The late 19th to early 20th century stone cottage with weatherboard extensions. From research, it has been determined that the cottage was the Port Fairy (Belfast) Lighthouse Keepers cottage. The dome roof in the background indicates a lighthouse, in which case the cottage would have been the living quarters for a lighthouse keeper and assistant keeper. The narrow poles could have been for signals and antennae. The object on the rock stack looks like a large metal milk can.The photograph shows a typical late 19th to early 20th century cottage, abandoned at dilapidated for many years. Black and white rectangular photograph mounted on card. The image shows a dilapidated stone cottage with an old picket fence. Extending behind the stone cottage are gabled roofs above weatherboard walls. The cottage has corrugated roof sheets of different colours, and four chimneys, three with chimney pots. From research, it has been determined that the cottage was the Port Fairy (Belfast) Lighthouse Keepers cottage. Near the fenceline on the left, a corrugated water tank is positioned below a pipe joined to the roof gutter. Nearby are a timber shed and timber walls or screens. In the background are two tall narrow poles with spheres on top, higher than the cottage, with one pole on each side, the left one attached to the building. A domed roof with a knob on top is on the right behind trees. Several angular shapes appear on the horizon on the left, one almost hidden by the trees. The foreground is rocky and slopes uphill on the right. At the foot of the slope is a stack of closely fitted rocks with an object shaped like a milk can on top and an object to its left that is like an open grid. Handwritten Inscriptions are on the reverse side of the photograph.Pencil on board: " D9 / 200 x 150" Pen on sticker: "52"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, cottage, lighthouse, iron roof, stone building, picket fence, water tank, weatherboard building, 19th century cottage, early 20th century cottage, abandoned cottage, antenna, chimneys, milk can

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Triangular shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Oblong shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn

A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century. The traditional washboard is usually constructed with a rectangular wooden frame in which are mounted a series of ridges or corrugations for the clothing to be rubbed upon. For 19th-century washboards, the ridges were often of wood; by the 20th century, ridges of metal were more common. A "fluted" metal washboard was patented in the United States by Stephen Rust in 1833. Zinc washboards were manufactured in the United States from the middle of the 19th century. In the late 20th century and early 21st century, ridges of galvanized steel are most common. Clothes are soaked in hot soapy water in a wash tub or sink, then squeezed and rubbed against the ridged surface of the washboard to force the cleaning fluid through the cloth to carry away dirt. A significant item for cleaning clothes still in use today in many countries giving a snapshot into the domestic life of a housewife.Washboard wooden rectangular with wood grid and 2 legsNoneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, clothes washing, cleaning, 19th century washing appliances, scrub board, washboard

This hot water bottle was designed to lay flat in a bed between the sheets. Its purpose was to warm the bed before use. The bottle was filled with hot water then a stopper was placed in the top to seal it, preventing the water from running out. The inscription on the attached label of this hot water bottle gives both the donor's details and the location of the bottle when it was first displayed at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. the "P.M.O." are the initials for the Port Medical Office. The donor's details are also written in pencil on the base of the bottle. In the 16th-century people warmed their beds with the 'bed warmer', which was a long-handled, metal pan filled with hot coals and embers and covered with a lid. The pan was placed between the bedsheets to warm the bed before the person retired to sleep for the night. In the early 19th-century earthenware bed warmers came began to be used for the same purpose. They would be filled with hot water and sealed then often wrapped in fabric. The ceramic material would hold the heat for quite some time, without being too hot for the person in bed to also warm their feet as they went off to sleep. Hot water bottles were later made from glass, copper, brass or tin. Some manufacturers made them into decorative pieces that still had practical use. In 1903 a patent was taken out for the first rubber hot water bottle, invented by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, a Croatian engineer. This bottle is of historic significance, as an example of personal heating equipment used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Hot water bottle, earthenware, pale colour with brown glaze on top over the shoulder and mouth section and clear glaze on the remainder of the sides. The cylindrical bottle tapers to a slightly narrower base. One side of the bottle, about a sixth of the circumference, is flat. The base of the bottle has a handwritten inscription. An inscription was on the paper label originally attached to the bottle. Inscription hand written on base of bottle "Mrs K. Rob _ / Browns Rd / Offic / 3 _ _ 9" Inscription on paper label " "Mrs K Robinson Browns Rd Officer 3809 - Hot water bottle P.M.O." flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, domestic item, hot water bottle, heating equipment, ceramic bottle, stoneware bottle, potter, earthenware, personal item, bed warmer, foot warmer, flat-sided hot water bottle, household item, stoneware, clay, ceramic

