The following story is an extract from the family history of Reg Blackmore and is reproduced with his permission. Emma and Nathaniel were his Great Grandparents.
Emma Jane Loader’s first trip to the WA goldfields December 1895
Emma Jane Loader (Nee Lloyd) Nathaniel Loader
Written by Emma in 1937 at age 95 years.
Mrs. Loader and her daughter, Mrs. Harriet Childs Bottrill, started off for the Coolgardie Goldfields. Mrs. Loader also had her two other children with her, Violet aged 15 years, and Nathaniel aged 11years. Mrs. Bottrill had her children, Ethel May aged 5 years, and Harold John Francis aged 2 years. Also with them was the family pet Pink Galah and a parrot.
Nathaniel Loader and Isaac Bottrill, husbands of the above, were already on the Goldfields. The train service at this time was only completed as far as Southern Cross. The lines were laid to Woolgangie for the workmen to use but it only travelled at a walking pace. Passengers were often seen to get off the train to pick wildflowers then alight again while it was still moving.
There were no townships at Southern Cross, or at any of the other places, just camps, and tents used for Post Offices, shops, and boarding houses for the workmen. Mrs. Loader and party left Payneham South Australia on the 18th December 1895, they sailed in a boat called the Boneyong. They had a very rough trip across and at one time were locked below for 24 hours. They had thought they were lost, but eventually, they arrived in Fremantle at 7am on the 25th, and as it was Christmas day they had to disembark with no breakfast. There were about 300 passengers all told and all the shops were shut.
Mrs. Loader waited on the wharf for 3 hours with the children and the birds while Mrs. Bottrill went in search of somewhere to eat and stay until they could get the rest of their luggage off the boat. Eventually, Mrs. B found a friend’s place where they could have breakfast but were not able to stay. They eventually met a lady who had travelled with them on the boat and were able to stay with them until they could get their luggage. They started off for Southern Cross on the Saturday, and when they arrived they were told they had to wait till the Monday morning to continue on to Woolgangie on the Company train.
Once again they were stranded with nowhere to sleep or to buy food. Some of the families already there allowed them to spread out their rugs in their camps and to get a bit of food from anyone who could spare some. They bought a dozen eggs from someone which were 3/4 bad. One camper sold them a can of tea and a few scones and that way they just managed to pull through. They had to wander about homeless till the Monday morning when they put the birds and the luggage on the train and set off at a walking pace. It was fine fun jumping on and off the train, collecting wildflowers, and plenty of time to admire the country. Eventually, they arrived at Woolgangie, the end of the line, but were too late to board to coach to the Goldfields. Again there was no accommodation for passengers and only food tents for the workmen. The bus driver had a ton of chaff up against a tree ready for his horses and he said we could sleep there if we would like, so we all settled down for the night there.
Fully Loaded Coach on the way to Leonora
We were able to buy some bread and jam and hot water for tea, and we had to get the shopkeeper to open the tin for us. After lunch, we boarded the coach pulled by four horses. The tailboard of the coach was tied up and full of chaff for the horses with our luggage on top. My boy Nathaniel sat on top of this. The other passengers got inside, but the coach could not hold all of us, so they had to take some in a trap that followed behind. Mrs. Bottrill and the baby, Violet, and the birds all went in the trap. I was inside with others and a German lady. Some of the men went on the front seat with the driver. It was a very hot day and we arrived in Bulla Bulling on New Year’s Eve where we were to stop for the night. The driver thought as it was a bright moonlight night, and likely to be very hot the next day, it would be wise to travel on a few more miles in the cool and better for the horses. We got some more bread, jam and water and were off again.
About three miles into the journey the driver saw the return coach, which also belonged to him, coming in the opposite direction and very heavily laden. He tried to pull off the track a bit to allow the coach some room to pass, but in doing so he caused his coach to hit a stump and overturn. The men all jumped out and held the horses’ heads while we got out. Little May was sitting near a small window that opened under the driver’s seat for ventilation. She crawled out through that and I was next to her and tried to follow when the German lady, who had a bad leg, grabbed my skirt and pulled and tugged at me. Eventually, she tore it down to the bottom. When we finally got out she went and sat away from everyone else and covered her face and didn’t talk to anyone. Nathaniel who had been sitting on top of the luggage had been thrown out and a chisel from a carpenter’s bag had hit him in the head and blood was running all over his face. All the water had been spilled and we were miles out in the bush.
