verandah

all round, built of galvanised iron on a framework of locally grown timber. It was a very fine building indeed, for that part of the world.

The new building was for the officers. The old place was reorganised to contain the office, storeroom and men’s sleeping quarters. In a

separate building again was a blacksmith’s shop, saddler’s shop, carpenter’s shop and Chinese cook room, and nearby a hut for the boys.

Daly Waters, which is a part of the Birdum, extends from about thirty miles South of Daly Waters Telegraph Station, north to the Elsey about

135 miles.

The staff consisted of the Stationmaster, assistant, or assistants, Chinese cook, linesman, labourer, two teamsters and two blackboys. There

were about 25 horses, 70 head of cattle, 40 goats, and periodical drafts of sheep from the Eastern tablelands. The station was provisioned by

the Department, which retained the 4/- subsistence allowance. The stores came from Adelaide once a year, and were carted by horse or

bullock teams from Southport, and later from Pine Creek, arriving at Daly Waters and Powell’s Creek in May or June. The stores were of the

best, under the circumstances, and the supply ample; two tons of flour, half a ton of sugar, an adequate amount of tinned vegetables and all

other necessities, including tobacco; also half a ton of rock salt for the livestock, which was about a lick apiece. This was needed because

there was no salt vegetation in this district.

We were also provided with five gallons of 40 OP rum, for use only in medical cases. The staff, however, had the privilege of getting stores

from Darwin themselves, carriage free. These stores consisted mostly of spirits. Of course there was a bit of an upheaval on the arrival of the

teams, but nothing unduly startling.

Once, when we had a European cook, he continued his jamboree for several days. We could not for a long time find where he was hiding it.

Eventually it was found in a saucepan on the bars of the kitchen fire. I expect he spent some time looking for it after that. It had been thrown

into the creek.

Among the stores we had a very useful line of granulated potatoes in about 40lb tins. It looked like dried crumbs. It was easily prepared, just

add hot water, pepper and salt, a little dripping, and it was ready to eat – a very good dish. There was also a line of compressed vegetables

that looked like plugs of tobacco and tasted nearly as bad. For meat we had mutton and beef. When we killed a beast most of it was, of

course, dry salted and would last us, with an occasional sheep, a month. The mutton was good when it first arrived, but from that time the

sheep deteriorated and never recovered, until they were mere lanterns, whilst goats, which ran with the sheep were fat and much better eating.

Of course I mean wether goats. We never wholly got tired of the dried salted beef, and could live on it longer than on inferior mutton.

It is said that necessity is the mother of invention and this is easily recognised on these inland and isolated stations. If you want anything

done, you must do it yourself, or go without, whether it was shoeing a horse or mending a clock. It is remarkable how adaptable man can be,

when needs must.

Our flour would, of course, become weevilly in due course, then choosing a sunny day, tarpaulins would be spread out, the flour emptied out

on them and then all hands with shovels, or any substitute, got to work turning it over to let the sun penetrate, and then rebag it. The cook,

with very fine meshed sieve would remove the weevils before mixing the dough.

The framework of the new building was of what we called bloodwood, locally grown. It was white ant proof where it was not otherwise

damaged. A kind of red gum veins penetrated it, to an extent that rendered a good deal of it useless. Mulga was the absolutely ant proof

timber, of which there was plenty available. Unfortunately it did not grow to the size to allow of boards being cut from it, but could be, and

was, largely used for slabs, and the slot style of building.

The house was built on piles about eighteen to twenty four inches high, and the pile capped with galvanised iron against white ants. We were

not troubled greatly by these pests, although there were plenty of them.

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Our creek came down once a year, generally late January or early February, and would run for some weeks. Unfortunately the ground would

not hold water very long, and the creek might be dry before the next wet season set in. We had eight 1,000-gallon tanks for storing drinking

water. They did not always see us through. One day we might be at dinner or engaged otherwise, when all would suddenly look up and,

“Creek!” would be the cry. We would hear the roar of the water as it rushed into the big holes, mostly ironstone conglomerate, and then

gradually growing silent as the holes filled up. Then on to the next hole and more roaring. It would take about two hours from the time of

hearing it first, until it reached us. Then all hands for a swim. Our waterhole was about twenty yards and ten yards wide when full.

We had no garden for want of water and the unsuitability of the soil. Pumpkins grew well. The iron bark variety would keep well. Tomatoes

would grow but they were not pleasant to eat. We tried growing potatoes without success.

We had a small cemetery on the opposite side of the creek. For several years there was only one occupant in it, Mr. Charles Johnston, a

brother of the Mr. Johnston from whom I took over the Shackle Station, and who took my job with the patent insulators. There was a good

deal of doubt about Mr. Charles’ death. He was killed by blacks, some say at the Roper and others say the Daly River. The only certainty was

that he was not killed at Daly Waters.

He lived before my time and might have been the S.E. As he was connected with the construction of the OT line, the Roper River theory

seems reasonable, because all stores and material for the work was landed at the mouth of the Roper about 140 miles away, whilst the Daly

River theory, over 200 miles away would be of no use, the construction work being on the wrong coast.

As regards the work of the station, the working of the OT line took priority. All other things were only accessories. There was no revenue, for

there were no people, our nearest neighbour being Newcastle Waters Cattle Station, 80 miles away.

More than once, owing to water shortage, the station had to be abandoned. In my time, one year we had to remove all stock and staff, except

myself and a Malay cook, to No. 2 Well, 75 miles distant. It was a big job to water them from a well 104 feet deep. We needed a mob of

natives to do it, but, of course, they were glad to do it, otherwise they had nowhere to go. They were on hostile country.

I was left for a couple of months. All arrangements were made for the Malay and myself to be taken away if necessary. We came within a

day or two of having to go. A tank of water was left at the Ironstone, on the Birdum, 34 miles from the station. If the worst happened, a party

from the Well would go to the Ironstone in one day. We at the station watched the last tank daily. The water got down to one rim – to half a

rim, and I was on the point of calling for the relief party, when we got a lucky shower, which provided us with water until we got another.

The situation was saved. The well party did not return until an ample supply of water was assured.

I now had to go to Newcastle Waters’ Cattle Station to take over a flock of sheep, coming from Alice Springs for Daly Waters. The only

sheep I had seen so far in the NT was the one I secured for Christmas at The Shackle. That was about all I knew of them. I had ample help for

the three, or four hundred sheep; whites, natives and dogs. I was anxious to take a turn at droving, if only to be able to say I had done so. We

took over the sheep. There was a legend that there was poison weed or grass on Sturt Plain, or I regarded it as legend. To be on the safe side

we camped for an hour or two, just before coming to the Plain, to enable the sheep to get full stomachs before negotiating the Plain. That

evening we got to Frew’s Pond, over the Northern edge of the Plain. Early in the night we could hear groaning amongst the sheep. They had

got the poison in spite of our precautions. On the advice of one man, who knew something of the business, we picked out the sick groaning

sheep and with pocket knives we cut the cartilage between the nostrils, also the ears. It was said that if they bled freely from the operation,

they would probably recover. But if the bleeding was sluggish they were doomed.

That appeared to have some foundation, because, although a dozen or so were dead in the morning, others had recovered. A couple of days

with the flock was sufficient to satisfy my curiosity of sheep. It was the most appetising job I ever tackled. We would have breakfast of good

mutton, and get away with them at the first sign of daylight, taking ample food for our dinner. Alas, the dinner had been consumed by about 8

a.m. When the wagon passed about 10 a.m., going ahead to make camp and build a brush sheep yard, against our arrival in the evening, we

had to bail them up for another dinner. That did not in any way limit our appetites for the evening meal.

If there is any animal more obstinate or stupid than a sheep, I am content to take anybody’s word for it. South of the Plain we had porcupine

grass (spinifex) to go through. The sheep hate it, because the stiff points of the spinifex prick their legs and stomachs. It took all our united

efforts to push them through it. Then again, perhaps we would travel along the side of a ridge to avoid the softer ground, below on the flat.

We came to a little trickle of water, a few inches wide, running down the ridge. Could we get them to go over the trickle? No, not a bit of it.

Men, niggers, dogs, stockwhips and language were not sufficient. We went through the mob, grabbed a sheep each, and dragged them over

the torrent. As soon as we released them, they immediately ran back into the mob again. Then for some unknown reason one of those

condemned sheep stepped lightly over the stream. In three minutes every one of them was on the other side.

Very soon after I had instructions to go once more to Newcastle to take over twenty horses to Alice Springs. They were to be distributed

among the stations on the Northern Section, which had no other means of replacements. The Alice Springs bred horses were in demand in the

Territory, also a number of them were supplied to the Indian Army as remounts. Taking a man named Budgen we proceeded to the meeting

place, and took over the horses. The same day we moved to the South edge of the Plain for tea, intending to cross the Plain at night. There

were no trees or scrub and no risk of losing any of the horses. I have two reasons for remembering that evening’s camp for tea.

First, I had a good piece of salt beef. Cattle stations like the Newcastle always had good meat for themselves. My appetite for that meal was

excellent. The second reason was not so pleasant. When we were ready to start again, Budgen went to collect the horses, whilst I packed up.

He had been away not more than ten minutes, when I heard him yelling for me. Wondering what could be the matter, I grabbed a revolver

and ran towards the calling voice. I found him about 150 yards away, on his back on the ground, with a broken leg. He had caught one of the

strange horses, jumped on its back, and was immediately thrown and kicked by the horse as he was falling. It was ascertained later that the

horse was named Satan. The leg had both bones broken between the knee and ankle of the left leg, and a piece of bone about an inch in

length was broken off. For the moment I was stunned, but soon came back to practical things.

I had the horses as well as the injured man on my hands, and the night coming on. So first I tore up a tent fly for bandages, got two strips of

stout bark and made the best job I could of binding up the leg. Then I made the man as comfortable as possible with blankets and grass. Then

collected the horses. It was no use looking to Newcastle Cattle Station for help. They lived at the time in a very primitive way. They had no

wagon or buggy, but at Frew’s Ponds, 19 miles north, there was a strong line repairing party with two wagons. Obviously help must come

from there. When ready to start, I gave Budgen both water bags, filled, and both revolvers. I promised to have a wagon there for him early in

the morning, and so I left him.

There were fourteen miles across Sturt’s Plain, then five miles of scrub to Frew’s Ponds. There was no moon, but it was a clear starlight

night. I had no fear of losing any of the horses. There was no clearly defined road, only a wagon track. The horses would get a spread on and

kept me riding from wing to wing. I did not spare the stock whip. I got to Frew’s about 11pm. The party men, hearing the horses coming,

good, naturally came out to give a hand. They were considerably startled when I told my news, and as instance of the bush fellowship (which

bushmen would not admit for anything) the two teamsters did not wait to hear all of my news but were soon out to find the team horses. They

brought them in and gathered all the equipment they considered necessary, including a tent fly to make a tilt for the wagon.

They were gone soon after midnight on their rescue job. They reached Budgen about sunrise, fitted a tilt, made a good bed of grass on the

wagon and started back. Fortunately the Plain, though dry, was not dusty. They could not have had better travelling conditions. They got back

to Frew’s about 4 pm, all well as far as possible. In the meantime I had reported the accident to Darwin and got instructions to take what

assistance I required from the line party, and to send Budgen on to Daly Waters. It was anticipated that the Doctor from The Shackle, Dr

Wood, 380 miles away would arrive at Daly Waters, almost as soon as Budgen.

