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A STOEP STORY:
PARYS – THE BEGINNING
(Harry Hurt)
Chapter One
In the early 1870’s the Northern Free State, though heavily farmed, was still very wild. Small predators were all around so that when any beast died the farmer immediately impregnated the body with cyanide to destroy as many predators as possible.
There is a story, extant from this period, that such treatment had been given to a dead beast on Groot island (Vaal de Grace). That night the farmer was horrified to see his workers dining on this body, sitting around a large bonfire. When told that the body was poisoned they laughed and said that it had roasted in the fire, “Poison all gone”.
About 1873 or 1874, at a meeting of the Ring of the Dutch Reform Church in Kroonstad, it was decided that another congregation was needed, north of the Renoster River, between that river and the Vaal. It does not appear that they decided on any specific site. From what happened afterwards, it seems likely that they implanted the township idea in the minds of the residents and left it to bear fruit.
At sometime, in 1874, three gentlemen arrived at the farm Klipspruit, on the banks of the Vaal. They came from Heilbron, then the Northern most town in the Free State. They were Mr. Wouter de Villiers, father of G. F. de Villiers, who later became Mayor of Parys, J. G. Luyt, attorney of Heilbron and afterwards member of O. V. S. Parliament for the three towns – Heilbron, Parys and Vredefort and Mr. Fleck, a land surveyor. The object of their visit was to induce the owners of Klipspruit to lay it out as a township.
Klipspruit was held jointly by the three Van Coller brothers, Hans, Dolf and Philip, as well as their brother-in-law, William Davel. Whether the decision of the Ring had the influence in sending the four gentlemen to Klipspruit does not seem very clear at this point in time, but the probability is that they knew of the decision and wanted to take a hand in the matter.
They found the Van Collers and Davel disinclined to listen to any arguments put forward. “Make a town of Klipspruit? Never while we breathe!” The gentlemen spent considerable time in putting forward the advantages of the scheme, but to no avail!
They did not give up the main object of their trip to get a township established. They opened up negotiations with the owners of Vischgat (The present Vredefort), which lay some ten miles South-east of Klipspruit.
One of the owners of this farm was a Mr Geere and it was commonly believed that Vischgat was one of the farms seen and approved by the committee from the Ring. The owners of Vischgat, being more amenable to the argument and inducements, eagerly took up the idea and the following year Vredefort, on the farm Vischgat, became an accomplished fact.
At this point the Van Collers and Davel awoke to the opportunity lost. There is no record of the steps they took, but it seems probable that they secured the sympathy of the Dutch Reform Church, for later on, when the town was laid out, a goodly portion of ground was set aside and donated to the Church.
That they were successful in their efforts is very evident. Parys is an actuality! There appears to be some doubt over who was the surveyor for the town. Mr Fleck is mentioned as the surveyor. I believe that he did the initial survey but that Mr Schilbach did the work as the town was laid out. Why would Mr Schilbach get a street named after him?
At the time that Mr Schilbach came on the scene, discussions were still being held regarding the naming of the new town. Names put forward were Klipspruit, Slikspruit and Klipfontein. Then in 1875 Klipdrif was put forward. The Van Collers seemed to prefer keeping “Klipspruit” the name of their farm. A Mr Hartdegen suggested “Paradys”. It was at this point that Mr Schilbach arrived, fresh from the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and the siege of Paris
A big point in favour of his naming the new town “Parys” was its close proximity to the Vaal. In his mind he saw it developing on both sides of the river as is Paris. One thing he ignored was that both sides of the river were in different provinces.
At this point in time Johannesburg was looked on as a short-term place. It being a well known fact that most gold deposits usually run out fairly quickly. So in Mr Schilbach’s view, Parys was the city of the future!
Early in 1876 the town was laid out and on the 14th of June Mr Wouter de Villiers, then an auctioneer at Heilbron, held the first sale of erven. The price of the erven was from £25 (R375) depending on the position in the proposed town. A builder from Maritzburg bought one block of four erven for £130 (R1950), opposite the present Wesleyan Church. Subsequently two of them were sold for over £500 (R7500).
No great progress was made during the first six years of the existence of the little town. Three gentlemen arrived to take up residence. They were Messrs. Ben van de Hoven and J. P. Steytler. The third man was Jan Briel sen., whose son was living at Klipspruit since before Parys was founded. He was an old man when he arrived at Parys in the late 1870’s, and with the exception of the Anglo-Boer war period, he lived in Parys until about 1906, being then 105 years old.
