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John Lester bush pioneer
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Description1880 James Lester, who five years ago had been a penniless new chum - has by hard work, perseverance, and gumption, has a gold claim with water brought in such a manner that the water race will last for years. The usual practice was that each party, after taking up a claim, brought in water with the sole thought of its being available for the working of their own ground. Water from the water race was valuable. A "head" of water could be sold for £1/miner/day. One "head" of water can process a week's paydirt-up to 100 cubic yards in a day.Consider that there were several miners needing water,this was very lucrative. Gold was £3 17s/ounce.
James has a large piece of land on either side of the Matakitaki river, on one side being cleared, grassed and stocked (The Red House) and on the other side, opposite Blue Slip he is putting up a nice house. The house is made of pit-sawn timber and roofed with beech shingles. The initial house dimensions are about 12 ft. by 8 ft, raised well off the ground, perched on large stone piles. Foundations are being laid, ready for the addition of two more rooms. In the dwelling house are comfortable beds on stretchers, with a crib for the baby. A remarkably neat cupboard, also arm-chairs, table, and stools, all of his own making. The room itself is so clean that you could safely eat off the floor without any fear. On the top of his chimney is an old- fashioned cowl also of his own make. At one end of the house is a garden with fruit trees and vegetables. On this little piece of ground, they grow blackcurrants which are made into excellent jam, and red cabbage into capital pickles. Several beech-slab sheds had also been built, including a workshop with a forge with bellows of his own making, a carpenter's bench with all the necessary tools, with a place for everything, and everything in its place, a cow-shed, and a barn. Everything else, he had to pack in from the Devil's Grip (Upper Buller) , a 3 day round trip.
This bush pioneer depended on the bush for nearly everything in the way of furniture. It was so easy to fashion things out of wood. The bedsteads were wooden, and the armchairs possessed by every house were made out of some special wood cut out of the bush. Even salt cellars and sugar basins were made out of wood, and they served very well till the days came when the pioneer could get them made out of other material. It was good that the bush supplied so many of the needs of the family, because there were many lean years. White pine trees, lying dead up in the bush, are carted down and from them excellent sledge runners are made. Totara wood proves even more valuable. Excellent doorsteps and window frames can be made and the timber is free. The timber is excellent quality.
Washing day started by getting out of bed at 6.30 a.m. staggering out to the wash-house, filled the copper and lit the fire under it, went back inside, stirred up the rest of the family to get out of bed and after breakfast (having in the meantime gone back and replenished the fuel for the fire under the copper) dragged the sheets off the bed and got the first pair into the boiling copper along with a cup full of bar soap which you had grated. 20 minutes of boiling saw them clean so they were lifted out with a stout stick and deposited in the tub next to the copper, you then stuffed the next pair in to boil replenishing the water and also the fire from time to time. You then ran cold water into the tub and rinsed the first lot of sheet, putting them through a hand turned wringer, into the second tub for a second rinse. Those actions continued until all sheets, pillow cases, table cloths, tea towels, handkerchiefs, men's shirts etc were washed. Next came hand-washing of other clothes such as dresses, socks etc. They were all pegged out on the line to dry- no clothes dryers except a wooden rack on the verandah or a rack hanging from the kitchen ceiling. You were doing well if you got it all done before dinner.``
Cooking was often done in brick ovens, heating the bricks white hot with a good hard wood- Manuka or Matai . The coals had to be evenly spread, to heat corners of the oven. Different foods required different temperatures . Temperature was registered through sprinkling a little flour on the bricks. Depending on the seconds it took to brown, the oven temperature was gauged. Long trays holding up to four dozen scones on each tray were cooked for the first 8-10 minutes. Meat was usually roast beef,mutton or poultry. Lastly the fruit cakes, caraway seed cake etc. The whole day's programme was so well organised.
The cow was hand milked and the milk placed in large milk cans and settled overnight. Next morning the cream was skimmed off with a skimmer for butter, cream for the table. Milk was for the household and Pigs, calves in Spring-time. Any excess was made into curds and whey. Curds for raising the young poultry. Whey to the pigs. The old churns came in various shapes and sizes.
Fruit trees - plums, apples and peaches. Raspberries and blackcurrants, jars of jams made from these. Ballarat apple was the earliest popular cooking apple, brought from Ballarat in South Australia.