This soda syphon (or siphon) was distributed by John Fletcher of Warrnambool, and made by the British Syphon Mfg. Co. Ltd. of London between the 1900s-1930s. It comprises a multi-sided clear glass bottle, an internal glass tube and a metal release valve and spout on the top. It was used to dispense pressurised, effervescent soda water. It was often used as an alternative to water or added to fruit juices and cordials. The text on this bottle states that it remains the property of the retailer, John Fletcher, and must be returned to him. Customers were asked for a deposit on the bottle, which would be refunded when the bottle was exchanged or continued as the deposit on a fresh bottle. Returned bottles would be cleaned and recharged with the gas and sold again. Soda syphon are bottles, glass or metal, with a release valve and spout on the top. The valve lever on the top of the syphon, when depressed, causes the gas in the syphon to force the water up through the tube and out of the spout. The bottle’s mechanism gives the water an effervescent quality to make bubbly drinks such as sparkling mineral water, soda water and sparkling water. ABOUT JOHN FLETCHER John Fletcher bought the Union Cordial Factory in Koroit Street, Warrnambool that was previously owned by John Davis. Fletcher operated the factory as J Fletcher, John Fletcher and Fletcher’s. He eventually sold his business and stock in 1930 to Ralph Reeves, who may have continued using Fletcher’s supply of drink containers before renewing them with stock showing his own brand. The soda syphon is representative of drink containers used in the later 19th and early 20th century. It also represents the system of returnable, recyclable containers. Soda syphon (or siphon). Glass bottle, clear, multi sided, tapered from a heavy glass base to a narrower shoulder, with glass tube at centre connected to metal pump mechanism at the top. Has elaborate frosted label for J. Fletcher of Warrnambool. Made by the British Syphon Mfg. Co. Ltd. London. Bottle remains the property of John Fletcher, Warrnambool.Metal syphon has impressed "J FLETCHER" and logo "S S" in centre of two concentric circles with text between circles "BRITISH SYPHON MFG. CO. LTD. LONDON". Etched into glass "J. FLETCHER / WARRNAMBOOL", "TRADE "[stylised] F" / MARK", "SODA WATER", "THIS SYPHON IS THE PROPERTY / OF JOHN FLETCHER / WARRNAMBOOL AND CONNOT BE / AND CONNOT BE LEGALLY USED BY OTHERS / BRITISH SYPHON CO. TLD. LONDON / - - - - "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, john fletcher, fletcher, john fletcher of warrnambool, soda siphon, soda syphon, british syphon mfg co ltd of london, soft drinks, soda drinks