The boss of the line party, Alf Pybus, undertook to drive Budgen in. He lent me another man to help with the horses. I went ahead with them.

The Doctor arrived the day after the wagon got in. The weather was cold for us; we expected the Doctor about midnight. Alf suggested we go

to the fourteen mile to meet him with the Station buggy; a sensible and kindly thought. We could be certain he would appreciate the change

from horseback to buggy. With a liberal supply of rum, to keep out the cold, we started.

Now, I knew the Doctor personally, having seen a good deal of him, whilst I was at The Shackle, before going to Powell’s Creek. Somehow I

gained the impression that he was a total abstainer, so I cautioned the other two not to offer him any rum. We met the Doctor and he was very

grateful for the change. We had a nip before starting back. As it was very cold, we stopped every few miles to have another. It was about our

third stop, I think, when the Doctor said, “Excuse me, gentlemen,” (there were three of us), “May I ask what you have in that jar?” “Rum,”

replied Alf. “I suppose it is no use offering you any.” “Well, as a matter of fact,” said the Doctor, “I could very well do with a taste.”

“What?” said Alf, “This lunatic here told us you did not indulge.” He joined us and had one sufficient to make up for the others he had

missed. It was some time before I heard the last of my blunder.

The next day the Doctor set the broken leg, and, with some instructions, I was appointed his assistant and attended the anaesthetic

(chloroform). The operation took about one and a half hours. Then the limb was made rigid by a solution of glass. In the meantime a man was

making a cradle for the leg, an ingenious contraption, by which the limb could be swung clear of the bed, and yet permitted the blankets or

bedding to be used.

The Doctor left for The Shackle, where he was urgently wanted. The first day’s journey was 75 miles. A relay of the horses, on the day of the

operation, was sent out to the Ironstone, a waterhole in the Birdum, 34 miles away, to be picked up next day by us. We started about eight

o’clock next morning, and arrived at No 2 Well, 75 miles further on at about three o’clock the following morning.

The man from The Katherine, who was there to meet us, made up the fire and put the pots on for tea. I wanted nothing but my bedding. In a

few moments I was dead to the world. The Doctor, whose daily horseback riding would not exceed an average of five miles a day, if that, sat

by the fire and yarned until daylight. He was four and a half days in coming up. He intended going back in four days. I did a lot of horseback

riding, perhaps half my time was given to it in the dry season, but the little Doctor could teach me a good deal about endurance. I made three

days of the return trip to my station.

Budgen was to be taken to The Shackle by buggy and he asked if I might be the driver. I was rather looking forward to a spell for a time. It

was not to be, except that in this case it was not a horseback job.

The next difficulty was what help I could have. It seemed I could not get any from the Station. Mr. Little was at Daly Waters, on his annual

inspection trip. He wanted two men and one of our two boys. I went to the black’s camp for a native who could ride. He would be required to

drive the spare horses, and get the horses in the mornings. The only one I could get was a boy of about twelve or fourteen years old, who

could ride. We fixed him up with some clothes, then I wanted a man as an attendant for Budgen and to cook. It just happened that a young

chap named Solomon came along, on his way to Darwin. He was an Arabian Jew, or something of that kind, and had worked with Afghans

and camels. He spoke rather bad English, but he would have to do. He was engaged for the trip to The Shackle.

Budgen was made as comfortable as possible. Solomon’s cooking was about on a par with his English. He had a rather peculiar

accomplishment. He was stuffed to the neck with Eastern stories, after the style of the Arabian Nights. In the evening, in camp, he would

string these tales off without repeating himself, as long as any one would listen.

The journey from Daly Waters to the Elsey was not bad. There were no creeks to cross, but after that we got into uneven and hilly country.

Budgen’s troubles and our own commenced. Some of the creeks were narrow and steep. The broken leg was only now beginning to knit. The

patient was in a good deal of pain. On coming to one of these creeks, we would stop near the edge, take out the horses, (I was only using a

pair at a time), I would tie down the foot brake, then look around for a log or big branch, which I would attach to the back axle of the buggy.

Solomon and the boy would take the buggy pole and guide it down the bank, whilst I attended to and regulated the drag until reaching the

bottom. The horses had to be put in to take the buggy up the opposite bank. There were a good many of these creeks. The job became

monotonous, but it had to be done. All things came to an end. In about three weeks, when I handed the sick man over to the Doctor, I was

glad to do it. Then it was found that one of my eyes was affected by what the Doctor called Pterigium, a kind of skin growing over the eye,

and it would have to come off. While I was convalescing for a fortnight or so, I used to go about with the Doctor and assist him with a few

operations.

The trip back to Daly Waters was a picnic compared to the journey with the sick man.

When I arrived at The Katherine, I found the wife of the Stationmaster had an organ she wished to sell, an instrument with two sets of reeds.

We had no music at Daly Waters, so I decided to purchase the instrument, and trust to luck and my will to learn to get something out of it. It

fitted nicely into the buggy crosswise, behind the tucker box. It gave me a lot of worry crossing the creeks. I got it home eventually in good

order.

We camped a night at the Elsey, and in the morning went along to the Shackle to ascertain, as usual, if the telegraph line was O.K., before

starting my day’s travel. “Have you met Denny Murphy?” asked Daly Waters. “No”, I replied. “Then,” said I, “I expect I shall meet him

today between here and the Well – Good day!”

This old identity, Denny Murphy, was a well-known character, a witty old man. He used to travel from Darwin to the Overland Telegraph

Stations doing any wheelwright, or blacksmith’s work that was needed, going from Station to Station. I quite expected to meet him that day,

but did not. On arrival at No 2 Well, which was close to the track, I felt instinctively that something was wrong. There the blankets were

spread out, and the mosquito net. By the appearance of loose leaves, straw etc. on the blankets, it was clear they had not been used the

previous night. Two horses, presumably Murphy’s came galloping up on hearing our horses, and went straight to the iron troughs. Then

seeing that the troughs were quite dry, I felt sure that the horses had not been watered that day.

My fears began to take shape. Our first job was to get all the horses watered, but before starting that, I had a good look down the well, which

was 104 feet down to the water, and from the top the water looked like a white patch about the size of a five shilling piece, or a very little

larger. There was nothing else that could be seen. This well, 104 feet from the six-foot mound to the water, was timbered. The standards and

windlass were good and solid. The windlass had a handle at each end. There were two gallon buckets of extra thick iron, attached to a wire

rope, so that as one bucket came up the other went down. The well had two half covers, or doors, which opened back against the standards on

either side, and there were some wooden slabs underfoot, where the buckets were landed. These slabs, with the slopping water, became

dangerously slippery. The doors were a wooden frame covered by wire netting to permit of the escape of foul air.

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At this length of time from the incident, nearly seventy years, I regret I cannot remember if I looked to see if either or both of the doors were

closed or not. Although that knowledge would not afford any definite evidence, because if they were closed the wind could have blown them

down, or if they were open, they might have been left so to be ready for use the next time. It was a job needing care to land a ten-gallon

bucket, and carry it down to the iron trough at the bottom of the mound. It was a job for two persons. The boy and I watered the horses and

then taking a glance around the well, I saw fresh tracks which were presumably those of Murphy.

Showing these to the boy, who was quite a bright little chap, I told him to make a good big circle around the well to see if these tracks went

out. He quite understood and went out on the job. The presence of tracks going out would not be very informative, because they might have

been made going out to get, or to look at, the horses. But the absence of footprints leaving the well looked ominous and that was what the boy

reported.

Anyway, anxious not to neglect any precaution, I made a big smudge fire as a smoke guide. Then we had tea and after that, as it was near

dark, we collected a stock of dry wood, and as soon as it was quite dark, made a big flame fire, which might be reflected in the air. There was

nothing else to do that night. I was out early the next morning, and with the boy leading the way, and myself following to keep an eye on

him, we made the circle of the well again, to make sure that no tracks went out and we could find none.

We had breakfast and watered the horses, including the two, which I now felt convinced were Murphy’s, then I wrote out a detailed report,

went to the Shackle about half a mile away, and telegraphed it to the Police at Darwin, adding that I would speak again at 4pm. I spoke and

got the police reply to the effect that, if I was satisfied, nothing more could be done, I was to take charge of the two horses, and any other

effects and take them with me to Daly Waters. Further instructions would follow later. So that was that. About six months later I got an

official letter from the Curator of Intestate Estates in Darwin, to sell the horses and other property of the late Denis Murphy, and remit the

proceeds to him.

A few months later news flashed along the wire that the Stationmaster at The Katherine had imported a governess from New Zealand, for his

two small daughters. It caused quite a flutter amongst the young male population, although beyond wistful speculation, the event could have

no interest for us. I, with others, speculated and thought she might have come a little earlier or that Budgen had postponed the breaking of his

leg a little later. Governesses were scarce in that country. So much so, that this one was the first.

However my star, lucky or unlucky, did not desert me. I received orders to report to The Katherine on official business, and the assistant who

relieved me during my absence on the Budgen affair, was to remain at D.W. until my return.

“What-oh, Governess!” I was going to see her. But I expected, or tried to convince myself that nobody but a lonely, hard up old maid, would

accept such a job in such a locality. Still, I hoped for the best. In the meantime I made a new bridle for my mare with an ornamental forehead

band, made a new coloured check saddle cloth, trimmed with red braid and polished up all of my equipment. This part was all O.K., but my

wardrobe rather troubled me. We did not own to fashion plate goods at D.W. Having a few days before starting, I set to work to make a pair

of trousers out of saddle serge, and unripped a pair of old ones for a pattern. Although I say it myself, I made a real good job and was

intensely proud of my work. But alas, it never occurred to me to shrink the serge before cutting it up. When I had them washed they would

not have fitted a boy of twelve. In the line of shirts, I had only one cotton one with a collar on. (We all used only singlets.) It looked

dreadfully crumpled, and it wanted ironing and we had no irons.

I had heard of the fastidious bushman who ironed his linen with a bottle of hot water. That method did not commend help to me. I decided to

try a method of my own. We had a teapot, a tin one with a flat bottom. It held half a gallon or more so I got the cook to fill it with boiling

water, and to put a cork in the spout. It ironed my shirt as well as any ordinary iron. After I had taken it nearly 200 miles in a pack bag, I am

afraid all my ironing labour was lost.

I arrived at the KN and all of my hopes were justified. The lady was highly attractive, highly educated, and a good musician (there was a

piano at The Katherine.). To put it baldly, I fell in love right off. I found out that she was used to horse riding. Mrs. Murray had a sidesaddle,

which she never now used (ladies did not ride astride then) and I was welcome to it. I tried my pet mare with a blanket and skirt, and she took

it like a lamb.

The governess was only engaged with the scholastic duties in the morning. Her afternoons were free. What would you do? I had been on the

point of starting back, when I was desired to wait the arrival of a Chinese cook from Darwin for Powell’s Creek. He would be there in a

week. “Hoorah!” Later I was advised that the Chinese cook refused at the last minute to go. The agents had to find another. I was asked to

wait for further instructions. “You bet!”

