Autobiography of John Warren 1853-1935

Written in January 1924

A short history of myself dedicated to all my children

My object in writing this is first to give an outline of my life, which to my mind has been practically the history of every English boy of any standing whose parents came out here as immigrants. Before starting on my history, I wish to emphatically state that every English descendant and many of the other white descendants owe a great deal of whatever position they fill in this world to the English Church mission work, viz the schools. I never went to any other but the English Church mission school, which was attended by coloured boys and girls, and I know of hundreds of others of my contemporaries (today old men and most of them gone to rest) who also never went to any other school. For if there was other schools, most of the parents could not afford to send them to it. It is this outstanding fact that makes me such a staunch English Churchman. For I state here that the Cape Colony and even the whole of the Union owe very much of its success to the English Church mission schools. Let me add that I have no bigotted ideas about my church, but this I do know that the only church that was looking after her children during my school days was the English Church, that is in my little world Swellendam, Heidleberg, Riversdale, Mossel Bay, George and Oudtshoorn, and I have been told this was the case throughout the Cape Colony.

It is patent to my mind that these mission schools, saved the descendants of the British from becoming poor whites, or at any rate considerably reduced the number of poor whites. I was born at Riversdale on the 5th of May 1853. My parents come from a small town in Wiltshire named Warminster. My mother before coming out was married to Curtis. My father came out in the same boat with my mother and mother's two brothers, all three young men. Some two years after their arrival, Curtis died and later my father (John Warren) married Mrs Curtis, who had one son about four years of age at the time of the marriage. I am the eldest of the Warren family of whom there were eight alive, nine including the step brother Curtis.

In 1859 father, mother and five children went to England (including my step brother). We left Riversdale in a small wagon drawn by six horses which took us to Cape Town where we stayed for eight or ten days waiting for the boat to sail. I can remember seeing the train run out to Salt River. I can also remember that we children used to run from the old Barracks across the present Parade right on to the beach, and to the old jetty. While at sea and becalmed at the Equator I remember seeing the 'Great Western Steamer'. I was told that at that time she was the biggest paddle steamer afloat. We returned to Riversdale about a year after. The same spring wagon and horses came to fetch us at Cape Town. On this journey I can remember us camping for the night outside of Wellington next to the camp of the railway construction works. All went well until the great drought of 1865 came, which brought poverty and hardship to every home, my parents being among the suffering. With a family of seven and no income, matters were bad. Wheat became a luxury, in fact I can remember our family living on barley bread. After some time my father got the job of looking after the telegraph line from Gouritz River to Heidleberg (Cape), about forty three miles, at the handsome salary (if I remember rightly) of four pounds ten shillings per month. Just think of this, and barley at two pounds per bag.

In April 1864 my step brother (Curtis) had left for Oudtshoorn to learn the blacksmith trade with a Scotchman by the name of Alexander Young. He was sent off in great style with portmanteau and travelled by post cart. I, although only thirteen, left home in 1866 to work on a farm for a Mr Downing at Gouritz River. My brother next to me left home shortly after, to work for one Jacobus Oosthuizen of Droogeblakte. As my employer at Gouritz River kept a shop, I had a fair opportunity of judging the extent of poverty. Many farmers were living from tapping aloes. At this time things were so bad that is in 1867 that ships loaded with rice and clinkers (biscuits) were sent to Mossel Bay to feed the poorer people. From 1865 to 1867 practically no rain fell; in 1867 we had one heavy rain which flooded all the rivers, and it was at this time that the late Mr Searle and his wife (parents of Searle Bros) sat on the roof of the toll house, the best part of the night, the river running through the house. After this the drought became as bad as ever and continued so up to August 1869. Some few years after 1869 the Rev Alfred Morris of Oudtshoorn told me that during the drought only half an inch of rain fell in two years in Oudtshoorn. While at Gouritz River I broke my leg and being on a farm lay for five days before it was set. In January 1869 my father had arranged for me to be apprenticed to my step brother's master for five years to learn the blacksmith trade. As my parents were in very poor circumstances the question was how could they get me to Oudtshoorn. At last I said to my mother they need not bother I will walk, rather a big undertaking for a boy who had broke his leg only six months previous, to walk one hundred and twenty miles. My mother naturally did not like the idea, but at last consented.

