James Rutherford
Encyclopedia
James Rutherford was a transit pioneer in Australia
.
, Erie County, New York
, U.S.A.
, second son of James Rutherford and his wife Hetty, née Milligan.
Rutherford became a school-teacher and around 1852 decided to try his luck in the California Gold Rush
, where his brother was. Unable to find a ship to take him there, Rutherford instead decided to travel to Australia.
on the Akbar on 20 June 1853 and worked on the Bendigo
goldfields for a short time before becoming a contractor timber-cutter near Ferntree Gully, Victoria
. Rutherford then sailed to Brisbane
and travelled overland back to Melbourne and on the way learnt a great deal about the country, and much about its horses, in which he traded for some years. The coaching business of Cobb and Co.
, which had been founded by some visitors from America a few years before, was in 1857 in the hands of Cyrus Hewitt and George Watson, who employed Rutherford to manage the Beechworth
line. In 1861 Rutherford formed a syndicate (including Walter Russell Hall
) and bought out Hewitt and Watson for the sum of £23,000.
Rutherford became general manager and the business steadily expanded. He was an excellent manager, a fine judge of horses and men, and maintained good relations between the management and the employees. In June 1862 Rutherford moved ten coaches from the Castlemaine, Victoria
Depot in Victoria to Bathurst, New South Wales
and re-established the company's headquarters there. Extensions into Queensland
were made in 1865, and the growth of the business was so great that by 1870 6,000 horses were harnessed each day and the coaches were travelling 28,000 miles a week. Rutherford, who lived at Bathurst from 1862, began acquiring station properties, which he managed himself with the most up-to-date means, and in 1873, with John Sutherland, he founded the Lithgow
iron works. This started with a capital of £100,000 all of which had been lost when Rutherford took over its management. Rutherford succeeded in making the ironworks pay its way, but there was little profit in it and the business was eventually sold.
At Bathurst, Rutherford became a member of the council, had a term as mayor in 1868, and was treasurer to the Agricultural Society for 30 years. He encouraged the planting of trees in the town, and exercised an open-handed philanthropy. During his long period as governing-director of Cobb and Co., he kept in touch with his large station-properties, riding large distances as a young man, and later often travelling in a kind of Cape cart
. Even in his eighties he continued the supervision of his stations, and he died at Mackay, Queensland
, on 13 September 1911, when returning from a visit to one of them. He left a widow, five sons, and five daughters.
Cobb and Co. was a household word in the out-country in the second half of the nineteenth century. Will Ogilvie
and Henry Lawson
among Australian writers both paid their tribute to "The Lights of Cobb and Co.", and certainly at this time Australia owed much to the untiring energy and management skills of James Rutherford.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Early life
Rutherford was born in AmherstAmherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
, Erie County, New York
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, second son of James Rutherford and his wife Hetty, née Milligan.
Rutherford became a school-teacher and around 1852 decided to try his luck in the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
, where his brother was. Unable to find a ship to take him there, Rutherford instead decided to travel to Australia.
Career in Australia
Rutherford arrived at MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on the Akbar on 20 June 1853 and worked on the Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
goldfields for a short time before becoming a contractor timber-cutter near Ferntree Gully, Victoria
Ferntree Gully, Victoria
Ferntree Gully is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in the Dandenong Ranges, 29 km east from Melbourne's central business district. It is in the Local Government Area's of the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the City of Knox...
. Rutherford then sailed to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and travelled overland back to Melbourne and on the way learnt a great deal about the country, and much about its horses, in which he traded for some years. The coaching business of Cobb and Co.
Cobb and Co
Cobb and Co is the name of a transportation company in Australia. It was prominent in the late 19th century when it operated stagecoaches to many areas in the outback and at one point in several other countries, as well....
, which had been founded by some visitors from America a few years before, was in 1857 in the hands of Cyrus Hewitt and George Watson, who employed Rutherford to manage the Beechworth
Beechworth, Victoria
Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s...
line. In 1861 Rutherford formed a syndicate (including Walter Russell Hall
Walter Russell Hall
Walter Russell Hall was an Australian businessman and benefactor.Hall was born in Kington, Herefordshire, England, eldest son of Walter Hall, glover , and his wife Elizabeth Carleton, née Skarratt. He was educated in Kington and Taunton, Somerset...
) and bought out Hewitt and Watson for the sum of £23,000.
Rutherford became general manager and the business steadily expanded. He was an excellent manager, a fine judge of horses and men, and maintained good relations between the management and the employees. In June 1862 Rutherford moved ten coaches from the Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
Depot in Victoria to Bathurst, New South Wales
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
and re-established the company's headquarters there. Extensions into Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
were made in 1865, and the growth of the business was so great that by 1870 6,000 horses were harnessed each day and the coaches were travelling 28,000 miles a week. Rutherford, who lived at Bathurst from 1862, began acquiring station properties, which he managed himself with the most up-to-date means, and in 1873, with John Sutherland, he founded the Lithgow
Lithgow, New South Wales
Lithgow is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia and is the centre of the local political division City of Lithgow. It is located in a mountain valley named Lithgow's Valley by John Oxley in honour of William Lithgow, the first Auditor-General of New South Wales.Lithgow is...
iron works. This started with a capital of £100,000 all of which had been lost when Rutherford took over its management. Rutherford succeeded in making the ironworks pay its way, but there was little profit in it and the business was eventually sold.
At Bathurst, Rutherford became a member of the council, had a term as mayor in 1868, and was treasurer to the Agricultural Society for 30 years. He encouraged the planting of trees in the town, and exercised an open-handed philanthropy. During his long period as governing-director of Cobb and Co., he kept in touch with his large station-properties, riding large distances as a young man, and later often travelling in a kind of Cape cart
Cape cart
A Cape cart was a two-wheeled four-seater carriage, drawn by two horses, and formerly used in South Africa. It was equipped with a bowed canvas or leather hood. It was used to carry passengers and mail; in the days before the railways arrived, it was one of the fastest means of transport available...
. Even in his eighties he continued the supervision of his stations, and he died at Mackay, Queensland
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, on 13 September 1911, when returning from a visit to one of them. He left a widow, five sons, and five daughters.
Cobb and Co. was a household word in the out-country in the second half of the nineteenth century. Will Ogilvie
William Henry Ogilvie
William Henry Ogilvie was a Scottish-Australian narrative poet and horseman. He was born near Kelso, Borders, Scotland and arrived in Australia in 1889 returning to Scotland after a decade....
and Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
among Australian writers both paid their tribute to "The Lights of Cobb and Co.", and certainly at this time Australia owed much to the untiring energy and management skills of James Rutherford.