17

Now let me go back a little; by this time (1885) the Stationmaster at The Shackle was a very close friend of mine. He had been my

predecessor at Southport. Jack Kelsey had been an assistant at Daly Waters, when I joined up. A very fine fellow in every way. There was a

weekly mail from Southport to The Shackle, but from the latter place the Department had to supply its own transport. Then I got notice of

another cook, who would reach The Shackle in ten days, from here another two days would bring him on to me. On the 10th day I got a note

from Jack that he would be at The Katherine with the Chinaman on the following day at about 4 pm This news naturally was not calculated to

cheer me up. I was surprised at the effect it had on Miss Crawford (sister of the Crawford at the Southport Store). Out on our ride that

afternoon – our last – I elicited the information that she and my friend, Jack, were engaged to be married, and were only waiting for a

clergyman who was expected there soon. “Ye Gods!”

I had never heard a word of it and was surprised that the Murrays had not given me a hint. They surely must have known. Well, there was a

bit of a scene, but not much, only sufficient to convince me that The Katherine was not big enough for Jack and me just then, so I got

everything ready to start on my trip back to Daly Waters at 4 pm the next day. Jack tried to put his foot down on the plan. However, my

excuse that I had been absent from my Stationmaster so long and was needed there worked. The cook protested strongly against further travel

that day, as I intended going out to the five mile that night. I threatened to drive him with the pack-horses, so he gave in and we got away. Of

course I was broken hearted, but I suspect it was a heart amenable to repair. I did not notice much wrong with my appetite, or suffer from

insomnia as a result. In due course we arrived back at Daly Waters. Things ran quietly for some months. The Katherine assistant had gone

back to his station.

Early in 1885 the Stationmaster, Roach, was taken ill. His ailment was such as demanded constant supervision by a doctor. He was

transferred to Darwin and I was placed in charge at Daly Waters. The assistant from The Katherine was sent along to help. The usual station

routine continued without special incident until the latter part of 1886, when I considered that after nine years service without a break, some

holiday leave was due to me. My mother and relatives were urging me to come down, my mother adding (as I presumed, as a special

inducement) that she had a girl waiting for me. Accordingly I sent in an application for leave to visit Adelaide. The leave was, without undue

delay, granted. I happened to be on duty in the Office at the time and heard the approval go through.

I thought, naturally, that it would be only a few weeks at the most, when I would be notified of my relief being on the way. But nothing

happened. Thinking that our secretive OM would write it instead of telegraphing, I got a native from the black’s camp to go to The Katherine

on foot, to bring up the letter mail from that office. This journey of about 370 miles he undertook without demur, and started out with as

much food as he cared to carry and a pipe and tobacco. His first proceeding was to go to Stuart’s Swamp, the nearest water, three miles away

and to camp there until he had consumed all of the provisions (a regular routine). Then he started living on or off the land as he wandered on,

arriving duly at The Katherine. He would be given another supply of food, when he would repeat his former tactics, arriving back after about

three weeks. He would get a further supply of food and perhaps another pipe and tobacco, and march off to camp perfectly satisfied.

However there was no notification of my leave, so I wired about it and received the reply that the OM loved to grant. “You will be advised in

due course.”

Another wait and another reply precisely similar was received. After another appreciable delay, I wired again, this time rather tersely, with

the same result. In a fume I sat down, wrote my resignation, stating the date on which I wished it to take effect. The reply this time was

different, briefly telegraphing that Mr. Henderson would be there to relieve me on the date mentioned, and he was. I handed over, and off I

started, a bit depressed, I confess, at the lost years – lost by the obstinacy of a pigheaded old man.

On my arrival at The Katherine, I was informed that Mr. Little wished to speak to me, so I went into the Office and made myself known, and

this was the conversation. “Good evening, Mr. Goss, would you care to return to Daly Waters. If so I will permit you to withdraw your

resignation.” “Good evening, Sir. Yes, I would be glad to return to Daly Waters after taking my leave, which I understand has been

approved.” “Good day.” “Good day, Sir.” Nothing more. It was clear that he wanted me to go back, but he would rather die than tell me this.

I arrived in Adelaide in due course in 1887. (Before I left Adelaide in 1878, we were living at Sydenham Road, Norwood. Our next door

neighbour was a widow named Mrs. Simons, and she had a daughter about nine years of age. We were rather close friends, the Simons and

ourselves. I do not know what the little girl thought of me, but to me, over sixteen, and going to be a goldsmith – the arrogance of youth – she

was just an object of contempt, not worth consideration). When I returned after nine years away, I found this was the girl my mother had

waiting for me. I could scarcely believe my eyes. The staring eyed kid had grown into an attractive young woman. The two families were still

living side by side, but now at Hindmarsh. My intentions were soon evident, as I made them clear, and in less than three months we were

married. Everything was well except from the financial angle. I had £150 when I started down, but that was beginning to dwindle, and when

that was gone; we realised that we could not exist on hope.

I arrived at Darwin to catch the steamer. In the launch going from Southport to Darwin I met Barney Murphy, who had been a storekeeper at

Alice Springs, and had come north to open a store and public house at The Katherine. In the course of conversation, he stated that he had got

my story, and if anything appeared more gratified than otherwise. A few minutes later he told me why. He said, “If you cannot get any

satisfaction in Adelaide, advise me and I will immediately make you Manager of my store at The Katherine, and at a salary more than equal

to that which you have been getting.” I thanked him warmly and planned better for having a second string to fall back on.

I caught the E & A Steamer, ‘Catterthun’. Whilst in the agent’s office, booking my ticket, the Captain of the ‘Catterthun’ came in and the

agent mentioned that I would be a passenger. “Sorry”, said the Captain, “But he won’t. I have nearly two hundred returning diggers from here

and no room or accommodation for half of them. I won’t take another one.” “This man”, said the agent. “Has travelled 400 miles to catch this

boat. You will take him or you will hear something more about it.”

It was not a comfortable trip until we got to Sydney. From there to Adelaide it was very pleasant. I think, by then, I was the only passenger.

The diggers were a rough band, a lot of them sleeping on the vessel’s hatches on deck. On more than one occasion it appeared as if they

would have taken command of the ship. I had a bad cold and a dreadful cough, so the purser put me in a saloon cabin, whose only other

occupant was an R.C. Bishop from the East.

One day several of us, in the engineer’s cabin, were talking of wrecks and the engineer declared that he had no experience of that kind, but

said thoughtfully, without any suggestion of boasting, that if ever he was unfortunate enough to meet such a disaster, he thought that

somehow, by hook or by crook, he would manage to save himself. On a later voyage the ‘Catterthun’, going from Sydney to Hong Kong,

struck a submerged rock off Newcastle and began to sink. They tried to beach her, as the mainland was not far, but she went down before

they could do so, and that young engineer was, with others, drowned.

After considerable thought I decided to go to Western Australia, and spy out the land. Things were bad in South Australia; they might be

better in the Western State. So with a brother-in-law, who was looking for employment, we booked our passages in the ‘Franklin’, a seven

hundred tonne steamer. Oh, what a voyage it was! I am a good sailor. I had come from England in a sailing ship, around the Cape of Good

Hope. The ship ended her career on the rocks at Brighton, South Australia. This and my two Australian voyages had well hardened me to

ship travel. That trip in the ‘Franklin’ was altogether too bad.

The Great Australian Bight was in the very worst temper. We were nine days travelling from Port Adelaide to Fremantle, with only a few

hours at Albany. I really thought we were going to meet with disaster. One man of the crew, in a full set of oilskins, was taken clean off the

deck. Although every possible lookout was kept, there was no hope in that raging mountainous sea of doing anything, even if we could have

seen him. We had horses aboard, several of which were killed by the knocking about they received. It was said that the ship was top heavy

with a quantity of material and timber, which was being carried on deck. Then we arrived at Albany at last and had a breathing spell. From

there on it was not so bad.

I was provided with two letters of introduction, one for Mr. Alex Forrest, who lived at Bunbury. The steamer did not call there so the letter

was of no use to me. I had met Mr. Forrest at Southport in 1879. The other letter was to the Superintendent of Telegraphs at Perth; but as that

gentleman was ill and not likely to recover for some time, and as I had to leave Western Australia before he did recover, the second letter was

of no use to me either. Albany was very picturesque, the houses built up the side of a hill from the water’s edge. We only stayed there for an

hour or two and had not sufficient time to explore.

We went on to Fremantle, an unattractive place, a sort of smaller Port Adelaide. After we were a day or two out from Port Adelaide, a young

man, whom I had noticed, came up to me and said, “Excuse me, are you a telegraph operator?” From what I could piece together he was on

the run, something to do with removing a telegram from a file, but I never got the story clearly. He was penniless, and had slept at an hotel in

Port Adelaide the night prior to the steamer’s departure, and had slipped out early in the morning, leaving his overcoat on the bed in payment

for his night’s lodging.

At Fremantle, I asked him if he was taking a train for Perth. From his replies I guessed that he intended to walk the twelve miles distance, so I

had a word with my brother-in-law and we arranged to take him with us by train. On arriving at Perth we found a lodging house in Murray

Street, where there were about forty boarders. We interviewed the landlord ourselves, saying we two would pay in advance whilst we were

there, if he would stake the other man for a time. This, the landlord agreed to do. It required little imagination to convince us that in coming

west, we had jumped out of the pan into the fire. The place was dead.

Speaking to the landlord about employment, he said there was little chance, but if we came from South Australia, and it got known, we would

have no chance at all. I asked why that was so. He could not say, not understanding the reason himself. We did not advertise our advent from South Australia, but it made no difference, there was nothing doing. Our Melbourne man was more fortunate for he got a job hawking books.

We stayed a week and then returned to Adelaide by the same steamer. The Great Australian Bight, which had been so tempestuous when we

went over, was like a mill pond on returning. I have been told that Perth has made great progress since then. It is a place worth visiting, apart

from its economic and industrial progress. There was certainly room for forward movement; it could not go backwards.

19

Back in Adelaide again and no better off, I decided to interview Sir Charles Todd, although not expecting much good from it. Here I was

happily disappointed. Sir Charles was not available when I called, and I was shown into the office of Mr. Waddy, who was next in command.

Now it chanced that Mr. Little and Mr. Waddy were not friends, each claiming to be senior to the other. When Mr. Little visited Adelaide a

few years earlier he had contemptuously ignored Mr. Waddy, and would do no business, except with Sir Charles, so when I turned up with

my complaint, I think I was welcomed. “Why did you resign, your leave was approved?” were almost his first words. Then I told my story

and he seemed strongly impressed in my favour. After some further conversation, he said, “Stay here until I come back, I don’t see why you

should be driven out of the service in that way. I will go up and see the Minister of Education.” The Minister of Education, I should explain,

was the parliamentary head of the Post and Telegraph Department in the South Australian Parliament. He was away about half an hour, and

on his return, he said, “You can return to Port Darwin by the first steamer, and your service in the Department will be considered as

continuous. Report to Mr. Little, who will be officially advised.”

What-oh! And my passage was paid back. I had a week or two in Adelaide before going to Sydney to join the ‘Airlie’ of the Eastern

Australian Line. I would not risk taking my wife until I saw what Mr. Little had in store for me. If I were to go inland, I could not, as an

assistant, think of taking her there.

The ship had unfortunately to go into dock for a week before sailing, and I think that week was one of the most miserable I ever spent, being

short of money and not knowing a soul in Sydney. I have camped alone in the bush frequently, with not a soul within a hundred miles and

never felt so lonely. However we got away at last, calling at Newcastle and loaded 1,200 tons of coal for the East, then on to Thursday Island

and Darwin.