The men packed the broken wheel of our coach onto the other coach which would take it to Woolgangie and return it to us the next day so we could continue on. The water had spilled onto our bread and the sand had got in the jam. We were in a fix with no food or drink. The men kindly offered to walk back to Bulla Bulling to get as much food and water as they could carry so we had to settle down till the following afternoon. We saw the old year out and saw in the new year of 1896 in. One young man had a bugle and he climbed to the top of a tree to play. The others made bonfires so we just made the best of our mishap and curled up in our rugs to sleep in the bush. The next morning one of the men carved all of our initials in the bark of a tree in the shape of a clock and put the date 1st January 1896 in the middle. It looked very well, some sang songs and some played music.
Towards evening the wheel arrived and we got going again. We eventually arrived in Coolgardie and we all went straight away to get something to eat. My daughter Violet was poisoned by some bad sardines, she was pretty bad for some time, and for seven years afterward, she took a bad turn about that time of year and the doctor said it was the effects of the poison but each year it was less severe. Her sister Harriett was also taken ill for several days. Her baby took ill just before they reached Coolgardie, he had congestion of the lungs so we all had to stay on till the sick ones were well enough to travel on to Londonderry which was about 9 miles further on. The next day I got on the mail trap on the 2nd January out to the Londonderry mine, My son Nathaniel came with me although he was still quite bad from the wound he received when the coach tipped over.
My husband was working on the mine but all the house he had for us to live in was some sheets of iron leaning against a large log. The first thing I had to do was to cut some posts and dig holes and put them into the ground. Then cut corn bags open and sew them together and nail them to the posts. We then used the iron for the roof and used more bags to line the inside. We got lots of packing cases from the store and used these to make window frames and doors. We then got some Micha for glass. I papered the walls with newspapers and whitewashed the outside, it was quite a smart house. More sacks were used as carpets and then furniture was made from the packing cases. We had a very comfortable home. I got the storekeeper to order me a Metter’s stove. I then found I had to put in posts around the house with nails in them to keep out the camels and the horses.
We were able to grow some vegetables in the winter, but not in the summer as the water was 1 shilling for a bucket of condensed water and we were only allowed 1 per day. if there was a thunderstorm we put out any container that would hold water, even jam tins. During our time in WA, I made a number of houses like this and as the trains got going we could get iron cheaper and made floors out of the boxes. I built a brick chimney for my stove and lined the walls with oilcloth and put linoleum on the floors ‘Quite smart then’!
I have travelled to and from Western Australia 4-5 times and made homes and gardens on each occasion. I was well and strong and always enjoyed doing it. My husband was an easy-going man who had no time for house building, and preferred tent life and wanted to be mining or prospecting all of the time. I liked comfort for me and the children therefore I had to do it myself.
Signed: Emma Loader 30th Nov 1937
About the Loader Family:
Nathaniel was born in Dorsetshire England and came to Australia at 4 years of age. He lived in South Australia for 57 years before coming to Western Australia. He married Emma Jane LLOYD in Glynde, Magill, South Australia at age 27yrs in 1862. Their children were Matilda born c1866, Harriet born c1871, Samuel born c1873, Violet born c1881, Nathaniel born c,l1885 with 2 males and 2 females deceased.
Nathaniel is buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery. He died on the 6th Jan 1910 aged 75yrs. from throat cancer. He was the son of Thomas LOADER and Harriet CHILDS. Emma died on the 24th Nov 1938 and is buried in Payneham Cemetery South Australia.
Nathaniel Loader – Coolgardie Cemetery
Note: Emma Jane Loader (nee Lloyd), was the first cousin to the British Prime Minister “David Lloyd George”. Both of their mothers were sisters.
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