This beautifully made ship model is a side relief of the steam ship “S.S. Nelson”, which was launched in 1877. The model’s case stands out because of its ornately carved internal frame. Relief models of ships, sometimes called half models, were often built by the shipbuilders as an exact scale model of the finished ship. The shipbuilders would use the model to ensure that the design was balanced. They would use the model as a point of reference during building. Also, ship models were used to demonstrate the designs to prospective buyers. It is not known whether this model of the “S.S. Nelson” was made for these purposes. HISTORY of the “S.S. Nelson” During the period 1840-1890 shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of carrying produce and goods to and from coastal towns such as Warrnambool. In the 1850s regular domestic steamer services began and by 1870 the passenger trade was booming. Passengers were taken to the ship’s side in small boats called lighters, which took it to ships at anchorage in Lady Bay, then climbed aboard up ladders or gangways. Their fare covered accommodation Saloon/Cabin section (higher class and more expensive) or the Steerage section (lower class and less expensive, below deck level). Produce included livestock such as pigs and fowls, and dairy products, bales of wool, and potatoes. The goods were loaded from the Warrnambool Jetty into the lighters. The S.S. Nelson was built by Messrs Blackwood and Gordon of Port Glasgow for a cost £25,000 in 1877. She was an iron screw steamer with an overall length of 200 feet, beam 25.5 feet and a depth of hold of 19.4 feet, which gave her a gross measurement of 649 tons. Her engines gave her a best speed of 13 knots and a maintainable speed of 12 knots. She was described as a handsome, star decked, efficient steamship, fitted with accommodating for 75 first class passengers in a saloon, and 40 second class passengers in a cabin. The S.S. Nelson arrived in the colony of Victoria on March 9th, 1877. She was first registered in Warrnambool by the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company under the management of Mr William Evans, and employed in the coastal trade of south west Victoria. She was very popular in 1878, registered under the new ownership of the Western Steamship Navigation Company, trading between Melbourne, Warrnambool and Portland. Captained John Nicholson commanded the S.S. Nelson after the previous captain, Thomas Smith, was suspended in 1882 for six months by the Victorian Steam Navigation Board following the collision between the S.S. Nelson and the S.S. Julia Percy. Other Captains include S Drewet and John Thompson. The S.S. Nelson was sold to Messrs. Huddart, Parker and Co. and re-registered in Melbourne on June 23rd, 1890. The new owners intended to use her for their Bass Strait crossing between Melbourne, Victoria and Launceston, Tasmania. On the night of Friday, June 27th 1890, under the command of Captain Carrington, she was on her way to Launceston on her first crossing for her new owners. She had no passengers and very little cargo and was to return to Melbourne with passengers the following morning. She was only 21 hours out of the dock when she struck Porpoise Rock in the Tamar River. All crew of 25 were saved but the bulkheads gave way and she rapidly filled before keeling over and disappearing in approximately 130 feet of water. The new owners had fully insured the almost 14-year-old S.S. Nelson with the Australian Alliance Insurance Company and she had only been in their possession for four days. This ship model of the S.S. Nelson is significant for its connection with the steam screw ship S.S. Nelson, one of a fleet of vessels owned by the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company. The S.S. Nelson was specifically built and purchased for the Victorian coastal trade business of the late 19th century, when shipping was the cheapest and most practical means of transporting goods and passengers between Victoria’s coastal towns and the major port at Melbourne. Once the railway came to Warrnambool in 1889, the steam shipping industry began to decline.Ship model; relief of the S.S. Nelson, showing deck superstructure, ventilators and single funnel. Ship's name is painted on the bow "NELSON". Wood model, varnished finish over natural wood and black painted areas. Timber case with ornate edging and glass front and sides."NELSON" painted on bowflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, s.s. nelson steam ship 1877, screw steamer, 1877 vessel, ship model s.s. nelson, blackwood and gordon port glasgow, warrnambool steam packet company, western steam navigation company, south west coast trader, sea transport melbourne to portland, victorian steam navigation board, s.s. julia percey, captain john nicholson, captain thomas smith, captain s drewet, captain john thompson, captain carrington, huddart, parker and co, bass strait crossing 1890, sea transport melbourne to launceston, porpoise rock tamar river, australian alliance insurance company, ship model making, vessels, victorian coastal trader