One afternoon I saw a Mr Jacobus Van Zyl in town, and as I had known him from Gouritz River I asked him to give me a lift as far as his farm Drooge Roog, about twenty miles out of town. He agreed and I rushed down to my home, got my pillow slip with the little clothes I had, and my mother gave me three shillings and six pence for the road. We arrived at Drooge Roog that night after dark. I have never seen Mr Van Zyl since, and suppose he has gone to join the great host, but I do want to thank him for the lift, for it was by helping me that I began my happy and fairly successful life.

The next morning I took my bundle, and set out for Gouritz River about eight or nine miles walk. On arrival here I explained to my previous employer, or I should say benefactor, where I was bound for, and how I proposed getting there. He very kindly offered to send me by post cart as far as Mossel Bay. I arrived at the latter place about three in the morning, walked up to the house of a friend of my parents, and sat on his doorstep until I heard they were moving inside. They gave me coffee and something to eat, but I could tell I was not wanted, so after breakfast went to another friend I knew, told him everything, and he said go fetch your things and stay with me, and you can help make my meals (he was a bachelor). This I did and felt quite at home. My friend advised me to try and get a lift on one of the wagons engaged in carrying goods between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay. I took his advice and spent hours hanging about Prince Vincent and Hudson Vreede's yards, asking everyone that was going to Oudtshoorn to allow me to go with them. Many was the refusal, although I offered to lead the oxen and help in every way. I had found out that they were carrying goods at two shillings and two shillings and six pence per hundred pounds. Many of them I offered to pay cartage at the rate they charged for goods, but it was no use. In later years the reason for these people refusing to assist me dawned on me. They naturally thought I was running away from home, and did not want to get into trouble. At last I struck a good Samaritan, in the person of Mr Piet Fourie (Attie's father) and I don't think he would have helped me, but I happened to mention my step brother's name, and that he was working for Mr Young, both of whom he knew personally.

We left Mossel Bay on Monday the 15th of February 1869, just a few days after the great veldt fire which I think was on the 9th of February 1869 when the George forest was burnt out. Later on I heard that hundreds of people rushed by all kinds of conveyance, and on foot, to pools of water, and sat in the water up to sunset. Years after I had arrived here I was talking to a Mr Christian Behr U.D.C., of Oude Muragie about it, and he related to me that on that day the veldt was on fire near his farm, that the heat was terrible, and that wild buck came running on to his erf; that he, his household and many neighbours rode by cart and wagon to a hole of water in the Oliphant River on the farm Hiet Vlei, at the Krantz, where the railway tunnel now is. I was too young to remember any details, but remember that it was a terrible hot day, and during my life time there has not been such another. Many people thought it was the last day. At the time I remember many old people discussing the cause of the fire and seemed to agree that the fire was caused by the heat, and the dry state of the grass and scrub. About the year 1905 and for some time before and after or say about thirty five years after this great fire, the George Town farmer used to bring over from George fencing poles for sale known as 'ayster houd pit' as these were pitted with marks of fire. I asked an old farmer from whom I had bought a load of these poles why they were burnt. He replied 'je outhou zeher ne loan di groot bauv, waneer de George zyn hoetbosch uitgehand het nie, det is neg pocile wat ozse optel, dan maak onze hulle schoon'.

After travelling via Attaquas Kloof road (the Robinson Pass not yet being open for traffic), we arrived here (in Oudtshoorn) about 11am on the 20th of February. The wagon and team that I had come with belonged to Mr George Edmeades with whom Mr Piet Fourie was a bywoner. When the wagon had stopped at Mr Edmeades shop, Mr Fourie directed me to go straight up, and turn down the first street (now St John Street), continue down this street till I come to a Smith shop, and there I would find my brother. I thanked him for his kindness, took my pillow slip and soon found my brother. Almost the first word he said was 'why did you come with that bundle', and then 'how did you come'. Being Saturday he took me round to friends of his. We had plenty of fruit, especially grapes. Almost at every place we called there was fruit of all kinds. For even at this time in spite of the drought the town of Oudtshoorn was practically a fruit garden. One could pick as much apples, pears, almonds, figs, quinces, and pomegranite along any of the streets of the town as you could eat. Citrus fruit were in abundance up to 1894 (the year I finished my apprenticeship) when the red scale had become so bad that people began to uproot them. Vineyard were to be seen all over the town, and I remember at least twenty brandy stills in the town. One of the old vineyard still standing is that in Hight Street known as 'Tom Brown's Vineyard'. My first day in Oudtshoorn was one of the happiest of my life. On the Monday morning I started work, and I can remember I felt as proud as the proverbial punch, with my Blacksmith apron. Here I served five years being endentured for five years at fifteen shillings per month, or nine pounds per annum plus food and lodging. Here let me say that I had the good fortune of having a good master (although named a nigger driver). He was a father as well as a teacher. A Scotchman with thorough principles, God fearing and truthful. I don't think he would have told a lie to save his life, hard working and a splendid mechanic. Before leaving my apprentice master, 'my ideal man', I wish to say that if each man had done as much as he did towards building up this country and for the benefit of his fellow men, the Union would have been a much better country than it is. The latter may not interest my children and friends, but I have always wished to place the above on record, as a means of expressing my gratitude for what he did for me and what he did for me, he did for every one of his apprentices.

