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Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Letter - Correspondence, 1948
Indicates a friendship at that timeQuinn CollectionA two-page three-sided, type-written letter on buff-coloured, lined paper (0373.a1-a2),written in Durban and dated 5/04/48 in a buff-coloured envelope (0373.b). Enclosed is a type-written letter on a single sheet of matching buff-coloured, lined paper (0373.c) also from Durban dated 27/03/48.0373a commences "Hullo Allan, ....." and concerns a debt owed to Allan by the writer. He also mentions the forthcoming Royal visit to Australia. It concludes with "....Happy Sailings, Wynn." 0373b is torn where the stamps would have been and what remains of the type-written address is "Utility Man ALLA., s.s. "Morgenster", c/o South African Marine Corporation Ltd. Pier 51, North River, NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A." There is a blue 'Par Avion' stuck diagonally across the lower left corner. 0373c is a type-written copy of a letter to Mr E. W. Coppack from the accountant of The Foreign Exchange Dept., Standard Bank of S.A. Ltd. West Street, Durban concerning the debt.letters-from-abroad, quinn, 1948 -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Tins - Tobacco (Lucky Hit) x4, Mid to late 1900s Possibly c1910
The British Australasian Tobacco Co. (based in Melbourne and Sydney. The parent company was founded in England, circa 1902). This item "Lucky Hit" was the fore runner of the "Lucky Strike" brand name. The ready rubbed tobacco held within the tin was mainly used by those smokers who rolled their own cigarettes. These smokers would have mainly used their palm and formed a cup then placing their choice of the amount of tobacco to be rolled. This would then be placed on the fine cigarette paper and rolled and sealed (using saliva in the mouth) into the required shape. There were mechanical "roll you own" gadgets on the market but most rural users, especially males used their palms. The quantity of tobacco used to make up the cigarette was up to the individual user. The thinner that the cigarette was rolled the longer and more economical did the supply last. The by -products of this method were nicotine stained fingers and hands. "Chain" smokers were easily identified and could therefore be discriminated against obtaining smoke sensitive employment. The two world wars (1914-18 and1939-45) produced a significant rise in the consumption of cigarette use by men and the eventual overflow to women. Cigarette smoking before the 1900s was seen as rough and uncouth (socially frowned upon), however after the introduction of overseas films (U.K. and U.S.A.) and film stars presenting smoking as socially acceptable the rise of smoking cigarettes, especially roll you own (American western movies) in rural areas was an accepted way of life. Things however started to change in the mid 1900s when medical evidence pointed to the health problems of regular smokers. Governments were now implementing non smoking education material. Restrictions on where and when smoking was permitted and acceptable started to creep into all areas of society whether city or rural. This was the era that highlighted the use of roll your own cigarettes, especially when the costs of "tailor made" cigarettes were taxed at an increasing amount. Roll your own cigarettes also provided an avenue for the consumption of illicit drug use.The significance of this ready rubbed tobacco tin to this rural region is, stems from how much influence that the Western novels and overseas films (portraying rural lifestyles) played in shaping the rural social and working mores of the Kiewa Valley. The post war depression (financially) resulted in more smokers turning away from expensive machine (tailor) made cigarettes to the roll your own, using ready rubbed tobacco. This tobacco tin relays a long ago era, when personal contact, and not something that has been written down by some "unknown", was valued as the true appraisal of a member of the community. This was especially relevant in a small regional area such as the Kiewa Valley. Although social networking was not as fast then as the internet provides now, appearances, manners, fashion and etiquette with first impressions high on the order of evaluating someone in the community. Pointer such as the brand of tobacco smoked was part of the rural assessment method. Up until the demise of the Australian Tobacco Industry, circa 2004, the Kiewa Valley and surrounding district was part of a vibrant producer of tobacco leaves. The remnants of this industry still remain today but the drying sheds (for tobacco leaves) are now used to store hay for the valley's dairy and beef cattle industries. Tins 2,3 and 4 were found (in 2009) at Wallace's Hut on the Bogong High Plains. This tobacco tin is constructed from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two pressed and formed (from the main frame) hinges using the nip and tuck construction method. The lid and outside frame have been gold & silver anodised. Tins 2,3 and 4 have the Union Jack on the front lid. One is too rusty to read. The other two have "A blend containing choice selected Australian grown leaf" in white across the bottom on the red border and above the "2oz net weight when packed". In the centre and on the outside of the lid and surrounded by a reproduction of the "Union Jack" is stamped, "Lucky Hit Tobacco" within these words are also stamped "Ready Rubbed". The bottom of the lid is stamped (in smaller script) "2oz NET WEIGHT WHEN PACKED" and underneath this and on the rim of the lid is "THE BRITISH AUSTRALASIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD. MELBOURNE" on the inside of the lid and stamped in black print on a gold anodised lid is " NOTICE "(underlined) "Every tin of genuine "Lucky Hit has the name of the Manufacturing Company printed on wax paper lining; also on the band or wrapper with which the tin is sealed. THE BRITISH-AUSTRALIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD., MELBOURNE" and underneath this and underlined is " None genuine without the band or wrapper" On the hinge side of the lid is "LUCKY HIT READY RUBBED TOBACCO" Tins 2,3 and 4 Vary to the above inscription.roll your own, cigarette tins, smoking accessories, personal effects, tobacco containers, tobacco -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Tin Tobacco, Mid to late 1900s
The British Australasian Tobacco Co. (based in Melbourne and Sydney. The parent company was founded in England, circa 1902). This item "HAVELOCK" is one of many ready rubbed tobacco tins produced by the British Australasian Tobacco Company.The ready rubbed tobacco held within the tin was mainly used by those smokers who rolled their own cigarettes. These smokers would have mainly used their palm and formed a cup then placing their choice of the amount of tobacco to be rolled. This would then be placed on the fine cigarette paper and rolled and sealed (using saliva in the mouth) into the required shape. There were mechanical "roll you own" gadgets on the market but most rural users, especially males used their palms. The quantity of tobacco used to make up the cigarette was up to the individual user. The thinner that the cigarette was rolled the longer and more economical did the supply last. The by -products of this method were nicotine stained fingers and hands. "Chain" smokers were easily identified and could therefore be discriminated against obtaining smoke sensitive employment. The two world wars (1914-18 and1939-45) produced a significant rise in the consumption of cigarette use by men and the eventual overflow to women. Cigarette smoking before the 1900s was seen as rough and uncouth (socially frowned upon), however after the introduction of overseas films (U.K. and U.S.A.) and film stars presenting smoking as socially acceptable, the rise of smoking cigarettes, especially roll you own (American western movies) in rural areas was an accepted way of life. Things however started to change in the mid 1900s when medical evidence pointed to the health problems of regular smokers. Governments were now implementing non smoking education material. Restrictions on where and when smoking was permitted and acceptable started to creep into all areas of society whether city or rural. This was the era that highlighted the use of roll your own cigarettes, especially when the costs of "tailor made" cigarettes were taxed at an increasing amount. Roll your own cigarettes also provided an avenue for the consumption of illicit drug use.The significance of this ready rubbed tobacco tin to this rural region is, stems from how much influence that the Western novels and overseas films (portraying rural lifestyles) played in shaping the rural social and working mores of the Kiewa Valley. The post war depression (financially) resulted in more smokers turning away from expensive machine (tailor) made cigarettes to the roll your own, using ready rubbed tobacco. This tobacco tin relays a long ago era, when personal contact, and not something that has been written down by some "unknown", was valued as the true appraisal of a member of the community. This was especially relevant in a small regional area such as the Kiewa Valley. Although social networking was not as fast then as the internet provides now, appearances, manners, fashion and etiquette with first impressions high on the order of evaluating someone in the community. Pointer such as the brand of tobacco smoked was part of the rural assessment method. Up until the demise of the Australian Tobacco Industry, circa 2004, the Kiewa Valley and surrounding district was part of a vibrant producer of tobacco leaves. The remnants of this industry still remain today but the drying sheds (for tobacco leaves) are now used to store hay for the valley's dairy and beef cattle industries.This tobacco tin is constructed from tin plated thin rolled steel. The lid is attached by two pressed and formed (from the main frame) hinges using the nip and tuck construction method.The lid and outside frame have had a green "weave" pattern anodised to the metal.On the outside of the lid and at the top left is stamped, in gold coloured letters "HAVELOCK". The bottom of the lid is stamped (in smaller script) "READY RUBBED TOBACCO" and below this in smaller lettering "2oz NET WEIGHT WHEN PACKED". On the rim of the lid is "THE BRITISH AUSTRALASIAN TOBACCO CO. PTY. LTD." Inside of the lid and stamped in black print on a gold anodised lid is "Every tin of genuine HAVELOCK Ready Rubbed Tobacco has the mane Havelock printed on the paper lining, and also on the band or wrapping sealing the tin. On the hinge side of the lid is "HAVELOCK READY RUBBED"roll your own, cigarette tins, smoking accessories, personal effects, tobacco containers -
Puffing Billy Railway
TACL - Erica State Sawmill Rail Tractor, 1928
TACL-Tractor Appliance Company Limited TACL rail tractors manufactured by Malcolm Moore of Port Melbourne Located in the Parishes of Moondarra and Telbit, Gippsland, the tramway terminated at Collins Siding on the Moe Walhalla 2'6"gauge branch of the Victorian Railways. Its construction by the Forests Commission of Victoria was to facilitate the extraction of timber from the Southern and Western slopes of Mount Erica and to replace the outlet tramways destroyed during the disastrous forest fires of February 1926. Tyers Valley Tramway The line, following the Eastern arm of the river, passed Ingrams Siding (7m.) to terminate at a forest area, known as "Ten Acre Block", 8m. 60c. from Collins Siding. The western branch of the line followed the Western Tyers Valley to Growlers Creek, 13m. 40c. from Collins Siding. THE T.A.C.L. TRACTORS at Tyers Valley tramway. On the 19th January 1928, T.A.C.L. locomotive, purchased from Tractor Appliance Co. Ltd. (Malcolm Moore), was delivered. This unit had a 20 h.p. Fordson engine coupled by a chain drive to the two axles, providing a tractive effort of approx. 2000lbs. Wheelbase was 5’ and weight was four tons. It was intended that the two tractor locomotives, working with the grade, would deliver timber from the branch lines to Tyers Junction, from which place it would be steam hauled out to the Collins Siding transfer point. Following a breakdown of the steam locomotive, haulage during the early months of 1928 was carried out by the T.A.C.L. unit, supplemented by the Nattrass, which was, by this time, becoming unreliable. During April 1928, after ensuring that no suitable locomotive was available in Australia, an order was placed with the Climax Manufacturing Co., U.S.A. for the supply of a geared locomotive. A second T.A.C.L. engine was purchased during May and, on the 27th, the local mill owners, having obtained running rights on the tramway, commenced haulage with the Harman. The three tractor units worked the branch lines and transported ballast, whilst the Harman hauled the timber to Collins Siding in rakes of eight trucks (56 tons). The weekly loading of the line for the first, second and third weeks were 54, 62 and 71 trucks respectively. info from : http://www.nmra.org.au/tyersvalley/Tyers-Tram.html Historic - Industrial Narrow gauge Railway - Timber working - Rail Tractor used by the the Forests Commission of Victoria on the Tyers Valley TramwayRail Tractor with Fordson engine coupled by a chain drive to the two axles - made of steel and wrought ironerica sawmill, puffing billy, tacl, rail tractor, tractor appliance co. ltd. (malcolm moore), industrial narrow gauge railway, tyers valley tramway, forests commission of victoria -