Camp Oven Cooking. The water was carried in buckets, many made from kerosene tins. The large iron kettle on the open fire supplied the hot water for daily use. Bathing - a large tin bath before the open fire. Cold water is carried in buckets and heated with hot water from the kettle.
Washing - tubs of water set up near the water pipe, copper and washing board. Soap - made from the animal fat, boiled up in the copper - set in kerosene tins cut longways. Cut into 3 bars and dried to harden in the sun. Sandsoap made for scrubbing and scouring - river sand was used.
To protect the bricks in the fireplaces, a mixture of blue clay and water was painted on with a saturated cloth. This gave a nice clean white look to the fireplace and great protection to the bricks. Long verandahs which had to be scrubbed by hand-very hard on your knees.. Candles were made with tallow poured into shapes.
The turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowls, bantams, poultry, provided a plentiful supply of eggs - all had to be fed.
Curing of the bacon - salt and sugar rubbed into it every third day and turned. Later hung in the kitchen to ‘cure’.
Orders to keep the stores up may be as long as 2-3 months apart. This was for the flour, sugar, tea etc.
Tending the sick, the injured, the needy - iodine, caster oil. Sutures of silk were used to sew up the sinews in my father’s hand when it was cut through with an axe. Set fractures following mill accidents.
All came under the management of the women running the home.
Clearing the farm is ongoing.
Bushfelling consists of scrubbing and felling. .Scrubbing is removing all undergrowth up to three or four inches. A slasher or scrubbing hook is used, which varies in length according to the bush it is to be used in. Light open bush is much more easily gone through with a a long-handled hook than with a, short one, as also is very thick scrub, which has to be cut top and bottom; but if on the other hand the scrub be pretty thick or dense and need only be cut at the bottom, then a short handled book can be used. Most bushmen buy a light long-handled hook and cut about nine inches or a foot off it. Then it can be used with either one or two hands. Even scrubbing is a matter of skill and experience, for if the right slope ' be not taken, neither too horizontally nor the perpendicularly,many blows and gentle expletives are often lost and consequently time too. Young trees, vines, lawyers, ferns, etc., are all cut about six inches from the ground, giving an abundance of light inflammable wood underneath to carry the fire in the ensuing burning season, When scrubbing is completed the work of throwing down the timber begins. The experienced man runs through his bush till he finds the proper lean of the timber, and also a good place to open a face. A face simply means a good opening in the bush in such a position that all or nearly all the surrounding timber may be thrown into it without blocking any of the trees up with limbs or branches and thereby impeding the work of cutting. Faces of course vary very considerably in the directions and shape, and are of course always in front of the lean of the and are usually opened at some creek or at the lowest fall of the ground. The first few trees having been felled, our bushman begins to look about him for drives. By driving is meant the throwing of one tree into another or more, in such a manner as to save a very considerable amount of chopping". It is to be done in the following manner, Supposing or six trees have been 'found leaning one into the other consecutively, the last tree of course being in the face of the bush, then a front and back scarf is put into each of the trees, beginning at the last named one and leaving from a foot to eighteen inches of timber uncut according to the size and weight of the tree to fall into it, and gradually diminishing the amount of timber left unchopped as the drive is approached. This is usually a tree with a large and heavy top and sure lean, and is the most important tree of the drive. This is where experience shines, irrespective of his chopping powers, as great judgment is required in scarfing trees to fall properly into each other, for they very seldom stand exactly in a straight line, or have a true lean. Scarves have to be cut to suit the fall, and often more timber left on one side of the tree than the other in order to drag it in that particular direction, The first intimation of a tree beginning to fall is the rising of the sap in very ( small foamy beads in the table of the back scarf and if the ear be applied a very faint cracking may be heard. A few more blows and the tree begins to “ talk ” or crack more loudly, and then our man waits to see if it is falling in the exact direction he had intended. This is known by closely watching the twigs of the branches when standing behind the tree in the line in which it is desired to fall. If he does not think it is he chops more wood from the side to winch the tree is drawing, which brings it more in the desired direction. When at last it is fairly off, a smile of satisfaction crosses his face as he wipes the perspiration from his forehead, for to hear these old giants of the forest groaning, tearing, crashing and banging is to him or anyone grand music, and is the termination of that part of his contract. A well-earned drink at the billy, and another whet of the axe, and then the work begins again. Sometimes trees stand so perpendicularly that it is almost impossible to determine in what direction they will fall and in such cases the belly or front scarf is sunk much deeper than usual to weaken the tree on that side and consequently draw it in that direction. Many trees such as matai, tawa, honey-snckle, totara etc. do not, if a large tree is coming into them, require a front scarf at all as they are so brittle that they easily rip up or snap off from the back. In some forests, the trees are too far apart to permit much driving, and run much larger than when they stand close together. This class of bush seldom has the fine face the more heavily timbered one usually presents, and consequently more frequent opening is necessary. In this class of hush the timber is more varied, being generally composed of hinau, white-wood, konini, mairi, birch, honeysuckle, tawa, etc., besides pines and ratas. The heavy bush is chiefly composed of pines intermixed with honeysuckle, tawa, and mairi, and is always on level or light, running ground. The chief point in bushfalling after the scrubbing is the cutting of the smaller and softer timber on both sides in order to ensure their falling off the stumps, for if ever so little bark be unbroken it will nourish and greatly prolong the life of that tree, thereby often preventing, a clean burn later on.
