| Collection |
Marlborough Province - down the decades from early days |
| Photographer |
Macey, William Henry |
| Description |
This is a really mixed up donation. The black and white photograph in the packet, showing 3 ships tied up at three different wharves, was taken by Macey and mounted by him on grey card. Written on the back of it in Allen Hales's handwriting is, "A busy shipping day on the Opawa river, Blenheim. The wharves in Custom house Street." After Hale dies it becomes part of his collection donated to MHS and is then stamped with A.M. Hale Collection.
Prior to Allen Hale acquiring it, Norm Brayshaw has visited Mrs. Gane, the original owner, and made a copy of the photograph which he put in his MHS collection. That copy is missing, although the negative is still available. Information as typed by Norm Brayshaw when he made his copy is, "Ref[erence] 5392. Sea and River Transport. Copied 1961 from Mrs. Gane, Spring Creek. Shipping at the Port of Wairau, at the old wharves off Park Terrance, Blenheim."
Written by someone else underneath Norm's information is the names of the ships, Left to right: Opawa; Blenheim; Wairau. All steamships. However, Lloyd Kerr, when preparing his captions in June 2009, contacted Arthur Sprosen, an expert on Blenheim shipping, and Arthur says the ships are, left to right: Pania, Blenheim, Opawa (this has now been written on the card).
Presumably what happens is, when an Archives volunteer found the real photograph in Allen Hale's collection and put it with Norm Brayshaw's copy, the copy subsequently got sold to a customer and then other copies were made and they, too, subsequently got sold, leaving just the negatives and the real photograph in the packet.
A scan of this photograph will be used in the Changing European History Gallery 2 display in commemoration of the Marlborough Provincial 150th anniversary on 1 November 2009.
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Caption 71
The wharves along Park Terrace, facing downstream. An unnamed wharf, and warehouse, are located at the far right, about where the gas works was. The coaster is the Opawa. The middle shed belongs to Fell Brothers, as does the hidden wharf in front. The middle ship, alongside, is the Blenheim. The last shed, further on, is Eckford's with his wharf attached. The last vessel is the Pania. There has always been a weed problem in the Opawa River. The screws driving steam ships such as these tended to chop it all up, and kept things clear. 2009.067.0051 |
| Object ID |
2009.067.0051 |
| Object Name |
Photograph |
| People |
Fell, Brothers
Eckford |
| Place |
Blenheim |
| Studio |
Blenheim |
| Subjects |
River trade
ships
|
| Title |
Shipping at the Port of Wairau |
|
