Showing 1646 items matching "scientific"
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The Beechworth Burke Museum
Photograph
A death mask is a plaster or wax mould made of a human face shortly after death (around 30 minutes after the execution). The intention was to capture the likeness of the individual and maintain their facial expression and features before these became distorted in death. They differ from their counterparts the life masks which were made to preserve the likeness of an individual while alive. Death masks were often replicated and sold to various institutions and private buyers. Death masks were created for a variety of reasons. Organisations like museums and scientific institutes collected these masks to support the study of phrenology. Phrenology is the study of the conformation of a skull in an effort to understand the mental faculties and traits of an individual. This was undertaken in a period in which it was argued that the shape of a head could provide detailed knowledge into personality. In addition, death masks were also created to aid effigy making, as tools for sculpture and as objects of veneration. Death masks were often placed on display as objects of curiosity. Edward “Ned” Kelly was convicted of murder on the 29th of October 1880 and executed by hanging on the 11th of November that same year. In the 1800s it was common practice for authorities to make a death mask of an executed criminal. In Kelly’s case, there were multiple copies made of his death mask, one of which is in the collection of the Burke Museum. Copies of the official death Mask (attributed to Maximilian Kreitmayer) have been made by artists including Max Meldrum (1875-1955). It depicts the head, neck and partial right shoulder of Ned Kelly. Whilst generally considered to be a ‘pseudoscience’ today, phrenology and the study of the reception and use of artefacts like Ned Kelly’s death mask, can provide valuable insight into a past era’s views of personality and the human body. This mask presents a unique three-dimensional depiction of Ned Kelly shortly after his execution which is unlike any other depiction of him. It can provide vital information as to the use of death masks in Victoria and their popularity in the 1800s. These masks were mostly done of criminals and used for exhibition purposes alongside phrenological study. Phrenologist AS Hamilton used Kreitmayer’s replication of the mask (displayed in Kreitmayer’s Bourke Street waxworks the day after Kelly’s death) to report a detailed phrenological analysis on Ned Kelly and concluded from his research that the deceased had an “enormous self-esteem”. Portraits of living people represent the way they themselves and/or the artists wished themselves to be remembered. The death mask contrasts this and therefore, creates a likeness of a person in their entirety and not just an ideal representation. Therefore, the study of such artefacts and their history of use and disuse can provide interesting information valuable to understanding the past. Colour rectangular photograph printed on gloss photographic paper.Obverse: Reverse: AGFA kelly album, ned kelly, death mask, kreitmayer, old melbourne gaol, phrenology, craneology, 1800s, pseudoscience, burke musuem, max meldrum -
Federation University Art Collection
Sculpture - Artwork, 'The More Bones the Better' by Yhonnie Scarce, 2016
Yhonnie SCARCE (1973- ) Born Woomera, South Australia Language group: Kokatha, Southern desert region and Nukunu, Spencer region Yhonnie Scarce works predominantly in glass. She majored in glass withing a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Honours) course at the South Australian School of Art, Adelaide, and holds a Master of Fine Arts from Monash University. One of the first contemporary Australian artists to explore the political and aesthetic power of glass, Scarce describes her work as ‘politically motivated and emotionally driven’. Scarce’s work often references the on-going effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people, In particular her research focus has explored the impact of the removal and relocation of Aboriginal people from their homelands and the forcible removal of Aboriginal children from their families. (https://thisisnofantasy.com/artist/yhonnie-scarce/, accessed 10 September 2018)Artist's Statement 'The More Bones the Better', 2016 Yhonnie Scarce was born in Woomera, SA and belongs to the Kokatha and Nukunu peoples. Scarce embraces a non traditional approach to glass blowing using glass as more than a mere material, acting as a lens and a mirror, Scarce reflects and exposes the tragedies of Australia’s colonisation. She applies the technical rigours of traditional glass blowing techniques in an innovative and unconventional manner. In particular Scarce uses glass to explore the lives and histories of Aboriginal Australians. Hand blown glass is shaped, engraved, painted and smashed to create indigenous fruits and vegetables such as bush bananas, bush plums and long yams symbolic of her peoples culture and traditions. With their