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Letter - Correspondence, Letter to Lillie from Howard, 29 August 1925
The "letters to Lillie" show the international nature of the Mission to Seafarers. They are an important display of the handwriting style of the time, revealing courting attempts and give us an insight into life in 1925. Page 1 S/S City of Norwich Port Said My Dear Old Lillie, Well, I never got so much of a shock in my life, when your postcard turned up 2 days before my birthday, wishing me many happy returns, for which I thank you sincerely, and am sorry to say I had forgotten yours, or being very quiet about your various qualities, you would not tell me. Well to get on with the news, the next day I had a telegram to report at the Line head office, on the 15th Aug. early, imagine how I swore, as a little do was to [be] held at night, they immediately shored me on this ship S/S City of Norwich to go to Port Said, then join the City of Corinth bound for Boston & New-York so I may come out to “little Aussie” again from there with a little luck, any way we ought to be in New-York about the 19th Sept to stay a month, I will write you more in detail from there, if you feel inclined and have forgiven me for being so long about answering your last letter, could you write to S/S City of Corinth, C/o Norton Lilly & Co, New-York. U.S.A. I would jump like L”l Page 2 how is the cow milking going on, but still that joke is as unfair as the small joke about my age now, both afflictions being cured by now I hope. Well really I am no letter writer and can find very little to interest you on paper Lillie, and my photo, I hate being taken as much as you, but will do my best, if you can wait a little please, hoping you are getting one that awfully exciting week with the mission as you call it. You must be A.1 actresses to amuse such a motley crew. Hoping you are all well at home, give Mr & Mrs Duncan my kind regards, sending my best love to you dear. Hoping you will recognize me if I can come along. with tons of love, Howard. P.S. I hope to be a little more sophisticated when I come next time [-] you may be able to tell me. Lillie Duncan was a member of the Harbour Lights Guild and this letter forms part of a collection of letters sent to her by different seafarers.Letter addressed to Miss L Duncan, 11 Paxton St, East Malvern, Melbourne, Australia from Howard in three parts: Part 1.1 (0007.1) Envelope Part 1.2 (0007.2) First page of letter Part 1.3 (0007.3) Second page of letter The pages, as is the envelope, are a creamy yellow colour with black cursive writing on one side of the page. Page 1 of the letter begins with the salutation "My Dear Old Lillie...". Page 2 of the letter concludes with "...you may be able to tell me".The envelope is torn across the top for access to its contents. It has two stamps on the top right hand corner both with the text "Port Said 23AU25.4.5P".lillie duncan, howard, port said, lhlg, ss city of norwich -
Federation University Historical Collection
Booklet - Book, Albert Steane, Freemasonic Records Ballarat and District 1854 - 1957, 16/10/1957 (exact)
Born at the Victorian town of Sandhurst (now Bendigo, Albert Steane attended the Gravel Hill State School until the fourth class, then transferred to the Central School 1976 where he gained the Merit Certificate. The monitor system of teacher training had been introduced and he passed as a fourth, third, second and first class pupil teacher. At about 16 years of age Steane was appointed a teacher monitor at £12 per annum. Albert Steane was awarded the Teachers' Certificate of Competency in 1897. He was the first headmaster of the Ballarat Technical School, and opened the Sloyd (woodwork) Centre in 1902 at the Ballarat East Art School (later known as the Ballarat East Free Library). According to the Ballarat Courier of 23 March 1957 Steane established the Ballarat Junior Technical School in February 1913, a part of the School of Mines and Industries Ballarat. The beginning classes with 86 pupils were held at a temporary site at the Dana Street School. Classrooms were so scattered that Steane recalled without his motorbike he would never have covered the ground! By 9 September 1921 the Junior Technical School Building was officially opened on the site of the old Ballarat Gaol. In a confidential report of 1916 Steane was described as one of the best organizers in schools at that time, and he was noted for his strong but fair discipline. In the 1926 school report the Chief Inspector wrote that 'no boy is neglected'. Steane held the position of headmaster at the Ballarat Junior Technical School for 29 years retiring on 16 April 1942. Steane is known for the teaching of Sloyd or woodwork, which was an important point in his career, and for his love of gymnastics. He was made a life member of the Ballarat Y.M.C.A. in 1968 aged 91 years. The teaching of woodwork in Victoria began in 1901 and Steane was chosen, among 18 others for the inaugural training course at Queensberry State School in Melbourne. Because of his lifelong love of gymnastics Steane organized a gymnastic display for the Education Department in 1902 at Bendigo's Golden Jubilee Exhibition. He was one of those instrumental in establishing the Ballarat Y.M.C.A. and directed its physical culture evening classes in 1906. In 1908 Steane toured the world visiting the Swedish Naas Institute and the Gymnastic Festival in Germany. Steane in his reminiscences recalls: "In 1908 I obtained leave of absence and undertook a world trip to further my knowledge of both manual art training and physical training. On this trip I visited U.S.A., Canada, Scotland, England and Europe. Notable events were the attendance at the great 11th Deutche Turnfest at Frankfurt, inspection of the Naas Training School for Sloyd at Naas, Sweden inorgorated [sic] by Otto Solomon, and attendance at Physical Education Demonstrations at London given by the Swedish institution. These P.E. demonstrations were given to assist the organization and introduction of P.E. training in London schools.On returning to Ballarat I resumed my position at the Ballarat East Sloyd Centre and continued my studies at the Ballarat Art School gaining the Drawing Teachers' Certificate." Steane died, aged 93 years, on 13 July 1970, at Sydney, leaving his widow Grace Elliott Steane and children Eric and Violet. Steane is listed on the University of Ballarat Honour Roll at https://www.ballarat.edu.au/curator/honour-roll/honourroll_steane.shtml Printed green book with soft cover. The book lists all masonic bodies, including lodges and chapters, that have worked within 30 miles of Ballarat during the first 100 years of Freemasonry in the district. Includes a Loose, one page addenda et Corrigenda.The image of Albert Steane in the front of the book is inscribed "Yours faithfully A.W. Steane."ballarat, freemason, freemasonic, lodge, albert steane, a a w steane, a j dean, mark lodges, royal ark mariners, royal arch chapters, masonic orders -
Mission to Seafarers Victoria
Journal (item) - Periodicals-Annual, Shiplovers' Society of Victoria, The Annual Dog Watch
This journal provides the reader with glimpses of the adventures and hardships of a seaman's life. Many of the stories are of sailing ships.Contributes to our knowledge of the importance of shipping and places on record those stories of the sea which would otherwise be lost.Contents Foreword - P. C. Kelly, F.C.I.T. - 9 The Pamir's Last Australian Voyage - Ross Osmond - 13 Store of the "Wyatt Earp" - - 19 The Old Ship - C. E. Bonwick - 24 Rescue From Skull Rock - Jane Brett Hilder, F.R.G.S - 25 The End of H.M.A.S. Canberra - D. J. Bull - 31 Monkey Business - Constance Gurd Taylor - 37 The s.s. Great Britain Comes Home - L. W. Rogers - 41 Pearling Off the Aru Islands - Capt. W. J. Cowling - 47 The Wreck of the Jane Lovett - J. M. MacKenzie - 59 Captain Dale's Torpedo - C. Halls - 61 After Thoughts - - 71 Two Incidents - 73 More Light On The Early P.P. Pilots - 74 Lighthouses of U.S.A. - N. S. Smith - 78 Voyage In The s.s. Orange Branch -- 1918 - I. L. Barton - 85 A Dramatic Rescue - - 98 A New Record Discovered In Australia / America Passages - W. G. Watson - 99 Some Highlights of Western Ports Maritime History - Arthur E. Woodley - 103 Going To Sea In The Last Of The British Sailing Ships - Lionel Adams - 108 More About Willemein - E. W. R. Peterson - 119 Piracy On The China Coast - Capt. W. E. Eglen - 123 Book Reviews - - 125 Glossary - - 129sailing ships, steamships, shipping, seafaring life, shiplovers' society of victoria, dog watch -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Sewing Machine, Early 20th century
Ward Brothers (George and Samuel) registered a company (Australian Sewing Machines Limited Pty Ltd) with the head office address in Errol St, North Melbourne, and Prahan. The earliest newspaper advertisement for this company was in 1897. Around this time the Ward Brothers first imported sewing machines from England and Wertheim placed their decal on them and mounted them in their own Australian made cabinets. David Ward later imported machines from Beisolt & Locke in Germany and registered name A.N.A. (All Native Australian), his shop was in Collingwood Melbourne. Some of these machines had Ward Brothers decals on them as well. The three brothers sold under the same name as Ward Brothers. The early Ward Brothers logo had a map of Australia with a picture of all three brothers on it. In 1911 all three of the Ward Brothers decided to share a stall in the yearly Melbourne exhibition. The A.N.A was the machine that got rave reviews. It was at this time that the Australian Sewing Machine Company Pty Ltd decided to add the A.N.A logo to their logo to cash in on the new found celebrity status that the A.N.A has gained. To cut a long story short. David Ward took his brothers to court to prevent this from happening. This was a long drawn out affair that took quite a few years. The settlement was decided out of court and nothing was disclosed of the deal that was made. David seemed to have left the scene, then the remaining Ward Brothers and A.N.A. combined and then became “Wardana”. There are many Ward Brothers sewing machines in displays, they originated from Japan, England, America, and Germany. It seems that where ever they got the best deal for sewing machines or parts is the direction they went. This is where the Bendigo sewing machine company came into the picture. All imported sewing machines into Australia drew a government tax. Bendigo Cording's Traction Company was given proposed two-pound tariff protection that gave the company a significant price advantage for its machines. As a result, the Ward Brothers purchased a huge number of Bendigo shares to get cheaper machines for their sewing machine cabinets. Ward Brothers then placed one of their company officials on the Board of “Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited” and the rest is history. Ward Brothers had shops Australian wide and in most of the major country towns. History for “Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited” Cordings Traction Company owners (H. Keck MLC, W. Wallace, and W. Ewing) operated their business out of the former W. Webb & Co. building in Queen St. Bendigo. Around 1923-1924 they decided to switch from traction engines to manufacturing sewing machines. The actual date is not known but that year's financial report made note of both Cordings and Bendigo Sewing Machines Limited. The switch was made with the government of the day agreeing to a tariff of two pounds per head for every machine head made completely in Australia. The change from traction engines to sewing machines went well. Government representatives visited the factory in Bendigo to inspect and ensure that the sewing machines were Australian made as a result they agreed on granting the two-pound tariff to the company. After the first 12 months, they built 30, the following 12 months the company had produced 1500 machines probably due to the involvement of the Ward brothers. However, the government proposed a new condition to the tariff agreement which was that the company must produce 20% of Australia's requirements for sewing machines. In 1924 after having had produced 1500 machines resulting in reaching their financial limit for tariff support. According to the government, the requirement was 15,000 machines for the next year had to be produced to qualify for the tariff. The company had already reached its production limit and unfortunately folded. There were several attempts to regain government assistance to save this new industry but it was to no avail. Even a promise to open another factory in Sydney was offered but unfortunately wasn't accepted. An item fabricated in Australia from a majority of imported parts from either Germany, America or England giving a snapshot into the early manufacturing industries that were operating at the time of Federation. Sewing machine, treadle, in timber cabinet. Branded Ward Bros, A.N.A., Australian Sewing Machine Coy. Decorative carved timber cabinet, hinged, fold-out laminated timber top and five drawers; two small on each side with handles and one long, shallow, between side drawers without handle. Thread is on bobbin in a rocket shuttle (both in good condition) plus spare empty shuttle (rusty). Brass ‘Half Yard’ ruler inlaid across front, measuring scale in inches and centimetres. Two metal shuttle cover plates (or throat plate / slide plate); front one is impressed with a gauge for needle and thread. Gold trim and decals on flatbed and machine front and back, serial number under shuttle cover, brand on decals and on round metal plate on back of machine. Front right of machine has a bobbin winder. Treadle belt shows signs of wear and laminate on timber machine cover is peeling slightly.Decal coat of arms on right front of machine: kangaroo on left, man with broad-brim hat, holding pick-axe on right, in centre, top “SEWING MACHINE / THE / A. N. A.” then below it, the rising sun, then below that is state of Victoria shield with the Southern Cross constellation. Wheat sheaves around edge on left and flowering plant on right. Gold ribbon banner at bottom with script “WARD BROS.