.Firewood is plentiful with felled trees right at our back door.Clearing the land for a garden or to grow enough hay, to feed the animals during the long cold foggy winter,is our priority.Getting rid of the huge trunks and stumps was relentless as they can lay on the ground for decades without rotting.Digging stumps was a thankless endeavour,digging deeply down to cut every root,then using other small trees to lever them out.Smaller stumps can take a hour or so to upend.A large stump can take days of hard work with a spade and ax. Once dug out it will be too big to move so you stack all the smaller rubbish,stumps,waste wood around it and fire will reduce it to ash and charcoal.Beech does not burn well unless it was split,stacked and sun dried.Huge quantities of split dry timber are stacked around the stumps.
Once alight you continue to stoke the fire..Before bed we walk back to the fire to poke the unburned ends of wood into the coals and reload logs from the nearby heap so we don't have to light it again in the morning.Sometimes one huge stump will burn for three weeks,consuming a dozen smaller stumps and trunks.
During those cold winter nights you really enjoy the fire's warmth but you will always be on the wrong side as the night breezes delight in blowing the smoke wherever you stand.We roast potatoes in their jackets, while fire gazing.This makes the drudgery of the days work fade.Life is good.
Eventually we had a hole full of charcoal and had cleared maybe 5 square yards to plant grass or potatoes.
Gradually we learnt to work smarter and use this trick to burn out stumps.—A hole is dug about eight or ten inches deep, by the stump between two projecting roots. A two-inch auger with a long shank is set near the centre of the top of the stump, ranging the point to the hole dug by the side, and bore through. Make a fire in the hole in the ground, and there is no more trouble with the stump except to fill up the hole where it once was. The augur hole serves as a flue or pipe that draws the fire, not allowing it to go out.
Stump jacking was the next innovation,making an energy sapping,tedious task relatively easy
This consisted of a lever about 2ft long, cut from a sapling and attached to the base of a stump by a stout chain, which acted as a fulcrum, on each side of which was a small chain terminating with a double-toothed iron dog, or grappling hook.The men,with the aid of a ladder, passed a chain round the trunk, at a height of about 20ft from the ground. Hooked on to this chain was an iron rod about 20ft long and 1 inch thick, followed by another rod of the same dimensions, hooked on in its turn by another chain, making in all a length of about 60ft or 70ft. Each chain used is about the thickness of a stout bullock chain. This was immediately hauled taut, and one of the dogs hooked onto it. The men then applied themselves to the end of the lever, and walked away with it, thus causing a tremendous strain on the rods and chains. As soon as they had gone as far as the lever would allow, James went to the fulcrum end of it and adjusted the other dog some dozen or so links further up the chain. The men then walked back with the lever. This operation was repeated two or three times, when the earth around the roots, which had been slightly loosened, began to heave up. I could see the tree commence to bend over and could hear the roots cracking, more pressure being put on by advancing the dogs alternately as previously described. The tree was pulled about three parts out of the ground, when its own weight caused it to topple forward and fall to the earth with a crash, dragging out with it the roots. The entire operation did not last more than ten minutes.This invention, which is certainly a most simple contrivance, as well as a great saving of time and labor.
We learn another way to remove stumps.