elongated, torso-like shapes, they even evoke human bodies. Akin to a gatherer of bush food Scarce creates glass-gatherings of the persecuted. The repetition of brittle ambiguous bodies collected for experimentation and examination conjures the relentless impact of colonisation and the litany of abuses suffered by Aboriginal people. Within her research Scarce encountered a variety of ethnographic studies examining the use of scientific interventions amongst Indigenous cultures. These include Government sanctioned illegal drug testing of children in orphanages and other dubious medical practices amongst indigenous prison inmates. This work metaphorically looks at these situations and poses questions of what might have gone on in such a laboratory. The judge of the 2017 Guirguis New Art Prize (GNAP), Simon Maidment, Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, National Gallery of Victoria said; “The winning work by Yhonnie Scarce captures the sensitivity to materials she displays throughout her artistic practice. The blown and shattered glass elements are a delicate contrast to the shocking and little discussed histories of Aboriginal exploitation and abuse in the name of science in Australia. Engaging this topic, this work is haunting, in the same way those lived and documented experiences continue to haunt the collective unconscious of this country. Yhonnie Scarce’s work, The More Bones the Better 2016, I believe makes an important contribution to the Collection of Federation University Australia and will engage and move diverse audiences with its technical accomplishment, beauty and message. Yhonnie Scarce was born in Woomera SA and belongs to the Kokatha and Nukunu peoples. Scarce embraces a non-traditional approach to glass blowing using her medium as more than a mere material. Applying the technical rigours of traditional glass blowing in an innovative and unconventional manner, Scarce’s glass objects act as a lens and a mirror to reflect and expose the tragedies of Australia’s colonisation and, in particular, explore the lives and histories of Aboriginal Australians. Hand-blown glass is shaped, engraved, painted and smashed to represent indigenous fruits and vegetables such as bush bananas, bush plums and long yams, symbolic of Scarce’s people’s culture and traditions. While these elongated shapes on the one hand represent fruit and vegetables, gathered and grouped as in the gathering of bush food, Scarce’s torso-like bodies and forms are glass ‘gatherings’ representative of the gathering of people. Here, the many brittle bodies act as a metaphor for the collection, experimentation and examinations undertaken by government authorities on Aboriginal communities researched by Scarce. Exposing a variety of ethnographic studies, examining the use of scientific interventions on Indigenous cultures, Scarce also revealed Government sanctioned illegal drug testing of children in orphanages and other dubious medical practices undertaken on indigenous prison inmates. Scarce’s gatherings also reflect the impact of colonisation and the relentless conjuring and litany of abuses suffered by Aboriginal people. The More Bones the Better metaphorically looks at these situations and poses questions of what was undertaken and investigated in these laboratories. guirguis new art prize, yhonnie scarce, glass, aboriginal -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph (black & white), Ferdinand Moritz Krause
Civil engineer and geologist Ferdinand Moritz Krause lecturered at the Ballarat School of Mines from 1880 to 1895. He was born at Kassel, Germany on 24 February 1841, the youngest son of Frederich Wilhelm Krause. Ferdinand Krause married Amy Augusta Dimock. He died in South Africa 16 June 1918. In June 1880 Krausé was appointed to the Ballarat School of Mines as lecturer in 'geology, palaeontology, mineralogy, electricity, magnetism, scientific mining, geological and topographical surveying' and as museum curator. In 1881 he was appointed Professor of Geology and in 1892 was elected president of the Staff Association. He was held in high repute by his students and also known as a keen musician. He resigned from the School of Mines to be lecturer in mining at the University of Melbourne from June 1895 to January 1897. Whilst at Ballarat in 1887-90 he had completed geological maps and reports on the parishes of Haddon, Carngham, Scarsdale, Lillerie, Smythesdale and Comeralghip; these were published in 1898. The Institute of Surveyors elected him a member in 1891. His Introduction to the study of Mineralogy for Australian readers was published in Melbourne in 1896. In January 1897 he became manager of the General Gordon mine near Kalgoorlie. In 1900 he contributed an article to the Ballarat School of Mines Students' Magazine on the mining geology of Kalgoorlie. Invited by a former student, George Denny, Krausé left for South Africa in 1901. His last work was a geological map of the Barberton area, Transvaal, published in March 1918. He died on 16 June, survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter. (http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/krause-ferdinand-moritz-3971, accessed 20 November 2018) Black and White photograph of the head and shoulders of Professor Ferdinand Krause of the Ballarat School of Mines.ballarat school of mines, ferdinand krause, geology, fm krause, krause, ballarat school of mines museum -