Well I got fifteen shillings a month, at any rate my contract said fifteen shillings, but after the diamond field opened in 1890 or I should say was in swing, transport of goods had to be carried from Worcester and Port Elizabeth to Kimberley, or the then diamond field. This created a huge demand for ox-wagons. The price rose from eighty or ninety to one hundred and forty two pounds for a twenty feet buck wagon. My master in 1872 had enlarged his shop and although I was not the senior apprentice, he made me foreman of the works and doubled my pay. I may mention that my pocket money also increased from one shilling to two and six pence per week. At this time I was repairing guns and turning old flint guns (Pan Geweeren) into percussion guns. I was also repairing clocks, and later started repairing the 'Wilcox' and 'Little Wonder' sewing machine. This I used to do in my spare time and when my master saw what I was doing he offered and got me tools and parts that I required such as gun lock springs, tumblers, nipples, rock-heads, etc. Needless to say I did very well. I would like to mention (and although it may sound very egotistical, yet it is not written with this idea but my idea is that it may be a guide to our young people) that is, that although my contract was at the rate of nine pounds per year, or forty five pounds for the five years, at the end of my apprenticeship I had saved forty pounds; twenty I had sent to my parents and twenty I had out on interest, and yet my apprenticeship, although very hard, working from sunrise to sunset, and all tyres were put on before daylight and that was usually twice a week, was a very happy part of my life. By this time I was engaged to a lady, the descendant of a Scotch family. She was born on the 12th of May 1858 on the sea in Table Bay while quarantined for measles. My apprenticeship was completed on Saturday 31st of March 1874 and on the following Monday started as journeyman for my step brother, with whom I worked for two years at twelve shillings and six pence per day. After this I went to work for Mr Robert Saunders at the same price. While at this latter place I got married in August 1877. The following year in February 1878 I got appointed District Road Inspector to the Divisional Council at £200 per annum and had to supply my own conveyance. My reason for taking this was that by this time I had three brothers blacksmiths, including my step brother; the latter was running a very successful wagon and cart building and farrying business, and being anxious to start for myself and not to clash with them I took the job. The first year or so I did my work on horseback, and my district extended from Krom Laagle, near Zuinberg, to Zout Kloof, near Ladysmith, and from the summit of the Zwartberg to the George boundary.

While working for the Divisional Council I had to go and assist the late Thomas Bain, Inspector of Public Works, and his assistant Tom Stevens, to set out the Zwartberg Pass. This was done during June and July of 1879 (the same year as the present Dutch Church was opened), one of the wettest (if not the wettest) year I have known in the fifty five years of my experience. After this I had the bridal path made up the south side of the mountain, and a very large portion of the roads in the district were made by me, on the £ for £ principle, under Government supervision. Here let me mention that I look upon Mr Bain as one of the most practical hard working road engineers that has been in the Government service. At three in the morning we would be scrambling up Zwartberg and he would stay up to 9.30pm doing up the field book. He was a geologist always examining rocks and also getting bushman sketches for the Museum. In fact he could not afford to be idle for he often had to travel by Cape Cart from Cape Town to Gamtos River, Zuusberg in the Eastern Province, and on to Uppington to inspect work. A fine honest hard working conscientious servant to the Government and I believe very badly treated by his employers. It has been said that he died broken hearted.

This work I carried on up to January 1901, when I again went back to my trade, starting a fairly large business, in the wagon making, carriage and cart building, as well as farrying. Together with the above I also ran a hardware store importing all my stock direct. A few years after I started I took my eldest son into partnership in the hardware business. These businesses I ran fairly successfully up to 1911 when owing to my outstandings being so large I decided handing my accounts over to my attorney for collection. My business began to fall off, and in 1912 took my chance and sold my stand to the Oudtshoorn Gaiety Theatre Company, and moved to smaller quarters, reducing my business very considerably. Shortly after, the Great War broke out. In the beginning of 1916 I closed down altogether. I may mention that one of the best things I ever did was when in 1911 I resolved to collect my outstandings for it lead to my getting in my money, reducing my stock and consequently my business, as well as closing down at the right time.