On account of his extreme age the Crown Colony Government allowed him £1 (R15) a month. This was paid at the rate of 5/- (R3.75) per week from the Magistrate every Saturday morning. The old man went and collected the money himself. When the month had five Saturday’s there was no provision for the fifth payment. Mr Jan Briel could never understand this and on those no-pay days he told all and sundry his candid opinion about the rottenness of the Government.
The first sign of progress was made in 1882 when Sir John Brand acceded to request for a nearer fountain of Justice than the town of Heilbron, forty four miles away, and appointed a special Justice of the Peace to reside in Parys. The first, and only holder of the office, was J. P. Steyler, who held it until 1897, when a Resident-Landdros was appointed.
With the two new towns, being only ten miles apart, both with bossy ambitions, considerable friction was bound to arise. One of the first causes of dispute was about Church matters.
Vredefort, as the older town, wanted to be the Church centre for the new congregation. The founders of Parys had given a huge square for the Church purposes and they wanted it utilized.
The Vredefort community was stronger and wanted the Parys square as the property of their congregation. Fortunately for Parys, that idea was nipped in the bud by the wording of the gift, which gave the ground to the Parys Dutch Reformed Church. Long negotiations took place to establish a basis for joint working. A plan was evolved, the author being Mrs. J. P. Steytler, whereby they should have a joint Church to be under the control of each town. Each to contribute its share towards the minister’s stipend. The scheme was sailing fairly well in the discussions and it seemed that a solution was in sight. Then the knotty problem of a residence for the minister was reached and on that the scheme was wrecked.
Both towns wanted him. seeing no hope of a settlement by argument, Parys suggested that the matter be left to the minister. He eventually accepted the call, to choose for himself, but Vredefort would not hear of such a solution; “For”, they said,” Who would live at Vredefort when they had the chance to live at Parys”. Thus the two towns split and each got its own congregation.
For many years Parys was ministered to by the Rev. Minnaar of Heilbron, who visited it at regular intervals. Later the congregation felt able to support their own minister and called the Rev. Donges, who accepted the call and ministered to the people for many years.
The beginnings of Municipal life began in 1883, when a Village Management Board was appointed. The old timers were much opposed to the innovation. They told Mr Steytler who was one of those who worked for its introduction, that it only meant taxation, and they were not going to pay taxes.
Disputes had arisen about the distribution of water. The first thing the Board did was to appoint Mr Adrian Becker as Water Bailiff at a salary of £7 (R105) per month. They were able to collect enough water fees to pay his wages for the first month. The next month plenty of rain fell and people did not want water from the river, so they refused to pay the rates. It is said that the only pay the Water Bailiff got, in the first seven months was the first month’s pay!
The irrigation system, that provides water to all areas of Parys on different days of the week according to the area you live in, was already in place down near the river and up into what is now the town, to about where the present big gravitation water furrow runs through the town. There was no elaborate weir, the river being dammed with stones and earth, which were regularly washed away. This was how the labour, instead of paying for the water, came about.
Considerable difficulty was found in keeping a sufficient supply of water in the leading furrow. A bank of stones and sandbags was thrown across the Free State stream of the Vaal. At that point it was divided into two streams by a big island (Golf Island) and the Transvaal side stream which in those days took nearly all the water. The weir had to be repaired after every flood and many erf owners found themselves doing the work every spring.
Later on, the Board or as it later was, the Council, decided to cut a canal across the island, a distance of several hundred yards. The canal was made almost at a right angle to the stream and looking at it today, one wonders how they ever could have hoped to get water to run through it.
But they were properly optimistic and raised a loan of £500 (R7500) from the S.A. Association, accepted a tender and the contractor set to work. The money was duly spent in digging a deep canal, which today remains as a token of misdirected energy and optimism, but not a drop of water ever ran along it, except at flood times, when it was not needed! One relic of the exploit is still retained by Parys. They still owe £225 (R3750) to the S. A. Association, the unpaid balance of the loan.
During the early 1880’s the town made little progress. South Africa was passing through one of its periodic times of depression. The Diamond and Ostrich booms were things of the past, and one of the usual periods of bad times, that always follow periods of inflation, had come. Markets were far distance and unmade roads rendered them difficult to reach.
Kimberley being the nearest, was three hundred miles away. The near approach of the railway had brought down the price of produce. Much of the farm produce, that is grown today, was not worth growing at that time, as the price realized when it reached the market, did not cover transport costs. The fruits of the chase were still, to a great extent, relied upon to fill the mouths of the people.
