Showing 105 items
matching machinery - pumps
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Orbost & District Historical Society
catalogue, Fraser & Jenkinson, Langwill Bros & Davies Pty Ltd, early 20th century
Langwill Bros & Davies of Melbourne were agents for imported farm pump engines, windmills and other farm implements.. Because of war shortages, they started building the engines themselves under the Challenge brand in 1916. "..with the exception of the magneto, every part of the engine is manufactured in Australia from Australian raw material." They also sold imported Challenge windmills.This item is associated with the history of agriculture in early Orbost and is a useful research tool.A small light brown covered catalogue which has "Langwill Bros. & Davies Pty Ltd" diagonally across front in black print, items on offer and details of the company. There is a white stamp on the front with red print - "If you're not interested in this; PASS IT ON; Please; It will be doing us a good turn".catalogue farm-machinery langwill-davies -
Cheese World Museum
Petrol bowser, Super Plume, c1927
The Uebergang family came from Silesia to Australia in 1848 and were early settlers in the Allansford area. The sons and other descendants also purchased farms in the area. The Percy Uebergang family lived at Tooram Park, Allansford from 1912 until 1992. Percy and Myrtle Uebergang's children were twins, Ray and Joyce born in 1926 who lived at Tooram Park until their deaths, Ray in 1986 and Joyce in 1992 after which the property was sold. Neither Ray nor Joyce married and following the death of her brother Joyce set up the Ray and Joyce Uebergang Foundation which supports the local community. The collection of items from their property was put into store for a number of years before being given into the care of the Cheese World Museum. The family often re-used, recycled and repaired items and examples can be seen in the museum. This petrol pump is part of the collection of items given into the care of the Cheese World Museum. As with many rural families the Uebergangs had bulk fuel supplies on-farm. The bowser was used to refuel farm machinery. Mobil's Super Plume petrol was one of the many brands of petrol available from the late 1920s. No electricity was required to work this bowser as it was gravity fed. The amount of petrol was selected by the position of the front lever. Petrol was then pumped into the bowl by the handle on the side of the bowser and gravity=fed to the vehicle. This petrol bowser is an example of a 1920s petrol bowser.allansford, uebergang, vacuum oil company, super plume petrol bowser, petrol bowsers, farm machinery -
Federation University Historical Collection
Book, Mechanics' Magazine vol. 3, 1825 (exact)
Hardcovered book, half leather bound with marbled paper. Formerly book number 4040 from the Ballaarat East Public Library. Contents include: new pit-saw, self-moving carriage (car), Lord Worcestor's steam engine, extinction of fires, Cameron's Soda Water Apparatus, Newton's Lectures on Astronomy, coining at the Royal Mint, mechanical geometry, lifting ships by steam, voltaic-mechanic agent, steam navigation, portable hand-mill, Brown's pneumatic engine, Bell's invention for saving lives from shipwreck, triple pump, cycloidal chuck, potato-washer, sand clock, Galvanic electricity, perpetual motion, Hadley's Quadrent, Wollaston's Night-Bolt, rope bridges, boring machinery, locomotive steam-engines, new London Bridge, naval architecture, steam and water wheel, Spencer's Patent Forge, boat with wings, ivory profile portraits, Jenning's Gas burner, Ramage's Telescope, washing machine, tallow lamp, iron masts, self regulating pendulum, prismatic compass, simple blowpipe. Includes image of Henry Brougham, and many drawings of inventions.non-fictioncar, newton, fire, shipwreck, bell, naval architecture, locomotive, ballaarat east public library, ballarat east public library, ballarat east library, henry brougham, potassium, meridian lines, pit saw, self moving carriage, lord worcestor, steam engine, cameron s, soda water, astronomy, royal mint, mechanical geometry, lifting ships by steam, voltaic mechanic agent, steam navigation, hand mill, brown s pneumatic engine, triple pump, cycloidal chuck, potato washer, sand clock, galvanic electricity, perpetual motion, hadley s quadrent, wollaston s night bolt, rope bridges, boring machinery, steam engines, new london bridge, steam and water wheel, spencer s patent forge, boat with wings, ivory profile portraits, jenning s gas burner, ramage s telescope, washing machine, tallow lamp, iron masts, self regulating pendulum, prismatic compass, simple blowpipe, bookplate -