Since that time I have practically retired and having nine children, all alive except the oldest who died on the 23rd of June 1923 from diabetes at the age of forty five. We had seven children married including the deceased, and twenty three grand children alive. My eldest grand son Walter Warren Wallis has just passed his third year BA subjects some (Latin) in honours (at the Joburg University) and his brother passed his first year in Civil Engineering. All this is greatly due to the English Church mission schools, and a good apprentice master.

During my Road Inspectorship I one day at Klein Scroux River came across a family of very poor whites, Bywoners. The parents had a huge family, I don't know how many children, but two pairs of twins. I was moved at the poverty, and remembering my own young days I suggested to the parents to give me two of the boys, and I would apprentice them to my brother, but when I mentioned 'enbook' the mother would not hear of it saying 'en gat my kinders nerit en der evigheid eaat enbook ne'. I then gave her my history telling them that my parents were just as poor as they were, and that my father apprenticed ('enbooked') all his sons and it made men of us. All this was of no avail, but the boys heard all. A week after while on the work opposite these people's house, one of the boys whom I had suggested was just the age, viz between fifteen and sixteen, came to the work and said to me 'oom onze het maa omgepraat'. I saw the parents and got this confirmed and when I got to town arranged with my brother to take them. After giving the two (a pair of twins) a month's trial they were endentured and both served their time, one as a blacksmith and the other as a wagonmaker. Subsequently the blacksmith worked for me for sixteen years, in fact until I closed. The other is working at Woodstock tramway workshop and both have done well. They were well trained and had to attend night school. Both turned out good mechanics and honest sober hard working men. So much so that I have always felt proud of that piece of work.

And here I would like to mention that we are now inundated with all kinds of Acts of Parliament, Factory Acts, Shop Assistant Acts or some such name. Owing to this I know many poor boys and girls who would gladly work for say thirty shillings per month and oh what happiness it would create for many a poor mother if her child could but earn say thirty shillings per month. But the Act says this is not to be - it's either to be five pounds or starve.

I know of shops in this town who had girls, and owing to bad times could not afford to pay them five pounds per month so had to let them go. These girls would gladly accept twenty shillings per month, and their mothers would rejoice if they could get it. But no, the law says five pounds or starve. Now when I was a boy of thirteen I used to throw up wool, that is bring in wool for the men to tread into the bales. At Barry and Sephews for which I was paid four pence per day and feed myself, I also used to lead oxen for Cootjie Steyn, Friekie Van der Pool and Barend Saaiman, or hoe, or help reap, for which I got my food and a cooking of sweet potatoes or a boer pampoess at the end of the week. And I can assure you I was as proud of my pumpkin or potatoes as I was of my twelve and six per day when a journeyman and my mother was proud. There let me say that I am sure young beginners in banks, the Civil Service, teachers, etc are paid far too big money. It is this big money that is their ruin. For by getting big pay before they know the value of money they get into the most extravagant of ways. I hold that a boy or a girl should not have a penny more than what would barely keep them in food and clothes. In fact to teach them thrift they should not have enough to keep them until they are twenty one years of age. And I feel sure that before this country and the world can get to normal the younger generation will have to learn to live on half of what they spend now. There is no use us fancying that this country or any other country can go on in this extravagant way. Why today it is nothing but bioscopes, tea lounges, skating rinks, motor drives, etc. We are going far too fast; the pace is too much for us to hold out to the end.

I am a bit of a labour man, but in my opinion every working man can become a capitalist, if he would only start life the right way, and to ensure success he must begin life by saving. I consider that on the mines most men are well paid; in fact the most of them get about twice as much as ever I got. On one occasion I spoke to a friend of mine working on the Rand. He was grumbling about his pay not being enough. I said if I had received the pay you are getting I would at your age have been an independent man. But I added to enable you to do that you will have to give up your gambling and betting on horse racing. He replied 'what right has anybody to tell me what I am to do with my hard earnings'. It sounds very logical, yet absurd.

My success in life was that before I was married I had built a semi detached house that cost me about £450. The one house I let for three pounds per month and the one I occupied was worth two pounds per month. This amount gave the interest of £1000. Thus capitalised I was worth £1000, and capital at 6% will double every thirteen years. Thus from 1877 to 1890 my capital had grown to £2000, and by 1903 to £4000, by 1916 to £8000. This is the way money is made, and in no other, for in most cases where a man has a windfall of a fortune he generally loses it. I may add that up to today I have not touched this nest egg and my advice to my children is that whatever they may get from me, they will keep it as their nest egg.