This little steam boiler has been beautifully built. It could have been used to drive an engine in a small workshop, a boat or launch, or even farming equipment. It is an example of the steam technology and mechanisation of the 19th century. William Cook introduced steam heating in England in the 18th century. Steam combined with pressure was used for powering transport, such as steam engines for trains, and manufacturing, such as steam engines driving manufacturing machines. Steam boilers are still used today as an energy-efficient means of power.This steam boiler would have been suitable to drive a small engine, possibly that of a small boat. Coal was added to the firebox for fuel to heat water in the boiler. It is an example of the power used to drive machinery and equipment in the mid-to-late 19th century. Steam boilers like this one have played a part in the evolution of steam power. Steam engine boiler; vertical cylindrical coal-fired boiler with a black firebox at its base and a dome top. The cylinder's sides and top have brass fittings, inlet and outlet taps. A round opening near the base is covered by an adjustable metal plate that controls the boiler's temperature. The front door of the firebox has two hinges at the base and when the side clips are opened. A shiny brass collar tops the tall chimney. Oak wood planks around the sides of the boiler, and held in place by brass bands with nut and screw fixtures. The boiler stands on a metal and wood frame with a looped handle at the back. An inscription has been noted. Circa 1880. "1948 D/430" flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, boiler, steam engine, steam boiler, coal fired boiler, vertical boiler, boat boiler, power source, steam driven, engine boiler, steam machine, firebox, steam engine boiler

This lifebuoy is part of the lifesaving equipment that would be carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century. The strips of cork wood have been joined together to make the ring shape. A lifebuoy, or life-preserver, is used as a buoyancy device to keep a person afloat in the. It is usually connected by a rope to a person in a safe area such a nearby vessel or on shore. The lifebuoy is thrown to a person in distress in the water, allowing the rescuer to pull the person to safety. The lifebuoy is a made from a buoyant material such as cork or rubber and is usually covered with canvas for protection and to make it easy to grip. The first use of life saving devices in recent centuries was by the Nordic people, who used light weight wood or cork blocks to keep afloat. From the early 20th century Kapok fibre was used as a filling for buoys. Light weight balsa wood was used as a filler after WW1. In 1928 Peter Markus invented and patented the first inflatable life-preserver. By WW2 foam was combined with Kapok. Laws were passed over time that has required aeroplanes and water going-vessels to carry life-preservers on board. The lifebuoy is an example of equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century to help preserve life. There were many lives lost in Australia’s colonial period, particularly along the coast of South West Victoria.Lifebuoy; round, cork filling of lifebuoy. The nails joining the layers are visible. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, life rings, lifebuoy, safety ring, life-saving buoy, ring buoy, life preserver, personal floating device, floatation device, safety equipment

This lifebuoy is part of the lifesaving equipment that would be carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century. The strips of cork wood have been joined together to make the ring shape. A lifebuoy, or life-preserver, is used as a buoyancy device to keep a person afloat in the. It is usually connected by a rope to a person in a safe area such a nearby vessel or on shore. The lifebuoy is thrown to a person in distress in the water, allowing the rescuer to pull the person to safety. The lifebuoy is a made from a buoyant material such as cork or rubber and is usually covered with canvas for protection and to make it easy to grip. The first use of life saving devices in recent centuries was by the Nordic people, who used light weight wood or cork blocks to keep afloat. From the early 20th century Kapok fibre was used as a filling for buoys. Light weight balsa wood was used as a filler after WW1. In 1928 Peter Markus invented and patented the first inflatable life-preserver. By WW2 foam was combined with Kapok. Laws were passed over time that has required aeroplanes and water going-vessels to carry life-preservers on board. The lifebuoy is an example of equipment carried on vessels in the late 19th and early 20th century to help preserve life. There were many lives lost in Australia’s colonial period, particularly along the coast of South West Victoria.Lifebuoy, round cork filling inside white canvas cover with four reinforced bands. Four ropes are attached.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, life rings, lifebuoy, safety ring, life-saving buoy, ring buoy, life preserver, personal floating device, floatation device, safety equipment