At that time visitors to Parys remarked on the immense flocks of Turtle and Laughing Doves frequenting the erven, covering the ground with a purple mantle. The men of the house used to go out with home-made bows and arrows, ammunition was far too expensive, shooting birds to fill the pot.
The discovery of the Witwatersrand goldfields in 1886 brought in its wake better times for Parys. One of the main roads to the North, through Bloemfontein and Kroonstad, passed through Parys as there were two good drifts crossing the Vaal river – higher up Lindequesdrift and the old Viljoensdrift
Many travellers passed and their spending improved things very much in the struggling little dorp. A market was being opened up only seventy miles away and it paid to transport produce to it.
During 1887, Parys began to flourish and grow, because of the money these passers-through spent, and it grew ambitious. A Village Management Board influenced the growing importance of the future “Queen of the Vaal” and the inhabitants got the status of the Board elevated to the dignity of a Municipality.
The Municipality carried on for twelve years until 1899 and it seemed to have been a law unto itself, carrying on unhampered or unhindered by Volkraad or President. They did many things which are rigidly barred in these more enlightened days. Their lack of imagination we may deplore, but can scarcely blame them. For there was nothing in their experience or surroundings to make them even give a thought to possible future development.
That Parys would ever grow and be a place of any importance, was a thing never contemplated, if one must judge them by their actions. Whenever the council ran short of money, which they appeared to have done frequently, they adopted the simple plan of selling erven in order to raise it. As they could do as they liked with erven money, they devoted the proceeds of the sales to the payment of current expenses. Such a policy naturally depreciated the value of the ground, until eventually erven were sold at very low prices. They sold ground right down to the river banks, stopping all access to the river, except at the street ends. This state of affairs proved to be a formidable detriment, since the town began to develop as a resort for holiday makers.
The Mimosa Grounds, which is the chief resort for visitors to Parys, consists of 12 erven, which were originally sold for about £5/6 (R75/90) each, or less. The first three, which covered the space bounded by Kruis, Boom, St John’s Streets, cost the council £1000 (R15000) to reacquire. The nine erven further on towards the bridge, cost £4000 (R60000), the price of re-acquirement being nearly one hundred times the amount received when the ground was first sold.
In those days the policy adopted by the council for selling ground right around the riverbank, had proved to be a fruitful source of trouble. Time and again councils attempted to acquire a roadway along the river bank and the question of expropriation had been as frequently discussed, but financial considerations have hereto prevented the acquirement of the ground.
The system of planning the erven sold, was exceedingly simple and conveys the impression that the councilors did it themselves. One of their plans was in the old naught and crosses style as used by the children. History does not tell how they expected the man in the middle to get to his erven but as it is now evident, by the lane leading to it, either he or the council had to acquire a right of way from the owner of the erf in front.
In another case, they sold the erven of which the outside row was bounded by open ground, cutting off access to a row of erven. The present owner of the row is now demanding access to the erven from the council. They are scratching their heads to find a way out of the muddle. The streets were laid out just as the fancy of the time directed. Very few of them continue right on from one side of the township to the other. Most of them run to a dead end about halfway through and then go around the corner. It is found that another street then takes you out. A very good example is President Brand Street. Many streets have no beginning, others no end, and others neither beginning nor end for they are blocked at both ends.
Mr J. P. Steytler served as S. J. P. since 1882 until 1897 when his office was abolished. and a Resident-Landrostship was created. The first and only holder of the office was Mr J. F. van Iddikinge, who held it until the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. With him, as Public Prosecutor, came Mr H. O. Vos, a gentleman whose name has been written in bold letters on the subsequent history of Parys.
Chapter Two
The Anglo-Boer War
With the outbreak of the war in 1899, all the able bodied males over the age of twelve hurried to enroll in the Heilbron Commando, the nearest to Parys. See Appendix 1 for a full list of the men of Parys between the ages of 13 and 74 who joined the Heilbron and Kromelemboog Commandos. The list also provides some information as to the actions they were known to be involved in ( including dates and for some their eventual prison camp.)
The first incident in the Parys area occurred during the retreat from Kroonstad to Pretoria. A section with several wagons had stopped for the night on a farm, Kafferskop, lying between Vredefort and Parys. One of the wagons was loaded with ammunition and was driven by two brothers, Hans and Franz Jooste. Franz had left his overcoat by the wagon and felt he needed it to keep warm through the night. As he returned to the vehicle the British started shelling and a lucky shot hit the wagon just as Franz reached it. After the explosion, only a hand and a foot remained of the unlucky Franz. They were buried on the site. Hans was captured and imprisoned on a nearby island. Unfortunately although the account of this incident is fully written no date is given but it must have happened in early May 1900 when the British started their advance from Kroonstad.