Australian Gliding Museum
Equipment - Glider – Hang Glider Type, 2013 - 2014
Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) from Berlin, Germany, is widely credited as being the first person to make repeated successful gliding flights. He was known for adopting a thorough scientific approach founded on observations of the flight of birds in relation to the problem of inventing a man carrying heavier than air machine that would fly. He developed and tested bird-like gliders controlled by weight shift by the pilot (a similar method to modern hang gliders). The pilot held on to the glider with his forearms resting in hoops mounted on the main structural beam connecting the wings. The weight shift was achieved by the pilot swinging his trunk and legs. In contrast, the pilot of a modern hang glider is suspended below the glider and, with the use of an A-frame, allows the whole body to be moved around to achieve control. The Lilienthal design apparently had a tendency to pitch down and a tailplane was added to mitigate this problem. Lilienthal flew from hills in the Rhinow region and from a conical hill he built near Berlin. He made over 2000 flights. Importantly, for others seeking to progress manned flight at the time and also for the historical record, reports of Lilienthal’s flights (some with photographs) were published and Lilienthal detailed his experiences and corresponded with other flight pioneers. Lilienthal’s work became well known and influenced Orville and Wilbur Wright in their initial experiments with gliders in 1899 (although in their quest to design and fly an aeroplane they relied on new data created by wind tunnel testing). The replica built by Bruce Hearn is of the 1893 Lilienthal glider. It is very similar to the “Normal-Segalapparat” (Normal Glider) for which patent protection was later granted a few years later. The Lilienthal replica glider is an important addition to the AGM collection as it represents the beginning of successful gliding flight. Hang glider made of wood with wire bracing – yet to be covered with authentic cotton fabric. The glider has a small plate with identification details including name of builder (Bruce Hearn) glider, hang glider, lilienthal, hearn, replica -
Coal Creek Community Park & Museum
Bottle, glass, c. 1885
150 years of experience and commitment. Norwegians have been producing and exporting cod liver oil for more than 1000 years. But it was not before 1645 it was reported that cod liver oil could be used to prevent and cure disease. At the end of the 18th century the first scientific article was published to support this. In the middle of the 19th century, the pharmacist Peter Möller observed that people along the west coast of Norway consuming cod liver oil regularly were rarely ill. He dedicated himself to finding out how this healthy liquid could be produced with better taste and pureness at a lower price. He developed a method of using steam to extract the oil from fresh cod livers. Based on this technological advance, the company Peter Möller was founded in 1854 in Lofoten on Norway’s arctic coast, where you find pure, cold, clean seas and high quality raw material. Peter Joachim Möller (1793-1869) At first Möller’s Cod Liver Oil was believed to be a good source of vitamin D and A, and the health benefits were associated with these vitamins. Peter Möller believed, however, that there were other significant benefits from fatty acids and other ingredients in the cod liver oil – both known and unknown. Peter Möller was dedicated to understanding more about these benefits. His dedication and commitment is clear in Möller's vision to improve people’s health by delivering the highest quality omega 3 products. Timeline 1793 Peter Möller is born in Røros, Norway 26 April. 1819 Peter Möller travels to Christiania (Oslo) and is employed by the pharmacist Frantz Peckel at the Svane chemist. He is employed on condition that he passes his pharmaceutical exam within one year. 1822 Graduated as a pharmacist with a unanimous first grade and with the award of the Professor's special satisfaction. 1842 Together with professors A. Holst and Chr. Boeck, Peter Möller participates in the commission which develops the first Norwegian Pharmacopoeia. 1853 Peter announces his method to cod liver oil works along the coast. He equips cod liver oil factories with new equipment in Lofoten, Ålesund and Kristiansund. The facility outside Ålesund is the most important for testing the method. 1854 The Peter Möller company is established as production has started at the three factories. Sales are lower than anticipated even though the quality is considerably better with the new method. The consumers of cod liver oil had been used to the fact that “good medicine must taste bad” and would not believe that the new and better quality was as healthy. Therefore, the following years are used to introduce consumers to the product, and also to convert more producers to the new method. 