Federation University Historical Collection
Newspaper, The Machinery Market, 02/12/1889
It's assumed that this journal was read at the Ballarat School of MinesA small illustrated journal with advertisements and pictures. pages 328-356 (and 26 pages of illustrated advertisements). Illustrations include machinery, corn crushers, condensers, chlorination plants. stea, hammers, steam engines, steam pumps, lamps, saw bench, leather belting, casks, barrels, machinery, boiler, cohran and co, birkenhead, stern, cowles syndicate company, electric smelting works, aluminium manufacturing, w t glover and co, rope machine, steam travelling crane, webster wood fibre machine, automatic govenor expansion gear, international exhibition edinburgh, beacon light, air propeller, well boring tools and pumps, cochran and co.'s launch, tug and boat building yard, s.s. jeanette, cochran boiler, cochran and co's boiler shop, stern wheel steamer, s.s. esperanca, cowles syndicate co, milton, w.t. glover & co.'s patent compound rope making machine, bendh drilling machine, steam launch, bicycle, well-boring tools -
Federation University Historical Collection
Document, Contract for the Madame Bent Gold Mining Company, 1886, 1886
Handwritten on foolscap paper, with red seal on last page.1) The Subcontractor is also to remove the following [ ? ] from Mr Webb's paddock ... to the Madame Bent Mine Grenville ... .2) Specification for the taking doan, removal and reerection 2 Engines 2 boilers pumping gear, Bob, Poppett heads and Capstone etc, for teh Mdame Bent G.M.Cy Grenville. The company will provide ... .3) Morey's Coys yard, together with holding down bolts, and the following ... .4) to the extent of Bed ... Carpentry Work - To carefully take down the poppet heads and co... and erect the same on the claim complete ... .5) Engine Framing as shown for the winding engines and pumping engines. Properly fitted to get ... .6) The boilers to be fed in front. The contractor to cut and drill all necessary holes in the boilers and pipes - to fire blow ... The contractor to make good any damage or breakage or loss to machinery or any part hereof that may occur to it during the removal of the reerection of same. The loss or damage, if any, not being made good by the contractor, or in the event of the works not being proceeded with to the satisfaction of the Company;s Engineer, The company's Engineer hereby ... .7) of the whole of the works, and in default thereof the COntractor shall forfeit the sum of two pounds ... Signed James Malcolm Witness L. Menz The Common seal of the company was affixed this thirteenth day of December:/86 by its manager James Burrell in the presence of [illegible] managers Seal - Madame Bent Gold Mining Company Durham Lead Buninyongmadame bent gold mining company, richard squire, james malcolm, james burrell -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone in two pieces. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Pump, circa 1930's - 1940's
This pump is an Ajax Type L2 Series A model, made and sold by McPherson’s Pty Ltd of Melbourne circa 1930’s to 1940’s, is a mechanical, hand operated, constant flow pressure pump. It would have been used to pump fluids from one area to another, for example from a dam to a tank or used as a bilge pump on a small vessel, mounted on the vessel’s bulkhead, floor or deck. This type of hand pump is sometimes called a ‘Reciprocating Suction Pump’. It has a mechanical pumping action of the lever moves the piston inside the pump up and down. The water is lifted from below the pump through the inlet pipe and into the pump’s cylinder. This action causes the lower valve to close and the piston’s valve opens and the pressure within the pump forces the water out of the pump through the exit pipe. The limitation of this type of pump is that it can only raise the water a maximum of about 7 metres from beneath the ground and yields 24-26 Litres per minute. This type of pump could be used for many purposes such as pumping water or fuel. McPherson’s 1940’s advertisement proclaims “For all jobs on the land – irrigation, spraying, tank, plumbing, fire-fighting – there’s a suitable “Ajax” pump. Send us the details of you pumping problem. Our Expert’s advice will help you choose the right pump – the one that will give you most years of PROFITABLE PUMPING.” (The Australasian (Melbourne) Sat. 26th October 1940.) McPherson’s Pty Ltd, the manufacturer, advertised a similar pump to this one in The Australasian (Melbourne) in 1936, calling it the Ajax Double Acting Hand Pump. In 1942 another advertisement advised that a representative for a fire-fighting equipment supplier was visiting the western district of Victoria. The company could now supply double-action two-spray Ajax pumps at lower prices than similar pumps the district had recently purchased from Adelaide. McPHERSON’S FOUNDER and COMPANY TIMELINE 1860 – Thomas McPherson, a Scottish immigrant (c. 1853 ), founded McPherson’s in Melbourne, supplying pig iron (lead ingots imported as ballast in ships) to local manufacturers. 