On the 20th of April 1900 Driscoll's Scouts passed through Parys. They must have been reconnoitering the area in preparation for the British advance. General French’s cavalry crossed over the Drift onto Golf Island sometime in May 1900.
Christian De Wet was back in the area, previously at the battle of Schoemansdrif, near Sugar Bush farm, in October 1900. The British catching up with him at a drif close to town. It is at this time that the folk tale of De Wet possibly occurred. The tale is that he took refuge, to escape the British, in the Maternity Hospital. This was at the corner of Breë and Venus Streets and the building is now incorporated into The Coach House.
According to reports from both sides, confirmed by telegrams at the British War Office and captured documents from Botha, Parys was burnt between October and November 1900 with only the Dutch Reform and the Methodist Church’s left standing undamaged. Incidentally, the Dutch Reform Church was used by the British Army as an observation post and artillery emplacement. They were working on the assumption that the Boers would not shell a church and in this they were correct.
Our next report is dated April 1901 and states that Parys is cleared. From that we can surmise that the women and children, plus elderly inhabitants had a few months in the open, in mid-summer, before being transported to Vredefort Road (Ogies) camp. Here they would suffer many more agonies of mind and body before being released to return home after 31 May 1902.
From this time onwards we only have small actions at distinct intervals. Rather like a curtain being pulled back to let in a little light and then being drawn closed again. Between the 13th and 16th May 1901 the Yorkshire Imperial Yeomanry were in Parys where they signed the Bible which is on display in the Dutch Reform Church.
They were:-
Trooper C. E. Allison
J. Bedford No 23030
J. Stevenson
W. F. Venables No 23012
On the 27th of September 1901 Sergeant W. H. D. Mayston was killed. He was a member of the South African Constabulary. After the building of the Block Houses between Potchefstroom and Vereeniging, the S. A. C. was used to man them and maintain contact between them by Heliograph and Semaphore. The ruins of one can be seen at Sugarbush farm, across the road from Smiling Thru. It is possible to see the stones thrown down the hillside when the Block House there was destroyed.
The Highland Light Infantry was in the area during December 1901. On the 21st Private McGregor No 6989 was dangerously wounded along with Private Day No 6487 but they both recovered. Not so lucky was Private Mc Neill who died of his wounds. The dead were buried in the Burial ground along the Vredefort road. Up to 1999 the cast iron grave headboards for the two British troopers were still there but they both vanished that year.
According to an account in the magazine “Huisgenoot” by Jacob Kruger, dated 23 April 1937, two groups of fifteen men were in the Parys area, under the command of Field Cornet J. P. Van Vuuren. They were short of ammunition so it is logical that they expected to find rounds dropped by the British. The average British Trooper was little bothered by the loss of his bullets whilst moving around the country because he knew that plenty was available once he reached camp. It would be interesting to know how many of the British Squaddies were killed by their own ammunition.
During most of this period the British had a large camp down at what is now the Koppieskraal road but also maintained a small H. Q. in the Parys Hotel.
The only recorded incident where the British captured several Boer Commandos occurred on the first of December 1900. Seventeen were captured. The only death in prison camp was Arnoldus Mauritz, aged 74, who died of a chest infection on the island of St Helena.
On the sensation of hostilities a relief camp was built on what was the old Feast Ground on the Sasolburg road, which it is now part of the housing development of Golf island. It was under canvas except for the administration buildings and the stables.
At the beginning of 1902 the British government, knowing that the country needed rebuilding and expertise in other areas, advertised for teachers throughout the British Empire, to volunteer for a twelve month contract to work in South Africa. Thus it was that a forty strong contingent, from Canada, arrived in Cape Town on the first of June 1902, really within hours of the peace contract being signed. Several were sent up to Bloemfontein and one, Miss Sylvia B. Lee, went forward to Parys. She would have arrived in Parys towards the end of August 1902, she spent barely six months here before she contracted Enteric fever. She died and was buried on the 6th of March 1903. The headstone was raised by her friends who attended the funeral. She was buried in Parys burial ground and her grave can be seen to this day. The information for this was obtained from Waterloo, Quebec Province Canada and Quebec University, who had a copy of the book ”A Canadian Girl in South Africa”. The author being one of the teachers who made the trip, Miss E. Maud Graham.(See Appendix 3 for the full story)
To bring down the final curtain on this barbaric affair, when the camp was closed the stones used in the admin buildings were brought to Parys. They were used to construct the first police cells on the site of the current post office. In 1914 they were moved across the road and used again, this time to build the Anglican church.