1869 Peter Möller dies. There are 70 cod liver oil steamers which use his steam rendering method, and 5000 barrels are produced every year. Möller’s company increases the quality by better routines for quality controls. 1870 Severin A Heyerdal, Möller’s son-in-law, assumes the leadership of the firm after Peter's death. He continues the work by improving the quality of the cod liver oil. The goal was to make it as pure and unaltered as in the liver. At this time, Möller had already started selling its product in the USA. In 1870, WH Schieffelin & Co. ("The oldest drughouse in America") was engaged by Peter Möller in the USA. 1881 Frantz Peckel Möller assumes the leadership of the Peter Möller company. He saw it as his duty to further the work on cod liver oil, and through a combination of solid scientific education and an eminent sense of the great mercantile possibilities, he made Möller’s cod liver oil the number one in the world market. 1914 The first world war leads to Möller’s bottled cod liver oil being shut out of the export market. However, domestic sales are good. 1924 The subsidiary Møystad Möller & Co. is established for bulk exports and the Association of Medicinal Cod liver oil Exporters is established in Bergen in 1925. 1925/26 The green bottles are introduced. Medicinal cod liver oil exports remain almost constant, while total Norwegian cod liver oil exports increase. 1938 The factory on the Løren grounds in Oslo, Norway is built. The factory is in the same place today. Peter Möller’s Pharmaceutical Laboratorium A/S is also established to separate out the scientific business. Investment is made in a new facility for refining and bottling veterinary cod liver oil, and increased production of industrial cod liver oil. 1940 The outbreak of the 2nd world war sees exports fall dramatically, while cod liver oil’s significance as a dietary supplement receives increased attention. Domestic sales increase strongly. 1945 After the war, medicinal cod liver oil retains its high status as an important dietary supplement in the “rebuilding" of the country. Cod liver oil becomes an ”emergency product in ravaged areas where the supply situation is difficult. Competition from other countries such as the USA, England and Iceland increases, and Norway no longer dominates the market. 1983 Möller’s cod liver oil in capsule form is launched and palatable cod liver oil is launched. 1990 Peter Möller A/S merges with Orkla Borregaard A/S (now ORKLA) 2005 Peter Möller merges with CollettPharma. The new company is called MöllerCollett. 2007 Merger between MöllerCollet and DanskDroge. The new company is called Axellus. Oval in section with a thin neck, mauve tinted clear glass bottle with text embossed on side.On side : 'P.MOLLER', 'OL JECOR', 'GADOR VER', 'CHRISTIANIA'.cod liver oil, norway, peter moller, christiana, oslo -
Federation University Historical Collection
Document, Indenture Between Robert M. Serjeant, Joseph Flude and the Trustees of the Ballarat School of Mines regarding Letters of Patents for the Benefit of the Ballarat School of Mines, 1877, 04/03/1875
R.M. Serjeant was listed as a mining manager and Joseph Flude as a metallurgist. In 1875 they were both living in Ballarat. The patent number is A.D.1875, 4th March. No 2031. According to the patent the hearth of the furnace is in the form of a cone revolving horizontally. The feed is supplied to the apex of the cone by an archimedian screw. The crown of the furnace comprises a double covering or roof with an intermediate chamber for receiving heated air. The inner covering is pierced to admit of the heated air being brought into contact with the pyrites on the face of the revolving hearth. The discharge of the roasted substance is affected by means of a scraper at the base of the cone. It was claimed that this was a new mode of introducing heated air, and the exclusion of flame during the operation of roasting pyrites. The self-acting charge and discharge of the furnace and the peculiar construction of the hot air chambers, and the use of perforated bricks through which the supply of air is affected were also new. (http://patentsvictoria.net/002031.html) From the Goulburn Herald, 14 September 1878 "A feature connected with the school of mines is the yet unfinished pyrites works. The extraction of the gold from pyrites and the utilization for commercial purposes of other substances connected with pyrites are peculiarly important to Ballarat, because were a simple and inexpensive method devised there are millions and millions of tons of quartz that would then be made remunerative. With this thought in their minds two scientific gentlemen invented the school of mines self-acting rotatory furnace. This, for lack of funds, has not been completed as yet, but the amount in hand for the purpose is daily increasing, and it will