1882 – Thomas McPherson established a warehouse in Collins St Melbourne and included tools, steam fittings and machinery in his wares. The business expanded to include steam saw mills and became known as Thomas McPherson and Sons (William Murray and Edward). 1888 – Thomas passed away and his sons inherited the business. In 1896 William Murray became the sole proprietor after his brother Edward’s death. 1900 – The firm expanded, establishing Acme Bolt Company to manufacture nuts and bolts. 1912 – McPhersons Pty Ltd established a machinery warehouse and showroom in 554-556 Collins St Melbourne. McPherson’s went on to establish branches in Sydney (1911), Adelaide (1921) and Perth (1930) 1917 - McPherson’s supplied ‘dog spikes’ for the transcontinental railway, running from Eastern to Western Australia. 1918 – A tool works set up in Kensington, Melbourne, manufacturing Macson lathes and made machine tools that previously had to be imported. 1924 – The Bolt Works was transferred to a new building in Melbourne. McPhersons began making pumps. 1929 – McPherson retired. His son (Sir) William Edward McPherson (known as ‘WE’), was born in Hawthorne, Melbourne, in 1898. After his education he began work in his father’s Melbourne hardware and machinery business He took over as governing director when his father retired. 1929-1932 – McPherson’s supplied thousands of tons of rivets from its Richmond (Melbourne) Bolt Works for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 1936 – McPherson’s Pty Ltd is advertising Ajax Pumps in newspapers 1934 – McPhersons purchased the property adjoining the warehouse in Collins Street, and during 1935-1936 built a new office and showrooms on the site of 546-445 Collins St. 1939 - McPherson’s acquired the Tool Equipment Co. Pty. Ltd and Associated Machine Tools Australia Pty Ltd was formed to separate McPherson’s machine-tool manufacturing and merchandising interests. 1939 – Ajax Pump Works, a foundry and pump manufacturing plant, was established in Tottenham, Melbourne, and the Ajax Bolt and Rivet Co Pty Ltd began manufacturing in New Zealand. 1944 - McPherson’s became a public company, McPherson’s Ltd. 1948 - The Ajax Pump Foundry opened at Kyneton, Victoria and in the post war years it grew to became a large manufacturer. 1980’s – Ajax Pumps brochure lists the address as 6 Buckhurst St, South Melbourne, Vic 3205 with the Telephone number 03 669 3588 1988 - Ajax Pumps acquired the Forrers Company, which was established in 1921. Manufacturing in Ipswich, Queensland, specialising in submersible sewage pumps. 1991 – KSB Ajax was formed, bringing together the companies KSB and Ajax Pumps 1993 – Manufacturing was moved to state-of-the-art premises in Tottenham, Victoria 2001 - The Forrers facility was moved to Tottenham. 2007 - Company name KSB Ajax Pumps was changed to KSB Australia Pty Ltd. 2009 - KSB Australia opened a branch in Townsville, Queensland. 2011 - KSB Australia moved to its dedicated Water and Waste Water Competence Centre in Bundamba, Queensland. DISPLAY OF THIS AJAX PUMP This pump was installed at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village as part of a working display in the village by the Friends of Flagstaff Hill, in acknowledgement of the dedicated involvement of one of its long serving members, Bob Crossman. The display was officially opened 31st March 2018 and incorporates a restored Furphy Tank and Water Pipe Stand. The pump is used to draw water from the lake, through the water stand pipe and into the reconditioned Furphy Tank. This Ajax pump made by McPherson’s Pty Ltd is significant for its association with McPherson’s, a prominent manufacturer of hardware in Victoria. McPherson’s is famous for supplying ‘dog-spikes’ for the transcontinental railway (eastern to western Australia, 1917) and rivets for the Sydney Harbour Bridge (1929-1932). The Ajax pump is also of significance because of its association with McPherson’s Governing Director (Sir) William McPherson, former premier and treasurer in