“ Decal of map of Australia on flatbed of machine. States and capital cities are marked and named (no northern territory), portrait of two men. In centre of map are interwoven letters “A. N. A.” and written in script “WARD BROS.” Decal across front of machine body has large, decorated gold lettering “A. N. A.” Decal across the top of machine “THE AUSTRALIAN SEWING MACHINE COY. PTY. Ltd.” Steel shuttle cover at front has an impressed gage listing cotton and needle sizes and number of stitches. Brass disc on back of machine “A. N. A.” in centre. Brass ruler across front of machine has carved or pressed words in the timber. In centre “INCHES” above ruler and “CENTIMETRES” below ruler, and on right above ruler is “HALF YARD” Decal across back of machine’s body “A.N. A. / MADE IN U.S.A.” Stamped into metal under shuttle cover is “219415” (2 and 5 are partially there, first 1 could instead be a 7) flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, ward bros., australian sewing machine co., a.n.a., treadle sewing machine, rocket shuttle sewing machine, home industry, clothing, wardana, australian sewing machine company, all native australian, dressmaking, clothing manufacturer -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Craft book, Norma Benporath, Tatting, circa 1940's
Tatting is a form of knotted lace making using thread and a small shuttle. Twisted threads are tied around or through small, pointed shuttles that can be made of bone, mother of pearl, tortoise shell, steel or plastic. This produces a stable, strong lace using simple knots of two half hitches to make rings and chains embellished with picots. The origins of tatting are not clear but early versions of decorative knotting were used by the Egyptians on their ceremonial dress. Tatting also has elements of fishermen's net making techniques and the decorative knotting that was practiced by aristocratic women from the 15th century. Tatting, as we know it today, emerged in the first half of the 19th century. The new availability of mercerised thread from 1835 encouraged a burgeoning of lace crafts of all sorts. It was known in Italy as "occhi" and in France as "la frivolite". Tatting looks fragile but is both strong and durable. An article in a column named "Wives and Daughters" published in the Star newspaper in May 1910 describes the durability of tatting lace - "there is edging and insertion still in existence that have outworn two sets of pillow slips." In the 19th century and well into the 20th century, tatting was used like crochet and knitted lace for decorative edgings, collars, doilies, tray cloths etc. At first, different tatting patterns were passed along by word of mouth from person to person, however in time, patterns regularly appeared in newspapers and magazines well into the 1950's. This book has photographs and detailed instructions for a wide range of tatted edgings and insertions suitable for household linens such as towels, doilies and tablecloths as well as patterns for whole mats. Stanley E. Mullen (a businessman) developed Semco Pty Ltd which began as a Melbourne based importation company in 1907. The first three letters of Semco's name were his initials. In 1915 it began manufacturing women's apparel, whitework and transfer patterns. In 1924 the company moved to Black Rock, Victoria and continued to produce an extensive range of needlework patterns and handcraft instruction booklets, threads etc. up until the late 1970's. Semco had a staff that included many young women. It was noted by E.J. Trait (editor of the local newspaper "Standard News") that the firm provided them with good working conditions and the correct rate of pay for women in a time of war - the starting rate for 15 year olds, mainly girls at Semco was 25 shillings per week. During World War 2, Manpower Regulations could be used to coerce workers to move into jobs that supported the war effort, but Trait argued that being employed at Semco could make this unlikely as the firm made some goods essential for the war effort. He even suggested that women be encouraged to produce needlework items (and play a part in the war effort) by sending them as presents, to the troops up north. He also heaped praise on the Semco workplace - noting that no Saturday work was the norm, allowing employees to shop and have "hair-do's" before enjoying a relaxing weekend! Semco also had a female cricket side in the women's Saturday association. After the war the firm stayed in production until the early 1990's when it was taken over by Coates-Paton Pty Ltd. Norma Benporath (1900 - 1998) was an expert in tatting techniques and taught and published extensively on the subject. She was born in New Zealand with impaired sight but cataract surgery restored 50% vision to one eye. She was inspired to learn tatting whilst watching her aunt tat and being told that tatting did not require as much sharp vision as embroidery. She quickly learnt to design her own patterns and published over 1000 tatted lace patterns between 1929 and 1952. She became a regular contributor to magazines (such as Home Beautiful) and newspapers across Australia. Her designs were also published in New Zealand, South Africa as well as the U.K. and U.S.A. When Semco, a thread manufacturer, noticed a rise in the sale of fine crochet threads, they realized they had an untapped market to explore. Norma designed a collection of tatting patterns for Semco that were used to help promote their threads. Norma also worked with Semco to produce a line of threads and shuttles specifically suited to tatting. In 1997, Norma was inducted into the "Order of Australia" for "Service to the craft of tatting as a designer and through the international publication of her patterns".This item is an excellent example of the needle work being enjoyed by women in the 1940's in Australia and the skills of the Australian designer, Norma Benporath. It is also an example of the trend that emerged for craft companies such as Semco to publish pattern books in order to advertise their own materials.A 32 page soft cover instruction book with green front and back covers showing two tatted doily designs. The book includes black and white photographs and written patterns by Norma Benporath.Front cover - "TATTING" "For / EXPERTS/ and / BEGINNERS" "By/Semco" "SEMCO INSTRUCTION BOOK" "No. 16" "WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS" "9" Back cover - "FOR INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORKING SEE PAGE 22" "Published by Semco Pty. Ltd." "BLACK ROCK, 29, VIC"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, great ocean road, tatting, tatting instruction book, tatting patterns, tatting shuttle, semco, semco pty ltd, norma benporath, needlework, handcrafts, household linen, craftwork -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Rod, Approx. 1871
This rod was salvaged from the American three-masted wooden clipper ship, Eric the Red, named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red. The ship first traded in coal between America and Britain and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 its hull was re-metalled and the vessel was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 Eric the Red departed New York under the command of Captain Z Allen, with 24 crew plus two passengers. It was heading for Melbourne and then Sydney. The ship was commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 American exhibits for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The items included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, and samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Also on board was general 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 ship had been at sea for 85 days when, on 4th September 1880, it hit the Otway Reef on the southwest coast of Victoria and was quickly wrecked. Captain and crew ended up on floating parts, or in the long boat or the sea. He was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued by the steamer Dawn and later taken to Warrnambool, where they received great hospitality and care. Four men lost their lives; three crew and one passenger. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne and then returned to America. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. The salvaging ship 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 found the name of the wrecked vessel. The government steamer Victoria and a steamer S.S. Otway picked 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 onto Point Franklin. Some of the vessel's yards and portions of its masts were on shore with pieces of canvas attached, confirming that the vessel had been under sail. On shore were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. There were 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”, and kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts. Other cargo remains included croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a flywheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs, wooden clothes pegs and a ladder. There were three cases of goods meant for the Exhibition Other items salvaged from amongst the debris floating in the sea were chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and flycatchers. 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 a 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. A life belt was once on the veranda of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has several artefacts from the wreck. There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. “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)Iron rod with flat lugged washer. The rod is made of a heavy metal with encrustations and signs of rusting on the surface. It is stepped down in diameter mid-shaft and is slightly bowed on the narrower end. The narrow end flares out slightly in the last few centimetres with a burred foot and has a circular head on the wider end. The washer on the narrower end cannot move past the centre or the narrow end of the rod. The washer is a different metal from the rod and has a small lug jutting out along the circumference in one position. The rod was recovered from the wreck of the ship the Eric the Red.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, rod, iron-rod, eric the red, steamer dawn, cape otway reef, 1880, captain allen, usa pavillion, melbourne exhibition, melbourne international exhibition, captain jones, medal, united states government, pharos, a. james, flag board, steamer victoria, steamer otway, diamond oil, r w cameron and company, long and co., t s and co melbourne, a. field and son, taunton, massachusetts, ketch apollo, ship nail -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Ships Collection, Stephen Cribb, circa 1914-1945