eventually be an accomplished fact. It is in contemplation also to erect machinery shops in connection with the school, and it is purposed to con struct a steam-engine to do at once the work of the pyrites treatment and the ma chine room. A model shaft and mine too are being prepared for on the reserve, so that practical mining of the most thorough character may be taught on the ground.'Large indenture on red bordered vellum. The indenture was regarding a patent for the benefit of the Ballarat School of Mines. Letters Patent for an Invention for Roasting Pyrites to be called 'the Ballarat School of Mines self-Acting Pyrites Furnace" to Robery Malachy Serjeant and Joseph Flude. The large document is on a vellum type paper complete with stamps and seal. The document is signed by Acting-Governor William Stawell. Inscriptions and Markings Written on verso: "Date of Patent 4th March 1875 No 2031 Letters Patent for An invention for roasting pyrities to be called "The Ballarat School of Mines Self-acting Pyrities Furnace" to Robert Malachy Serjeant and Joseph Flude Melbourne, Victoriaballarat school of mines, serjeant, r.m. serjeant, robert m. serjeant, flude, joseph flude, patent, barry, redmond barry, rogers, judge rogers, bland, rivett henry bland, john airy, warrington rogers, establishment, indenture, legal, cuthbert, ballarat school of mines trustees, william stawell, john warrington rogers -
Federation University Historical Collection
Document, Letters Patent for an Invention for Roasting Pyrites, 1875, 1875
R.M. Serjeant was listed as a mining manager and Joseph Flude as a metallurgist. In 1875 they were both living in Ballarat. The patent number is A.D.1875, 4th March. No 2031. According to the patent the hearth of the furnace is in the form of a cone revolving horizontally. The feed is supplied to the apex of the cone by an archimedian screw. The crown of the furnace comprises a double covering or roof with an intermediate chamber for receiving heated air. The inner covering is pierced to admit of the heated air being brought into contact with the pyrites on the face of the revolving hearth. The discharge of the roasted substance is affected by means of a scraper at the base of the cone. It was claimed that this was a new mode of introducing heated air, and the exclusion of flame during the operation of roasting pyrites. The self-acting charge and discharge of the furnace and the peculiar construction of the hot air chambers, and the use of perforated bricks through which the supply of air is affected were also new. (http://patentsvictoria.net/002031.html) From the Goulburn Herald, 14 September 1878 "A feature connected with the school of mines is the yet unfinished pyrites works. The extraction of the gold from pyrites and the utilization for commercial purposes of other substances connected with pyrites are peculiarly important to Ballarat, because were a simple and inexpensive method devised there are millions and millions of tons of quartz that would then be made remunerative. With this thought in their minds two scientific gentlemen invented the school of mines self-acting rotatory furnace. This, for lack of funds, has not been completed as yet, but the amount in hand for the purpose is daily increasing, and it will eventually be an accomplished fact. It is in contemplation also to erect machinery shops in connection with the school, and it is purposed to con struct a steam-engine to do at once the work of the pyrites treatment and the ma chine room. A model shaft and mine too are being prepared for on the reserve, so that practical mining of the most thorough character may be taught on the ground.'Letters Patent for an Invention for Roasting Pyrites to be called 'the Ballarat School of Mines Self-Acting Pyrites Furnace' to Robert Malachy Serjeant and Joseph Flude. The large document is on a vellum type paper complete with stamps and seal. The document is signed by Acting-Governor William Stawell.Written on verso: "Date of Patent 4th March 1875 No 2031 Letters Patent for An invention for roasting pyrities to be called "The Ballarat School of Mines Self-acting Pyrities Furnace" to Robert Malachy Serjeant and Joseph Flude Melbourne, Victoriaballarat school of mines, serjeant, r.m. serjeant, robert m. serjeant, flude, joseph flude, richard gibbs, stawell, william stawell, pyrities furnace, philately, statute stamp, seal (victoria), ballarat school of mines self-acting pyrities furnace, ballarat school of mines self-acting pyrites furnace -
City of Greater Bendigo - Civic Collection
Letter - Correspondence from School of Mines and Industries, Bendigo to R.H. S Abbott, Bendigo School of Mines and Industries, 17th September, 1901