Chapter Three
The Immediate Aftermath and Development
The major problem of getting the inhabitants back home must have been transport. If you consider that the British army had taken all the horses for their own use and that all other animals, oxen etc. had been destroyed by the same people. Also, that in the clearance of the farms and towns, the vehicles, whether horse or oxen drawn, had mainly been burnt by the British army, one sees the problem. The British armies way of dealing with the families of the Boers, was to get the people to fill one cart with their belongings and another cart to carry the family, once the family started on their way the soldiers set fire to the other cart, destroying all the family’s possessions. It is most likely that many walked home, if they were strong enough, or they waited for some form of transport to be provided.
Prisoners of war, as the Boers had been, mostly took longer to reach home having been imprisoned abroad. But through some freak accident of fate the men from Vredefort seemed to have been kept in South Africa. This was to cause a problem for Parys.
Once the Vredefort men were back on their own land, they started to agitate for the Magistracy of the area to be moved to their town, thus Parys loosing out.
Fortunately at this time Ben van de Hoven returned from Bermuda, where he had been sent as a prisoner of the British. On his arrival home he immediately organized a petition to the provincial government for the return of the magistracy to Parys. The petition was successful and the present judicial magistrate moved from Vredefort to Parys.
The original letter can be quoted here, “We the undersigned inhabitants of the N. E. part of Vredefort district, are desirous that the commission that has been appointed to consider whether Vredefort or Parys should be the seat of the Magistracy of the district, should hold a sitting in this vicinity to hear the views of the residents.
It certainly would be to our interest that Parys should be the seat of Government, but that alone would not be sufficient for our requirements. This is one of the most important parts of the district and owing to the development of the coal fields will in the very near future be the center of a very large industrial and farming population, which will in all probability exceed in numbers that of these other towns.
We require better police and educational facilities and also some arrangement for a periodical court to be held by the R. M. in the locality.
These are only a few of the improvements we should like, and if the commission could meet here we could lay before them a statement of our requirements. We are sending a copy of this to the Colonial Secretary. Signed Chairman John A. McEwen, D.G. Hon Captain. Unquote. The letter was dated 26th May 1903.
To back up this request it was accompanied by the following letter from the Rev J. C. Hefer (Dutch Ref. Minister, Parys) and dated 27th May 1903. Quote;
To the Government Committee of Investigation Re. Magistracy, Parys.
Gentlemen,
Being asked by the Chairman of the Board of Management at Parys to report to you on a few items of interest concerning Parys, I have the honor to make the following statement.
Re Number of Adherents of the Dutch reform Church
Two months ago I finished visiting in the Dorp and found;
Dutch Families 150
Members of Dutch Church 379
Dutch population 813
At present the membership in the Dorp must be upwards of 400, and the Dutch population upwards of 850
The number of the congregation in the district, or rather outside the Dorp congregation have not been taken accurately. But approximately I think-
The members in the district number at least 400
And the population 850
So that the membership congregation+/- 800
And the population 1600
My weekly congregation, Sunday forenoon is 500-600
With regard to fruit;
I have never seen better crops of fruit as far as Peach, Apricot, Apple, Pear, Fig and Quince are concerned, than in Parys. Where as the Nectarine seems to thrive particularly well, and according to my experience, matures its fruit better than elsewhere on the O. R. C.
I have known seasons, wherein the frost killed everything throughout the greater part of the O. R. C. Four miles from Parys, away from the river not a Peach was found on a tree, yet the fruit crop in Parys was unimpaired.
Not that we have no frost here, but there must be some cause neutralizing the effect of frosts.
On account of the deep soil – there being no pot clay, gravel, rock or lime in the sub-soil of the greater part of the erven – the grape-vine and the orange flourish remarkably well, and yield abundant fruit.
There is one kind of grape-vine, which I have cultivated here, and have so far found to be never damaged by the rain as is the case with other vines in the O. R. C. and this vine having a splendid flavor, and being both early and late, I think could be cultivated at Parys with considerable profit. Certain kinds of Strawberry yield the same amount of fruit here that they yield in the Cape.
With regard to vegetables;
It has been said, that the soil is meager at Parys – I could show the committee a piece of ground 10 yards by 19, which has been producing a crop of beautiful potatoes. This soil, a specimen of the soil in general, for years has not seen a drop of manure. Nor has the ground at all been worked properly
I beg to remain, Gentlemen.