Part II — DARWIN I have omitted to mention that, when in Adelaide, I found I was to return to Darwin, still in the service, and would not be available for Mr.

Murphy’s storekeeping job. I hunted up another telegraph man who was in Adelaide at the same time as myself and told him about Murphy’s

offer to me. He immediately telegraphed Murphy, so did I also, and my friend secured the job. This friend had been an operator stationed at

Alice Springs. He was there when the McDonnell Range Ruby Rush broke out in, I think, 1885/6. The rumors were that rubies were being

obtained by bucketsful and other absurd exaggerations. There seemed really a wonderful number were being obtained. I wrote to my friend

there and jocularly said that if the stones were as plentiful as rumoured, he might send me a half hundred weight or so. He sent me a coffee

tin full to the brim. They weighed two or three pounds. My friend, who got in early on the find, sent in his resignation and went to Adelaide.

Then Streeter, the gem expert of London, classing the rubies as garnets, the bottom of the ruby market fell out. Streeter was owner or lessee

of ruby mines in Burma, and too big an authority to be questioned or doubted. It seemed that the Australian jewellers and research people

accepted the stones as rubies. Until then, one would think some of these experts would have ascertained the specific gravity of the stone,

which at least, I understood would determine the classification of the stones.

My friend, having secured Murphy’s job, returned with me on the ‘Airlie’ to Darwin, and I am afraid to his undoing. Alice Springs was a bad

school for drinking, racing and gambling, and young men let loose there needed backbone to come through unscathed. My friend had not got

it sufficiently strong enough to save him. His new job managing a store and an hotel did not mend him. Briefly, he got worse and later in a fit

of remorse, to which he was susceptible, he, so report said, committed suicide. He was a fine type of Australian youth and a good fellow.

About 11pm and a dark night, a stir was caused among the passengers. A light was seen ahead of us, which upon investigation by the

officers, turned out to be a signal of distress from a 5,000 ton steamer, the ‘Morayshire’ with a cargo of meat from Sydney for overseas. She

had a broken propellor shaft and was drifting helplessly. Our people signalled that we would stand by until daylight. In the morning, the two

captains had a conference and we found that we were to tow her to the nearest port, which would be, I think, Rockhampton. Then the fun

began. Whilst the disabled ship’s men were trying to tug a thick hawser over to us, our men rigged what they called a bridle on our ship. It

was a wire rope, the middle of which had a turn around the foot of the main mast. The two ends were then passed out through the scuppers,

one on each side. These were taken along the side of the ship and joined together outside the stern above the screw. It was found that the

hawser was not long enough to reach us.

Then our captain, with our ship, circled around the other, intending to approach the men with the hawser in the boat. He seemed nervous

about getting too close to the ‘Morayshire’ and passed along well out of reach of the boat. Then he circled again with the same result, and a

third time, no nearer the boat. Some few hours had now passed, and the chief mate was raging and cursing. Then the captain and the mate had

a conference with the result that the latter took charge, circled around the other ship and I made contact with the boat. After some trouble they

got the hawser coupled to the bridle. Now all seemed ready to proceed. The men in the boat had gone back to their ship. Signals were made

and we started. Only a few minutes later a big smooth roller came between the ships, and the hawser parted like a sack thread. I think the

hawser was three inches in diameter. It was all to be done over again. The mate kept charge of the proceedings, and the men in the boat came

out again, this time with a steel rope, which looked to me to be about one inch in diameter. The mate circled around once, picked up the wire

rope and all was set. This time the tow-rope took all the strain, and at about two knots we towed her to Rockhampton, dropped her at an

anchorage and then went our way.

ADELAIDE RIVER RAILWAY BANQUET Up to the time of my departure from the Adelaide River, I had been on duty in the Post Office in Darwin. A few days before I went away, it

was announced that Millar Brothers were giving a banquet to commemorate the beginning of the construction of the Port Darwin to Pine

Creek Railway Line, a distance of 146 miles. I quite believe everybody but myself and a B.A.T man was there. I was not greatly attracted by

the thought of the feasting and drinking, so saw Dan Kell, who was listed for duty on the night of the banquet, and offered to exchange duties

if he wished to attend. He jumped at the chance and said, “Good old man, and be sure, I will bring you something from the banquet.”

The duty was 8 pm to 2 a.m. About 1 a.m. I heard footsteps, rather uneven footsteps, coming along the concrete verandah floor and a face

like the spring sun was cautiously thrust around the door of the operating room, and a low whisper enquired if all was clear. On receiving an

assurance it was, Dan rolled in and deposited a Magnum Pomeroy on the floor, and a fowl wrapped in paper. This was followed by the man

who was to relieve me at 2am, who also carried a parcel containing a ham and other provender. The whole would have been sufficient for

half a dozen people. They protested they had had enough, and I had no difficulty in agreeing with them. I proposed to the man who was to

relieve me that I would take his duty also, and he could repay me later. I did not care to risk letting him relieve me then, so I went around to

the quarters and saw them both safely in bed. I returned to the Office, opened the two small glass doors fixed in the wall, which I have

already mentioned, called to the BAT man and invited him to join me, which he did. Each one of us was in his own office, yet we banqueted

together, and a right royal feast it was. I should add, however, that the whole of the official banquet was a great success with no unseemly

incident to detract from the success.

ADELAIDE RIVER On returning to Darwin in 1887, I had left my wife behind in Adelaide. Because of my misunderstanding with the senior officer of the

Northern Section of the telegraph line, I felt quite sure he would not exert himself to make things easy for me. After nine years inland I

wanted to remain in Darwin, where I could get a house and settle down. On reporting myself, I received an exceedingly cold reception. When

enquiring what was to be my fate as regards locality, I was informed that I would be advised in due course. This was not encouraging, but

there it was. It was not for long, however, for a good angel appeared in the person of Mr. Charles Miller, the senior member of the firm of

contractors, who were building the Darwin to Pine Creek railway line. He applied to the Overland Telegraph Department to have a telegraph

operator allotted to the firm, who had sufficient business transactions to keep one constantly engaged; his business being chiefly with the

head of the line and to move with it from time to time as the construction progressed, and I being for a time, at least, a blot on the official

mind, was passed on to the firm.

The head of the works was at that time at the Adelaide River, some 76 miles from Darwin and roughly half way to Pine Creek. I arrived at

the River by rail, there were no rail coaches as yet, so we were forced to ride in trucks. The only thing I had in connection with my duties,

was a small telegraph field instrument, about three and a half inches square, used by a travelling operator, in a leather case with a strap, so

that it could be carried slung over the shoulder.

I had, for the moment, to put up at the pub. I was provided with a tent, which was erected close to the telegraph line and here I set up my

office, with a gin case for an instrument table, a brandy case for a seat, and an empty meat tin for a sounding board for the field instrument.

The ticking needed some such assistance, which was not much louder than the ticking of a watch. Thus was opened the first Post and

Telegraph Office on the Adelaide River. I should add that I was also to act as Post and Telegraph Master. This was an easy job, with only one

mail per week from the goldfields to Darwin, until more permanent arrangements could be made.

21

Next morning I took a seat at the breakfast table, and almost directly heard a word shot at me by the waitress, which sounded something like,

“asheramoreggs?” It seemed somewhat familiar, but puzzled me for a moment and my hesitation brought another shot of the same calibre. A

young man near me kindly interpreted, “Sarah wants to know which you will have – ash or am or eggs.” I decided on the latter; they could

not be tampered with, but I did the QCE Hotel an injustice. If it had one value it was in the excellence of the food and the service connected

therewith. The young man who had helped looked like Dickens’ character, Jerry Cruncher, the honest tradesman, who had been fishing all

night and was spotted and stained with clay, but the similarity ended there. This man had been fishing for gold, whereas Jerry had been

fishing for dead bodies.

Puzzled for a long time by the name of the bush pub, the Q.C.E. Hotel, I made enquiries but could get no satisfaction; even the landlord

seemed rather embarrassed by the question. But sometime later whilst talking to an old timer who mentioned the hotel, I asked him, and he

knew. The letters meant, “Quiet, Comfortable, Easy.” Well, the man who named it must have been a humourist, and no wonder the present

occupier was a bit shy on being asked to explain. Had the prefix ‘un’ been attached to each word, they would have gained in reality what they

lost in sarcasm, and the advent of the Bridge Gang, just at this time, did nothing to lessen the sarcasm.

The Bridge Gang was a band of experts and they knew their job – the job in this case being the building of the Adelaide River Bridge. They

were a tough crowd, but they were good men, and the firm cast a tolerant eye on their little lapses, which mostly occurred once a fortnight

and directly after pay day, and there was, for a few days, no lack of entertainment to any who were not too fastidious in their tastes for

amusement.

As the work advanced it was necessary to provide some means of getting construction material over the Adelaide River. For this purpose a

temporary bridge was built. The permanent bridge, when completed would, of course, be level with the top of the earth banks. But the

deviation bridge, as it was called, was low down near the winter level of the water, and looked a very shaky and primitive affair. Two rows of

piles were driven down in the bed of the river, wide enough for a railway track. The opposing piles were strapped and bolted together to

prevent swaying, then baulks of timber were laid along the tops of each row. The rails were fastened to these baulks and the bridge was

complete. The method of the driver of the construction trains was simple. He’s not to reason why, so when within a mile or so of the river,

speed was increased and the train came thundering down the bank, staggered across the quivering bridge, trusting to speed and impetus to

help him up the opposite bank. Also he had the assistance of the fireman, who on the boiler platform outside the cab, was holding down the

safety valve of the boiler to conserve steam; even then it was generally a touch and go job to get across.

The Police Station was a roomy building and I was soon accommodated by mutual agreement between the respective departments, that I

should be provided with a room in that building, which was to serve as Post and Telegraph Office, as well as my bedroom, and as the firm’s

staff increased, a mess was formed of engineers, timekeeper etc. As a temporary employee, I was entitled to join the mess and things were

becoming more comfortable.

About this time it was decided to provide police protection, called the ‘Gold Escort’ for the mailman and his weekly trail from the goldfields

to Southport. The escort was a uniformed constable, with a loaded carbine between his knees, sitting alongside the driver of the coach, a

distance of about 140 miles, a two days trip, the night being spent at the River. Of course a lot of gold came down each week, quite a nice

packet, for an enterprising bushranger. The population was scanty and scattered, and although a robber might elude the police in that country

for an indefinite period, he could not live on gold, it being inedible, he would have to show up somewhere to obtain food. There was little

chance of him getting safely away to other states.

In four years, I knew of only one gold robbery in the Northern Territory and that occurred at the Post Office at Southport, as I have already

described. This escort business was not a comfortable one for me. The mail with the escort would arrive towards sundown, drive up to the

Post Office, throw off the mail bags, take a receipt from me for them. Then the pair of them would go off to the pub for tea, spend a

comfortable evening and night, whilst I dragged those bags – I could not carry the one containing the gold – into my office cum bedroom,

dumped them down on the middle of the floor, making them a part of my bed with the gold bag for a pillow. A fully loaded revolver was kept

handy. I had full responsibility until the mailman and escort turned up after breakfast next morning. They relieved me after giving a receipt

for the mails.

I quite intended, should anything suspicious happen during the night or whilst the mails were in my charge, to shoot first and express regrets

afterwards. No doubt, the fact of my being quartered at the Police Station would provide some measure of protection – but might not wholly

so. Later, when the Darwin – Pine Creek Railway was completed, the mails were carried by rail. The road mails were cut out. Southport was

by-passed and it reverted to its original jungle. Possibly no sign of it, except perhaps the old jetty, remains today.