The first stump was about two feet in diameter A hole having been driven under it a little past the centre, a single charge was put in,with the cap and fuse attached.The soil was then slightly rammed,in until some inches away from the charge; then more soil was put in the hole alongside the fuse and rammed up.The fuse was then lit,'After a minute", the stump was split up and the roots lifted with the explosion. A large red pine (or matia) was next.The tree was about four feet in diameter.James attached the cap to the fuse and inserting it into one of the charges; the fuse was lit.After waiting a minute, the stump and all the roots were lifted, about two thirds beings thrown twelve yards away.The roots.which extended laterally were raised about a foot but fell neatly into their places again,' but only need a lever to turn them over.We determined to try upon a larger and evidently more obdurate root (with 3s worth of dynamite) It was very much tougher than the others. In about five minutes the hole was made under the stump, by the use of a long iron Crow-bar and the charge was ready. Before lighting the fuse, Mr Gorman wished to know "what it was worth to get up the stump by manual labor;- The opinion was that it was well worth 20s, many remarking-that they would well-earn their money,for growing as it had done,on the edge of a bank by a creek.The soil was deep and many of the roots went straight down.. It certainly was the most formidable looking stump. It looked as if the' 'fuse had "gone out,but such was not the case" for the whole 'stump and roots' were lifted clean up,the stump falling into numerous pieces."The last charge was placed under a standing large tree.The fuse lit and we stood clear.On examining the tree and ground, after waiting until it could stand steady, the surface roots had been lifted out of the ground for many yards.The roots and soil from underneath had been driven out leaving a hole 3ft -4ft-'deep;-and 'the tree-was split up:from l5 to 18ft above ground.*' Altogether it was a very satisfactory trial .It showed a saving of cost in one stump ,that would cost 20s to get out by manual labour and only costs 3s or 4s by this plan.Dynamite is way more fun and quicker.
I inherited this trait.In my 6th form year,our class of three,did our lessons by correspondence and were left unsupervised.Organic Chemistry gave us details on how to make Nitroglycerine,so we did.The instructions were followed exactly and a sample collected in an ice bath,just as advised.From somewhere,I had "Acquired" a blasting cap and I knew how to use it.What better time to test our product,than Guy Fawkes day.The coal yard,behind the swimming pool,was the safe zone selected.Large piles of coal would redirect the blast,if we were successful.All other kids were in their classes.The coast was clear.Countdown commenced,then BOOM!!A big, black cloud rose into the clear blue sky.We skedaddled from the scene,concealed behind the thick line of conifers on the boundary,emerging by the school hall.Sherriff Solly lived next door to the coalyard.He wandered over,looking confused,as the dust cloud vanished.All the kids and teachers headed that way too,wondering what happened.We joined the procession,all innocent like.We kept our mouth shut while everyone else offered an explanation for the explosion.Another of life's little mysteries.
My love of "blowing things up"was taken to the next level,in 1970.My mate Richard and I took a Blasting course.We learnt the theory,then the practical.Our tutor was "Old school" hands on and taught us many ways of achieving the same objective.I loved removing stumps.After extensive training,we were offered the chance to demonstrate our knowledge by draining a swampy terrace up near the Kohatu Hotel.