The postcards and photograph in this Ships Collection were found by the donor. Two of the cards are addressed to a local person "Master Jack de Little, Caramut House, Caramut, Victoria, Australia". Another has a message written in a different language. The remainder have no personal messages on them. The details of the postcards are- Published by Stephen Cribb, Southsea: 6967.1 Striking scene at Spithead; Aircraft over the fleet, including airships 6967.2 The King’s Ships; Fleet of ships. Aircraft overhead. 6967.3 HMS HIBERNIA; King Edward Class ship 6967.4 For Docking; Super Dreadnaughts, largest floating dock in the world, in Portsmouth Harbour 6967.5 HMS COLLINGWOOD; Dreadnaught, on which His Majesty’s son is serving. 6967.6 HMS BRITANNICA; Pre-Dreadnaught, 16,350 tons. Inscription “b1” or “61” written on the sea on the front of the postcard. 6967.7 HMS IRON DUKE; Fleet Flagship 6967.8 HMS Submarine D8. Ship numbered “78” 6967.9 HMS IRON DUKE, Fleet Flagship 6967.10 HMS SOUTHAMPTON 6967.11 SHAMROCK IV (Ketch rigged), leaving for America July 18, 14 (1914’) to fetch home the American to Gosport 6967.12 HMS CONQUEROR, June 1913 6967.13 Portsmouth Harbour, The Entrance (from Gosport Hard) 6967.14 Seaplane rising; 20th Century Marvel. Naval air defence. Types of airships, Seaplanes, Monoplanes in The Solent review 6967.15 HMS AUDACIOUS 6967.16 HMS DREADNAUGHT, pioneer of the all-big-gun warship ”Marcus Ward Series, McCaw Stevenson & Oms Ltd” 6967.17 HMS TERRIBLE, textured paper on front with aqua lower border, remnants of blue paper on the back. Published by Stephen Cribb, Southsea 6967.18 “In time of peace, prepare for war” Hoisting guns and torpedo heads on board a warship 6967.19 HMS LORD NELSON 6967.20 HMS HINDUSTAN 6967.21 Spitbank Fort, Spithead, on Solvent Sea 6967.22 HMS GARLAND of Netley Photographer Edgar Ward. “A halfpenny stamp for inland, one penny for foreign” 6967.23 Entrance to the Cambor, from Portsmouth Harbour. “312, copyright Edgar Ward” 6967.24 Royal yacht alongside Portsmouth Dockyard, “305” J. Welch & Sons, English Photography 6967.25 The Royal Yacht, Victoria & Albert “50” 6967.26 The VICTORY, firing a Royal Salute “21” Published by E.A. Schwerdtfeger & Co. London E.C. Printed at their works in Berline. Trade Mark E.A.S. 6967.27 The Hard and Viaduct, Portsea, Portsmouth 6967.28 SS MACEDONIA, P&O, 15212 tons, 1500 h.p., Coloured drawing. On reverse “Master Jack de Little, Caramut House, Caramut, Victoria, Australia” Published by Union Postale Universelle, Gibralta. 6967.29 HMS KING EDWARD VII leaving Dock N.3 GIBRALTAR – 11/3/05 (1905). Printer V.B. Cumbo, Gibraltar. Drawing. Handwritten “Oroton 28/5/06”. “Master Jack De Little Caramut, Victoria, Australia” 6967.30 7274 BARBARA, Hamburg. Imprinted “ ---O WEDDE ----- VORSETZEN 35/37” inscription, six lines of handwritten text in another language on the back. Published by the Valentine & Sons Co. Publishing Ltd., Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Branches Sydney. London, Dundee, Cape Town, Montreal, Toronto. 6967.31 SS MOLDAVIA, the first dining saloon, Valentine Series M.4059. Valentines Real Photo Series Postcard. Postcard made in U.S.A. Agfa ANSCO 6967.32 Port McNicoll, Ont. DSR.. 6967.33 Orient Line SS ORONSAY, 20,000 tons. On board the Orient Line. Tuck’s Post Card, Carte Postale. ‘Our Navy’ Series II, Raphael Tuck & Sons. “Photogravure” Postcard Nu. 4305. Art publishers to their Majesties the King and Queen. 6967.34 HMS QUEEN MARY, HMS Queen Mary, Battle Cruiser, launched 1912, completed 1913, 27,000 tons, 75,000 S.H.P., 28 knots per hour, 8 13.5-inch guns, 16 4-inch guns, 2 torpedoes. Commissioned September 1913. Printed in England. 6967.35 HMS SUPERB 6967.36 HMS TEMERAIRE 6967.37 HMS MONARCH Small photograph, not a postcard, H 6 x W 9 cm 6967.38 PHOTOGRAPH NESTOR? Small sepia photograph, ship at dock. Stamped “Kodak print” “549”. Handwritten on back is “NESTOR?“ The Ships Collection of postcards and a small photograph depict maritime vessels connected to our Australian alliance with Britain, particularly during World War I. Two of the postcards are specifically addressed to a ‘Master Jack de Little’ at Caramut House, in the local township of Caramut which was a Pioneer Settlement and a Soldier Settlement area after World War I. Collection of thirty-eight postcards from various photographers. They depict shipping, harbours and naval vessels from the Great War to the Second War War. Most of the cards have a title, generally handwritten, on the front of the postcard. A few of the postcards have inscriptions.6967.6 Handwritten on the sea in the photograph “b1” or “61” 6967.28 Handwritten on reverse “Master Jack de Little, Caramut House, Caramut, Victoria, Australia” 6967.29 Handwritten “Oroton 28/5/06”. “Master Jack De Little Caramut, Victoria, Australia” 6967.30 Imprinted Stamp “ ---O WEDDE ----- VORSETZEN 35/37” (a location in Germany). Handwritten, six lines of text in another language, possibly German. 6967.38 Handwritten on the back is “NESTOR?“flagstaff hill, maritime village, maritime museum, postcard, world war ii, ww2, royal navy, british merchant navy, portsmouth, the great war, ship, world war i, wwi, british, 1914-1918, jack de little, caramut, caramut house, vorsetzen, spithead, sea fort, fort, spithead fort, aircraft, fleet, airship, the king’s ships, hms hibernia, king edward class ship, super dreadnaught, floating dock, portsmouth harbour, hms collingwood, dreadnaught, hms britannica, hms iron duke, fleet flagship, hms submarine d8, hms southampton, shamrock iv, hms conqueror, the entrance, gosport head, seaplane, naval air defence, monoplane, the solvent, hms audacious, hms dreadnaught, warship, marcus ward series, mccaw stevenson & oms ltd, s cribb, southsea, hms terrible, hms hindustan, hms garland, edgar ward, cambor, portsmouth dockyard, j. welch & sons, the royal yacht, victoria & albert “50”, victory, royal salute “21”, e.a. schwerdtfeger & co, e.a.s., the hard and viaduct, ss macedonia, p&o, master jack de little, hms king edward vii, dock n.3 gibraltar, v.b. cumbo, gibraltar, union postale universelle, 7274 barbara, ss moldavia, valentine series, valentine & sons co, port mcnicoll, agfa ansco, ss oronsay, orient line, raphael tuck & sons, hms queen mary, hms superb, hms temeraire, hms monarch, nestor, stephen cribb, stephen cribb photography, hms lord nelson -
Federation University Historical Collection
Booklet - Magazines, Ballarat School of Mines Magazine, 1924-1930, 1924-1930
The Ballarat School of Mines is a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia. Bound copies of the Ballarat School or Mines Students' Magazine. 1924 * Dr J.R. Pound * Noel Hay Obituary * The History of Chemistry * Literary Society * Herald B. Herbert * Chemistry in Modern Life by Val G. Anderson * Chemistry in Literature by J.R. Pound * School Literary Society * Ladies in Pharmacy * Musings on Modern Literature - Mainly Drama (W.G. C.) * Trip to Newcastle * Appreciation of the Masterpieces of Art * The Antique Room * Dressmaking * Pottery * Sloyd * The Mystery of the Atom *Inorganic Evolution by R.S. Russell * Photography * First Aid Club 1926 * The Trip to Morwell * Chemical Excursions (Yallourn) * Eastern Life and Customs by Rex Warrillow * Organic Evolution by Edwin A. Brophy * Chemistry in the Kitchen * Obituary for Professor Alfred Mica Smith * The Historical Development of Patterns i Silk Fabrics * Pottery * Literary Society * Early Evidence of Metallurgy in Britain * Brief Description of the Magnet Silver Mine, Tasmania * The manufacture of Leather Photographs * SMB Athletics Team, winners of the Herald Shield (M. Timmings, L. Evans, F. Sheahan, R. Collins, A. Murfett, W. Hughes, L. Hillman * SMB Football Team * Ballarat Technical Art School Tennis Four * SMB Girls' Basketball Team * SMB GIrls Hockey Team * Ballarat Junior Technical School Scholarship and Studentship Winners * On Punctuation Advertisements: Sunshine Biscuits, Harris Powell and Sandford, W. Gribble & Co., Gilbert Motors, T.J. Haymes The Wallpaper King, C. Marks and Co., Wilson's Tailors and Mercers, George S. Grant, Miss A. Corin Art Worker, Tunbridges, Felton, Grimwade & Co., Hasten and Ewins, Ballarat Wireless Stores, Fred A. Reed, Suttons, E. Hall-Jones, Stansfield and Smith, Ballarat Gas Company, Richards and Co Studio, F.H. Drew, Adam Scott, R.A. Hudson, Huttons, J.A. Holland, A.E. White, F. Barrow Monumental Sculptor, R. Young, H.A. Evans, Alexandria Tea Rooms, W. Cornell Chemist, Black Cat Tea Rooms, J.A. Reynolds, A.M. Palmer, Morris Cars and Trucks, Mrs Stones, Millers The Clothiers, T.G. Skewes, Wattle TEa Rooms, H.B. Selby, Middleton and Morris, C.P.A. Taylor, Thornton Studios, Fred Irwin, Isaac Abraham, Ballarat Radio Listening-In, Baxter and Stubbs 1927 * Chemists Trip to Melbourne (Mount Lyell Chemical Works, Footscray, Yarraville * Literary Society * Mr J.N. Rowell 1928 * Prohibition in U.S.A. by Ed A. Brophy * Dr. J.W. Mellor and His Work at Stoke, England by Reginald C. Callister * The Science of Chemistry by C.A. Schache * Trip to Yallourn (Brown Coal Deposits, Steam Plant at Yallourn, Switchgear and Transformers, Briquette Factory * Walhalla Past and Present by G.E.B. * The Hand Loom * Precious Stones 1929 * The Old Brewery * The History of Chemistry by J.R. Pound * Occurrence of Mineral Oil in Gippsland * Experiences with Malayan Chinese by R. Warrillow * Organise Colors (Dyestuff Pigments) in Rubber Goods 1930 * News from Chine by Henry Kum Yuen * L'Art Moderne * The Story of Clay by T.H. Trengrove * A Glimpse of England * The Beginnings of Arithmeticballarat school of mines, pottery, ceramics, reginald callister, metallurgy, chemistry, j. pound, alfred mica smith, herald shield, harold herbert, lindsay hillman, john rowell, j.r. pound, noel hay, drawing from antique, yallourn excusion, walhalla, sunshine biscuits, harris powell and sandford, w. gribble & co., gilbert motors, t.j. haymes, the wallpaper king, c. marks and co., wilson's tailors and mercers, george s. grant, miss a. corin art worker, tunbridges, felton, grimwade & co., hasten and ewins, ballarat wireless stores, fred a. reed, suttons, e. hall-jones, stansfield and smith, ballarat gas company, richards and co studio, r.a. hudson, huttons, j.a. holland, a.e. white, f. barrow monumental sculptor, r. young, h.a. evans, alexandria tea rooms, w. cornell chemist, black cat tea rooms, j.a. reynolds, a.m. palmer, morris cars and trucks, mrs stones, millers the clothiers, t.g. skewes, wattle tea rooms, h.b. selby, middleton and morris, c.p.a. taylor, thornton studios, fred irwin, isaac abraham, ballarat radio listening-in, baxter and stubbs, mount lyell chemical works, footscray, c.a. schache, yallourn briquette factory, t.h. trengrove, history of chemistry, excursions, morwell, morwell excursion, women in pharmacy, mt lyall, excursion, slloyd, drawing from the antique, james pound, yallourn, yallourn excursion, ballarat arch of victory, mt macedon, f.h. drew, adam scott, university women -
Thompson's Foundry Band Inc. (Castlemaine)
Audio - Video, Western Video Productions, Boosey & Hawkes Australian National Band Championships 1987, 1987
VHS Cassette containing video recording of the Thompson's Foundry Band performance at the 1987 Australian National Band ChampionshipsVHS Cassette containing video recording of the Thompson's Foundry Band performance at the 1987 Australian National Band Championshipsnon-fictionVHS Cassette containing video recording of the Thompson's Foundry Band performance at the 1987 Australian National Band Championshipsthompson's foundry band, launceston, 1987, boosey & hawkes, australian national band championships, western video productions, alex lithgow -
National Wool Museum
Instrument - Scales, 1880-1898
At the time of sale, the last of the Hirst family to work in the mill located in Geelong gave Donald (donor Bruce's father) Doherty a set of scales that had been used by several generations of Hirsts and adapted by them over time for specific use in their mill. These Scales were saved from waste and being thrown away at the time of sale to remain in use in the industry in the hands of someone who knew how to use them. The scales were used in calculating the weight of cloth and simultaneously calculating the amount of yarn required to weave it following the instructions printed within the box. The box bears the signatures of two Hirst family members, one being Lewis Hirst dated at 1898. The original brass pole has been replaced with a replica metal somewhere throughout the years after the brass pole broke through use. Hirst was brought by McKendrick in the 1960s and these scales sat for 12 months as part of the 12 month "cooling off" period. The scales were then handed to Donald rather than being disposed of.Scales used for weighing and calculating weight and thread count of textile samples. Originated from Godfrey Hirst Mills in Geelong. Writing describes how to utilise scales. Scales are made from brass, pole for holding scales once brass now replaced with metal pole. Scales held inside wooden box with black text in ink depicting use of scales on paper located inside and outside of box.Outside of box. Wording: APPARTUS for TESTING the WEIGHT per YARD of CLOTHS & COUNT of YARN from a small SAMPLE. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indispensable to Manufactures, Merchants & handling Woollen, Worsted, Cotton, Linen, Jute, Hemp, Flannel, Felt, Army, Navy, Police, Railway, Sail & other Cloths -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USED IN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The apparatus consists of Scales, Weights, 1, 2 & 4 sq. inch Cutting Templates & Book of Tables --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------By weighing a small Sample the accurate Weight in Ounces of a yard of Cloth any width from 18 to 64 inches, the Weight per Square Metre in Grams, the Counts* of Warp and Weft, and the approximate length of full & short ends of pieces of fabrics, [without unrolling and measuring for stocktaking & other purposes] can be ascertained without any Calculation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Price in United Kingdom, 25s., Carriage Paid. Price to Canada & U.S.A. $6.75 do. H. Lord. 10, And Place, Bradford, England. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*When ordering, state on what system you base your YARN COUNTS. Inside of box. Wording: DIRECTIONS FOR USE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TESTING WEIGHT OF CLOTHS. Place sample to be tested on a piece of cardboard, put a Cutting Template on it, cut card and cloth round template with scissors and weigh it according to instructions given in Book of Tables. TESTING FOR YARN COUNTS. Cut out 1 square inch of cloth, draw out wrap or weft threads, according to which is being tested, and the number of inches so drawn, that balance respective weight is the approximate Count. The same rule holds good when number of inches are drawn from a bobbin. In testing from the cloth, allowance has to be made for loss or gain in the process of manufacture. Weight marked C is for Cotton Counts " " W " " Worsted " " " WS " " Woollen Skeins " " L " " Linen Counts. The weights for testing samples of cloth are 20, 10, 10, 5, 3, 2, 1, grains in brass & '5, '3, '2, '1 [tenths of a grain] in aluminium. Inside of box. Signtures, handwritten: Bottom right: Lewis Hirst !898 Top Left (Smudge ?) W Hirst !935godfrey hirst, hirst family, textile design, textile creation -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Ship's Wheel, 1871 or earlier
