Boats, dredges and punts as well as other news from 100 years ago

Featured image: The ‘Archimedes’, a dredge that was working on the Moruya River in the 1890s.

Shire-wide news extracts from the Moruya Examiner of 8 May 1920, provided by the Moruya & District Historical Society

PUNT WIRE BROKEN.- Traffic across Wagonga River was held up for a short time on Tuesday through the Wee Clyde fouling and carrying away the punt wire.

MINING.- Mr. J. Masters, representing the Moruya Gold Mining Syndicate, lately came over from Melbourne to inspect and report on the leases held by that syndicate at Condoin, or Dwyer’s Creek.  The main object of the visit was for the purpose of preparing a report for the Board of Directors, giving the best means of working the property, showing the facilities for treatment, and also to ascertain the class of machinery and the power required for working and development.

We are in a position to state that Mr. Masters, who visited the leases three times during his stay in Moruya, was pleased with the results and commented very highly on the future of the sites, and will carry to Melbourne sufficient data to give the Board a glowing report of the oldest silver mine in Australia, for it was on this property that silver was first mined on the continent, and we will welcome the Syndicate with a big W.

We understand that the Company has already been successfully floated for a substantial amount and that very shortly a start will be made in further development pending the arrival and erection of plant. We congratulate Mr. Masters and our genial “General” George Gordon on the result of their efforts in bringing this property under the notice of mining speculators, and hope soon to see our local miners employed, as it is the intention of the Company to give local men first employment.  We wish the Moruya Gold Mining Syndicate every success.

NAROOMA PORT.- The Narooma Port is now in better order than it has been for a long time.  The dredge Antleon, which was in work for some time, has succeeded in deepening the channel and making it navigable. The Wee Clyde was enabled during the week to negotiate to the new sawmill at Foster’s Bay.

DEATH.– The demise of another old and well known identity in the person of Mrs C. Ison took place on the 30^th ult. at the age of 72 years. Mrs Ison, whose maiden name was Miss Bridget Donovan, was a native of Sydney, but after her marriage to Mr. Chas. Ison resided at Mogo for about 40 years, where she reared a respectable family of five boys and three girls. Her husband predeceased her 16 years ago. Mrs. Ison was of a genial disposition and a generous and thoughtful neighbor. Many of her deeds of kindness are oft recounted by old pioneers of the Mogo hamlet. During the past few years she had not enjoyed good health and during that time was tenderly and devotedly attended by her daughter, Mrs J. Burke, of Gundary. The funeral took place on Sunday, the remains being taken to Mogo and laid to rest alongside those of her husband.

PERSONAL AND OTHERWISE

Mr Godfrey Hanscom has purchased Mr. A. H. Weatherby’s Jeffery motor car.

An uncharted pinnacle of rock has been discovered near where the steamer Aughinish struck at Montague Island.

ADVERTISEMENT

THE LITTLE AMBER BOTTLE. A FAMILIAR OBJECT IN THOUSANDS OF HOMES. The amber bottle in which Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills are packed is probably better known as a familiar object about the home than any other bottle of a like kind. It is not there as an ornament, but for practical, everyday use. In the best regulated families the little ills of life will creep in. Some member of the family circle may occasionally suffer from Biliousness or Indigestion, -and one or the other will from time to time exhibit the well known symptoms of  Constipation.

From these little troubles more serious complaints arise and should, therefore, not be neglected. The slight headache, bad breath, and discoloured tongue, are the index to a disordered stomach, and the necessity of keeping a safe, sure, and reliable remedy in the house is apparent. By following such a course the more expensive method of calling in a doctor may be avoided. Be your own doctor, prescribe Dr. Morse’s Indian Root Pills, and always keep the little bottle in the house, so that when sickness invades your home you will have a sure and reliable remedy to banish it from your threshold.Twenty one 100 years ago booklets containing articles for the years 1899 to 1919 are available ($6 to $8ea) from the Museum.  Back copies of local newspapers can be viewed on microfilm at the Society’s Family History Research Library (Ph 4474 3224) situated at the rear of the Museum in Campbell St. Moruya.The Moruya Museum houses a collection of furniture, books, artefacts and memorabilia that is intended to show visitors something of the lives of the ordinary people of this community from the middle of the nineteenth century. Most items on display were donated by local families. 

To explore the museum’s online collection click HERE.

Click to read a copy of the current museum brochure.