A perfect autumn day for our assessment,was spoiled by sloshing around in a swamp.I was happy as a "pig in shit"Our objective was to create a drain 3ft deep,3ft wide at the base across a 100 metre bog,not create a lake.There were a couple of big stumps along the line to remove-happy days.We drew up our plan and this was accepted.I prepared the stumps,digging and packing various sized packets of dynamite.Got the "big tick".Working down the line, adjustments were made depending on how deep we could push our iron bar.Everything was approved by our tutor,after a couple of tweaks were suggested.Permission was given to connect the firing line,after we had checked and cleared the zone.Countdown 3..2..1..and BOOOM.Well, more of a muffled whoop,as mud and shit was thrown into the sky,followed by a high pitched scream.WTF?Richard had a big eel draped around his neck.We laughed so much it hurt.Eventually,we gained our composure and went to check the result.Water was already trickling down the terrace edge,into the drain below.The stumps had been lifted to the side,a couple of yards from their original position.The gradient,depth and width were nearly perfect,only spoilt by a couple of small stumps we never saw.They were easily removed by those present.Hands were shaken,we had passed our final assessment and now was the time to clean off the muck and a beer or three.The terrace is now a lovely grassed paddock,with a barely perceptible shallow drain.The water no longer gathers there.ContributorJohn Lester
James has a large piece of land on either side of the Matakitaki river, on one side being cleared, grassed and stocked (The Red House) and on the other side, opposite Blue Slip he is putting up a nice house. The house is made of pit-sawn timber and roofed with beech shingles. The initial house dimensions are about 12 ft. by 8 ft, raised well off the ground, perched on large stone piles. Foundations are being laid, ready for the addition of two more rooms. In the dwelling house are comfortable beds on stretchers, with a crib for the baby. A remarkably neat cupboard, also arm-chairs, table, and stools, all of his own making. The room itself is so clean that you could safely eat off the floor without any fear. On the top of his chimney is an old- fashioned cowl also of his own make. At one end of the house is a garden with fruit trees and vegetables. On this little piece of ground, they grow blackcurrants which are made into excellent jam, and red cabbage into capital pickles. Several beech-slab sheds had also been built, including a workshop with a forge with bellows of his own making, a carpenter's bench with all the necessary tools, with a place for everything, and everything in its place, a cow-shed, and a barn. Everything else, he had to pack in from the Devil's Grip (Upper Buller) , a 3 day round trip.
This bush pioneer depended on the bush for nearly everything in the way of furniture. It was so easy to fashion things out of wood. The bedsteads were wooden, and the armchairs possessed by every house were made out of some special wood cut out of the bush. Even salt cellars and sugar basins were made out of wood, and they served very well till the days came when the pioneer could get them made out of other material. It was good that the bush supplied so many of the needs of the family, because there were many lean years. White pine trees, lying dead up in the bush, are carted down and from them excellent sledge runners are made. Totara wood proves even more valuable. Excellent doorsteps and window frames can be made and the timber is free. The timber is excellent quality.
Washing day started by getting out of bed at 6.30 a.m. staggering out to the wash-house, filled the copper and lit the fire under it, went back inside, stirred up the rest of the family to get out of bed and after breakfast (having in the meantime gone back and replenished the fuel for the fire under the copper) dragged the sheets off the bed and got the first pair into the boiling copper along with a cup full of bar soap which you had grated. 20 minutes of boiling saw them clean so they were lifted out with a stout stick and deposited in the tub next to the copper, you then stuffed the next pair in to boil replenishing the water and also the fire from time to time. You then ran cold water into the tub and rinsed the first lot of sheet, putting them through a hand turned wringer, into the second tub for a second rinse. Those actions continued until all sheets, pillow cases, table cloths, tea towels, handkerchiefs, men's shirts etc were washed. Next came hand-washing of other clothes such as dresses, socks etc. They were all pegged out on the line to dry- no clothes dryers except a wooden rack on the verandah or a rack hanging from the kitchen ceiling. You were doing well if you got it all done before dinner.``
Cooking was often done in brick ovens, heating the bricks white hot with a good hard wood- Manuka or Matai . The coals had to be evenly spread, to heat corners of the oven. Different foods required different temperatures . Temperature was registered through sprinkling a little flour on the bricks. Depending on the seconds it took to brown, the oven temperature was gauged. Long trays holding up to four dozen scones on each tray were cooked for the first 8-10 minutes. Meat was usually roast beef,mutton or poultry. Lastly the fruit cakes, caraway seed cake etc. The whole day's programme was so well organised.
The cow was hand milked and the milk placed in large milk cans and settled overnight. Next morning the cream was skimmed off with a skimmer for butter, cream for the table. Milk was for the household and Pigs, calves in Spring-time. Any excess was made into curds and whey. Curds for raising the young poultry. Whey to the pigs. The old churns came in various shapes and sizes.
Fruit trees - plums, apples and peaches. Raspberries and blackcurrants, jars of jams made from these. Ballarat apple was the earliest popular cooking apple, brought from Ballarat in South Australia.
Camp Oven Cooking. The water was carried in buckets, many made from kerosene tins. The large iron kettle on the open fire supplied the hot water for daily use. Bathing - a large tin bath before the open fire. Cold water is carried in buckets and heated with hot water from the kettle.