The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built many ships that had wheels with the same decorative, starburst pattern on them as this particular wheel segment, including the Eric the Red. The wheel was manufactured by their local Bath foundry, Geo. Moulton & Co. and sold to the Sewall yard for $100, according to the construction accounts of the vessel. 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, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, 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 - from America 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 Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 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. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast 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 Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life 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 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 Z. 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. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. 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, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. 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. 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. 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 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) Segment of a ship's wheel, or helm, from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red. The wheel part is an arc shape from the outer rim of the wheel and is made up of three layers of timber. The centre layer is a dark, dense timber and is wider than the two outer layers, which are less dense and lighter in colour. The wheel segment has a vertically symmetrical, decorative copper plate inlaid on the front. The plate has a starburst pattern; six stars decorate it, each at a point where there is a metal fitting going through the three layers of timber to the rear side of the wheel. On the rear each of the six fittings has an individual copper star around it. The edges of the helm are rounded and bevelled, polished to a shine in a dark stain. Around each of the stars, front and back, the wood is a lighter colour, as though the metal in that area being polished frequently. The length of the segment suggests that it has probably come from a wheel or helm that had ten spokes. (Ref: F.H.M.M. 16th March 1994, 239.6.610.3.7. Artefact Reg No ER/1.)flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ship's-wheel, eric-the-red, helm, shei's wheel, ship's steering wheel -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Furniture - Door, 1871 or earlier
The wooden door was salvaged from the wreck of the sailing ship Eric the Red, which was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. Eric the Red was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871, having had a 1,580 tons register. 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, 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 - from America 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 Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. On 4th September 1880 the Eric the Red approached Cape Otway with a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 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. He ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats. 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 Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Captain Jones sent out two life 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 Z. 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. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. 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 and samples of wood. 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. 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. 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 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) Door from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. The wooden singular rectangular door includes three insert panel sections. The top section is square shaped and is missing its panel or glass. The centre timber panel is about a third of the height of the top panel and the bottom timber panel is approximately equal in height to the total height of the two upper panels. The door fastenings include both a metal door latch and traditional door bolt. They are both attached to the front right hand side of the door. The bolt is just below the top panel, and the door latch is in approximately the centre of that side. The door latch has a round mark where a handle could have been attached. The wood of the door has scraping marks in a semi-circle around the door latch where the latch has swung around on its one remaining fastening and grazed the surface. There is a metal hinge at the top section of the door on the opposite side to the latch. The painted surface has been scraped back to expose the wood. The door is shorter than the average height of a person. On the reverse of the door there are lines on the panels, just inside their edges, is what appears to be pencil. The door is not aligned straight but is skew to centre.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, jaques allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition 1880, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, bass strait, eric-the-red, door -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Decorative object - Sword, 1871 or earlier
This wooden sword is said to “possibly be the only remaining part of the figurehead from the sailing ship Eric the Red.” It was previously part of the collection of the old Warrnambool Museum and the entry in its inventory says “Wooden sword, portion of the figurehead, held by “Eric the Red” at the bow.” A large part of the ship’s hull was found on the rocks and a figurehead may have been attached or washed up on the shore. The shipping records for E. & A. Sewall, the builders, owners and managers of Eric the Red, are now preserved in the Maine Maritime Museum. There is no photograph on record of Eric the Red but photographs of other ships built around that time by the same company show that these did not have figureheads, and there is no record found of a figurehead for Eric the Red being ordered or paid for. Further research is being carried out. The ship building company E. & A. Sewall, from Bath, Maine, USA, built Eric the Red, 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, and was the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows that Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric the Red, 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 - from America 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 Z. Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were 2 saloon passengers also. On 4th September 1880 the ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. Eric the Red approached Cape Otway in a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. Around 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. A heavy sea knocked the man away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The sea swamped the lifeboats, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast 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 Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. Cries were heard coming from out of the darkness. Captain Jones sent out two life 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 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 Z. 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. The captain and crew of the Dawn were recognised by the United States Government in July 1881 for their humane efforts and bravery, being thanked and presented with substantial monetary rewards, medals and gifts. 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, samples of wood and a medal for bravery. 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. 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. 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 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)This carved wooden sword, recovered from the Eric the Red, is possibly the only portion of the figurehead recovered after the wreck. There are spirals carved from the base of the handle to the top of the sword. The hilt of the sword is a lion’s head holding its tail in its mouth, the tail forming the handle. The blade of the sword has engraved patterns on it. Tiny particles of gold leaf and dark blue paint fragments can be seen between the carving marks. There are remnants of yellowish-orange and crimson paint on the handle. At some time after the sword was salvaged the name of the ship was hand painted on the blade in black paint. The tip of the sword has broken or split and the remaining part is charcoal in appearance. On both the tip and the base of the handle are parts made where the sword could have been joined onto the figurehead There is a white coating over some areas of the sword, similar to white lead putty used in traditional shipbuilding. The words “ERIC the RED” have been hand painted on the blade of the sword in black paint sometime after it was salvaged.flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, sword, wooden sword, eric the red, carved sword, figurehead, snake head on sword -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Wood Sample, about 1871
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 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Wood Sample, About 1871
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 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Award - Medal, Nelson Johnson, November 1880
This medal for bravery, for rescue of the crew from the shipwreck “Eric the Red” on 4th September 1880, was awarded to one of the crew of the steamer S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States in July 1881. The medal is engraved with the name “Nelson Johnson” (the anglicised version of his Swedish name Neils Frederick Yohnson). It was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in 2013 by Nelson’s granddaughter. Nelson had migrated from Sweden to Sydney in 1879. The next year in 1880, aged 24, he was a seaman on the steamship Dawn and involved in the rescue of the survivors of the Eric the Red. Nelson Johnson was a crew member of the S.S. Dawn and was one of the rescue team in the dinghy in the early morning of September 4th 1880. Medals were awarded to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn by the President of the United States, through the Consul-general (Mr Oliver M. Spencer), in July 1881 “ … in recognition of their humane efforts in rescuing the 23 survivors of the American built wooden sailing ship, the Eric the Red, on 4th September 1880.” The men were also presented with substantial monetary rewards and gifts. The city of Warrnambool’s care of the survivors was also mentioned by the President at the presentation, saying that “the city hosted and supported the crew ‘most graciously’. Previously, a week after the shipwreck, the Australian Government had also conveyed its thanks to the Captain and crew of the S.S. Dawn “Captain Griffith Jones, S.S. Dawn, The Hon. Mr Clark desires that the thanks of the Government should be conveyed to you for the prompt, persevering and seamanlike qualities displayed by you, your officers and crew in saving the number of lives you did on the occasion referred to. The hon. The Commissioner has also been pleased to award you a souvenir in commemoration of the occasion, and a sum of 65 pounds to be awarded to your officers and crew according to annexed scale. I am, &c, W Collins Rees, for and in the absence of the Chief Harbour Master.” The Awards are as follows: - Crew of DAWN'S lifeboat-Chief Officer, Mr G. Peat, 15 pounds; boat's crew-G. Sterge, A.B., 5 pounds; T. Hammond, A.B., 5 pounds; J. Black, A.B., 5 pounds; H. Edwards, A.B., 5 pounds. Dinghy's Crew-Second Officer, Mr Christie, 10 pounds; boat's crew -F. Lafer, A.B., 5 pounds; W. Johnstone, A.B., 5 pounds; Mr Lear, provedore, 5 pounds; Mr Dove, purser, 5 pounds. Captain Jones receives a piece of plate. (from “Wreck of the ship Eric the Red” by Jack Loney) The medal’s history, according to the Editor of ‘E-Sylum’ (the newsletter of The Numismatic Bibliomania Society “… appears to be an example of an 1880 State Department medal, catalogued as LS-3 (page 322 of R. W. Julian's book, Medals of the United States Mint: The First Century 1792-1892). The reverse is mostly blank for engraving, surrounded by a thin wreath. It was designed by George Morgan, chief engraver for the Philadelphia Mint, and struck in gold, silver and bronze. The one pictured here (in The Standard newspaper, 2nd July 2013) appears to be silver.” The following is an account of the events which led to the awarding of this medal. 