DescriptionBenjamin Pherson Ekberg was born Bengt Perrson in Sweden in 1851. He immigrated to New Zealand in 1874. Here he met Irish born Catherine Glasgow. They married in 1877. Between 1879 and 1895, the couple had eight children.
Catherine kept a home base for their family while Benjamin worked on goldfields across Otago. In March 1889, the newly formed Waipori Dredging Company employed Benjamin as their engineer. He designed a steam engine to drive a hydraulic elevator which he erected at Jutland Flat. Driven by a 15 horsepower engine, the elevator was capable of lifting from 20-25 tons of drift per hour to a height of 20 feet.
Benjamin's time at Waipori was short-lived. By August 1890 he was working at Bald Hill in Central Otago and later at Ophir.
In search of new engineering challenges, Benjamin and family shifted to Victoria, Australia. He died there in 1921.
You can read more in-depth details of Benjamin's Waipori engineering activities on page 112 of 'Gold Beneath Dark Waters | The People of Waipori,' by David Still. PhotographerUnknown DateC.1900RightsThis item is out of copyright. ContributorWaipori Goldfields Charitable Trust