With good wishes on behalf of your work,
Yours Faithfully,
J. C. Hefer
(Dutch Ref. Ministry, Parys)
Unquote
On the 2nd September the following missive was received. Quote;
Resident Magistrate’s Office
P A R Y S
2 September 1903
671/03
Sir
With reference to your 4203/03 of the 22nd July, I have the honor to inform you I have transferred the seat of Magistracy of this District to Parys from the Vredefort in accordance with the instructions contained in your letter above quoted.
I have the honor to be Sir
Yours obedient servant
The Honorable
The Colonial Secretary
BLOEMFONTEIN
Unquote
So honour was restored and the current Magistrate, Captain Edwards, moved back to Parys.
The Rev J. K. Derry was a hustler and as the Chairman of the Village Management Board, in a position to put it to good use.
At that time Parys could command very little of the farming trade. Ten miles West, Vredefort intercepted all trade coming from that direction, on the North side the wide waters of the Vaal proved a formidable barrier, and East and South ran the railway line with a stop at every station. The goods had to be brought from Greenlands, or as it was then called Vredefort Road, and dealers could not compete with those on the main line, who had no road transport to pay.
Mr Derry realized the problem and saw that the railway coming to Parys, was the only solution. He organized a petition to the Colonial Secretary requesting to things be considered for Parys. One was the railway and the other was for a dam, to be built across the river at Brakfontein-Palmerfontein, a spot about 5 miles above Parys.
At the time there were many men who had been ruined because of the war, and had no means of existence. In order to provide work for these men, so that they could earn enough to buy food for their families, the line was started as a relief work. A large camp of engineers and workers was established near the town and the work of building the line, and that of surveying the dam site and the country to be irrigated, was carried on from the camp. The engineer in charge of everything was Mr. J. E. Adamson.
At the end of 1905, when the line was declared open, the Lieut. Governor Sir Hamilton Gould Adams officiated. In his speech he damped spirits by informing everyone present that the dam was not a viable proposition. The original suggestion was for a small irrigation scheme, costing perhaps 40.000- 50000 pounds. But as the time went on the engineers were asking boldly for a couple of million pounds, which was far more than the government was prepared for at that time. The surveying work was all stopped and the dam scheme dropped into the background for the time being.
The town council had, in the meantime, been reintroduced and that body was determined to get the weir built across the Vaal, near the town, and bring a large area of commonage under water. The chief difficulty was financial. Mr. Ben van der Hoven and Dr Heaps, who were successive Mayors, struggled unceasingly with the Government, trying to get them to lend the necessary money which they estimated would be about 20000 pounds. Mr. Reading, who was a resident Magistrate, at that time, nobly seconded their efforts, and eventually their persistence was rewarded and the Government guaranteed a loan of 17000 pounds at 5% interest.
Once the money was granted, it did not take the Town council long to get to business, and the work of building the weir, to impound the waters of the Vaal, was started. But they were fated to meet with strenuous opposition. At that time, the town was inhabited by a family of brothers, of the real demagogic type. They did not want progress themselves, nor did they want others to progress. They were loud mouthed and had a considerable following. For a long time they were a considerable thorn in the flesh of their progressive fellow townsmen. At the public meetings, which were necessarily held to legalize matters, they claimed long and loud, proclaiming the dam and the loan to be the rankest folly – folly, which would, eventually lose all he possessed. Fortunately for the future of Parys, the better counsels prevailed and when it came to voting, these demagogues and their followers were in the minority. Had they won that day, Parys would have remained the little inconsequential place that it was before the advent of the water scheme. All subsequent progress can be directly attributed to the water, which, in a few years, made the whole town into a garden.
With the weir a large turbine pumping plant was installed to raise the water to a level of sixty feet above the level of the old gravitation furrow, in order to bring under water another piece of the commonage. At the higher level the water ran into a service reservoir and was from there carried by gravitation right to the very boundary of the town ground. The furrows, or as they may more popularly be called, canals, irrigate between them more than a thousand morgen of ground. The water was so abundant that, as far as the lower canal was concerned, it has never been found necessary to draw up a timetable – everyone got as much as they could use.
The first sale of ground, irrigated from the higher canal, took place about 1911 and a price of 50 pounds per morgen was fixed. The period of payment ran over twenty five years, of course bearing interest. Some of the ground went for as much as eighty pounds per morgen, but the majority of it made between fifty and sixty pounds. It was a condition of the sale, a condition which has been repeated in subsequent sales of similar ground, that none of the plots could ever be subdivided into less than one morgen. Some buyers bought six morgen or even more, but the sizes were reduced by the sales as time went by, so that, at present, there are barely half-a-dozen plots that are larger than three morgen.