Victoria 1928-1929. The former McPherson’s Pty Ltd building in Collins Street Melbourne is now on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR H0942 This pump is representative of mechanical pumps popular in the early to mid-1900’s and still used today. Hand operated pressure pump, double acting. Cast metal case, painted red, with steel hose attachments and long metal lever. Pump is bolted to wooden plank. Model of pump is AJAX, Type L2, Series A pump. Embossed on lower section of pump "L2 - 10", "L2 - -1", "AJAX" “(?) –2-1” Embossed on lower handle “3-7” “L – 4” Embossed on attached plate “FOR SPARE PARTS / TYPE L2 / SERIES A / PUMP ASSEMBLED BY T R” Manufactured by McPherson’s Pty Ltd of Melbourne circa 1930’s - 1940’s.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, ajax pump works tottenham melbourne, ajax pump factory kyneton, william edward mcpherson, thomas mcpherson of melbourne, mcpherson’s pty ltd melbourne, acme bolt company, tool equipment co. pty. ltd, associated machine tools australia pty ltd, ajax bolt and rivet co. pty ltd new zealand, forrers company ipswich queensland, ksb ajax pumps, ksb australia pty ltd, macson lathes, tool manufacturer early to mid- 20th century, ajax double acting hand pump, ajax type l2 series a pump, qisjax pumps, water pump 1940’s, fuel pump 1940’s, hand operated constant flow pressure pump, reciprocating suction pump, agricultural hand pump, plumber’s hand pump, portable hand pump -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070. Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone vertebrae. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Federation University Historical Collection
Book, Samuel Hughes F.G.S., CE, A Treatise on Waterworks for the Supply of Cities and Towns, 1882
... geological formation sewerage springs pumping machinery wells bores ...Light green embossed fabric bound hardcover book with gold title. 413 pages.N.F. Barret hand written on outer pagesgeological formation, sewerage, springs, pumping machinery, wells, bores, reservoirs, drainage, bagshot sand, filter beds, geology of england, cornish engines, waterworks -
Glenelg Shire Council Cultural Collection
Photograph - Photograph - Grout Machinery, n.d
Port of Portland Authority archivesFront: (no inscriptions) Back: Concrete Mixer & Diaphram pump/ for Grated Concrete testing./ PHT had its own Concrete Laboratory for Testing 1958 (pencil, top) Grout Machinery (blue pen, centre)port of portland authority archives -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Functional object - Lister Stationary Petrol Engine Serial No. 31805, Lister Stationary Engine
Robert Ashton Lister was born in England in 1845 into an industrial family. After attending the Paris Exhibition in 1867, Robert argued with his father and formed the R.A. Lister Company to produce agricultural machinery at his factory in Dursley, England. In 1889 he linked his machine with Pederson’s cream separator which now ran at a consistent speed due to a spinning centrifugal separator thus producing consistency of cream. It was marketed through the Commonwealth and Robert himself drove right across Alberta in Canada with horse and buggy to promote the machine. He also expanded the use of his machine to sheep shearing. In 1909 the Company acquired the rights to manufacture petrol driven engines. When World War 1 began in 1914 the Company focused on producing petrol engines, lighting plants and munitions for the War Department, the workforce was mainly female as the men enlisted and left for the Front. After the War, Robert Lister retired, and the Company was taken over by his grandsons Robert, Frank, George and Percy with A.E.Mellerup. Their father Charles represented the Company in North America and Europe. Foreign competition and over supply of second-hand ex-military engines and lighting sets saw profits drop but the Company managed to recover under the leadership of Managing Director Percy. In 1929 the Company designed the CS (cold start) diesel engine producing 6-7kW which became known as the Lister 9-1. The engines were all painted the same shade of Brunswick green. By 1936 Lister was producing a wide range of petrol and diesel engines most of which were small at 1.5 to 3 horsepower. These could be bought ‘stand-alone’ or powering a complementary range of pumps, churns, cream separators, auto-trucks, generating plant and sheep shearing equipment. The most successful was the D Type Lister introduced in 1937 most of which were rated at 1.5hp at 700rpm. More than 250,000 were sold up to 1964 and although RA Lister ceased production many years ago, hundreds of these engines are still in use today.Green Lister stationary engine with petrol engine Size 71J, 3 HP, 450 RPM painted Brunswick Green. Used to power pump or similar purpose. The engine was made in1928, Dursley, UKfarm machinery, churchill island, engine, stationary engine, lister -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Functional object - Lister stationary engine
