16 / 25
ii
be chosen, ive may erect houses and eom-
inent'c canals to connect it with the sea,
and some line morning may bring us the
news that at Encounter Bay, or at Boston
Bay, or at Point Drummond, or in Spen
cer's Gulf, a splendid harbour, with abun
dance of fine land has been discovered.
\\'hat then becomes of Adelaide? Bring
the ships to our doors, if possible. That is
the paramount consideration, and an essen
tial to commercial and colonial prosperity."
It is interesting, after a lapse of sixty years,
to reflect that almost everything suggested
by Mr. Stephens in regard to Port
Adelaide has been done, and there
are few people now who regret that Ade
laide was laid out anywhere else than where
it was. As for the port of Adelaide,although
it was moved a few miles further doavn
the river than originally decided upon, it
has been shown that it possesses all the ad
vantages of a perfectly safe harbour, and of
a convenient shipping centre. The Port
now draws its supply of fresh water from
one of the most complete reservoira in the
colonies. The supply, it is true, has had to
be brought from Adelaide, and even from
a greater distance. Although a canal was
at one time seriously contemplated, and
provision made for the cutting of a watcr-
wa.v when the main road leading from the
cit.v to the Port was first made, nothing
further has been done in this direction. The
railroad, however, places the Port only half
an hour distant in point of time from the
capital. Although this undertaking was
contemjdated not many years after the pro
clamation of the Port, the laying of the per
manent way was not undertaken until 1855.
It was completed in the following year,
hlr. Babbage was the first Chief Engineer.
Pares in the early days were 2s. 6d. first
ela.ss,Is.Gd. .second, and Is.tliird, and good.s
were charged at the rate of 4s. 6d. per ton.
In the same year that the railway was be
gun a telegraph-line was laid between Ade
laide and the Port at the sole expense of
Mr. James Macgeorge. The Government
about the same time imported a magnetic
telegraph to be laid between Adelaide and
the beach, and
n
these two cables were
the nucleus of the network of lines
which have since spread over the co-
lonv. As far as the bar at the mouth
of the river is concerned, reference iaS
already been made to the deepening which
has been done in tlie past. The policy of
the Marine authorities has been, and still
is, to maintain a depth of water in the
river that will permit of all vessels coming
to the avharfs that pass through the Suez
Canal. It may be mentioned there has been
onl.v one total avreck vith loss of life
at Port Adelaide. The Grecian stranded
some years ago on the inside bank near
the
iliglithou.se, and about a dozen lives
were lost during the rescue proceedings.
The first vessel to run aground in the Port
River was the Tam o' Shanter, a barque
of 450 tons. The name of the craft has
been perpetuated to-day iu a creek whien
runs oft' the river.
THE LATE CAPTAIN QUIX.
,\bove is given a photo of the late Cap
tain Hugh Quin, one of the pioneers of
Port Adelaide, who arrived in South Aus
tralia in September, 1836, in the Cygnet, of
which vessel he was appointed second mate
on the voyage out. It is interesting to re
call that in the same vessel were Mr.(after
wards Sir) G. S. Kingston, Deputy-Sur
veyor-General; Captain Lipson, who came
out as Harbourmaster and Collector of
Customs; hir. B. T. Finniss; Mr. (after-
ivards Sir) John Morphett, and a party of
surveyors. Captain Quin formed one of the
party present at the proclamation of tlic
colony. After a little voyaging in the
Cj'gnet he returned to the colony m the