Brogden & Co. Photo / Michael Fowler Collection
Michael Fowler is a Hawke’s Bay writer and historian mfhistory@gmail.com
OPINION
A representative from the Hawke’s Bay Times reported with some amusement that on October 12, 1874, around 3pm, during a gale in Hastings, several gentlemen “engaged in a wild chase after fugitive hats, which in some instances were captured with considerable difficulty”.
These men, after regaining their hats from the stiff breeze, dodged galvanised roofing iron from an unfinished railway station (then opposite Westpac Bank on Russell St) flying past them down the large paddock bordering Queen St East.
Around 12.40pm, these men, with about 100 other people, including the Napier town band, who had paid three shillings (2024: $8.20), had arrived in two passenger carriages, two cattle carriages and a brake van pulled by a 0-4-0 (two axles, and four coupled driving wheels) Neilson C Class tank locomotive on the 12-mile (19.3km) journey to Hastings from Napier.
It was a shaky start to the occasion of the opening of the Napier to Hastings railway section.
Upon arrival, the passengers had a picnic about where the Westpac Bank is now on Russell St, described as “a large paddock” where “an excellent repast [meal] was provided, to which the excursionists did full justice”. The Napier town band “played popular airs” while they enjoyed their picnic.
John Davies Ormond, Provincial Superintendent of Hawke’s Bay, refused to use public money to pay for the opening of the railway line’s celebrations due to Brogden’s failure to complete the railway 4th class Hastings railway station and the line to Paki Paki by the end of 1873.
Instead, John Henderson, chief engineer of Brogden’s, hosted and paid for the opening.
There were only two other short-line public railway lines in operation then in the North Island at the time of the opening – Auckland to Onehunga and Wellington to Lower Hutt – both eight miles (12.8km) in length.
Due to the stiff breeze turning into a gale, most of the guests after the picnic had taken shelter in Goodwin’s Railway Hotel (where Bollywood Stars is today on Heretaunga St). Good cheer flowed, and a toast was given to John Henderson by Hawke’s Bay provincial council member, Joseph Rhodes.
Just before 4pm, everyone assembled on the railway platform in a howling gale and a bottle of wine was produced, and promptly smashed on the Neilson C Class engine by Miss Carlyon, who proclaimed (either the Neilson C Class number one or two engine) “Miss Hastings” would be the name of the engine – and loud cheers went up from the crowd.
The excursionists then wasted no time and boarded for the return journey to Napier.
In October 1871, the Government had announced it favoured a route surveyor Charles Weber had mapped to the notional Karamū junction (now Hastings), from along the beach from Napier to Farndon, and then across the Heretaunga Plains. As could be imagined, the settlers had much to say about where the railway line should pass through.
Development of New Zealand’s railway, including the Napier to Hastings branch line (and beyond), was the result of Colonial Treasurer, then Premier (Prime Minister) Julius Vogel’s “grand go-ahead policy” or “great Public Works policy” enacted over 1873 to 1876. This was designed to pull the colony out of an economic slump by increased public works and immigration.
Julius Vogel went to London in late 1870 after the passing of the Railways Act 1870 to negotiate loans for these public works, and to meet with James Brogden to contract his company to construct the railways.
He secured financing and reached an agreement with James Brogden and, subject to parliamentary approval, lay the possibility of an even larger amount for public works.
James Brogden left for New Zealand from Liverpool in August 1871, to find when he arrived Parliament had rejected the larger works amount.
A diary kept by James Brogden would reveal a very difficult and frustrating time for his company and many of the men and their families he brought over to work on establishing the railways. He likely would never have come here if he knew what was ahead.
James was reported as saying in July 1872: “He had been here [New Zealand], to his annoyance, for six months, and all that had been done was the making of a mile and a half of the Waikato line … it was not his fault, but there was some screw loose in the Government’s management.”
In November 1872, James Brogden arrived in Napier with his New Zealand representative, and chief engineer, John Henderson, to open offices to build the Napier to Paki Paki line. Contracts had been at last signed in August 1872 with the Government for six railways.
A public holiday was held in Napier to celebrate the turning of the first sod on August 26, 1872.
Some preparation work had already started on the line from Napier to Paki Paki in early 1872 to give relief to unemployed men, and to also keep them on for when Brogdens took over from the Government later that year.
The rails were shipped to Napier from the barque Schiehallion in April 1872, and timber for the sleepers was floated down the Tukituki River.
The locomotives first used on the line were built in Glasgow in 1873 by Neilson & Co, and arrived on the Brogdens’ paddle-steamer, Paterson. The two 12-ton Neilson NZR C Class locomotives numbered 1 and 2 arrived in November 1873 and were and were put into use immediately carrying ballast during the railway line’s construction.
The two-mile (3.2km) line from Napier to Port Ahuriri was opened on November 25, 1874, and to achieve this Brogden’s men had to remove a hill in 1872 called Pukemokimoki on the western side of Mataruahou (Scinde Island or Napier hill) which was between Carlyle and Thackeray Sts. There was once a pā site there belonging to Ngāti Parau, and it was the only place in Hawke’s Bay where the mokimoki fern grew – a small sweet-scented fern.
The Napier line to Pakipaki was opened on January 1, 1875, and did not connect to Palmerston North until March 1891.
James Brogden had returned to England in early 1873, and later would be embroiled in contract disputes over the railway construction with the New Zealand Government.
Of the 1299 working men Brogden brought to New Zealand, only 287 lasted over two years with them, the rest – who were agricultural workers, found this line of work more attractive.
Because of the lack of workers, progress was slow, causing the contract disputes with the Government.
Brogden’s went into liquidation in 1880.
Today it’s possible there are families in Hawke’s Bay who are descended from “Brogden’s navvies” (a term used to describe navigation canal diggers in England, pre-railways) who worked on the railway from 1872.
Hastings owes its development to the railway, and while has less importance nowadays, was an important part of our early Hawke’s Bay economy.
And just like 1874, 150 years ago, this historian thinks it a shame no significant official recognition was given to this occasion, an important one in our history on October 12, 1874.
Michael Fowler’s book Stories of Historic Hawke’s Bay is available from Wardini books, Havelock and Napier.
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