This small green bottle has been handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a carbonated soda or mineral water bottle. It was made from 1840s-1870s. The bottle was found in the coastal waters of Victoria about 100 years from when it was made. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing air through a long pipe and into molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the cylindrical dip mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another ponty tool to push up and form the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be wrapped around the top of the neck and shaped to finish the lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, held in place with a ball-wire fitting attached between the upper and lower parts of the neck finish. This style of handmade bottles usually had thick glass so that it could be heat-sterilised, then re-filled. The bottles would often have horizontal bubbles in the applied finish, caused by twisting the glass, and vertical bubbles and diagonal lines in the body from it being blown, and a pontil mark in the base where the ponty tool had been attached. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal waters in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle; green glass, soda or mineral water style, handmade. Double ring collar blob finish on neck; upper is wide and rounded, lower is a thin ring. Diagonal lines in glass on neck, low shoulder mould seam, rippled texture around body. Push-up base with pontil mark, rectangular impression in heel. Uneven base. Sediment on inside surfaces.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil mark, 19th century bottle, collectable, soda bottle, mineral water bottle, green glass, blob finish, push-up base

This small green bottle has been handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a carbonated soda or mineral water bottle. It was made from 1840s-1870s. The bottle was found in the coastal waters of Victoria about 100 years from when it was made. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing air through a long pipe and into molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the cylindrical dip mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another ponty tool to push up and form the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be wrapped around the top of the neck and shaped to finish the lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, held in place with a ball-wire fitting attached between the upper and lower parts of the neck finish. This style of handmade bottles usually had thick glass so that it could be heat-sterilised, then re-filled. The bottles would often have horizontal bubbles in the applied finish, caused by twisting the glass, and vertical bubbles and diagonal lines in the body from it being blown, and a pontil mark in the base where the ponty tool had been attached. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal waters in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle; green glass, soda or mineral water style, handmade. Applied finish, blob double ring collar; upper is wide and rounded, lower is a narrow ring. Diagonal lines in glass on neck and shoulder. Low shoulder mould seam. Body is matt and tapers inward towards base. Shoulder and neck are shiny. Push-up base with pontil mark. Uneven base. Bubble on top of lip. Sediment on inside surfaces. White rubbing line and scratches on outside. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil mark, 19th century bottle, collectable, soda bottle, mineral water bottle, green glass, blob finish, push-up base

This small green bottle has been handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a carbonated soda or mineral water bottle. It was made from 1840s-1870s. The bottle was found in the coastal waters of Victoria about 100 years from when it was made. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing air through a long pipe and into molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the cylindrical dip mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another ponty tool to push up and form the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be wrapped around the top of the neck and shaped to finish the lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, held in place with a ball-wire fitting attached between the upper and lower parts of the neck finish. This style of handmade bottles usually had thick glass so that it could be heat-sterilised, then re-filled. The bottles would often have horizontal bubbles in the applied finish, caused by twisting the glass, and vertical bubbles and diagonal lines in the body from it being blown, and a pontil mark in the base where the ponty tool had been attached. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal waters in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle; green glass, soda or mineral water style, handmade. Applied finish, blob double ring collar; upper is wide and rounded, lower is a narrow ring. Diagonal lines in glass on neck and shoulder. Low shoulder mould seam. Body is matt with ripples in glass, tapers inward towards base. Shoulder and neck are shiny. Push-up base with pontil mark, visible through glass. Marks on heel. Uneven base. Bubble on side and top of lip. Sediment on inside surfaces. Two score lines, one half way down body, one near base. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil mark, 19th century bottle, collectable, soda bottle, mineral water bottle, green glass, blob finish, push-up base

This small green bottle has been handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a carbonated soda or mineral water bottle. It was made from 1840s-1870s. The bottle was found in the coastal waters of Victoria about 100 years from when it was made. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing air through a long pipe and into molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the cylindrical dip mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another ponty tool to push up and form the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be wrapped around the top of the neck and shaped to finish the lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, held in place with a ball-wire fitting attached between the upper and lower parts of the neck finish. This style of handmade bottles usually had thick glass so that it could be heat-sterilised, then re-filled. The bottles would often have horizontal bubbles in the applied finish, caused by twisting the glass, and vertical bubbles and diagonal lines in the body from it being blown, and a pontil mark in the base where the ponty tool had been attached. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal waters in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle; green glass, soda or mineral water style, handmade. Rough applied finish, blob double ring collar; upper is wide and rounded, lower is a narrow ring. Diagonal lines in glass on neck. Low shoulder mould seam. Body is matt, tapers inward towards base. Shoulder and neck are shiny. Push-up base with pontil mark, visible through glass. Marks on heel, glass thickness varies. Uneven base. Bubble in glass. Sediment on inside surfaces. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil mark, 19th century bottle, collectable, soda bottle, mineral water bottle, green glass, blob finish, push-up base

