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Bank of Adelaide was afterwards erected.
The custom in those days was for ve.=sels
to bring out hand-presses by
which tlie bales of wool were dumped
on deck. Hand hydraulic presses were
next introduced, and in about 18C8 steam
machinery. In 1876 the South Australian
Stevedoring and Humping Company was
formed by Captains Hegoe and Begg and
hle.ssrs. J. Stone and C. Brown. The
Company first employed a four-horsepower
engine, the first to be made in Port Ade
laide. The American screw superseded the
tripod, and continues in use to the present.
It may here be mentioned that Mr. Stojae,
who was the first Manager of the Com
pany, is the oldest stevedore in Adelaide
or Melbourne, while he is contemporaineous
with those of Sydney. Captains of indus
try at Poii; Adelaide have kept pace with
the time.s, and shipping facilities have at
tracted commerce. The growth of the
tra-dc of Port Adelqide will be seen from a
few comparisons. During the second half
of 1844 imports received amounted to
£69,042, while exports were £57,943, of
which £50,526 represented the produce of
the colony. During the second quarter of
the following year some of the principal
items of exjiort were 13 tons of bark valued
at £50, upon which an export duty was
lerded; 3,843 qrs. of wheat valued at
.£4,372; 69 tons copper ore valued at
.£1,377; and 31,926 lb. of wool valued at
.£1,510. In the very early days the trade
of Port Adelaide was virtually the trade of
the colony. To go no further back than
twenty years the following table exhibits
the movement of trade at Port Ade
laide:—
Imports.
1878
£
.. 4,393,494
1888
5,413,038
1894
3,110,640
1895
3,295,614
1896
4,313,397
1898
3,826,071
E.xports.
Staple.
Foreign.
£
£
2,647,454
333,037
2,562,606
1,376,155
1,855,632
2,041,300
2,241,300
2,360.691
2,322,661
2,524,3/4
1,871,451
2,3D0,5S»
Some allowance must be made for fluctua
tions in values of commodities and varia
tions of seasons. Imports it will be no
ticcd arc not as large as they were twenty
years ago, but there has been an expansion
in the exports of produce of other colonies
indicating tliat Port Adelaide has grown
as a distributing centre. The aggregate
value of inward and outward trade last
year was larger than it was in 1878. In
addition outports have developed.
CHAPTER V.
In previous chapters an attempt has been
made to contrast tire growth of Port Ade
laide during the last sixty years in special
directions. Tlie particulars of the ship
ping, the trade, and tlie municipal guou-th
of the town have afforded Striking proofs
of the energy of the people diirng the last
half-century. If a general review of the
conditions of life at the chief seaport of
the colony in its early days and at present-
were taken, eorroboraton would be forth-
coining of gratifying development, and the
younger generation would find much for
which they have to be grateful. Obviously
the primitive Port lacked present-day con
veniences. For some years ordinary means
of loctimotion to and from Adelade were
what are colloquially knoavn as blanks
ponae.s." The more fortunate po.«e3sed a
bullock-dray, and in rarer inatances an Eng
lish gig might have been seen bumping over
the road. Quite eai-ly some enterprising
eolonasts imported horses from Tasmania,
and a service of two-wheeled traps known
as "Poit-cartis" aras started. The first
four-wheeled coach some years afteru-ards
made a great sensation. For years the fare
each way was 2s. 6d. Even wlien the
railway started folks wei'e unable to travel
by this means to the city after 6 o'clock
in Die evening, and to supply the mucdj-
felt need the late Mr. Henry Emes started
a night coach. In 1876 reference may be
found to be the "boon" of atrain at9.30p.m.
frem Adelaide, returning from the Port at
10 o'clock. Tlie first locomotives apparent
ly did not travel at a dangerous rate of
speed, for many people can recollect a
former worthy citizen -wJio was aeeom-
paiiied on his railway traveling by a dog.
The animal, it is said, would invariably eo®®-
plete the journey in the same time »»