Washing - tubs of water set up near the water pipe, copper and washing board. Soap - made from the animal fat, boiled up in the copper - set in kerosene tins cut longways. Cut into 3 bars and dried to harden in the sun. Sandsoap made for scrubbing and scouring - river sand was used.
To protect the bricks in the fireplaces, a mixture of blue clay and water was painted on with a saturated cloth. This gave a nice clean white look to the fireplace and great protection to the bricks. Long verandahs which had to be scrubbed by hand-very hard on your knees.. Candles were made with tallow poured into shapes.
The turkeys, ducks, geese, guinea fowls, bantams, poultry, provided a plentiful supply of eggs - all had to be fed.
Curing of the bacon - salt and sugar rubbed into it every third day and turned. Later hung in the kitchen to ‘cure’.
Orders to keep the stores up may be as long as 2-3 months apart. This was for the flour, sugar, tea etc.
Tending the sick, the injured, the needy - iodine, caster oil. Sutures of silk were used to sew up the sinews in my father’s hand when it was cut through with an axe. Set fractures following mill accidents.
All came under the management of the women running the home.
Clearing the farm is ongoing.
Bushfelling consists of scrubbing and felling. .Scrubbing is removing all undergrowth up to three or four inches. A slasher or scrubbing hook is used, which varies in length according to the bush it is to be used in. Light open bush is much more easily gone through with a a long-handled hook than with a, short one, as also is very thick scrub, which has to be cut top and bottom; but if on the other hand the scrub be pretty thick or dense and need only be cut at the bottom, then a short handled book can be used. Most bushmen buy a light long-handled hook and cut about nine inches or a foot off it. Then it can be used with either one or two hands. Even scrubbing is a matter of skill and experience, for if the right slope ' be not taken, neither too horizontally nor the perpendicularly,many blows and gentle expletives are often lost and consequently time too. Young trees, vines, lawyers, ferns, etc., are all cut about six inches from the ground, giving an abundance of light inflammable wood underneath to carry the fire in the ensuing burning season, When scrubbing is completed the work of throwing down the timber begins. The experienced man runs through his bush till he finds the proper lean of the timber, and also a good place to open a face. A face simply means a good opening in the bush in such a position that all or nearly all the surrounding timber may be thrown into it without blocking any of the trees up with limbs or branches and thereby impeding the work of cutting. Faces of course vary very considerably in the directions and shape, and are of course always in front of the lean of the and are usually opened at some creek or at the lowest fall of the ground. The first few trees having been felled, our bushman begins to look about him for drives. By driving is meant the throwing of one tree into another or more, in such a manner as to save a very considerable amount of chopping". It is to be done in the following manner, Supposing or six trees have been 'found leaning one into the other consecutively, the last tree of course being in the face of the bush, then a front and back scarf is put into each of the trees, beginning at the last named one and leaving from a foot to eighteen inches of timber uncut according to the size and weight of the tree to fall into it, and gradually diminishing the amount of timber left unchopped as the drive is approached. This is usually a tree with a large and heavy top and sure lean, and is the most important tree of the drive. This is where experience shines, irrespective of his chopping powers, as great judgment is required in scarfing trees to fall properly into each other, for they very seldom stand exactly in a straight line, or have a true lean. Scarves have to be cut to suit the fall, and often more timber left on one side of the tree than the other in order to drag it in that particular direction, The first intimation of a tree beginning to fall is the rising of the sap in very ( small foamy beads in the table of the back scarf and if the ear be applied a very faint cracking may be heard. A few more blows and the tree begins to “ talk ” or crack more loudly, and then our man waits to see if it is falling in the exact direction he had intended. This is known by closely watching the twigs of the branches when standing behind the tree in the line in which it is desired to fall. If he does not think it is he chops more wood from the side to winch the tree is drawing, which brings it more in the desired direction. When at last it is fairly off, a smile of satisfaction crosses his face as he wipes the perspiration from his forehead, for to hear these old giants of the forest groaning, tearing, crashing and banging is to him or anyone grand music, and is the termination of that part of his contract. A well-earned drink at the billy, and another whet of the axe, and then the work begins again. Sometimes trees stand so perpendicularly that it is almost impossible to determine in what direction they will fall and in such cases the belly or front scarf is sunk much deeper than usual to weaken the tree on that side and consequently draw it in that direction. Many trees such as matai, tawa, honey-snckle, totara etc. do not, if a large tree is coming into them, require a front scarf at all as they are so brittle that they easily rip up or snap off from the back. In some forests, the trees are too far apart to permit much driving, and run much larger than when they stand close together. This class of bush seldom has the fine face the more heavily timbered one usually presents, and consequently more frequent opening is necessary. In this class of hush the timber is more varied, being generally composed of hinau, white-wood, konini, mairi, birch, honeysuckle, tawa, etc., besides pines and ratas. The heavy bush is chiefly composed of pines intermixed with honeysuckle, tawa, and mairi, and is always on level or light, running ground. The chief point in bushfalling after the scrubbing is the cutting of the smaller and softer timber on both sides in order to ensure their falling off the stumps, for if ever so little bark be unbroken it will nourish and greatly prolong the life of that tree, thereby often preventing, a clean burn later on.