This olive green bottle was handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a ‘gallon’ type liquor bottle, which has the capacity of one-sixth of an imperial gallon, about 750ml. It was made around the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle was recovered from an unnamed shipwreck in the coastal water of Victoria. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing into a long metal pipe or reed with a blob of molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another tool to finish the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be added to the top to form the mouth and lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, often held in place with tape. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal water in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle, dark olive green glass, tall thin Gallon type. Lip is straight, deep, with thin horizontal lines in glass. Neck has gradual flare, body has side seams, heel has uneven thickness, and base is concave, without pontil mark. No inscriptions. Glass has imperfections. Handmade in mould. Body has score marks and is worn down one side. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, gallon bottle, handmade, mouth blown, pontil mark, blown bottle, liquor bottle, 19th century bottle, collectable, olive glass, green glass, mould, 1800s bottle

This olive green bottle was handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a ‘gallon’ type liquor bottle, which has the capacity of one-sixth of an imperial gallon, about 750ml. It was made around the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle was recovered from an unnamed shipwreck in the coastal water of Victoria. It is part of the John Chance Collection. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing into a long metal pipe or reed with a blob of molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another tool to finish the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be added to the top to form the mouth and lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, often held in place with tape. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal water in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle, dark olive green glass, tall thin Gallon type. Lip is double; rounded upper, flared lower. Neck is slightly bulbous. Body has shoulder seam, then tapers inwards to base. Concave base with small pontil mark. No inscriptions. Handmade in mould. Body has sediment inside, top to bottom. Glass is worn down one side. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, gallon bottle, handmade, mouth blown, pontil mark, blown bottle, liquor bottle, 19th century bottle, collectable, olive glass, green glass, mould, 1800s bottle, bulbous neck

This olive green bottle was handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a ‘gallon’ type liquor bottle, which has the capacity of one-sixth of an imperial gallon, about 750ml. It was made around the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle was recovered from an unnamed shipwreck in the coastal water of Victoria. It is part of the John Chance Collection. The elongated bubbles in the glass are likely from the glass being blown into a mould. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing into a long metal pipe or reed with a blob of molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another tool to finish the base. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be added to the top to form the mouth and lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, often held in place with tape. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal water in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle, dark olive green glass, tall thin Gallon type. Mouth is applied roughly, lip is straight and narrow. Body has no visible seams; tapers gently inwards to base. Concave base is deep and has a pontil mark. No inscriptions. Handmade bottle has elongated air bubbles and imperfections in glass.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, gallon bottle, handmade, mouth blown, pontil mark, blown bottle, liquor bottle, 19th century bottle, collectable, olive glass, green glass, mould, 1800s bottle