Robert Ashton Lister was born in England in 1845 into an industrial family. After attending the Paris Exhibition in 1867, Robert argued with his father and formed the R.A. Lister Company to produce agricultural machinery at his factory in Dursley, England. In 1889 he linked his machine with Pederson’s cream separator which now ran at a consistent speed due to a spinning centrifugal separator thus producing consistency of cream. It was marketed through the Commonwealth and Robert himself drove right across Alberta in Canada with horse and buggy to promote the machine. He also expanded the use of his machine to sheep shearing. In 1909 the Company acquired the rights to manufacture petrol driven engines. When World War 1 began in 1914 the Company focused on producing petrol engines, lighting plants and munitions for the War Department, the workforce was mainly female as the men enlisted and left for the Front. After the War, Robert Lister retired, and the Company was taken over by his grandsons Robert, Frank, George and Percy with A.E.Mellerup. Their father Charles represented the Company in North America and Europe. Foreign competition and over supply of second-hand ex-military engines and lighting sets saw profits drop but the Company managed to recover under the leadership of Managing Director Percy. In 1929 the Company designed the CS (cold start) diesel engine producing 6-7kW which became known as the Lister 9-1. The engines were all painted the same shade of Brunswick green. By 1936 Lister was producing a wide range of petrol and diesel engines most of which were small at 1.5 to 3 horsepower. These could be bought ‘stand-alone’ or powering a complementary range of pumps, churns, cream separators, auto-trucks, generating plant and sheep shearing equipment. The most successful was the D Type Lister introduced in 1937 most of which were rated at 1.5hp at 700rpm. More than 250,000 were sold up to 1964 and although RA Lister ceased production many years ago, hundreds of these engines are still in use today.Green Lister Stationary Petrol Engine Serial No. 16268. It is the smaller of two Lister engines in collection. It was made in 1924, Dursley, UK. The two engines in the collection are petrol engines from the 1920s predating the more numerous diesel engines manufactured from 1920 on.farm machinery, stationary engine, machine driven, belt driven -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Functional object - Comet Windmill, 1930s
... machinery windmill water pumping dams dam churchill island comet ...Comet Windmills was founded in Rockhampton, Queensland in 1879 by Sidney Williams. The Comet became known as "Australia's Leading Mill". The company survived two world wars and three generations of the family and was sold in 1992 and terminated in 1998. The windmill is a vital farming tool as it assists with agriculture, irrigation, and water supply. This windmill drew water from the 'Windmill Dam' for decades before Churchill Island's acquisition by Victorian Conservation Trust in 1976. In 1981, VCT invited BP Westernport Refinery Manager, John Shawley, to inspect the windmill with view of restoration. This was then done through the next year, as BP Social Club Members (including engineers, managers, and accountants) restored the pump, wheel, tower and piping. The wheel itself was lowered to the ground through a jury mast. The pressure from the windmill is weak, and was found to be brackish and excessively salty.This windmill is anecdotally the oldest working mill of its model in Gippsland. Its connection to Churchill Island is vital as it has been a fixture for the last 80 years. Windmill on metal stand "COMET" painted on silver vane. Restored in 1980s.farm, machinery, windmill, water, pumping, dams, dam, churchill island, comet -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Functional object - Stationary engine