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 a hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30 am 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, southwest 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 riggings, 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 4:30 am 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, and its sailing time was 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 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 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 steamship 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 onto 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 f locating wreckage about 10 miles off land, southeast 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 flycatchers 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 a 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, samples of wood and this medal awarded 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 teapots, 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 was awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is similarly 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 shed 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 shipbuilding 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 married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children, the father of the medal’s donor being the youngest. They lived in 13 Tichbourne Place, 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 medal for bravery is associated with the ship the “The Eric the Red which 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) This medal was awarded to Nelson Johnson by the U.S. President for bravery in the rescue of the Eric the Red crew. The obverse of the round, solid silver medal has an inscription around the rim. In the centre of the medal is the head of Liberty to the left, hair in a bun, with a sprig of leaves in the top left of a band around her head. There is a 6-pointed star below the portrait, between the start and end of the inscription. There are two raised areas on the rim, horizontally opposite each other, from the edge to just below the lettering and coinciding with the holes drilled in the edge. Slightly right of the top is a round indentation in the rim. The reverse has a wreath of leaves as a border, joined at the bottom by a ribbon bow. In the centre of the medal is an inscription, decorated with 3-pronged design and dots. The edge is plain with 2 small, rough and uneven holes horizontally opposite to each other, as though they had been used for mounting the medal at some stage. The medal has a matte finish on both sides and is slightly pitted and scratched.“PRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES” around the perimeter of the obverse of the medal. “TO / Nelson Johnson, / seaman of the British, / str “Dawn”, for bravery, / at risk of life, / in / rescuing the crew of / the American Ship / “Eric the Red.” “M” on obverse, truncation of the portraitwarrnambool, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, eric the red, zaccheus allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne exhibition, cape otway, otway reef, victorian shipwreck, medal, nelson johnson, neils frederick yohnson, s.s. dawn, george morgan, hero -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Medical container, Late 19th century or early 20th century
THE DISCOVERY OF STAINLESS STEEL Harry Brearley Since the dawn of man colonies have raced against each other to uncover new technologies, to be the first to stamp their names on a discovery, and although we’ve evolved over millions of years, the urge to be the first remains at the very core of our nature. This sense of passion and pride can lead some of the more unscrupulous humans to claim others discoveries as their own. Of course many breakthroughs are genuinely made in tandem, or are simultaneously occurring, but unless you can categorically prove that you were the pioneer of these incredible findings, then the other party involved will always dispute the fact. And so we come to stainless steel. The first point to note is that ‘inventor’ is a very ambiguous term. Is this the first person to think, to document, to patent, or to produce? The second point is that stainless steel wasn’t truly defined until 1911, so are we to cast aside those chromium-iron alloys that don’t quite meet the minimum requirement of 10.5% chromium? It seems like anyone and everyone has a different claim to being labelled the ‘inventor’ of stainless steel; from Britain, Germany, France, Poland, the U.S.A., and even Sweden. The cogs were set in motion by Englishmen Stoddart and Faraday circa 1820 and Frenchman Pierre Berthier in 1821. These scientists, among others, noted that iron-chromium alloys were more resistant to attack by certain acids, but tests were only carried out on low chromium content alloys. Attempts to produce higher chromium alloys failed primarily because of scientists not understanding the importance of low carbon content. In 1872 another pair of Englishmen, Woods and Clark, filed for patent of an acid and weather resistant iron alloy containing 30-35% chromium and 2% tungsten, effectively the first ever patent on what would now be considered a stainless steel. However, the real development came in 1875 when a Frenchman named Brustlein detailed the importance of low carbon content in successfully making stainless steel. Brustlein pointed out that in order to create an alloy with a high percentage of chromium, the carbon content must remain below around 0.15%. Thus ensued two decades of stagnation for the development of stainless steel, and while many scientists attempted to create a low carbon stainless steel, none succeeded. Hans Goldschmidt It wasn’t until 1895, when Hans Goldschmidt of Germany developed the aluminothermic reduction process for producing carbon-free chromium, that development of stainless steels became a reality. In 1904 French Scientist Leon Guillet undertook extensive research on many iron-chromium alloys. Guillet’s work included studies on the composition of what would now be known as 410, 420, 442, 446 and 440-C. In 1906 Guillet went on to analyse iron-nickel-chrome alloys, which would now be considered the basics of the 300 series. However, while noting the chemical composition of his alloys, Guillet failed to acknowledge the potential corrosion resistance of his materials. Albert Portevin In 1909 Englishman Giesen published an in-depth work regarding chromium-nickel steels, while the French national, Portevin, studied what is now regarded as 430 stainless steel. However, it wasn’t until 1911 that the importance of a minimum chromium content was discovered by Germans P. Monnartz and W. Borchers. Monnartz and Borchers discovered the correlation between chromium content and corrosion resistance, stating that there was a significant boost in corrosion resistance when at least 10.5% chromium was present. The pair also published detailed works on the effects of molybdenum on corrosion resistance. It is at this point we introduce Harry Brearley, born in Sheffield, England in 1871, he was appointed lead researcher at Brown Firth Laboratories in 1908. In 1912 Brearley was given a task by a small arms manufacturer who wished to prolong the life of their gun barrels which were eroding away too quickly. Brearley set out to create an erosion resistant steel, not a corrosion resistant one, and began experimenting with steel alloys containing chromium. During these experiments Brearley made several variations of his alloys, ranging from 6% to 15% chromium with differing levels of carbon. On the 13th August 1913 Brearley created a steel with 12.8% chromium and 0.24% carbon, argued to be the first ever stainless steel. The circumstances in which Brearley discovered stainless steel are covered in myth; some enchanted tales of Brearley recite him tossing his steel into the rubbish, only to notice later that the steel hadn’t rusted to the extent of its counterparts, much like Alexander Fleming’s experience 15 years later. Other more plausible, (but less attractive), accounts claim it was necessary for Brearley to etch his steels with nitric acid and examine them under a microscope in order to analyse their potential resistance to chemical attack. Brearley found that his new steel resisted these chemical attacks and proceeded to test the sample with other agents, including lemon juice and vinegar. Brearley was astounded to find that his alloys were still highly resistant, and immediately recognised the potential for his steel within the cutlery industry. The Half Moon Brearley struggled to win the support of his employers, instead choosing to produce his new steel at local cutler R. F. Mosley. He found difficulty producing knife blades in the new steel that did not rust or stain and turned to his old school friend, Ernest Stuart, Cutlery Manager at Mosley’s Portland Works, for help. Within 3 weeks, Stuart had perfected the hardening process for knives. Brearley had initially decided to name his invention ‘Rustless Steel’, but Stuart, dubbed it ‘Stainless Steel’ after testing the material in a vinegar solution, and the name stuck. And that’s how Harry Brearley discovered stainless steel…. well, not quite… During the 5 year period between 1908 and Brearley’s discovery in 1913 many other scientists and metallurgists have potential claims to Brearley’s title. In 1908 the Germans entered the fray, the Krupp Iron Works in Germany produced a chrome-nickel steel for the hull of the Germania yacht. The Half Moon, as the yacht is now known, has a rich history and currently lies on the seabed off the east coast of Florida. Whether the steel contains the minimum 10.5% chromium content remains inconclusive. Employees of the Krupp works, Eduard Maurer and Benno Strauss, also worked from 1912-1914 on developing austenitic steels using <1% carbon, <20% nickel and 15-40% chromium. Not happy with Europe hogging the glory, the USA got in on the act. Firstly, Elwood Haynes, after becoming disenchanted at his rusty razor, set out to create a corrosion resistant steel, which he supposedly succeeded in doing during 1911. Two other Americans, Becket and Dantsizen, worked on ferritic stainless steels, containing 14-16% chromium and 0.07-0.15% carbon, in the years 1911-1914. Elwood Haynes During 1912 Max Mauermann of Poland is rumoured to have created the first stainless steel, which he later presented to the public during the Adria exhibition in Vienna, 1913. Finally, a recently discovered article, which was published in a Swedish hunting and fishing magazine in 1913, discusses a steel used for gun barrels, (sound familiar?), which seems to resemble stainless steel. Although this is purely speculation, the Swedes have still made an audacious claim that they were in fact responsible for the first practical application for stainless steel. That concludes the shambolic discovery of stainless steel! Although there is much mystery and speculation behind the discovery of this wonderful material, there is no question that without the combined effort of all the above scientists and metallurgists, (and all the many more that were not mentioned), we would not have such a rich and versatile metal at our fingertips. https://bssa.org.uk/bssa_articles/the-discovery-of-stainless-steel/#:~:text=On%20the%2013th%20August%201913,the%20first%20ever%20stainless%20steel. This stainless steel container was donated to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village by the family of Doctor William Roy Angus, Surgeon and Oculist. It is part of the “W.R. Angus Collection” that includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material once belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) as well as Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. ABOUT THE “W.R.ANGUS COLLECTION” Doctor William Roy Angus M.B., B.S., Adel., 1923, F.R.C.S. Edin.,1928 (also known as Dr Roy Angus) was born in Murrumbeena, Victoria in 1901 and lived until 1970. He qualified as a doctor in 1923 at University of Adelaide, was Resident Medical Officer at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 1924 and for a period was house surgeon to Sir (then Mr.) Henry Simpson Newland. Dr Angus was briefly an Assistant to Dr Riddell of Kapunda, then commenced private practice at Curramulka, Yorke Peninsula, SA, where he was physician, surgeon and chemist. In 1926, he was appointed as new Medical Assistant to Dr Thomas Francis Ryan (T.F. Ryan, or Tom), in Nhill, Victoria, where his experiences included radiology and pharmacy. In 1927 he was Acting House Surgeon in Dr Tom Ryan’s absence. Dr Angus had become engaged to Gladys Forsyth and they decided he would take time to further his studies overseas in the UK in 1927. He studied at London University College Hospital and at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and in 1928, was awarded FRCS (Fellow from the Royal College of Surgeons), Edinburgh. He worked his passage back to Australia as a Ship’s Surgeon on the on the Australian Commonwealth Line’s T.S.S. Largs Bay. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1929, in Ballarat. (They went on to have one son (Graham 1932, born in SA) and two daughters (Helen (died 12/07/1996) and Berenice (Berry), both born at Mira, Nhill ) Dr Angus was a ‘flying doctor’ for the A.I.M. (Australian Inland Ministry) Aerial Medical Service in 1928 . The organisation began in South Australia through the Presbyterian Church in that year, with its first station being in the remote town of Oodnadatta, where Dr Angus was stationed. He was locum tenens there on North-South Railway at 21 Mile Camp. He took up this ‘flying doctor’ position in response to a call from Dr John Flynn; the organisation was later known as the Flying Doctor Service, then the Royal Flying Doctor Service. A lot of his work during this time involved dental surgery also. Between 1928-1932 he was surgeon at the Curramulka Hospital, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. In 1933 Dr Angus returned to Nhill where he’d previously worked as Medical Assistant and purchased a share of the Nelson Street practice and Mira hospital from Dr Les Middleton one of the Middleton Brothers, the current owners of what was once Dr Tom Ryan’s practice. Dr L Middleton was House Surgeon to the Nhill Hospital 1926-1933, when he resigned. [Dr Tom Ryan’s practice had originally belonged to his older brother Dr Edward Ryan, who came to Nhill in 1885. Dr Edward saw patients at his rooms, firstly in Victoria Street and in 1886 in Nelson Street, until 1901. The Nelson Street practice also had a 2 bed ward, called Mira Private Hospital ). Dr Edward Ryan was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital 1884-1902 . He also had occasions where he successfully performed veterinary surgery for the local farmers too. Dr Tom Ryan then purchased the practice from his brother in 1901. Both Dr Edward and Dr Tom Ryan work as surgeons included eye surgery. Dr Tom Ryan performed many of his operations in the Mira private hospital on his premises. He too was House Surgeon at the Nhill Hospital 1902-1926. Dr Tom Ryan had one of the only two pieces of radiology equipment in Victoria during his practicing years – The Royal Melbourne Hospital had the other one. Over the years Dr Tom Ryan gradually set up what was effectively a training school for country general-practitioner-surgeons. Each patient was carefully examined, including using the X-ray machine, and any surgery was discussed and planned with Dr Ryan’s assistants several days in advance. Dr Angus gained experience in using the X-ray machine there during his time as assistant to Dr Ryan. Dr Tom Ryan moved from Nhill in 1926. He became a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in 1927, soon after its formation, a rare accolade for a doctor outside any of the major cities. He remained a bachelor and died suddenly on 7th Dec 1955, aged 91, at his home in Ararat. Scholarships and prizes are still awarded to medical students in the honour of Dr T.F. Ryan and his father, Dr Michael Ryan, and brother, John Patrick Ryan. ] When Dr Angus bought into the Nelson Street premises in Nhill he was also appointed as the Nhill Hospital’s Honorary House Surgeon 1933-1938. His practitioner’s plate from his Nhill surgery states “HOURS Daily, except Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturday afternoons, 9-10am, 2-4pm, 7-8pm. Sundays by appointment”. This plate is now mounted on the doorway to the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, Warrnambool. Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Tom Ryan had an extensive collection of historical medical equipment and materials spanning 1884-1926 and when Dr Angus took up practice in their old premises he obtained this collection, a large part of which is now on display at the Port Medical Office at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool. During his time in Nhill Dr Angus was involved in the merging of the Mira Hospital and Nhill Public Hospital into one public hospital and the property titles passed on to Nhill Hospital in 1939. In 1939 Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool where he purchased “Birchwood,” the 1852 home and medical practice of Dr John Hunter Henderson, at 214 Koroit Street. (This property was sold in1965 to the State Government and is now the site of the Warrnambool Police Station. ). The Angus family was able to afford gardeners, cooks and maids; their home was a popular place for visiting dignitaries to stay whilst visiting Warrnambool. Dr Angus had his own silk worm farm at home in a Mulberry tree. His young daughter used his centrifuge for spinning the silk. Dr Angus was appointed on a part-time basis as Port Medical Officer (Health Officer) in Warrnambool and held this position until the 1940’s when the government no longer required the service of a Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool; he was thus Warrnambool’s last serving Port Medical Officer. (The duties of a Port Medical Officer were outlined by the Colonial Secretary on 21st June, 1839 under the terms of the Quarantine Act. Masters of immigrant ships arriving in port reported incidents of diseases, illness and death and the Port Medical Officer made a decision on whether the ship required Quarantine and for how long, in this way preventing contagious illness from spreading from new immigrants to the residents already in the colony.) Dr Angus was a member of the Australian Medical Association, for 35 years and surgeon at the Warrnambool Base Hospital 1939-1942, He served as a Surgeon Captain during WWII1942-45, in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W., completing his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. During his convalescence he carved an intricate and ‘most artistic’ chess set from the material that dentures were made from. He then studied ophthalmology at the Royal Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital and created cosmetically superior artificial eyes by pioneering using the intrascleral cartilage. Angus received accolades from the Ophthalmological Society of Australasia for this work. He returned to Warrnambool to commence practice as an ophthalmologist, pioneering in artificial eye improvements. He was Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist to Warrnambool Base Hospital for 31 years. He made monthly visits to Portland as a visiting surgeon, to perform eye surgery. He represented the Victorian South-West subdivision of the Australian Medical Association as its secretary between 1949 and 1956 and as chairman from 1956 to 1958. In 1968 Dr Angus was elected member of Spain’s Barraquer Institute of Barcelona after his research work in Intrasclearal cartilage grafting, becoming one of the few Australian ophthalmologists to receive this honour, and in the following year presented his final paper on Living Intrasclearal Cartilage Implants at the Inaugural Meeting of the Australian College of Ophthalmologists in Melbourne In his personal life Dr Angus was a Presbyterian and treated Sunday as a Sabbath, a day of rest. He would visit 3 or 4 country patients on a Sunday, taking his children along ‘for the ride’ and to visit with him. Sunday evenings he would play the pianola and sing Scottish songs to his family. One of Dr Angus’ patients was Margaret MacKenzie, author of a book on local shipwrecks that she’d seen as an eye witness from the late 1880’s in Peterborough, Victoria. In the early 1950’s Dr Angus, painted a picture of a shipwreck for the cover jacket of Margaret’s book, Shipwrecks and More Shipwrecks. She was blind in later life and her daughter wrote the actual book for her. Dr Angus and his wife Gladys were very involved in Warrnambool’s society with a strong interest in civic affairs. Their interests included organisations such as Red Cross, Rostrum, Warrnambool and District Historical Society (founding members), Wine and Food Society, Steering Committee for Tertiary Education in Warrnambool, Local National Trust, Good Neighbour Council, Housing Commission Advisory Board, United Services Institute, Legion of Ex-Servicemen, Olympic Pool Committee, Food for Britain Organisation, Warrnambool Hospital, Anti-Cancer Council, Boys’ Club, Charitable Council, National Fitness Council and Air Raid Precautions Group. He was also a member of the Steam Preservation Society and derived much pleasure from a steam traction engine on his farm. He had an interest in people and the community He and his wife Gladys were both involved in the creation of Flagstaff Hill, including the layout of the gardens. After his death (28th March 1970) his family requested his practitioner’s plate, medical instruments and some personal belongings be displayed in the Port Medical Office surgery at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, and be called the “W. R. Angus Collection”. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The collection of medical instruments and other equipment is culturally significant, being an historical example of medicine from late 19th to mid-20th century. Dr Angus assisted Dr Tom Ryan, a pioneer in the use of X-rays and in ocular surgery. Medical box; rectangular stainless steel base and separate lid, from the W.R. Angus Collection.warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, great ocean road, dr w r angus, dr ryan, surgical instrument, t.s.s. largs bay, warrnambool base hospital, nhill base hospital, mira hospital, flying doctor, medical treatment, stainless steel medical container, medical container, stainless steel -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Book, Cummings Architectural Details, 1873
This book was owned by John Crawley, engineer, architect and surveyor. He was appointed District Engineer for the Public Works Department for the Western District in 1866. He was the Shire of Warrnambool Engineer from 1874 to 1895 when he was succeeded by his son.This book is of interest as it contains examples of architectural designs from U.S.A. in the 1870s. Designs such as these influenced the designs of buildings in other countries including Australia. This book is also of interest because of its connection to John Crawley, a member of the Crawley family that had a long and influential association with the Shire of Warrnambool.This is a hard cover book. It has a brown cover with gold lettering. The book has come apart from its binding so many of the pages are loose and the covering on the spine is missing . The front cover is somewhat stained and the edges are worn. The book has many diagrams and illustrations.The inscriptions are handwritten in black ink J. W. Crawley Warrnambool J.W. Crawley 1879john crawley -
Federation University Historical Collection
Book - Book - Scrapbook, Ballarat College of Advanced Education: Scrapbook of newspaper cutting, Book 5; March 1979 to August 1979
Newspaper cuttings relating to Ballarat College of Advanced Education. These are from various newspapers and include The Age, Ballarat Courier, The Australian, The Herald. The cuttings cover the period from 21 March 1979 to 4 August 1979. . Book with grey cover, front. Spiral bound.employment advertisements, application for enrolment, outline of courses, scholarships for bcae students, western mining corporation, gunther jahnks, stephen fernee, jim stringer, robert withers former student, earthquakes, new men at bcae, geoff westcott, garry kinnane, jeffrey leeuwenberg, study of muscle power, dr alan roberts, mark heuston, new at bcae, cao duc thac - school of business, bruce cossins - civil engineering, val lloyd - librarianship department, prof hilda elkins - librarianship department for 6 months, community support vital to colleges, inquiry committee in ballarat, growing concern for sports injuries, shortage of qualified metallurgists, 400 graduate, graeme jeffries engineering, accountancy prize to belinda tantau, john wach appointed to mt stromlo observatory, energy seminar, minister for minerals and energy, teacher union may put ban on bcae, bcae director replies, bcae indoor sports facilities popular, chemical institute branch formed, great hall takes shape, educationalists in ballarat, another degree for frank hurley, dr mosley on barrier reef, posters depict conservation, bcae gets gift of logo, bcae's first annual council meeting, pilot fatigue significant factor, management training - business survey, better decision makers, industrial safety, engineering heritage display, why people take risks, vtu boycott suspended, prof david klein u.s.a., prof praises bcae course, swimming instructors 2-day course, david jelbart retires, gunther jahnke wins arblaster award, bcae library expands, regional colleges -
Bendigo Military Museum
Award - MEDAL U.S.A
United States of America Navy Cross Medal.medals naval, military usa -
Bendigo Military Museum
Award - MEDAL U.S.A
USA. Good Conduct medal awarded to W. B. STOKES.medals, usa, good conduct -
Eltham District Historical Society Inc
Negative - Photograph, Tom Prior, Feminine reception for the U.S. Fleet near Research, Victoria, 1908
With the visit of the American Fleet to Melbourne in early September 1908, volunteers from the the Automobile Club of Victoria took 100 officers on an excursion to the Black Spur past Yarra Glen on the 4th September 1908. (The area we know today as the Yarra Valley). The convoy travelled through Eltham, Research and Kangaroo Ground, where a group of women gathered to wave to them. This was one of the first motor vehicles to pass through Research. The visit of the American Fleet was a big deal at the time. A Program of activites was compiled. City buidlings were illuminated, a State reception was given and a concert was held. The Federal Parliament sat in Melbourne at that time. This photo was made using a home-made camera constructed by the photographer Tom Prior (brother of Mrs E.R. Reynolds). Reproduced on p86 of 'Pioneers & Painters'This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Negsepp, shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, research (vic.), u.s.a. fleet, automobile club of victoria, drive, excursion, visitors, welcome, usa fleet, us fleet, waving, tom prior, pioneers and painters, reynolds prior collection, u.s fleet -
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.