22

As the work of construction of the railway line progressed, the need for housing accommodation for the railway staff became apparent. The

contractor therefore had several cottages erected for the engineers and other personnel of the staff, one of which was allotted to me. These

cottages, mostly two rooms, were built in sections so as to facilitate the removal and re-erection of them. They were constructed of

galvanised iron on a framework of angle iron. Considering the places where they were required and other adverse circumstances, they were

quite comfortable. When necessary these buildings could be dismantled and moved either by railway trucks to the head of the line or else by

wagons drawn by horse teams.

I was indeed very glad to have one, especially as it permitted me sending for my wife to join me. That, however, took some little time to

arrange. In the meantime I was permitted to join the Railway Officer’s mess. This was a great convenience because the mess tent was placed

near the Police Station.

As the carriage of our stores from Darwin cost us nothing, we could run a very good table for a reasonable charge. All meals were charged at

‘per meal’ rate, so that railway employees travelling to and fro, could have a meal and go on. My weekly bill amounted to about 14/-. In the

evening, police, railway employees, myself and occasional guests would assemble in the Court Room of the Police Station and put on an

entertainment of some sort; a very good institution, but one not appreciated by the Q.C.E. It sometimes happened, of course, that some

interruption to the Telegraph Line occurred, and in that case, it was understood, that if the fault was on my section of the line, I was to drop

everything else and get after the fault.

I was supplied by the department with a horse, as he was called by courtesy, named Parsons. One evening, after a heavy thunderstorm and

rain, the line failed. I gathered in Parsons, who was no longer young and started out about 6pm My objective for that night was No 1 Depot, a

railway camp 12 miles distant. The first five miles was fairly good going and from there on across the Adelaide Plains, it was all slush and

bog. Parsons went on strike at the end of the five miles, so I put the saddle up in a tree and turned him loose, and tackled the rest of the

night’s journey on foot. It was not an enviable job. I lost my boots in the bog for a start, and left them there, because had I recovered them, I

should have had to carry them and I had enough to carry already.

The night was clear, but dark and sultry with millions of frogs from far and near, quartpotting and hot-watering in all tones of voice. No other

sound was to be heard, which made the night seem very desolate. I felt as if I were alone in the NT, and with a small sapling with which I

could feel if the telegraph line was in its usual place or off the pole, I stumbled and plodded on until I reached the Shackle, five miles across

the so-called plain, where I cut in and spoke to Darwin who informed me the fault was still South of me and I could go on.

I should like to have changed places for a time with the owner of the voice. However, I went on until I reached the railway camp, wet, tired

and with bleeding feet and legs. I threw myself down on bags of horse feed to get what rest I could until daylight. The object of not tackling

this job at night was to save time; if I passed the fault during the night, I was no worse off than if I had waited until morning, but if the fault

was still ahead of me then I had gained twelve miles. In the morning the ganger lent me a horse to go on with. I found the trouble a couple of

miles further on, fixed it up and returned to the railway camp, where I arranged to hire this horse to carry me back to the River.

Now having a house at my disposal, I sent for my wife from Adelaide with the baby whom I had not yet seen. I arranged to meet her in

Darwin when the steamer arrived. She was shocked to see me. I had had a rather bad attack of malaria, and was just able to get about. I could

not carry the baby up from the steamer to the Club Hotel, where I was staying. Of course everything was new and strange to the wife. She

had no time to analyse her feelings, as we were off the next morning for the River. A coach was attached to the mixed train by this time, so

we had a comfortable journey home.

For some reason, which I have forgotten, I had now to give up the room in the Police Station, so the Company built me a room about seven

feet by seven feet of galvanised iron, for an Office. It was just large enough to contain a table for the instruments, some letter pigeon holes

and a seat for me. One of its chief virtues, however, was that when the time came for me to go further towards the head of the line, a gang

could put the office on a truck and take it where it was needed.

That need arose soon after my wife’s arrival, and I and my office were shifted to Howley, a goldfield twenty miles further south. The Howley

township was represented by the Hotel and nothing else. The township proper being some distance away, and there being no railway

buildings there as yet, I had to leave the wife at the River, but I went down there by railway tricycle on Saturday nights and returned on

Monday mornings. This arrangement did not continue long, however. The Company erected more cottages and I was given one.

The construction work had meanwhile gone fast ahead and after a few months, I was again shifted, this time to the terminus at Pine Creek,

146 miles from Darwin. My connection with the railway contractors was here ended.

23

PINE CREEK In 1888 I rejoined the OT as assistant to the Postmaster at Pine Creek. Pine Creek was a town of about thirty houses, including the Railway

Station and Post office. There were two houses for the staff, of which I had one, a Police Station, Pub, Store and out scattered about was a

fairly numerous population and many Chinese stores and more Chinese. But all were so spread over a large area that it would be difficult to

assess the number.

The Railway Station had no platform and the train ran up on the level ground. When the railway was completed and taken over by the

Government, three trains per week were put on, later reduced to two, and ultimately to one. Gold was, of course, the motive power of Pine

Creek, but other minerals were found; tin, copper and silver. The goldfields were extensive and much of the precious metal, both alluvial and

reef was obtained here.

The Royal Standard Mine, owned by Mr. Olaf Jensen, made a fortune for him, and I have heard it said by those who would know, that

alluvial and reef workings had been very haphazard and that under scientific treatment should yield much better results. But working

expenses were heavy, the living hard, the climate trying and the country too far from the seat of Government, so that Pine Creek and most of

the NT was facing adverse odds. The only diamond ever found in the NT was picked up in the Cullen Creek, fifteen miles from Pine Creek.

Mr. Walter Griffiths, who was our Parliamentary member for the NT, had the diamond cut and mounted in a ring, which he showed me, and

the stone when cut was worth £40.

The yarn about the finding of that diamond is perhaps worth repeating. An old prospector, down on his uppers, hunted about in the bed of the

Cullen to see if he could find any agates or pebbles that would bring in a few shillings. He got a small bag of them. Then he went to a

Chinese store at Pine Creek, saw the proprietor and showed him the stones. The Chinaman, with a pair of chopsticks, turned the stones over,

separated one from the others and said, “I give you two pounds for this one, But I don’t want the others.”

This part of the story sounds a bit fishy to me. It was not indicative of the Chinese businessman. Had he offered the old prospector two

shillings for the lot, he would most likely have got them.

On January 26th 1890, Ernest (the “Little Lad” of “We of the Never-Never”) was born at Burundie. Shortly after that, what I had been

fearing, happened. I was to go to Daly Waters as assistant. There was nothing for it but to send the wife and two boys South, I thought, and

wait and see what the future held.

DARWIN When I returned to Darwin in 1890 with my wife and two sons, I quite expected to go at once to Daly Waters. The S & IO (Senior and

Inspecting Officer – such was his title) and had his own reasons, at least I presume so, for doing something different, so I went on duty in the

Darwin Office. We were fortunate enough to secure a comfortable home, ‘Giles Cottage’, just out of town. It was 1893 before I got to have

my own station. Quarters for married officers were not provided in Darwin.

I did not like the regular duties, and although we only worked six hours, it was often a gruelling duty, particularly if the old iron line was in a

bad temper. All of the business was hand repeated at Alice Springs, a good long stretch even then, approximately 1,000 miles. In addition to

that we had to make four copies of all cable business received. All pencil work and 99% of it in code.

The procedure at the operating table was as follows - about ten blocks of telegraph receiving forms, each with three carbons, were placed at

the operator’s right hand. On commencing to receive, he took the top block, wrote the message on it, then threw it on his left – followed by

another block from his right side for the next message, and so on. Then the messenger boy came along, stripped off the four copies from the

written blocks, replaced the carbons and placed the block underneath the remainder of the pile on the operator’s right. By this arrangement

the blocks were worked evenly. The stripped off messages were handed to the entering clerk, who entered the details, then placed the top

copy and a duplicate in the glass opening that divided the two offices.

The BAT man kept the original, initialed the duplicate and returned it to our man for filing. The third copy went to Adelaide for filing, and

the fourth, a spare, would not be of much use for any purpose.

We all wore two piece white drill suits (Java) and a singlet, but as we were not in view of the public, this was discarded when on duty.

There were billiards in the quarters, also a piano. The latter article was apparently prehistoric or predeluge. The mess had long wanted to get

rid of it, but unfortunately it was too well known. Fate stepped in, however in our favour. One of our men, Fred Price, who was somewhat of

a musical genius, was very anxious to get rid of this piano. There was little chance of doing so; then came notice of a sale of furniture, etc, by

auction. A representative of the mess interviewed the auctioneer – Mr. ‘Dad’ Brown, and induced him to shove the piano in at the back of the

sale, with doubts as to the results, but you never know.

Just before the day of the sale, there came an old timer from somewhere at the back of the Never-Never, Queensland way, bring his better

half with him. His better half was a native woman, whom he had discovered somewhere in the bush. He took her to the nearest clergyman

and married her. She had never been away from her own locality before. It would be interesting if one could take a peep into her brain and

see what she thought of everything – the rain, the town of Darwin, the sea, the ships and heaps of other things that she had no idea of

previously. Well, her worse half attended this furniture sale. At the end when it came to the piano, Dad had no need to expiate on he merits of

the instrument, but just put it up and said, “Now, who will give me a bid for this beautiful and well known instrument?” “Twenty five

pounds!” Yelled the woman’s other half as if afraid some one might get in front of him. Dad goggled and gasped but had presence of mind to

drop the hammer. There was jubilation in the OT mess that night. I should like to know the subsequent fate of the woman’s worse half and

the piano!

There was a large scale Chinese laundry in Darwin. All business was done by contract. When I was in the mess and had a room to myself,

some years earlier, the proprietor contracted to ‘do’ me for 6/0 per month. At the beginning of the week, a Chinese would come round to the

quarters, go through all the occupants’ rooms, pack up everything that needed laundering, including white suits, tie them up in a sheet and

away. Two or three days later he would bring them back, and take another lot if he could find any more. They were properly laundered and

ironed, if necessary.

Settled in our cottage, we engaged a Chinese boy at £1 per month and his food. He was about fourteen to sixteen years of age. He was a

general helper, very clean and polite, and was preparing himself, I think, to become a waiter, or boy at a hotel or on a steamer, preferably the

latter. He was honest and conscientious in his work. One day we missed our two boys, Fred and Ern. There was a great ‘to do’. The Chinese

boy was the most concerned of all. He was nearly frantic, and must have travelled miles, rushing about making enquiries. The kiddies were

eventually found on board a steamer at the jetty.

Dan Kell, of the banquet incident, had now been appointed to Powell’s Creek. The Darwin Dramatic and Debating Society was rehearsing

‘The Merchant of Venice’. I was roped into take the part of. Antonio, which I am quite sure I would have made a hash of, but was saved that

calamity by receiving orders a couple of days before opening night, to go to Daly Waters.

Part III — DALY WATERS

THE UGLY DUCKLING On the Northern Section of the Overland Telegraph Line, Daly Waters was known as the Ugly Duckling. From the Elsey to the North

Newcastle, a distance of 185 miles, there was only one really permanent watering place. This was No 2 Well, twenty eight miles south of the

Elsey. In most years, of course, waterholes would see the ‘Dry’ through. More than once, though, No 2 Well was the only watering place.