This engine has a blue green casing and has been made portable as it is mounted on a tray supported by four red metal wheels. It could be moved around the paddocks or sheds pulled by horses or oxen. There is no identification plate on the engine and there are no maker’s stamps or marks therefore it is difficult to name the company responsible for its manufacture. Engines like this were invaluable on farms to operate threshing and milling machines, pumps, saw benches, hay balers and chaffcutters, among other things. This engine is currently attached to a chaff cutter. The value is also in the fact that it has two belt drive wheels so could be used to perform two different operations simultaneously depending on available horsepower.Blue green casing; two belt drive wheels; red wheels. Attached to green chaff cutterchurchill island, farm machinery, stationary engine, belt driven -
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Functional object - Pump, c. 1930
... by kerosene or petrol. farm machinery pump belt driven Green pump ...Farm pumps were used to drain or raise water in a variety of situations. The belt mechanism of this pump was a flat band encircling two pulleys which drove the pump. Belt driven pumps were easy to maintain. They did not need lubrication or collect grime and they did not rust. Their operation was relatively quiet with less vibration, again reducing maintenance. The engine would be powered by kerosene or petrol.Green pump with a white exhaust pipe angled vertically. Mounted on an untreated wooden stand.farm machinery, pump, belt driven -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - NEW CHUM & VICTORIA LINES OF REEF - MINING MACHINERY, NEW CHUM LINE, EAGLEHAWK
Handwritten notes on mining machinery sold at auction. South St Mungo - Winding Engine. Pair of 15 ? Cyl. Winding Engines. 7 ft Winding Gear. Also Jackass Boiler. Feed Pump, Trucks, Rails, Flat Sheets, Poppet Heads, Housing, etc. Sold for 270 pounds. Purchaser H Ralph for Austral Drill Co. Lady Barkly Company - 12 inch Cylinder Winding Engine. 8 ft Winding Gear. Cornish Flue Boiler, Feed Pump, Rails,Poppet Heads, Housing, etc. Sold for 162 pound 10 shillings. Purchaser W. J. Sever, Mining Merchants, Melb. Crushing Battery - Complete 40 Head Battery. Tandem Compound Engine. 11 in & 22 in Cylinders. High Press, Boilers, Electric Lighting Plant. 6 in Cyl. High Speed Engine, Fire-proof, Feed Pump, Rails, Flat Sheets, Tools & Sundries. 1000 pound to R. Ralph. These three mining plants, complete. Sold by Messrs Bell, Lambert and Nixon - Auctioneers. Ref; Bendigo Advertiser. July 14th 1910 Page 2.document, gold, new chum & victoria lines of reef, new chum & victoria lines of reef, mining machinery new chum line eaglehawk, south st mungo, h ralph, austral drill co, lady barkly company, w j sever, crushing battery, messrs bell, lambert and nixon, bendigo advertiser july 14th 1910 page 2 -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - MCCOLL, RANKIN AND STANISTREET COLLECTION: SOUTH RED WHITE AND BLUE - DOCUMENTS, 1933/4
Documents: Envelope contains - 1934 Certificate for wire ropes, Certificates of Inspection of Boiler 1936, 1933 Prospectus, Agreements with Herbert Jackson Leed(South Blue Consolidated), correspondence, 1933 list of applications for shares and related documents, suspension of Labour Covenant for lease 9982, 1933 list of Allotted shares, 1933 hire agreement - Miller & Co machinery for winding engines boiler, air compressor, pump, air receiver.MCCOLL RANKIN AND STANISTREETorganization, business, gold mining - legal, mccoll rankin and stanistreet -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - MCCOLL, RANKIN AND STANISTREET COLLECTION: CENTRAL NAPOLEON GOLD MINING CO. N.L, 1934-1950
Pink Manilla Folder containing: General Correspondance Letters to and from suppliers of machinery and parts e.g. Electricity Supply Departments, Fred Milne & Son (Engineers), Thompsons Engineering & Pipe Co.Ltd, Miller & Co Machinery Pty Ltd, Alfred J Jorgenson, Bingle Machinery Co, The Richardson Gears Pty Ltd, Buckell & Jeffrey Pty Ltd, Commercial Union Assuarance Company Limited, Bendigo Machinery & Trading Co Pty Ltd, Ronaldson Bros & Tippett Pty Ltd (including a picture of a drawlift pump), J.G. Bloomfield, Ronaldson - Tippett list of 4583 Machines in Victoria & addfor crude oil engine, A.H McDonald & Co Pty Ltd & ad for crude oil engine, E Treliving letter & list of second hand materials for sale, J. Edwards-Retallack Machinery Manufacturers Representative, Hume & Iser Pty Ltd Timber & Hardware Merchants, Bendigo Timber Co Timber & Hardware Merchants, markings read 'Cent. Napoleon G.M.Co N.L Machinery', Correspondance dating from 16 July 1934 - 26 October 1950.organization, business, industrial - mining, mccoll rankin & stanistreet, mining, gold mining, central napoleon -
Victorian Interpretive Projects Inc.