Memorabilia - Box - Cigarette silks, 1911 - 1917
These type of cigarette silks were included in WD & HO Wills cigarette packets to induce women in particular to take up smoking.|The Word 'Cartophilic?|It is believed that this unusual word was coined in the 1920s by Col. Bagnall, an Englishman, who was the father of the hobby of cigarette card and trade card collecting. It is thought to be a combination of a Latin word, 'carto' meaning 'card and the Greek word 'philic', meaning 'love'.- lover of cards. The term originally related to the collection of the two types mentioned, however, our Society has included postcards in the range of items collected by our members.|The Cigarette Card|The cigarette card began its evolution in the United States of America, in the early 1880s as a plain piece of cardboard used by tobacconists to protect the cigarettes which were sold in that era, not in packets, but loosely. A purchaser would buy his cigarettes then wrap them in paper around the small piece of cardboard, which acted as a stiffener. In fact, for many decades, cigarette cards were known as 'stiffeners' in the USA.|The card depicting 'The Marquis of Lome' is reputed to be the first known cigarette card issued. This is thought to have been in 1879. It did not take long for an enterprising entrepreneur to recognise the advertising potential of the cigarette card, and, very soon, the cards began displaying popular images, often in sets. This had the effect of youngsters, wishing to complete their sets, harassing their fathers to buy a specific brand of cigarettes. The kids who collected cards in the days when they were being issued in the cigarette packets, would hang around outside the local tobacconist's shop, pestering the men who had just bought a packet of cigarette, with the cry: 'can I have the cig can mister?'|It is a proven fact that, here in Australia during the 1930s, at least one set had one card deliberately withheld and issued very sparingly. This card is No. 86 (Mrs Jack Crawford) in the Carreras 'Turf Personality Series'. Thus, in a set of reasonably easy cards to get, this one card is a constant source of frustration for the collector, and as such, commands a premium when it comes to price. It is not hard to imagine the young collector nagging his to Dad to keep buying 'Turf' cigarettes to enable him to finish the set.|From small beginnings the cigarette card soon gave rise to a booming industry in itself. Artists and writers were|employed to produce the cards, which were miniature works of art and served as little encyclopaedia's for the children of the day. By the 1930s cards were being issued in the countless millions. It has been stated, in one book on the history of cards; that 450 million sets of a series produced and issued by the prolific issuer of cards in the United Kingdom, WD & HO Wills. As each set contained 50 cards you would need a calculator with a very long result window to see the answer to how many cards of that series were in circulation.|Australia's involvement would appear to have its beginnings with the English and American firms who shipped their tobacco products here and the cards of American Tobacco Company (ATC) are found in great numbers in early Australian collections; many featuring Australian subjects, e.g. 'Australian Parliament a 1901 issue. Earlier U.S. sets depicting Australians included Goodwin & Co's, so called. 'Australian Series' with cricketers and Australian Rules footballers who were on the sporting scene during the 1880s. The caption of one of theses cards reads:|'W.Hannysee. Captain Port Melbourne Football Club' which enables us to pinpoint the year of issue to either 1889 or 1890.|On the Australian scene the first local manufacturer who issued cards seems to have been The National Cigarette Company of Australia Proprietary Limited, whose 'Tally Ho' packets contained cards from a series of thirteen featuring the touring 'English Cricket Team 1897-8' Of the few Australian manufacturers who issued cards, only two companies issued more the two sets.|Undoubtedly the cards issued by the Melbourne firm Sniders & Abrahams (later Sniders & Abrahams Pty Ltd) are the 'jewels in the crown' of Australian card issues. They issued some thirty-three series, with numerous sub-series and allied issues such as metal badges, metal football shields, celluloid flags etc., which ensured that the hobbyist had a vast range from which to collect. Sporting themes – football, cricket, horse racing – dominate, indicating the Australians' love of sport and the outdoors was as strong in those earlier times as it is today. Military, animals and birds themes were also to the fore, with a touch of culture being provided by 'Shakespeare', 'Dickens', actresses and even classical 'Statuary'. Humour was not forgotten with 'Cartoons and Caricatures', 'Naval and Cricket (double meaning) Terms' and the 'Jokes' series. Art and history were covered by the artist, S.T. Gill's 'Views of Victoria in 1857' while the stereoscopic 'Views of the World' expanded the collectors' knowledge of the world as a whole.|The Sniders & Abrahams series began in 1904 and by 1919 the company was in decline and was eventually taken over by G.G. Goode & Co. Ltd. This company produced one set only, the highly collectable 'Prominent Cricketer Series' issued in 1924. During the early to mid-1920s, J.J. Schuh Tobacco Pty Ltd issued eight series, again containing the popular subjects of sport and war. At least two provincial tobacconists, Lentens of Bendigo and Baillies of Warrnambool, issued private football series. The last series of cards issued by a truly Australian firm was Dudgeon & Arnell's '1934 Australian Cricket Team'.|The Australian market was not neglected by the English companies with WD & HO Wills, Godfrey Phillips and Ogdens all making their contributions. By far the most active issuer was the long-established company Wills, whose 'Cricketers' of 1901 heralded the flood of Australian series, which continued into the mid-thirties.|The onset of the 1939-45 World War sounded the death knell of the cigarette card and very few post-war issues were made, certainly not here in Australia.|The Trade Card|The Trade Card is a non-tobacco item used by manufacturers to promote and advertise their products, in the same way that cigarette cards were. It is uncertain exactly when they were first produced, but in the USA, non-collectable cards were issued by firms in the early 1800s. These were more akin to a latter day 'business card'. It was not until the 1850s, when coloured and pictorial cards were issued to advertise and promote products that the Trade Card|became a collectable item. Many beautiful lithographic cards were produced in this early era and they are very mu sought after by collectors. By the 1870s the issues of Trade Cards became more prolific and it is from this era that more cards are seen.|Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the first Australian Trade Card and it may be that the highly collectable and extremely rare 'American Candy Co's' - 'Pure Caramels' Australian Rules football card, issued i 1891, is the earliest series. This confectionery firm was located in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. To date only two subjects have been seen.|Another early set was 'Flags', issued by F.H.Fauldings & Co. It featured testimonials of seven English cricketers who toured Australia with the 1894/5 Test team. Fauldings was an Adelaide based firm which manufactured medicinal toiletries, soaps and oils, using the distinctly Australian eucalyptus oil. During the 20th century a multitude of Australian businesses issued trade cards, with confectionery manufacturers such as Hoadleys, Allens, Sweetacres and Australian Licorice producing the majority of them. Again sporting themes dominated with the ever popular Aussie Rules football cards being the most numerous. Cricket issues ran a close second.|Apart from sporting cards, almost every subject imaginable was covered by the Trade Card, making it the most diverse and interesting branch of cartophilly. In contrast to the Cigarette Card, which had its demise prior to the Second World War, the Trade Card is still alive and well.|We all are aware of the long running 'Birds of Australasia' series put out by Tuck-fields Tea and 1 doubt if there is a kitchen drawer in Australia that has not got one or two of these informative and attractive cards floating about in it. These cards were first produced in the early 1960s and are still being inserted in that company's packets of tea. Such is also the case with Sanitarium Health Foods, manufacturers of the well known Weetbix, who began issuing cards, with a wide range of subjects, in the early 1940s and continue to do so.|The 1940s and 1950s saw the two breakfast food giants, Kornies and Weeties dominating the card scene. Kornies footballers were in production fora decade from 1948 to 1959. Four years later in 1963, we saw the start of four decades of Scanlens bubble-gum card issues, both football and cricket. In the mid 1990s, with the end of the Scanlens/Stimorol cards, the Trading Card came on the scene. These cards do not fit under the umbrella of the Trade Card, having been produced and marketed purely as a 'collectable' with no connection whatsoever to any product, which of course is necessary for an item to be classified as a Trade Card.|The earliest British postcard was issued in 1870 and was designed to send short messages; the stamp was printed on the card, therefore it did not require an envelope. It was considered by many to be lowering the postal standards because the texts were no longer private. However the cards were a great success as on the first day of issue in 1870, half a million passed through the London postal centre.|The first illustrated postcards are said to be those introduced by a French stationer in 1870. He realized that French troops fighting in the Franco-Prussian War needed to be able to send short messages to their families and designed a 'postcard' to suit the purpose. As many of the soldiers were illiterate they decorated their cards with sketches of their many activities at the front rather than writing; thus creating a picture postcard. Private enterprise soon saw the great financial possibilities of this new easy and attractive way of communication by post; also sending a postcard cost less than postage for letters. It was correctly assumed that postcards were likely to overtake letter writing in many instances.|Between 1875 and 1882 every state in Australia introduced official postcards, N.S.W. first and Tasmania last. Each state produced a simple type of postcard with a pre printed stamp allied to that state. The stamp side stated 'The Address Only To Be Written On This Side'; the reverse side sometimes carried a simple illustration or decoration with space fora short message, each state extolling their own state's virtues. In 1901, with the advent of Federation, the new Government became responsible for all postal services in Australia and produced postcards for sale in every state. With several mail deliveries each day in most towns, postcards were used for many purposes. One 1906 postcard, with an illustration of fruit, was sent from Mrs X in the morning to her greengrocer ordering her fruit and vegetables to be delivered that afternoon. Another lady asks her charlady to 'come this afternoon'.|Australian private enterprise also began selling pictorial postcards, most companies using the very experienced German printing works who were the worlds best in the field of lithography and fine detailed colour-printing. Many of these beautiful German cards still exist today, 100 years later. Australia did have a few fine printers but they were in the minority. Black and white postcards printed in Australia in the early 1900s were often of good quality e.g. postcards printed by 'The Bulletin', illustrating the works of 'The Bulletins' top artists.|Between c1903-09 The Melbourne company Osboldstone and Atkins etc. printed coloured reproductions of 46 J.A. Turner bush/rural life paintings, which were generally of good quality and became hugely popular and still sought after today. Like thousands of homes in Europe, Britain and U.S.A., many Australia homes had albums of cherished postcards, which were given pride of place for visitors to see and enjoy.|Postcard collecting remained popular but was changing with the times. About 1912 the Australian photographer George Rose of Melbourne began to produce topographical B/W real photographic postcards covering most of Australia and other photographers began to do likewise. These cards soon found their way into collections as well.|WWI and the horrors of war suddenly changed the world; postcards were still in great demand but the subject matter was far more serious. Thousands of postcards from the trenches in European war zones arrived in Australia to be included in family albums. Propaganda and recruitment messages were produced to encourage enlistment. Australian postcard producers began to create cards decorated with gum leaves, boomerangs, wattle etc., which were designed for sending to Australian troops serving overseas. Very few 'pretty' cards were available, as access to the Gentian printing works was no longer possible and exporting of postcards from Britain was very limited. By the end of WWI people had other more serious problems to contend with and the avid postcard collecting hobby declined, fold greetings took over and topographical photographic postcards became a small but steady income for the producers and newsagents etc. in every town.|Fortunately many of these old postcards still exist and are avidly collected by a new generation or postcard collectors. The Australian Cartophilic Society Inc. is one of four postcard/cigarette card organizations in Australia. They are, N.S.W. Post Card Collectors Society; Queensland Card Collectors' Society Inc. and West Australian Card Collectors|Society, and across the Tasman there is a New Zealand Postcard Society.|References:|Picture Postcards of the Golden Age A Collector's Guide by Toni & Valmai Holt. Picture Postcards in Australia 1898 - 1920 by David CookBox of Cigarette Silks ( 10 ) depicting animal motifs, which were placed in cigarette packets as an incentive for women in particular to smoke.|WD & HO Wills|Produced 1911 - 1917personal effects, smoking accessories, recreations, collections -
Trafalgar Holden Museum
Tool - Automotive Jack, Circa 1930
4 ton capacity screw type car Jack sold by Holden Motor Body Buildersretailed by Holden motor Body BuildersFour ton Srew type automotive jackThe Kazoo Pat applied for; Goods Std. Tool Co: Kalamazoo Mich. No.61automotive, ratchett, jack -
Ringwood RSL Sub-Branch
Equipment - U.S.A Bandolier, WW2
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Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Certificate - Wodonga and City of Walnut U.S.A. Commemorative Certificate
A commemorative certificate from the city of Walnut, California, USA, acknowledging the friendship of the city of Wodonga.This item has a link to Wodonga's local history, and history of local government. A beige certificate with a golden seal, framed in timber. city, council, america, wodonga, california, diplomacy