Under these circumstances, the two stages of 75 and 80 miles, from the Well to daily Waters and from Daly Waters to the Newcastle, were

only undertaken for emergency causes, such as line faults or medical cases, either of which took no account of the lives of men or horses. All

other cases had to wait for the rains.

Foot travellers headed the list of men in distress, generally trying to interrupt the line to bring relief. We had many such calls for assistance,

but I knew of none that succeeded. In my own time one man, named Little Coffee, walking from Port Augusta to Darwin, attempted to cut

the line, South of Daly Waters, but had apparently left it too late. It was seen where he had tried to climb a pole, and fell, striking his head on

a stone, leaving blood and hair on it. He was dead when the party, who was going to The Katherine, found him.

Another man doing the same journey came to Daly Waters, and I offered, if he liked to wait a few days, to send him with a party who was

going to The Katherine, but he declined, as he preferred walking. He went onto another waterhole in the Birdum, still no water, and a third

with a like result, so he gave in, crawled under a bush and died. Had he gone to the next hole, he could have got water. Two others travelling

in opposite directions met about midway and tried to persuade each other to turn back, neither would and both died. Of course they could not

cut the wire to get assistance, that would be almost impossible with their equipment. Their only course was to try and break an insulator,

either by throwing stones, or climbing a pole and smashing it with a stone.

One man had a mania for damaging the line. I had to send a party out to travel with him to The Katherine to prevent his causing damage. I

knew of one man who walked from Port Augusta to Darwin, then turned around and walked back again, and when asked why he undertook

such journeys and such risks, said he was looking for work, yet when I offered him a job, he had half a dozen reasons for refusing it.

25

I was on and off in charge of Daly Waters, until I left the northern Territory in 1903 for good. One of my first acts was to add another boy to

the staff. Toby was a boy belonging to the tribe. He had a wife and daughter in the black’s camp. I had two official boys for whom I received

1/- per day each, Billy and Tommy, to provide them with clothing etc. I wanted a boy for the house and for my own particular service and

Toby was the boy. I had known him for years as a good and trustworthy lad. There is an Arab saying that ‘the food prepared for two will

suffice for three, and the portion for the birds shall be none the less’. I applied this formula to the boys’ clothing and in this case I represented

the birds. Toby became my horse boy, road boy, and ultimately nurse girl, washerwoman and general factotum.

Sometimes during the ‘Wet’, when we could not get out among the stock or other outside work, we were hard put to it to pass the time. All

books and papers had been read and reread, games and cards tried until all were sick of them. Then, one day, something put it into my head

that it would be interesting to get a skeleton and assemble, or is it articulate, the bones, and give it a coat of luminous paint, and stick it up

somewhere with a spear in the hand. Even if it was of no use, it would be a novelty and above all it was something to do. I called up Toby,

told him what I wanted, and he immediately became wooden, as I knew he would. He didn’t know of any ‘bones’ that could be made

available. “Very well,” I said, “You get me the bones, unless you can get another boy to get them.”

He thought he might get one in camp and away he went. I was not hopeful of the result, because all natives are superstitious, particularly with

regard to the dead. I was more than surprised when he turned up later and said he had got a boy who would get the bones.

The boy he brought to me was a native of Alice Springs who had adopted the Daly Waters’ tribe by cunning and bullying. He was a nuisance

and a nightmare to them. Several times they appealed to the Station authorities to do something, but what could we do! Binghai was too

cunning to fall out with the Station people, for that would have meant his banishment at least. He, being a stranger, accounted for his

willingness to supply bones, especially those belonging to somebody else.

“Now Binghai,” I said, “Can you get me those bones?” “Yes, Boss.” “I want them all, no more lose them.” “I savvy, Boss. Can I have a pipe,

Boss?” “Yes Binghai, when I get the bones. This is a POD transaction.” He grinned and departed, knowing he had no chance of getting a pipe

beforehand.

Next day he turned up with a gunny bag containing the bones. As far as I could see (I am not an anatomist) they were all there. I had to take

risks, so Binghai was paid and was turning away when it occurred to me to ask him, “Binghai, did you know this man before he died?” He

looked surprised at the question and said loftily, “I’m his brother.” Well, I had to laugh. Of course it was not his brother. If he had brought a

brother with him from Alice Springs, the other natives would have known it, and it was unthinkable that he would carry his brother’s bones

(if the brother was dead) 800 miles for fun. Still that was not my concern. Binghai went off satisfied that he had made a good deal, a thought

in which I agreed with him. Now, since I had started this thing going, my enthusiasm for the business had abated and was still abating. A

lagging conscience awoke and suggested that though this man had had a black skin, his spirit might be as white, or whiter, than mine. And

again was it quite cricket to take advantage of his being a nigger, to stick him up as a sort of glorified Aunt Sally for any fool to take a

cockshy at? I decided it wasn’t.

Binghai’s alleged brother also was eloquent in his own way in protesting against this tampering with his bones, so I gingerly rebagged him

and at night went out and buried him with an unexpressed wish that he would now rest in peace.

It was only a few months later that the rumour reached us that Binghai had transferred his activities to Hodgson Downs Cattle Station, 120

miles NE of Daly Waters, where his notions of personal property were not appreciated, and when one day when he had been getting his hand

on and was getting out with his loot, a 450 colt revolver bullet overtook him, and at the same time undertook him, and it is presumed that

Binghai’s spirit has now gone to what one writer described as that ‘turn whence no traveller returns’.

26

DALY WATERS — LORD KINTORE Information came that Lord Kintore, the recently appointed Governor of South Australia would be proceeding to Darwin, and from there

travel overland to Adelaide. This, it was understood, to be at the instigation of the English Government.

Everybody became very busy. Stores from Adelaide were sent to each station from Daly Waters southwards, to replenish stores consumed on

the journey and to save carrying a large supply. Horses had to be broken in to the buggy. Plenty would be needed.

During April 1891, the party arrived at Darwin. It consisted of His Excellency, Dr Stirling, me and a coachman. Of course there was a great

stir in Darwin. The information that the Governor was not delaying anywhere or for anything caused some disappointment. One of the

reasons for the haste was that the Governor had to be in Adelaide on a certain date to hold a levee. The time allowed him to do this was

exceedingly short. There were three four-in-hand buggies, and five men including three drivers. A leader in charge of the travelling

arrangements, a police escort of one man, and the other whose name I have forgotten, made up eleven all told.

The coachman, brought from Adelaide, drove the Governor’s buggy for one day, then admitting his inability to negotiate such roads, resigned

and was sent back. A linesman from the line party took over the job, and of course there was no more trouble on that score. There were

between forty and fifty horses and the two buggies, apart from that of his Excellency’s, to carry the equipment. The leader, Mr. Alf Pybus,

the trooper and the two blackboys rode on horseback.

I received orders to meet the party at No 2 Well. I suppose it was considered as a gesture of courtesy for the head of the Station to meet him

instead of an assistant, so I proceeded with a blackboy to No 2 well, 75 miles, and arrived there a few hours before the Vice Regal party.

Introducing myself, I was kindly invited by His Excellency to join his mess whilst we were travelling together. The mess would consist of the

Governor, Dr Stirling, the leader and myself. I did a good lot of telegraph work. The Governor wished, each day, to know what was being

done and said in Parliament, and other important news. It was clear that the Governor thought he was roughing it in the wilds of Australia – but, ye Gods, I never had travelled in such a luxurious

way before. There was plenty of spirits and wine, but no one, however, had too much. Nothing much befell the party, until it arrived to about

sixteen miles from Daly Waters, where there was a patch of Bay of Biscay, which was wet and sticky enough to be difficult and decidedly

uncomfortable, and not sufficiently sloppy to free clay from feet or wheels.

Each step would take up a pancake of this clay, until it fell off by its own weight. The same with the horses, and with the wheels of the buggy

it was worse, for in about a hundred yards the wheels would lock with the clay, then it was out with spades, tomahawks and knives to cut it

free. His Excellency was as handy with a spade as anybody else and bore a full share in the job. When we reached the fourteen mile,

however, that sticky trouble ended. From there to the Station was good going. The party remained for about three days to re-organise itself,

and then went on to Powell’s Creek, but without me. I had managed to dodge the second part. An assistant took my place.

I had been troubled for some time with my eyes, and Dr Stirling’s advent was too good an opportunity to lose. I therefore got him to examine

them, with the result that he gave me a certificate for the Post Office authorities, recommending that I should visit Adelaide to have the eyes

attended to and, coming from such a source, the certificate produced immediate success, and within a few weeks I was on my way. In due

course I reached Adelaide and had my trouble seen to, and as I was not otherwise sick, and was not on holidays, I was taken into the

operation room at the Chief Office till the next steamer was due to sail. They forgot all about me apparently, and so I remained there for

about eighteen months until early 1893 when Mr. Little wanted to know what had become of me, then I got instructions to be off again.

I had now been promoted to the 5th Class, and was not likely to be shifted from pillar to post as formerly, so I decided to take my wife and

family with me. We left for Sydney to join the steamer ‘Menmuir’ for Darwin. Before leaving Adelaide, however, Sir Charles Todd asked

me, “Mr. Goss, have you had any experience with Duplex?” “No, Sir.” “Then you should make yourself acquainted with it. The Darwin line

is to be duplexed and your station will be one of the repeating stations, and you will need to be in a position to train your staff.”

DALY WATERS — BUSH FUNERAL 1895 Before I went to Adelaide in 1887, I made the acquaintance of Mr. James Crawford, who came over from Sydney via Queensland with a

travelling party. He was the owner of Hodgson downs Cattle Station, 120 miles N.E of Daly Waters. He was on his way out there to manage

it himself. He had apparently depended on his companions to see him through to Daly Waters. As they were going to Darwin, they had to

leave him to shift for himself from Daly Waters.

Being in a fix, he came to me. As it happened, I was able to assist him to go out to his Station. It was a small service on my part, but one that

Crawford much over-estimated. We became good friends. He was well read and a well-informed man. I was always glad to see him come

over to us, which he occasionally did on telegraph business. Knowing he would be welcome, he generally arranged to stay for a few days

with us before returning. In 1895, just after being made a J.P., Jimmy paid us one of his periodical visits. Now about a fortnight or so before

he came, one of the hands, named Charles Harrison, became ill. Satisfying myself that he had something more than malaria wrong – malaria

and other recurrent troubles, we could deal with ourselves for we had a good medicine chest supplied by the Department – I wired the Doctor

at Darwin and received a prescription. Harrison was a German, a surly sort of chap, not liked by anybody, and who never spoke unless

spoken to, and then never wasting a word.

A few days later I wired the Doctor again and got another prescription. This was repeated on two occasions, the last being when I reported

symptoms that had not appeared before. The prescription on this occasion was, in effect, that Harrison had only a few hours to live and his

friends had better be informed. I was on duty at the time and received the message, and I was considerably perturbed by it, because it meant I

had to go and tell the sick man he was to die immediately, a most unpleasant job. For a while I did not see any way of avoiding it. At length,

however, remembering that Crawford was a J.P., I thought I might shove the job on to Jimmy.

Rather a mean thing, I admit, but there you are, so whistling up a boy, I told him to go over to the house and ask Mr. Crawford to come over

to the Office. Jimmy came and I handed him the telegram. He looked as sorry as the occasion demanded.