This olive green bottle was handmade by a glassblower and is the typical shape of a ‘gallon’ type liquor bottle, which has the capacity of one-sixth of an imperial gallon, about 750ml. It was made around the mid-to-late 1800s. The bottle was recovered from an unnamed shipwreck in the coastal water of Victoria. It is part of the John Chance Collection. This bottle has a pontil mark in the centre of the base and four pontil marks around the heel. It also has tape around its mouth and lip, adding a little more interest to its history. Glassblowers made bottles like this one by blowing into a long metal pipe or reed with a blob of molten glass at the end of it. The shape of the glass would be blown out to fit into the shape of the mould. Once it set, the glass was removed from the mould and the glassblower would continue using the pipe to create the neck and another tool to finish the base. The tool that the glassblower or his assistant used to steady the bottle left four marks in the heel of the bottle. The bottle would be cracked off the end of the glassblower’s pipe and a blob of molten glass would be added to the top to form the mouth and lip of the bottle. The seal was usually a cork, often held in place with tape. Although the bottle is not linked to a particular shipwreck, it is recognised as being historically significant as an example of bottles imported for use in Colonial Victoria in the mid-to-late 1800s. This bottle is a little more significant than other similar bottles in our collection because it has multiple pontil marks, four around the heel of the base as well as one in the centre of the base. These marks were left by the tool or tools used to hold or steady the bottle as the maker completed the process. The bottle is also significant as it was recovered by John Chance, a diver in Victoria’s coastal water in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks have since been donated to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection by his family, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. Bottle, dark olive green glass, tall thin Gallon type. Applied mouth with remnants of tape around lip. Lip is straight and narrow. Low shoulder seam; glass above seam has more shine than below seam. Body tapers gently inwards to base. Rim of heel has four equidistant pontil marks. Base is concave with central pontil mark. No inscriptions. Handmade bottle. Sediment inside bottle on one side, top to bottom. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, john chance, glass bottle, antique bottle, gallon bottle, handmade, mouth blown, pontil mark, blown bottle, liquor bottle, 19th century bottle, collectable, olive glass, green glass, mould, 1800s bottle, multiple pontil marks

This water standpipe is believed to be the only one of its kind in working order. It was originally located in Warrnambool, on the hillside at the corner of Mickle Crescent and Banyan Street, providing water for the Chinese Market Gardens below, on the flats. It was removed from this location on May 2nd, 1979, with the intention to relocate it at the new Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum & Village. The standpipe lay in storage for years until the Warrnambool Company, Chemblast, offered to restore it for use as a working display. The display was officially opened on March 31, 2014. The water from the adjacent lake is drawn out with a hand operated water pump, and goes up into the standpipe, where flows through the canvas hose and into the top of the Furphy Farm Water Cart. The display is a visual acknowledgement of the years served by Flagstaff Hill volunteer and Friends of Flagstaff Hill Chairperson, Bob Crossman. Warrnambool’s early settlers had no water supply prior to the mid-1850s. They relied on rain water tanks, domestic wells and springs. The town experienced a huge, destructive fire in William Bateman Jnr. & Co.’s large produce store in November 1856, which highlighted the need for both a fire brigade and a good supply of water. In 1863 a volunteer fire brigade was established. In August 1880 the town celebrated the installation of its first water standpipe on the corner of Liebig and Timor streets. The water was pumped from springs at Cannon Hill through the connected pipeline to the standpipe, then distributed to households via horse and cart. Each of the licenced cart drivers were compelled by Council regulations to keep their carts full from sunset to sunrise, ready to cart water to outbreaks of fire. They received a fee for this service. In 1893 the town installed a water supply, sourced from the Merri River, stored in a reservoir basin and tower in north Liebig Street, and distributed throughout the town in a system of pipes. By late 1939 a reticulated supply was installed, with the water piped in under the Otway Scheme. Standpipes are still used in modern times in rural and remote areas for homes, farms, stock, agriculture and firefighting. Many commercial or government owned standpipes are metered, charging a fee for the quantities of water supplied. This water standpipe was made by Langlands Foundry Co. Limited, Melbourne, which was establish in 1842. It was Melbourne’s first foundry and iron shipbuilder, and one of the largest employers in Victoria at the time. Langlands was known for its high quality workmanship and wide range of goods for mining, engineering, marine, railway and other industrial uses. The company made the first cast bell, the first lamp posts in the colony, and the boiler for the first Australian train. In the 1860s it produced cast iron pipes for the Board of Works, which laid the pipes for Melbourne’s first reticulated water supply. The firm was bought by Austral Otis Co. in 1897.This water standpipe is significant historically as it is believed to be the only one of its type in working condition. The standpipe is significant for being manufactured by early colonial firm Langlands Foundry of Melbourne, which was known for high quality, cast iron products. The firm made the boiler for the first Australian train, assembled the first Australian paddle steamer and made the first Australian cast bell and lamp posts. Langlands was one of the largest employers in Victoria at the time. The standpipe is significant historically as it represents the evolution of water supply services in Australia. Standpipe; vertical cast iron water pipe, painted crimson, fixed in position, tapering inward from the round base to the rectangular joint near the finial on top. A hexagonal pipe extends at right angles from the joint, with an outlet fitting and flow-controlling wheel on the end. A length of canvas hose hangs from the outlet fitting. Inscriptions are on one face of the joint. The standpipe was made by Langlands Foundry Company of Melbourne. Embossed “LANGLANDS FOUNDRY CO. / LIMITED / ENGINEERS / MELBOURNE”warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, flagstaff hill, standpipe, stand-pipe, water standpipe, fire standpipe, firefighting equipment, water supply equipment, chinese market gardens, banyan street, liebig street, water tower, bateman’s fire, working display, water supply, town water, rural water, reticulated water, cannon hill spring, merri river, otway water, water carters, horse and cart water supply, volunteer fire brigade, langlands foundry, early melbourne, iron works, bob crossman, late 19th century water supply