.Firewood is plentiful with felled trees right at our back door.Clearing the land for a garden or to grow enough hay, to feed the animals during the long cold foggy winter,is our priority.Getting rid of the huge trunks and stumps was relentless as they can lay on the ground for decades without rotting.Digging stumps was a thankless endeavour,digging deeply down to cut every root,then using other small trees to lever them out.Smaller stumps can take a hour or so to upend.A large stump can take days of hard work with a spade and ax. Once dug out it will be too big to move so you stack all the smaller rubbish,stumps,waste wood around it and fire will reduce it to ash and charcoal.Beech does not burn well unless it was split,stacked and sun dried.Huge quantities of split dry timber are stacked around the stumps.
Once alight you continue to stoke the fire..Before bed we walk back to the fire to poke the unburned ends of wood into the coals and reload logs from the nearby heap so we don't have to light it again in the morning.Sometimes one huge stump will burn for three weeks,consuming a dozen smaller stumps and trunks.
During those cold winter nights you really enjoy the fire's warmth but you will always be on the wrong side as the night breezes delight in blowing the smoke wherever you stand.We roast potatoes in their jackets, while fire gazing.This makes the drudgery of the days work fade.Life is good.
Eventually we had a hole full of charcoal and had cleared maybe 5 square yards to plant grass or potatoes.
Gradually we learnt to work smarter and use this trick to burn out stumps.—A hole is dug about eight or ten inches deep, by the stump between two projecting roots. A two-inch auger with a long shank is set near the centre of the top of the stump, ranging the point to the hole dug by the side, and bore through. Make a fire in the hole in the ground, and there is no more trouble with the stump except to fill up the hole where it once was. The augur hole serves as a flue or pipe that draws the fire, not allowing it to go out.
Stump jacking was the next innovation,making an energy sapping,tedious task relatively easy
This consisted of a lever about 2ft long, cut from a sapling and attached to the base of a stump by a stout chain, which acted as a fulcrum, on each side of which was a small chain terminating with a double-toothed iron dog, or grappling hook.The men,with the aid of a ladder, passed a chain round the trunk, at a height of about 20ft from the ground. Hooked on to this chain was an iron rod about 20ft long and 1 inch thick, followed by another rod of the same dimensions, hooked on in its turn by another chain, making in all a length of about 60ft or 70ft. Each chain used is about the thickness of a stout bullock chain. This was immediately hauled taut, and one of the dogs hooked onto it. The men then applied themselves to the end of the lever, and walked away with it, thus causing a tremendous strain on the rods and chains. As soon as they had gone as far as the lever would allow, James went to the fulcrum end of it and adjusted the other dog some dozen or so links further up the chain. The men then walked back with the lever. This operation was repeated two or three times, when the earth around the roots, which had been slightly loosened, began to heave up. I could see the tree commence to bend over and could hear the roots cracking, more pressure being put on by advancing the dogs alternately as previously described. The tree was pulled about three parts out of the ground, when its own weight caused it to topple forward and fall to the earth with a crash, dragging out with it the roots. The entire operation did not last more than ten minutes.This invention, which is certainly a most simple contrivance, as well as a great saving of time and labor.
We learn another way to remove stumps.