Photograph-colour, LJ Gervasoni, Jubilee Mine Scarsdale Victoria, 19/03/2011
The Jubilee Mine at Scarsdale was started by Thomas Greenwood of Italian Gully.Jubilee Company Quartz Gold Mine has one of the most comprehensive range of quartz mining foundations in the State. The brick and concrete foundations cover pumping, winding and crushing operations, as well as cyaniding of mine tailings. The machinery foundations are the remnants of large scale quartz mining operations carried on at the site between 1899 to 1912. During this time the mine produced over 125,000 ounces of gold and was the district's most important gold mine. (Source Victorian Heritage Register http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic/?timeout=yes#detail_places;5517)colour photograph in digital format showing the brick foundations of the stamping plant at the Jubilee Mine in Scarsdale, Victoria.gold mine mining scarsdale -
Puffing Billy Railway
Functional object - Billabong Ram Pump Size #5, Unknown
Pump - Billabong Ram Pump Size #5 Based on available historical data, the Australian-made Billabong Hydraulic Ram is one of the oldest rams produced anywhere in the world The Billabong Hydraulic Ram was first introduced into Australia in 1855 by John Danks and Son Limited, John Danks & Son Pty Ltd began as a plumbing business in 1859, established by brothers John and Samuel. It occupied a prominent site in Bourke Street, Melbourne, for 100 years. The business quickly grew to include factories in Melbourne and Sydney which manufactured and supplied a variety of plumbing and engineering products such as brassware, pumps, windmills and bells. The company was registered in Victoria on 25 January 1889 to continue the hardware manufacturing and supply business founded by brothers John and Samuel Danks in 1859. The head office was based in Bourke Street, Melbourne while another branch was established in Sydney in the 1880s. The company had factories in Melbourne and Sydney. The John Danks and Son Limited catalogue published in 1890, listing Billabong Hydraulic Rams as one of its major machinery products. The catalogue also provides reference to the company’s ram experience and manufacture, beginning by stating that in 1890 they already had 35 years of experience with Billabong Hydraulic Rams. The Hydraulic Ram has stood the test of time and it remains one of the few really practical and efficient uses of natural energy today. It operates without almost any cost, will last indefinitely and, with only two moving parts, is simplicity itself. It requires minimum maintenance and minimum replacement of parts. It is not uncommon to find rams working continuously for many years without any attention. • The Rams do not require electricity, fuel or steam to operate. • They possess simplicity of construction and operation – only 2 moving parts. • Powered only by running water. • Require very minimal or almost no maintenance. • Heavy duty cast Iron base and Dome. This Pump recovered from the Clematis Creek in the Mid 1970's Used to pump water from the creek to the Paradise (Clematis) Hotel. Historic - Farm Equipment - Used to pump water from the creek to the Paradise (Clematis) Hotel.Cast Iron Bronze valveBillabong 5billabong, puffing billy, ram pump -
Puffing Billy Railway
Portable Compound Steam Engine, Marshall & Son's - Builders Number 48317, circa 1908 / 1909
Portable Compound Engine - Marshall & Son's. Builders Number 48317 Built by Marshall Sons & Co., Ltd., Gainsborough, England (Builder’s Number 48317 of approximately 1908/1909), to the order of Robison Brothers, Engineers, South Melbourne. It was used for operating a pump to supply irrigation water at Robinvale in Northern Victoria. Robison Bros & Co. P/L was founded by James McFarlane Robison and his brothers in 1854, initially as plumbers and coppersmiths, the firm expanded into general engineering, boiler-making and brass, iron and steel founders and became one of Melbourne's most important engineering firms. They constructed railway bridges, gold mining equipment, railway locomotives, pumping stations, brewing vessels, abattoir machinery, amongst much else and including the first turnstiles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. A portable engine is either a steam engine or an internal combustion engine, that remains in one place while operating (providing power to machinery), and can be easily moved from one work site to another. Mounted on wheels or sometimes skids, it is required to be towed between work sites.Historic - Industrial Portable Compound Engine - steam engine - Marshall & Son's. Marshall & Son's Portable Compound Engine - Builders Number 48317 made of steel Marshall & Son's. Builders Number 48317puffing billy, state rivers and water supply commission of victoria, portable compound engine - marshall & son's., portable compound engine, marshall sons & co., ltd., robison bros & co. p/l -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Vehicle - Orchard Spray Unit, C1915