I often wish that I had had the opportunity my children have had and had got a good education to enable me to ventilate certain matters in which I do not agree, generally with the opinions expressed by newspapers. Not for the purpose of raising arguments, but to get at the truth of things. I would like to argue on many things supposed to be discovered, such as sleeping sickness supposed to be caused by wild game, in consequence of which (I believe) large herds were destroyed, and now sleeping sickness has appeared in parts of Europe. Yet no explanation is given or even asked for by the papers. Yes it is the old Dutch proverb over again - Als jij de naam het van broeg opstaan, dan kom jij maar laat slaap. The grain elevator and the Cape Town Shembrass uewer shlou has also illustrated how these big pots do things with impunity, in fact the greater the loss they have caused any county the more eminent they become, that is if the public are fools enough to believe what the papers say. Take for instance the case of a certain doctor who on leaving this country a short time ago The Cape Times cracked up by an article as the wonderful discoverer of the cause of horse sickness (Paarde Vregte). Yes he had found the cause to be the mosquito. Now let me tell the editor of The Cape Times that up to 1875 Paarde Vregte came as regular every year as our seasons came, that is in my little world, Riversdale, George, Long Kloof and Oudtshoorn; of course some years more virulent than others. After 1875 it would appear after a lapse of years and then only on certain farms. The last time I can remember it being here is about thirty years ago, and this I am confident of, that Oudtshoorn and district did not know what a mosquito was up to the opening of our railway to the East. Why I am so certain about this is that about the time our railway was to be opened, the late Mr J P Nel U.D.C. said to me 'so gouw ils de Spoouveg loop sal julle mosquitos kryg'. I said 'hoe ueel oom Piet Om dal hulle op Graaft Reinet neorit geweet het ne aan mosquitos voor dat het spoorweg daarheen geloop het ne'. He added 'hulle kom en die Pierzang' and he was right for not long after I felt the first mosquito bite, in fact saw the insect sitting on my foot. Now will The Cape Times kindly get this eminent doctor to explain what caused Paarde Vregte before the mosquito was known in Oudtshoorn. I may add that the sickness was always worse in Riversdale than here, and although nearly sixteen when I left Riversdale, I cannot remember hearing or knowing of mosquitoes, yet I would not vouch for them not being there, but as far as Oudtshoorn is concerned I am positive that mosquitoes were not in this place before the railway was opened to Port Elizabeth. Ever since my daughter owned the farm Zendelingspost in the Marico district of Transvaal, horse sickness has been in the district annually and often on the above farm. I may add it has never to my knowledge been as bad as it used to be at Riversdale and here. Yet I have never seen or heard a mosquito on that farm up to January 1923, and that was only one or two, at any rate being few. You take doctors; they leave a swab in a patient. He or she suffers a great deal and is put to the expense of another operation. Naturally the patient sues for damages. Yet the court exonerates the doctors. The nurse or somebody else is to blame. Again you have a doctor performing an illegal operation on a patient. The patient sues for damages. All the evidence of expert men admit that no doctor has the right to operate on any person without the consent of the patient, in fact the doctors of the hospital admit it was all a mistake. Yet the doctors were exonerated. Why. Because the fraternity of the profession stuck to each other and swore it was necessary. I dare say if this was published I would be run in for contempt of court, yet this is what labour is fighting against and an all wise providence will yet rule that top dog is not going to rule always.

In many things I absolutely agree with labour but their leaders (most of them have never done a days work and are what I call disappointed men) are rank extremist out for revenge at any price. If they only had good clear headed honest leaders, and would admit that the labour party is not all wheat but that it contains a big percentage of chaff. In other words, let the labour party admit that we all are labour and all are capitalist, and all we want is fair play. The thrifty will always be able to hold his own against any odds. Just think how all the old immigrants, all labour men, made their name in this country without the aid of Unions, or Societies. I know a few immigrants, now laid to rest, who when they first came to this country sold firewood in the streets, another was a fisherman, who before they closed their eyes in peace could have signed cheques for a hundred thousand. They did not want Unions or Societies, as long as they had health and strength. No, we belong to the greatest society, viz The Christian Body. Let us follow this teaching and we will be helping ourselves and helping all our fellow brothers. Depend upon it you cannot go wrong if you are a true member of the Christian teaching. It will not be necessary to have a password, or to tickle the palm of your hand to know you as a brother. You will be known by your works.