This item is a souvenir booklet that would have been purchased by a tourist in the Warrnambool district in the mid 20th century. The photographs are representative of the tourist attractions of the area – Hopkins Falls, the mouth of the Hopkins River, Shelly Beach, the Breakwater, the Botanical Gardens etc. Tourism in Warrnambool began to be important towards the end of the 19th century when the coastal scenery, the beaches and the Sea Water Baths were advertised to promote Warrnambool as a spa resort town. Today tourism is a major industry in the city. This item is of minor interest as a souvenir of the type of postcard purchased by tourists in the mid 20th century. This is a piece of blue paper folded in two with black and blue printing on the front and back covers and an image of two kookaburras on the front cover. In the back of the front cover is pasted a strip of paper containing 13 black and white photographs folded in concertina fashion to form a booklet. The front cover has an extension that fits into a slot on the back cover to enclose the photographs. There is space for a stamp and an address on the front cover and space for the name of the sender on the back cover. There is pencil writing on the space for the stamp.Warrnambool Photographic Booklet 9d. (ninepence) warrnambool souvenir, warrnambool tourist attractions

This is a framed photograph of the men's pool at the Warrnambool Salt Water Baths. These Baths were originally built at the end of Gilles Street on the line of the present railway line in 1876 but were rebuilt in 1889 further north in Gilles Street when the railway line was opened. The water was pumped from the sea, initially by a windmill and later by a gas pump. The men's pool was 100 feet by 50 feet and the women's pool was 60 feet by 30 feet with bathing strictly segregated in the 19th century. A building nearby housed marble cubicles with hot spa baths with the water heated on the site and a caretaker's cottage completed the complex. Men's nude bathing was a feature of the early 20th century. Originally built by a local public company the Baths were taken over by the Warrnambool Council. These baths were superseded by the opening in 1961 of an Olympic Pool In Warrnambool. The site and the remaining buildings of the old sea water baths are now heritage-listed and today form part of the headquarters of the Warrnambool and District Historical Society.This photograph is of historical significance as a depiction of the Warrnambool Salt water Baths in the early 20th century. These Baths were the basis for promoting Warrnambool as a health and spa resort town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.This is a framed black and white photograph of the men's pool at the Warrnambool Salt Water Baths. It depicts men and boys swimming in the circular pool and one male on the diving board. All these men are naked. There are other clothed males and clothed attendants wearing hats and waistcoats. The change rooms are on the right side of the photograph and there is a fence with trees behind. The photograph is mounted on cardboard with a gilt edge and is held in a wooden ridged frame behind glass. warrnambool sea water baths, sea baths, warrnambool pool, gilles street