The brothers who vehemently opposed the scheme, were almost the keenest buyers, it being evident that their doubts had changed to belief.
Very soon afterwards, the Council came to the conclusion that it was a pity to let the water run along the canals and not make use of it, for there was more water in them than the town could use. Therefore they decided that they would go in for an electric lighting scheme and use the balance of the water to generate the power. Mr. J. L. Moll was the mayor at the time and gave his wholehearted support to the scheme. They contracted the late Mr. Ferdinand Saunders as consulting engineer. The money had to be borrowed, but it was easier this time, for Bloemfontein Municipality was in the market as lenders, and from them five thousand pounds was borrowed to carry out the scheme, the rate of interest being 5%. The electric light was duly put in and the system opened, with many flourishes, at Christmas 1912.
About this time Mr. H. H. Beamish, who had been connected previously with Parys as the promoter of a jam and sweet factory, which was carried on for several years until the government subsidy for these undertakings was withdrawn, proposed to the Council a plan to build rondawels and bungalows on Woody Island, which is just opposite the town. To advertise them to let for holiday-makers, also to have boats to hire, and to carry on a bioscope in the Town Hall. The Council agreed to all these ideas, and Mr. Beamish duly carried out his plans. The scheme was carried on for several years, the Council receiving a monthly rental for the rights they granted.
The island plan idea was not as successful as was expected, mainly because of difficulty of access, particularly when the river was in flood. Years later the cinema and the whole scheme was bought from Mr. Beamish and formed the beginning of the present recreation department of the town.
Finally, in the account of the new development of Parys, we come to the bridge over the Vaal river. For a long time the town had felt that a bridge across the river was more than just due. A pont service crossed on to an island, and from there another pont completed the crossing.. The service was indifferent and accidents were not infrequent. The farmers on the Transvaal side preferred to go to Potchefstroom, 30 odd miles away, rather than face the trouble and expense of the pont crossings. For a long time no headway was made, but after General Botha became member for Losberg, he came over to Parys from his constituency, and his sympathy was enlisted.
A lot of spade work still had to be done. One of the foremost in the task was Mr Ben van der Hoven. Dr van der Merwe, who later became Mayor, also ably supported him. At that time the Constituency was represented in Parliament by Commandant, J. A. P. van der Merwe, who was well thought of by the Government. He threw the whole weight of his influence in favour of the bridge. The matter already had the sympathy of the then Premier, General Botha. It was only a matter of preparing the plans. Towards the end of 1913, tenders were asked for. The requirement was for a reinforced concrete bridge, over the Vaal, the length to be 1600 feet, in 40 sections of 40feet each.
The contract was given to Mr J. F. Warren of Potchefstroom, the price being about one thousand six hundred pounds. Work started in May 1914, and it was to have been completed in a year, but the First World War breaking out three months later, caused long delays and the bridge was only finished and opened for traffic at Christmas 1915. This was only a one way bridge.
With the completion of the bridge, came an increase of trade from the Transvaal side of the river. The farmers from Lindequesdrift to Venterskroon and as far afield as Buffelshoek now found Parys easy access, and considerably nearer than Potchefstroom. With the increase trade, the town began to grow and many new buildings went up. At the Rooibult (Pomona) portion of the town, the greater number of sold Morgen lots had not immediately been brought under cultivation, but gradually, one by one, they were cultivated, with the result that the water was insufficient for all the new ground under cultivation.
Chapter Four
Further Expansion 1915- 1930
The council meetings at that time were largely taken up in hearing complaints about the shortage of water from Property owners and the position became quite acute.
After much deliberation the council agreed to raise the level of the weir by four feet and install another turbine and pump. Naturally the residents were ready and willing to accept the necessity of borrowing thirty two thousand pounds. Various financial institutions were approached and a leading insurance offered to lend the whole sum at 5% interest.
Unfortunately for the town council this scheme was not allowed to go ahead without problems. These were to show up after all arrangements had been made for the contract to go ahead.
The plans for the weir, were drawn up by Mr. Hancock, of Potchefstroom and tenders were requested from qualified persons. Mr. Reed was accepted, and he set to work.
In the meantime, the First World war had broken out and the offer of the money was withdrawn. The council found it impossible to raise the loan elsewhere, but eventually managed to make an arrangement with the National Bank to advance the money to them as the work progressed.