Harrison was a stranger to him, and he said tentatively, “A bit unpleasant for you this, isn’t it?” “For everybody,” I said, “But more for you

than anyone else.” “How so?” he asked in surprise. “Well,” I said, “If there were any police here, I should hand that wire over to them and let

them deal with it, but as there are not, and you are a JP and the only representative of the Law here, it seems that it falls to you to take on the

job.” “Oh!” he said, looking glum, “I don’t like it but if that is the position I suppose I must do it. I’ll tell you what Fred, you’ll have to give

me a spot of rum to set me up.”

This I concluded to regard as a medical case, and got out a bottle and we had one. He took the wire and went out. That was about 3pm I was

shaking hands with myself on my astuteness, but alas too soon. About 4pm he came back. Throwing the wire on the table, he said, “It’s no

good. I tried half dozen times, but could not find an opening. I can’t do it, and what’s more, I am not going to try and that’s final. I think it

should be your business.” And I had to agree with him, but silently.

We had another reviver apiece. Then getting an assistant to relieve me, I went around to the bunk-houses, assuming as casual an air as

possible and smoking. I entered the room, nodded to the other chap and went over to Harrison’s bed. He was lying with his face to the wall

and his back to me. I sat on the foot of his bed, and by way of an opening, said lightly, “Well Charlie, how are you now?” He turned himself

half around, mumbled something, which might have been anything, and turned again to the wall. This would not do. I had to adopt a more

business like tone. “Now, look here Charlie,” I said, “You have been pretty bad for a good while now. Don’t you think it would be a fair

thing to let your friends know, otherwise they would have good cause to feel hurt to hear from an outsider that you had been ill. If you care to

send word to any of them it won’t cost you anything, you know.”

For a time he said nothing. I was beginning to think the job was harder than ever I thought, when he suddenly turned around and looked me

straight in the face. “Is that what the doctor says?” he asked me. I took the chance he gave me and nodded. There was no need for words. We

understood each other. He did not speak again, but turned to the wall. We never knew whether he had friends or not. No one knew of his ever

having received or written a letter. He died that night at 11pm, without uttering another word.

We had no timber with which to make a coffin. We used two sheets of galvanised iron, one under and one over him, having first carefully

wrapped him in his blankets, then lashed the iron sheets together. Harrison was about five feet six inches in height. The iron was only five

feet, so his feet protruded a little, but tidily wrapped in his blankets. I arranged for a grave to be dug and announced that the funeral would

take place after breakfast. About 7.30am we assembled for the function. One man quite seriously, and without meaning any irreverence, gave

a sniff or two and said, “Poor old Charlie! If we could have given him another hour or two, he would have been able to waddle over himself.”

It was rather an unusual, but impressive scene; all of the men with hats off, the coffin support on cross pieces on top of the grave, the two

Chinese with their arms around each other, a short distance away, and a small group of natives a little further off. I read the Church of

England service and hoped for the best. Now we had two occupants, instead of one, in our little cemetery, both named Charles.

28

DALY WATERS — THE HORSE KILLERS Soon after I took charge, the natives came in one day, and reported that the Roper River natives had killed one of our station horses. I went

out five or six miles to identify the horse and took the boys with me. Sure enough, the report was correct. The animal was a draught horse

that had cost £40 not long before. The natives had killed it for meat, and of course could not eat one tenth of it on the spot or convey it to

their own camp.

I reported the matter to the police in Darwin, and forgot all about it. I was the more surprised two or three months later to receive official

notification that two killers had been arrested at the Roper by the Police stationed there. They were being taken to Darwin for the Circuit

Court Sessions. I was instructed to join the party at the King Crossing, 28 miles south of The Katherine and to proceed with them, to arrive in

Darwin not later than a certain date, as the case was listed for that session.

There were two constables, their boy, myself and my boy, two prisoners and three witnesses; ten in all and in the middle of the ‘Wet’, so it

was not an enviable trip. Still we got along pretty well until we reached the ‘Ferguson’, twenty two miles south of Pine Creek, which was

running a banker and about sixty yards wide. That was wider than it usually was, even in flood time. The trouble was our equipment, the

food, saddlery and bedding.

Everybody was requested to use their brains and suggest what could be done. There was trouble for the constables if, through arriving late,

the case would have to be held over for the following sessions – three months later. They did not under-estimate the trouble. However, the

senior man, Stott, said he thought it could be done.

This was his suggested plan: - Two ground sheets spread end to end, with a generous overlap where they joined, then three pack saddles,

upside down, placed end to end on the ground sheets, then three light strong saplings, one on each side of the pack saddles at the top, and one

along the bottoms of the irons. Now the ground sheets were brought up to the edge of the upturned pack saddles and securely fastened to the

saplings. The ground sheets were gathered at the two ends, so as to form a bow at each end of the ‘boat’. The thing looked alright, but now to

test it. It was placed in the water with the overlap of the groundsheets running the same way as the current. Then we loaded her with gear that

would best stand wetting. We fixed on and made up a tow line, and sent a boy in with the tow line in his teeth to make for the nearest clump

of trees or bushes that would hold him. Then he hauled the boat over to him with the help of another boy to guide or steady her. Then on from

there to the next clump and so on. It got over dry and they returned for more. In about two hours everything was on the other side without

mishap.

The men and horses went over, of course, in a few minutes. All our troubles were over. It was only twenty two miles to the train with only

one creek, the Cullen, to cross, which was not likely to be difficult. As we were leaving the Ferguson, a party from Alice Springs arrived on

the other side. Ten days later as I was returning on the way back to Daly Waters, they were still there.

The killers got a couple of years, if I remember correctly. That would be a very severe punishment for them, for they, and I believe all

natives, suffer acutely from nostalgia. They would certainly watch every opportunity to run away. As for our own Daly Waters boys, who

gave me the information about the killing, I saw that they were adequately rewarded.

DALY WATERS — CAMELS We always kept horses in the home paddock, which was a mile square, in case of an emergency trip on the line. One morning, seeing that the

grass about the station seemed pretty fresh, I told the boys to take these horses out of the paddock and hobble them on the station side of the

creek. They had been feeding there quietly for sometime, when suddenly the four of them, as if by a pre-arranged signal, seemed galvanised

into a fit of terror, heads up, nostrils expanded, and snorting. Something from the south side of the station had startled them. What it was, no

sign that we could see or hear, but there was certainly something.

The horses after one terrified look, galloped, in hobbles, off in the opposite direction for twenty or thirty yards, then as if brought up by a

flash, they turned around, had another snort and glare in the direction from which the horror was manifesting itself. This action they kept

repeating until they were out of sight. I sent two boys with head stalls to bring them back. We then waited for a solution. The solution took

half an hour to solve itself. The answer was a half dozen camels, the first incursion of camels into the Never-Never. I had never seen animals

as terrified as those horses were. What seemed no less strange, was that the horses, brought back and placed among the camels, had in an

hour or two, apparently been used to the company of camels all their lives.

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The scent of those ungainly animals seemed to affect the horses from a couple of miles distant. I asked Ahmed, the leader of the party, if it

was intended to bring camels into the Northern Territory. He said, “No. The country was no good for them. The mud and slippery ground

after rain rendered them useless. They seemed to lose control of their legs, which would spread eagle out in different directions.” They

wanted drier and sandy country. Ahmend, I don’t know if he was an Afghan or Arab, was in a difficulty. The party had had no meat for

sometime. He knew from experience that the Telegraph Stations could not sell him a beast. His religion would not permit him to eat any

meat, except that killed by one of themselves. He was a most intelligent chap. He had been years about Alice Springs and Oodnadatta. I had

some very informative talks with him, and won his gratitude forever by presenting him with a live sheep.

DALY WATERS — 1896 TO 1903 SNAKE STORY Most people have heard snake stories. There was one in particular, about a man pulling a snake out of its hole by the tail, and cracking it like

a whiplash, thus breaking its back. This year I have heard in every state in the Commonwealth (except Tasmania). The narrator generally

knew the bloke ‘wot done it’. I ha’ my doubts about it myself.

I have a snake incident to relate, which has one merit at least, that it is one that happened to myself and the snake. I have described the main

building as being built of a wooden framework, covered by galvanised iron. This building was nearly new and stood on wood piles (iron

capped against white ants) about eighteen inches high. The verandah all round the home was latticed in by split bamboo and the lattice was

broken in only one place, where four steps led up to the verandah.

I had an organ. I know nothing of written music, but I used to play a little by ear. The organ in my room was up against the wall. One night I

sat practising at it with both hands. There was a heavy dining table behind me, with a kerosene lamp on it giving me light on the keyboard. I

was not sufficiently expert yet to play without looking at my fingers and the keys. After looking down for some time, I looked up suddenly,

and to my amazement, if nothing worse, I saw a snake’s head about fifteen inches from my face. The eyes were closed, the head with about

eight or nine inches of the body upright, was swaying gently and rhythmically to the sound of the music I was staggered for a moment, but

had sufficient presence of mind to keep on playing. I could not get out; the heavy table would have scraped the floor and probably wakened

the snake. I had to keep on playing. The snake was between the wood framework and the iron, in the corrugation. It had bent over and rested

itself on the top of the organ with its head and neck raised. I thought quickly.

Three rooms away was my assistant, named Waldemar, who I knew would be reading in bed, but how to call out to him at the risk of waking

my friend, the snake. So I began to hum softly to the music, gradually increasing the humming until I thought it was loud enough to carry.

Then I added words to the hum thus, for some time there was no response to this. Then it seemed to strike him. “Oh, what’s that?” he said. I

repeated, “Waldemar, snake.” “Oh! Alright, hang on. I’ll be there.” A few minutes later I heard him come pattering along the verandah. He

looked cautiously in the door, saw what was doing and came into the room behind the table and me.

Then he decided what to do, and saying, “Keep going,” to me, ran over to the kitchen and got the cook’s hair broom, or nearly bald broom,

which in this case, was better than a fullhaired one. He now put down the broom, and very gently and softly shifted one end of the table until

he could get behind me. Then he rested the handle of the broom on my shoulder with the hair part towards the snake, and with a good aim

and a sudden thrust pushed the snake in the corrugations that it had come up in. “Now what?” said he. Then I came in. “Hang on, I’ll be

back,” and went over to the kitchen, got the cook’s tomahawk, and with the top edge of the blade, managed to saw off the snake’s head.

ROUGH JOURNEY — 1897 I was taking my family to Pine Creek en route to Adelaide on account of the younger boy’s illness. Dan Kell, Stationmaster at Powell’s

Creek, asked if I would bring Mrs. Kell back with me. This request placed me in a rather difficult position. I would gladly do anything for

Dan and his wife, but they did not know what they were asking. Dan had only just come inland from Darwin and knew nothing of the bush

and its difficulties. Mrs. Kell had been matron of the Palmerston Hospital, and hadn’t the slightest notion of what she was likely to undergo

on the journey of six hundred miles in that country and in that season.

I knew I could get my family to the train at Pine Creek, because I had made spread preparations in case of such an emergency. On the return

trip I knew I could get back, even if I had to park the buggy and ride the horses, but to take two females on such a journey, with its

uncertainties, was another matter. I explained this to Dan, but he and his wife were sure it would be alright and were willing to take the risk. I

could not well do otherwise than agree.