The first stump was about two feet in diameter A hole having been driven under it a little past the centre, a single charge was put in,with the cap and fuse attached.The soil was then slightly rammed,in until some inches away from the charge; then more soil was put in the hole alongside the fuse and rammed up.The fuse was then lit,'After a minute", the stump was split up and the roots lifted with the explosion. A large red pine (or matia) was next.The tree was about four feet in diameter.James attached the cap to the fuse and inserting it into one of the charges; the fuse was lit.After waiting a minute, the stump and all the roots were lifted, about two thirds beings thrown twelve yards away.The roots.which extended laterally were raised about a foot but fell neatly into their places again,' but only need a lever to turn them over.We determined to try upon a larger and evidently more obdurate root (with 3s worth of dynamite) It was very much tougher than the others. In about five minutes the hole was made under the stump, by the use of a long iron Crow-bar and the charge was ready. Before lighting the fuse, Mr Gorman wished to know "what it was worth to get up the stump by manual labor;- The opinion was that it was well worth 20s, many remarking-that they would well-earn their money,for growing as it had done,on the edge of a bank by a creek.The soil was deep and many of the roots went straight down.. It certainly was the most formidable looking stump. It looked as if the' 'fuse had "gone out,but such was not the case" for the whole 'stump and roots' were lifted clean up,the stump falling into numerous pieces."The last charge was placed under a standing large tree.The fuse lit and we stood clear.On examining the tree and ground, after waiting until it could stand steady, the surface roots had been lifted out of the ground for many yards.The roots and soil from underneath had been driven out leaving a hole 3ft -4ft-'deep;-and 'the tree-was split up:from l5 to 18ft above ground.*' Altogether it was a very satisfactory trial .It showed a saving of cost in one stump ,that would cost 20s to get out by manual labour and only costs 3s or 4s by this plan.Dynamite is way more fun and quicker.
I inherited this trait.In my 6th form year,our class of three,did our lessons by correspondence and were left unsupervised.Organic Chemistry gave us details on how to make Nitroglycerine,so we did.The instructions were followed exactly and a sample collected in an ice bath,just as advised.From somewhere,I had "Acquired" a blasting cap and I knew how to use it.What better time to test our product,than Guy Fawkes day.The coal yard,behind the swimming pool,was the safe zone selected.Large piles of coal would redirect the blast,if we were successful.All other kids were in their classes.The coast was clear.Countdown commenced,then BOOM!!A big, black cloud rose into the clear blue sky.We skedaddled from the scene,concealed behind the thick line of conifers on the boundary,emerging by the school hall.Sherriff Solly lived next door to the coalyard.He wandered over,looking confused,as the dust cloud vanished.All the kids and teachers headed that way too,wondering what happened.We joined the procession,all innocent like.We kept our mouth shut while everyone else offered an explanation for the explosion.Another of life's little mysteries.
My love of "blowing things up"was taken to the next level,in 1970.My mate Richard and I took a Blasting course.We learnt the theory,then the practical.Our tutor was "Old school" hands on and taught us many ways of achieving the same objective.I loved removing stumps.After extensive training,we were offered the chance to demonstrate our knowledge by draining a swampy terrace up near the Kohatu Hotel.
A perfect autumn day for our assessment,was spoiled by sloshing around in a swamp.I was happy as a "pig in shit"Our objective was to create a drain 3ft deep,3ft wide at the base across a 100 metre bog,not create a lake.There were a couple of big stumps along the line to remove-happy days.We drew up our plan and this was accepted.I prepared the stumps,digging and packing various sized packets of dynamite.Got the "big tick".Working down the line, adjustments were made depending on how deep we could push our iron bar.Everything was approved by our tutor,after a couple of tweaks were suggested.Permission was given to connect the firing line,after we had checked and cleared the zone.Countdown 3..2..1..and BOOOM.Well, more of a muffled whoop,as mud and shit was thrown into the sky,followed by a high pitched scream.WTF?Richard had a big eel draped around his neck.We laughed so much it hurt.Eventually,we gained our composure and went to check the result.Water was already trickling down the terrace edge,into the drain below.The stumps had been lifted to the side,a couple of yards from their original position.The gradient,depth and width were nearly perfect,only spoilt by a couple of small stumps we never saw.They were easily removed by those present.Hands were shaken,we had passed our final assessment and now was the time to clean off the muck and a beer or three.The terrace is now a lovely grassed paddock,with a barely perceptible shallow drain.The water no longer gathers there.ContributorJohn Lester
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West Coast New Zealand History (24th Aug 2025). John Lester bush pioneer. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 21st Mar 2026 02:32, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/35135