But financial problems were not the only ones to assail the council. After Union, the Irrigation Law was passed and sanction from the Water Court was needed for any dam in a permanent stream.
Believing that the first permission still held good, the council had not troubled to go to the Water Court. Mr. Reed had done a considerable portion of the work on the Free State side, when down came Mr. Kanthack, the head of the Irrigation Department and put a stop to everything.
The consent of the Water Court had then to be sought and the work was hung up for months. That would be the Court getting their own back for permission not being requested. Mr. Reed abandoned the job and subsequently the council paid him some compensation for the loss of his contract.
The Water court, having given its sanction to the scheme work, could then go ahead. But by now Mr. Reed was no longer available and the council decided to do the job themselves, departmentally .
In the meantime there had been a flood of the river and an island in the dam on the Transvaal side broke and washed against the wall. The island had one big tree and some of its roots caught against the upper wall. Before being dislodged by the water, some of the coping stones were loosened and eventually the tree and coping went together, creating a breach in the wall, which later became a large gap, letting out all the water. The coping stones, similar to the ones currently to be seen on the wall of the head race, were washed a hundred yards or more down the water and can still be seen on the river bed when the river is low.
It had been believed that the wall was impregnable but that idea was washed away as was the wall. New plans were drawn up and a much stronger structure was devised and built departmentally. Mr. Gibbons was the engineer in charge and the work was done by Mr. McKenzie, who was then chief of the Water and Electrical departments.
Raising the weir, provided a head of water which has been found ample up to the present, and, except in abnormal droughts, seems likely to be ample for many years to come.
Unfortunately, though the new weir gave a good supply of water to the Rooibult owners, it was found that the storage dam from which the leadings for the erven was taken, was emptying to quickly and time was wasted waiting for it to fill up again.
The Council took the decision to enlarge it and the present dam was the result. Since that time there has been no further problems with the water supply in the new area.
Having completed the weir the council now turned towards the dam and raising the money to pay for the scheme. It was decided to sell more morgen but it was 1918 before the sale could be held. The usual twentyfive year terms were given and the plots sold, some making well over hundred pounds per morgen but the average price was seventytwo pounds. The land sold lay between Dolf and Philips Streets, from Shilbach Street to the station ground.
Mr. Beamish envisioned a recreation scheme to make Parys a great holiday resort. All the rondawels were on Woody island, and that was the camping ground. A lovelier place can hardly be imagined, but its drawback was the default of access. Up to the end of 1915, there was a Pont to it, but the completion of the bridge destroyed the usefulness of it and it was discontinued. The boat landing at that time was just above the Riviera Hotel, but was not a good place, as the current was strong when the river was in flood. At that time the D. R. Church owned the erf next to Kruis Street, on which the present Mimosa Tearoom is built.
Having taken over the boats with the other assets of Mr. Beamish, the council decided to make a boat landing lower down, out of the current.
After some negotiation, they bought the erf from the church for three hundred pounds and moved the boats down to the Mimosa Gardens. This step opened their eyes to the possibilities of that part of the river bank, and they decided to establish rondawels there and abandon Woody Island. Later on, the second erf was bought from a Johannesburg firm for four hundred pounds, and later still the third erf was purchased for three hundred and twentyfive pounds from Mr. F. G. Hill of Kroonstad. The portion on which the Tennis Courts lie was bought from Mr. J. P. Steytler and the final stretch nearest the bridge was acquired from Mrs. De Villiers.
Bathing houses were added from time to time and the rondawels, as we know them, gradually came into being. A large open shelter was put up on the open space at the top of the present boating steps, and an insignificant iron room served as a kitchen. One outstanding flood occurred while the thatched shed was standing there. On 23rd November 1917, the river was higher than at any previous time. The present graveled way on the bank had two feet of water over it and the boats were moored to the uppermost Mimosa trees in the little grove where the seats were. When the council reacquired the recreation rights, boating was much impeded by projecting rocks, and many of the highest were blasted out, but that was found to be insufficient to remove all the problems of the rocks. It was decided that the water must be deepened. The question of building a weir across the river in order to provide a decent boating stretch was debated time after time. One of the strongest supporters of the motion was Mr. Ben van der Hoven. For a long time he entertained the idea that a wall of earth and stones, held in check by wire netting, would work, and the wire netting was bought. Eventually the council realized that such a structure was not feasible when the current of the river was taken into account. Eventually a concrete wall was built and is still to be seen to this day. By this the boating facilities have been much improved.
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