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The return party would consist of Mrs. Kell, her half caste maid, my other boy, who was to remain at Daly Waters with me, a Chinese cook

for Powell’s Creek, my black boy and myself. By this time there was a weekly mail from pine Creek to The Katherine. It was arranged that

Mrs. Kell and the others would join me at The Katherine.

In due course they arrived there. Then the trouble began. For a start I jettisoned about half their luggage. That could come on by the teams

later. It was no use trying to explain the reasons for leaving it. Still, we got a fairly good start from The Katherine, about 8 a.m., making for

the King River that night, about twenty eight miles, breaking our journey at Easter’s Well, twenty miles, for lunch. So far everything went

according to plan. Now, Mrs. Kell was used, of course, to white tablecloths and other fitting accessories for the dining table, but was

somewhat out of place under our circumstances, but never-the-less we did very well. After lunch I started to pack up, the two horses in the

buggy standing ready, when the Chinese cook took up the white tablecloth, and shook it out right in front of the horses. They showed their

disapproval at once by bolting off through the trees and undergrowth, scattering various articles of utensils and luggage as they went. I

listened for the final crash. It came. Then stillness. Well, what could I say? Nothing ! The cook didn’t mean any harm. He just didn’t know.

Mrs. Kell was in tears and abandoned all hope of ever seeing Dan again. The maid sat down and grinned. Everybody waited to see what was

to happen next. There was nothing but to make the best we could of the business. I set the cook and the maid collecting the debris, whilst the

boy and I went to estimate the damage. I was afraid of a damaged axle or wheel, and though bad enough, the damage was not as bad as that;

the front carriage crumpled up completely, the pole swingle bars broken and the goose neck twisted.

The horses were alright and the harness. Getting all hands to help, we got the buggy back to the camp. I had a tomahawk, a spanner, a pair of

pliers and a 3/8-auger bit, but there was plenty of line wire lying about. So I got to work, new pole and swingle bar and straighten the goose

necks. I had my work cut out, but by about 4 pm I told Mrs. Kell that we might still camp at the King that night.

The sun shone again. We did get to the King and the next day to Bitter Springs, eighteen miles from the Elsey Station (the Front Gate). A day

there, where there was a forge to make better repairs, then we were ready for the road once more. We started off the next morning for No 2

Well, twenty eight miles. The following day we had to go forty one miles to the Ironstone (Birdum) without water. The Ironstone water was

in a 400 gallon malt tank, which had been carted there, to enable me to get through on my outward trip, thirty four miles from Daly Waters.

As we approached the tank, the trouble rose up to meet us. The lid of the tank was open. No need to inspect it. Blacks had managed to get the

lid off, taken what water they wanted, to which they were welcome, then went away leaving the cover off. The tank was half full of dead

birds and live worms, a struggling sickening mass, the thirty four miles to go to the Station. Of course the horses would not go near it. I tried

boiling some of it, but the smell could not be lessened. There was nothing now, but to face the inevitable and prepare for an all night travel.

I left starting as late as I could to give the horses a chance to get a roll and a mouthful of grass, and to get near the cool of the evening. We

had enough water to have a pot of tea. Then we started. It would be an all night drive. Well, just about dark, almost without warning, a

shower of rain came. It just tumbled down for a few moments then cleared off as suddenly as it came.

There was not time to do anything except to drive the buggy off the track and let the horses get what water they could among the tussocks of

grass. It was not much, but it was enough to freshen them up a bit. I decided then to go on to the fourteen mile and then turn them out for an

hour or two and get a sleep. We all needed that and got it.

At daylight I got out and listened for the horses. No sound. I should have known better and have tied them up. I roused the cook and the boy

to go after them. They would make for Stuart’s Swamp, fourteen miles away. Not knowing when they would get back, I advised Mrs. Kell

and Clara to take the water bag and walk towards the Station. It was all good going now, and they could not miss the track, so they started –

Mrs. Kell in tears.

It was about 11 a.m. when the horses got back, and I lost no time in getting a start, being a bit anxious, not knowing what Mrs. Kell might do.

The little lad and I got away quickly and found Mrs. Kell and the maid about a quarter of a mile away. The former had given up. After all she

could hardly be blamed. It had been a trying time for a new chum.

However, all’s well that ends well. We got in at last without further mishap. Mrs. Kell, however, had to wait several weeks before going on to

Powell’s Creek. There was an eighty mile dry stage from Daly Waters to Newcastle Waters, so she must perforce wait for the first showers.

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DUPLEX.

Early in 1898, the Duplex System of sending or receiving two messages at the same time was introduced. For this purpose, a second wire –

copper, the resistance of which was less than half of the old original iron line - facilitated the transmission of the business by at least 100%

for two reasons. One, on account of the lower resistance, and, two, having now two wires, we could, when a fault occurred in a section of the

copper, cut out that section and cut in a section of the other in its place.

Acting on the advice of Sir Charles, I obtained a copy of the latest Duplex working in the United States, by Haver and Davis. On my way

back to Darwin both by sea and land travelling, I had the opportunity to study the system to such good effect, that I had the instruments

installed ready for work, before the two experts, who were sent from Adelaide for this job at respective stations. Had still one station –

Powell’s Creek – to connect up. I received a message from Sir Charles, thanking me for the assistance I had given in getting the work going.

Of the two experts, Mr. E Johns went to Darwin by sea and took charge of the Section for the time being, while the other, Mr. G Field, went

overland to fix up the repeaters at Charlotte Waters, Alice Springs, Powell’s Creek and Daly Waters. Some little hitch occurred at Powell’s

Creek. I took a long shot, got mine in first. Fortunately for me there was no hitch in the installing of my set, or I should have been in hot

water.

The four automatic repeaters, Charlotte Waters, Alice Springs, Powell’s Creek and Daly Waters were in circuit for the full twenty four hours,

one and three together, and two and four together. This arrangement was observed until 1903 when I left the Northern Territory for good.

Until the coming of the Duplex, the Office in the old building was also the Officers’ dining room. I now turned one of the rooms into a dining

room and built a kitchen adjoining; then I altered the old office so that it contained the batteries as well as the instruments. I built racks for

the batteries, which aggregated 350 Meidinger cells. A section of these batteries was renewed each week in such a manner that at the end of

four months, the whole had been renewed, thus maintaining them at a level strength

MRS. GUNN The first time I met Mr. and Mrs. Gunn was at their home at the Elsey Cattle Station in 1902. I was returning from The Katherine and had put

in a night at the Elsey. Before starting on my journey the next morning, having to speak on the line to see that all was well before setting out,

a rule not to be ignored, I said to Mrs. Gunn, that if she wished to send a telegram, I could do so from the Shackle. Mrs. Gunn became highly

excited and called out to Mr. Gunn. “Mr. Goss says he can send a telegram out from the Shackle. Come and help me to write it.” “We’ll go to

the Shackle and see that he sends it properly.”

The Shackle was about two miles away. Horses were sent for and we all went over to the line. I attached my instrument and with an empty

meat tin as a sound board, sent the message, which Mrs. Gunn held up before me. I saw Mrs. Gunn’s eyes looking along the long stretch of

clearing and the line itself to where it faded away in the distance, with her heart in her eyes- she would have like to have gone with the

telegram.

“How long before they will get it?” she asked. It has to go to Victoria. “I can’t say,” I told her, “I can only send it to Daly Waters, where it

must wait its turn with the traffic from other stations. It might take a couple of hours – certainly not longer.”

The first of Sept 1903 I was transferred to Adelaide. During the succeeding years, I was appointed to the following Post Offices: - Caltowie,

Millicent, Renmark, Port Pirie and finally Port Augusta.

I Retired from the Postmaster General’s Department on 31st December 1927.

F Goss

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‘WE OF THE NEVER NEVER.’

References to the writer in Mrs. Gunn’s book are as follows:-

Chapter Seven ‘Two hundred and fifty guests……… changing colour met our eyes.’

‘But the operator, being unpoetical,………….in one great brotherhood.’

Chapter Fourteen. ‘Dan went in to the homestead……………….. just pleasant memories.’

Chapter Sixteen. ‘Then the chief of the telegraph coming in………………………Dandy’s promise to wake him at dawn.

For a few days the man rested…………………ever we had dared hope for.’

The Staff Register also records for F.Goss:-

25 May 1878 – 30 June 1878 Lineman Southport 3/- per day

1 July 1878 – 31 Aug 1878 Operator Southport 3/- per day

1 Sep 1878 – 31 Dec 1880 Operator Southport 4/- per day

1 Jan 1881 – 28 Feb 1881 Operator Yam Creek 4/- per day

1 Mar 1881 – 30 Apr 1882 Operator Yam Creek 5/- per day

1 May 1882 – 31 July 1882 Operator Yam Creek 6/- per day

1 Aug 1882 – 30 June 1883 Assist Powell Creek 6/- per day

1 July 1883 – 19 April 1884 Assist Katherine 6/- per day

20 April 1884 – 16 Nov 1886 Assist Daly Waters 6/- per day

16 May 1887 – 30 Sep 1887 Operator Pt Darwin 6/- per day

1 Oct 1888 – 30 Sep 1888 Operator Adelaide River 8/- per day

1 Oct 1888 – 18 Dec 1888 Operator Howley Creek 8/- per day

19 Dec 1888 – 30 Sep 1889 Operator Adelaide River 8/- per day

1 Oct 1889 – 30 Apr 1890 Assistant Katherine 8/- per day

1 May 1890 – 30 Apr 1895 Operator Pt Darwin Line

1 May 1896 – 30 June 1900 PM/SM Daly Waters 150

1 July 1900 – 30 June 1901 PM/SM Daly Waters 160

1 July 1901 – 30 June 1902 PM/SM Daly Waters 170

1 July 1902 – 30 June 1903 PM/SM Daly Waters 180

1 July 1903 – 31 Aug 1903 PM/SM Daly Waters 190

1 Sep 1903 – 30 June 1904 PM Caltowie 190

1 July 1904 – 24 June 1908 PM Caltowie 200 less 15 rent

25 June 1908 PM Caltowie 210 less 21 rent 33

DINNER TO COMMEMORATE THE COMPLETION OF THE OVERLAND TELEGRAPH A Dinner to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the completion of the Overland Telegraph was held in Adelaide on 15th November 1997.

A reproduction of the program for the event is shown below

1.

2.

3. 4.

5.

6.

Overland Telegraph Line – Telstra Museum Display 2012 Recently the Telstra Museum staged a public display at Telstra Corp headquarters in Melbourne of artifacts related to the construction of the

Overland Telegraph Line erected between Adelaide and Darwin in 1870-72. Some of the items belonged to Charles Todd and John Knuckey.

John was the younger brother of Richard Knuckey who is better known for his involvement with the O.T.L.

The Knuckey dynasty served more than 120 years in the field of telecommunications in inland Australia. Names such as Knuckey Street in

Darwin, Knuckey Lagoon (15km south of Darwin) and Knuckey Avenue in Alice Springs are all named after Richard R Knuckey.

This is a photo of John Knuckey’s ‘well travelled’ foot locker which would have been his ‘travelling office’. The leather case contains his

glass water bottle then a powder flask and on the top right is his surveying equipment. The first drawer contains cutters, the second pliers and

wire cutters and the third a sun filter glass.

Insulators found on the O.T.L. The one on the right is Western Electric Lineman’s test set Inscribed

attached to portion of an Oppenheimer bracket 11th October 1890.

(Photos courtesy Victorian Telecommunications Museum)