Stuart and Chapman's bush tramway was a long

bush tramway A bush tram and line-side log hauler owned by the Tamaki Sawmill Co., Raurimu. Photographed by Albert Percy Godber circa 1917. In New Zealand railway terminology, a bush tramway is an industrial tramway, most commonly used for logging. They ...

with a gauge of probably 2-foot 6-inch (762 mm) at Seddon's Terrace Sawmill in

Rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a dioecious evergreen conifer, reaching heights of up to , and can have a stout trunk (botany), trunk up to in diameter. It is endemis ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It ran south of

Ross Ross may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ross (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan Places Antarctica * Ross Sea ...

to the

Lake Ianthe Lake Ianthe (; officially Lake Ianthe / Matahi) is a lake located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. A number of small streams flow into the lake and it empties into the Wanganui River. It is close to the coast and near the rur ...

area.Heather Newby
''Logging gang on Stuart and Chapman's bush tramway, Rimu.''
Retrieved 9 August 2018. It was used from at least 1899 to 1962.

History

Seddon's Terrace Sawmill in

was founded by David Patrick Stuart and John Chapman. They started sawmilling in 1899 after they had built their first sawmill at Seddon Terrace. The mill was located about from

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

. The plant comprised a 30 hp boiler, a 16 hp stationary steam engine of sixteen horse-power, Bullock's patent bench, and the usual

paraphernalia Paraphernalia refers to a collection of items or equipment associated with a particular activity, hobby, or lifestyle. The term is often used to describe the tools, accessories, or objects that are used in various fields, such as sports, arts ...

. The output was 6000 superfeet per day. The timber was carted by road to Hokitika by a contract system. However, timber for local consumption was delivered by the firm's own teams. Fourteen persons were employed.''Rimu.''
In: ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand elson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts'' The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1906, Christchurch. Retrieved on 11. August 2018. John Chapman was the manager of the Seddon's Terrace sawmill. He was born in the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

district in 1872, and grew up on a farm. In 1887, he moved to the West Coast, and was engaged in various classes of work, principally mining and sawmilling, and has been connected with sawmill work for more than fifteen years. As a Freemason, he was a member of Lodge Kilwinning, Hokitika. He was married and had two children. David Patrick Stuart was one of the co-founders of the Seddon's Terrace sawmill at Rimu in 1899 and of the Waitahi Bluff sawmill in 1903. He was subsequently the manager of the Waitaha Bluff sawmill. He was born at

Westbury, Tasmania Westbury is a town in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It lies 30 km west of Launceston on the Bass Highway, and at the had a population of 2,272. It is part of, and the headquarters of, the Meander Valley Council area. The town ...

, in 1874. He came to New Zealand with his parents at an early age, and settled at

Kumara Kumara may refer to: Places * Kumara (Mali), a province * Kumara, New Zealand, a town * Kumara (New Zealand electorate), a Parliamentary electorate Other uses * Kumara Illangasinghe, an Anglican bishop in Sri Lanka * Kumara (surname) * The Fo ...

, where he went to school. Afterwards he engaged in mining, but about 1891 he started work with a local sawmill, and since then he has been employed continuously at sawmill work.''Ross.''
In: ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand elson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts'' The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1906, Christchurch. Retrieved on 11. August 2018. Eventually, their timber-related activities became incorporated into Stuart and Chapman Ltd, whose headquarters were at

. The company became a fully owned subsidiary of Fletcher Holdings in 1962.

References

External links

1918 photo of tram at opening of Mikonui River bridgephoto of tram at Mikonui Rd
{{Coord, -42.807011, 170.944217, display=title Logging railways in New Zealand