THE CAPE YORK TELEGRAPH LINE 675 



" The contracts, it will be seen, did not include cost of surveys or carriage of iron 

 poles or line material. 



" No reports were issued beyond those included in the Annual Report of the 

 Department. 



" H. B. TEMPLETON, 



" Deputy Postmaster-General." 



The FIRST SECTION (FAIRVIEW TO MEIN) followed Mr. 

 Bradford's route pretty closely. STATIONS were opened at 

 MUSGRAVE and COEN in 1886. During the construction, the line 

 was surveyed by Mr. W. Healy, 1 Mr. Bradford's Second-in- 

 Command. 



The SECOND SECTION was commenced at the northern end, at a 

 point named PATERSON, which had already been selected by the 

 surveyors of the Lands Department. The stations on it (from south 

 to north) beyond MEIN are, roughly, about 60 miles apart, and 

 are named MORETON, MCDONNELL and PATERSON. The last has 

 now been closed, on the opening of the line to PEAK POINT. Thence, 

 a line, partly submarine, stretches to GOOD ISLAND, across HORN 

 and THURSDAY ISLANDS. FRANK JARDINE accompanied the con- 

 struction party, taking charge of transport, assisting in Mr. 

 Frank Paterson's survey as far south as the Ducie River and giving 

 the contractors the benefit of his local knowledge. He discovered 

 the DUCIE RIVER, which he named after the Earl of Ducie, Mr. 

 Moreton's brother, and afterwards established BERTIE HAUGH 

 cattle station on this river. The necessity for water carriage of 

 poles and stores was responsible for a greatly enlarged knowledge 

 of the courses of the various rivers of the Peninsula. Detachments 

 of NATIVE POLICE protected the workmen engaged in the con- 

 struction. One of their camps was on the then deserted Coen 

 diggings and another on Clayhole Creek, near Mein. The white 

 officers in charge of the troopers helped materially in the exploration 

 of the district. For some time, the line and stations had to be 

 vigilantly guarded against the DEPREDATIONS OF THE NATIVES. 

 McDonnell station was annoyed for years by systematic pilfering 

 from the potato patch. 1 



The Second Section diverges considerably in parts from Mr. 

 Bradford's route, and is straighter and shorter, and follows rather 

 better country. 



In letters dated i8th February, 1920, Mr. Bradford and Mr. 

 Embley give a few particulars regarding the second section. 

 The first terminal station was named after the Hon. Thomas 

 Macdonald Paterson, Postmaster-General. The officer of the 

 Post and Telegraph Department who supervised the contract was 

 Michael J. Nolan,' and it was part of his duty to lay out the line. 



1 Died at Toowoomba about 1894. 



2 Shanahan's " Sidelights," Queenslander , 24th July, 1897. 

 1 Died at Winton about 1910. 