... at Schwerkolt Cottage. rural industry orcharding machinery engines ...It is presumed that the spray unit was imported in 1915 and a local manufacturer (unknown) made the wooden barrel and cart and mounted the Ballarat made motor and the imported spray unit.|Following the purchase of the R.E.Gray property, Nunawading Council Engineer, John Herbertson on finding the Spray Unit suggested that it become part of the Implements display at Schwerkolt Cottage.Myer Orchard Spray. It consist of the spray unit which is driven by a Ronaldson-Tippet Motor. The large wooden barrel spray container (mounted on the cart) contained approx 100 gallons of highly corrosive spray (hence the use of wood). The Myer pump is a twin plunger type.Myer 4078 on the barrel of the pump. Myer 3573 0n the inspection plate.rural industry, orcharding, machinery, engines - internal combustion, pumps -
Rutherglen Historical Society
Oil Can, 1930 to 1960
Cylinder with D shaped handle and long spout, pump action button lidlessoil dispenser, lubrication, machinery -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - IAN DYETT COLLECTION: AUCTION CATALOGUE - GOLD MINE, CLUNES
Two red covered auction catalogues for an auction held at the Gold Mine, Clunes on 15 March, 1941. Sale comprised of Winches, boilers, pumps, wire ropes, piping, rails, poppet legs, cages, tanks, trucks and tools, etc. Contains descriptions of the larger machinery. J. H. Curnow & Son were the auctioneers.business, auctioneers, j h curnow & son pty ltd, ian dyett collection - auction catalogue - gold mines - clunes, clunes goldfields (1931) limited, j h curnow & son, j l jamieson, the cambridge press -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - IAN DYETT COLLECTION: AUCTION CATALOGUE - GUILFORD PLATEAU GOLD MINES
Two red covered auction catalogues for a sale at the Guilford Plateau Gold Mines N. L. on 20 November, 1940. For sale was mining machinery, buildings, plant, tools, tubular steel poppet legs, pumps and piping. Contains description of some of the bigger machinery, etc. Auctioneers were J. H. Curnow & Son.business, auctioneers, j h curnow & son pty ltd, ian dyett collection - auction catalogue - guilford plateau gold mines n. l., mr e a arnold, j h curnow & son, the cambridge press -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - IAN DYETT COLLECTION: AUCTION CATALOGUE - COSTERFIELD SMELTING AND REFINING CO WORKS
Three Auction catalogues with greenish covers for a sale on 3rd July, 1941 at the Costerfield Smelting and Refining Co. Works, Costerfield of Machinery, Plant & Equipment comprising - 4 Diesel Engines, Jaques Crusher, 2 Boilers, Chilian Mill, Huntington Mill, 2 Steam Engines, Blast and other Furnaces, Exhaust Fan, Lighting Plant, Cyanide Plant, Pumps, Buildings, Piping, Tools, etc. One copy has 'Marked Catalogue' written across the top of the front cover. Some of the lots have the price written beside them, some have a note and some prices are written on the right side of the page. Signed at the end - J. H. Curnow & Son 21/7/41. J. H. Curnow & Son were the auctioneers and the Cambridge Press were the printers of the catalogue.business, auctioneers, j h curnow & son pty ltd, ian dyett collection - auction catalogue - costerfield smelting and refining co works, j h curnow & son, j l jamieson, the cambridge press -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - IAN DYETT COLLECTION: AUCTION CATALOGUE - THE GOLDEN DUKE GOLD MINING CO
Auction catalogue with cream cover and black printing of Mining Machinery and Equipment of The Golden Duke Gold Mining Co. (Blackwood) N. L. on 20th October, 1938. Catalogue has columns for £, s & d down the right side of the page. Items include tools, portable steam engine, Stamper Battery, pump, buildings and poppet legs. J H Curnow & Son were the auctioneers.business, auctioneers, j h curnow & son pty ltd, ian dyett collection - auction catalogue - the golden duke gold mining co (blackwood) n. l., j h curnow & son