More Info →Page 10 - Flaxmilling - 6 b/w photos

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Description: Page 10 – Flaxmilling – 6 b/w photos

Top to bottom (L to R) - a) Man (unidentified) using scutching machine, Miranui Mill, c.1910. {copy} Used in book – “From Bush & Swamp”, page 95, with caption - Inside the scutching shed at Miranui mill about 1910. The man is holding hanks of fibre in the scutching machine, which removed short fibres, dust and the rough ‘tails’ (non-fibrous leaf tissue). Used in booklet – “Miranui – The story of New Zealand’s largest flax mill”, page 23, with caption - (28) Above: Men working in the scutching shed at “Miranui”. The “scutcher” poked one end of the hank through a slot in the front of the box-like machine while holding onto the other end. Inside the machine a beater with six arms revolved at about 200 rpm inside a six foot diameter drum, and flailed the fibre to remove any remaining vegetation. Once the fibre was thoroughly beaten it was pulled out and the other end put in to complete the process. Photo: Palmerston North Public Library.

b) Horse drawn wagon loaded with bales of processed flax fibre, Shannon, c.1920’s. {copy} 2 unidentified men with the wagon at Shannon Railway Station waiting to be unloaded onto railway wagons for export. (see also – Acc.#s2002.081.0004 additional copy)

c) Flax cutters in swamp, Shannon, 1908. {copy} Identified as: G. Butterfield, J. McLaughin, J. Johnston, J. Maslin, D. Harris. Used in book – “From Bush & Swamp”, page 94, with caption - Flax cutters at work in the swamp in 1908. Left to right: G. Butterfield, J. McLaggan, J. Johnston, J. Maslin, D. Harris.

d) Mr Charles Lee on horse outside cookhouse in swamp, 1928. {copy} Wearing his “Sunday best”.

e) Flax train crossing Tokomaru River, c.1908. {copy} Barclay saddle tank steam engine hauling wagons of green flax leaves from swamp to Miranui mill, pauses while crossing the Tokomaru River. Used in book – “From Bush & Swamp”, page 94, with caption - A Barclay engine hauling wagons laden with green flax leaves over the Tokomaru River. Used in booklet – “Miranui – The story of New Zealand’s largest flax mill”, page 13, with caption - (12) Below: The locomotive with a full load of flax pauses on the bridge over the tranquil Tokomaru River. Photo: Palmerston North Public Library. Information on page 3 in “Miranui” booklet states: A unique feature of the mill was the 3ft gauge tramway which ran from the mill three and a half miles into the swamp. A small five ton steam locomotive was bought from Bagnall and Co. of England in 1907 to haul the specially built flax wagons. Unfortunately even this tiny machine proved too heavy for the tracks across the swamps and it was sold to work later on bush tramways on the Waitakere coast near Auckland and near Raetihi in the central North Island. Teams of horses therefore took over on the flax tramway from 1910. (see also – Acc.#200.018.0028 HHS Mounted Collection)

f) Miranui stripping shed workers, c.1916. {copy} 30 unidentified men in front of stripping sheds. Used in booklet – “Miranui – The story of New Zealand’s largest flax mill”, page 17, with caption - (20) Below: Some of the “flaxies” employed in the stripping shed about 1916. Photo: Palmerston North Public Library.

Any use of this image must be accompanied by the credit “Horowhenua Historical Society Inc.”