Port Elizabeth of Yore:  1835 – Under a Dark Cloud with several bright rays

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

Port Elizabeth commenced the year on a bright optimistic note with the appointment of Henry Green Dunsterville as Harbour Master and Port Captain with effect from the 1st January 1835. This appointment was only confirmed on the 7th June. Immediately after this announcement, the imminent threat of a Xhosa invasion of the town set the town on edge. This was followed in late September by a disastrous storm which resulted in the loss of several vessels in the Bay.

Among the bright rays which barely penetrated the dark, dank clouds was the appointment of the town’s first civilian doctor. Another spark was an extended stay of the Cape Governor during which the residents were able to address their frustrations about the lack of a lighthouse at Cape Receife.  

Main picture: A blustery day in the Bay

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Kemsley Family

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

Both father and son bore the names John Chambers Kemsley and both became a Mayor of the town. In doing so, they created confusion for historians. In order to distinguish the father from the son, the son will be referred to Kemsley Junior. Like his father J.C. Kemsley junior was also appointed to the boards and management committees of numerous civic organisations, exacerbating the confusion.

Main picture: Kemsley’s Outfitters in Main Street

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Mills – The First Automated Processes

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 1 Comment

Mills were initially used for grinding grain into flour and in the case of Port Elizabeth they were used to compress bales of wool. Prior to the invention of motors, mills were powered either by wind or water. During the Industrial Revolution, the definition of mills was expanded to include factories fitted with machinery which performed a specific manufacturing process.

Main picture: Painting by Thomas Baines of Cradock Place with the mill tower in the background

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Richard Attwell’s Pioneering Enterprise

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

This biography by Eric Attwell covers Richard’s life in Grahamstown as an 1820 settler as well as his later life in Cape Town. The Attwell’s connections with Port Elizabeth in the form of the South African Milling Company are also covered.

Main picture:   Queen Street. The Port Elizabeth Steam Mill Company was opened on 6 September 1884 & the building was designed by G W Smith. It later became the South African Milling Company

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A SMAC in the Face #68: The NHS is in ICU

By Blaine McCleland in Jokes 0 Comment

The ANC inherited a morally and ideologically compromised state, but one which was the envy of Africa in many ways.  It was far and away the most advanced educationally, industrially, technologically and had a first world level banking system.  The provincial hospital system provided a fantastically affordable and top notch service albeit with disparities across racial lines.  With South Africa the darling of the world, the first 15 years were plain sailing and the economy grew significantly.  This allowed the medical system to be equalised across racial lines.  However, the consequences of badly thought through policies, corruption, state capture, the burgeoning of indolent and incompetent supernumeraries in the state sector and the defunct SOEs put increasing pressure over the next 15 years on all state activities.  Eventually the medical system copped it and it flatlined in 2023.

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Bureaucracy in Action in Algoa Bay

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

What one is unaware of is that bureaucracy prevailed even in ancient times. It is not a recent invention and in fact, its application could have been much more stringent than current applications as no latitude was permitted. In many cases, the punishment was extremely severe. 

Much like today, junior civil servants did not have cart blanche to acquire additional or even replacement capital equipment without obtaining the requisite levels of approval.

This blog will provide some examples of mid-19th-century bureaucracy in action within the Harbour Master’s office.

Main picture: Market Square in 1842 with Scorey’s flagstaff in the centre next to John Centlivres Chase’s house in the centre

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Newpaper clippings on fires during 1903 and 1904

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 2 Comments

Being such a tiny town at the turn of the century, one would not have expected so many fires. Yet there were an inordinate number based upon anedcdotal evidence of the newspaper clippings of that period. Needless to say but this fact was atributable to both the archaic fire fighting equipment exacerbated by the type of construction materials used.

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Accidents on the Apple Express Railway

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

The Port Elizabeth-Avontuur Narrow Gauge line was authorised in 1899, with construction starting in 1902. In late 1906, it reached the end point at Avontuur and officially opened early in 1907. A main line track covers a length of 177 miles (284kms) from Port Elizabeth to Avontuur – this is the longest narrow gauge railway line in the world, crossing Van Stadens Railway Bridge, the highest narrow gauge railway bridge in the world. In 1914, the 30km Branch Line, from Gamtoos Station to Hankey and Patensie was opened to serve this rich irrigation farming area. Both freight and heritage operations successfully operated on line.

Main picture: Accident on 25 Aug 1906 on Van Stadens Gorge on Apple Express / Avontuur Line

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