The Bendigo School of Mines was opened in 1873 following the first report of the Technological Commission in 1869 which recommended the establishment of schools of design and science to meet the scientific and technical needs of the mining industry on the local gold fields. Initially mining, chemistry, geology, metallurgy and art were taught while a separate school of design was established in c. 1870 but incorporated into the School of Mines around 1883 when it was renamed as the School of Mines and Industry. In 1904 The Mechanics Institute was liquidated and its assets and buildings acquired by the School of Mines. Around 1907 a Junior Technical School commenced to operate at the School of Mines and Industry but ceased operating in 1961 with that function being transferred to the White Hills and Kangaroo Flat Technical Schools. The Bendigo School of Mines and Industry became known as the Bendigo Technical College from the 1st July 1959. It operated under that name until February 1967 when it became the Bendigo Institute of Technology (B.I.T.). Construction work commenced in c.1965 which saw the Institute progressively re-locate to new buildings at Flora Hill. (Fn: https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VA3091) Richard Hartley Smith Abbott was the step son of Joseph Henry Abbott and continued on in the family tradition of entering into business. He was elected a representative in the Mandurang riding in the Shire of Strathfieldsaye in 1887, served as Mayor of the City of Bendigo from 1917 - 1918 and was Secretary of the Bendigo Art Gallery for over 20 years. His father Joseph Abbot had been a member of the School of Mines Administrative Council and RH Abbott served as President of the School of Mines for two years and was a highly regarded business man within the local community. The School of Mines and Industries would have written to him asking him to intervene to ensure that their reputation remained intact.Handwritten letter by the registrar from the School of Mines to R H S Abbott on lightly lined writing paper.city of greater bendigo education, city of greater bendigo mining, mayor rhs abbott, shire of strathfieldsaye, bendigo art gallery -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Barometer, 1858-1869
The barometer was either made or sold by T. Gaunt & Co. of Melbourne, a manufacturer, importer and retailer of a wide variety of goods including jewellery, clocks and watches, navigational and measuring instruments, dinnerware, glassware and ornaments. Thomas Gaunt photograph was included in an album of security identity portraits of members of the Victorian Court, Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888. (See below for further details.) Admiral Fitzroy Pattern Barometer History: The stick mercury barometer was named after Admiral Robert Fitzroy of the Royal Navy (1805-1865) for his detailed instructions on how to interpret the weather, which were included with the instrument. Fitzroy was the captain of the HMS Beagle, also a weather forecaster to Charles Darwin and the second Governor of New Zealand. He developed many different types of barometers and was the first person to introduce the science of weather forecasting to the British Isles. A local manufacturer of scientific instruments, Thomas Gaunt, produced the barometer that was adapted for the southern hemisphere by Robert Ellery, the State Astronomer based at the Melbourne Observatory. In the original sale catalogue for Gaunt's, the item is described as "Gaunt's Fitzroy Barometers" and it was priced from 25/- to ₤9.9s. History of Thomas Gaunt: Thomas Gaunt established Melbourne's leading watchmaking, optical and jewellery business during the second half of the 19th century. Gaunt arrived in Melbourne in 1852, and by 1858 had established his own business at 14 Little Bourke Street. Around 1869 he moved to new premises in Bourke Street on the corner of Royal Arcade. Gaunt's shop quickly became a Melbourne institution. Gaunt proudly advertised that he was 'The only watch manufacturer in the Australian colonies'. While many watches and clocks may have had Gaunt's name on the dial, few would have been made locally. Gaunt did make some watches for exhibitions, and perhaps a few expensive watches for wealthy individuals. Gaunt's received a telegraph signal from Melbourne Observatory each day to correct his main clock and used this signal to rate and repair ship's chronometers and good quality watches. His main horological manufacturing was directed at turret clocks for town halls, churches and post offices. These tended to be specific commissions requiring individualised design and construction. He made the clock for the Melbourne Post Office lobby, to a design by Government Astronomer Robert Ellery, and won an award at the 1880-81 Melbourne International Exhibition for his turret clock for the Emerald Hill Town Hall. He became well known for his installation of a chronograph at Flemington Racecourse in 1876, which showed the time for the race, accurate to a quarter of a second. The firm also installed the clockwork and figures for Gog and Magog in the Royal Arcade. Thomas Gaunt also developed a department that focused on scientific instrumentation, making thermometers and barometers (from imported glass tubes), telescopes, surveying instruments and microscopes. Another department specialised in electroplating for trophies, awards and silverware, and the firm manufactured large amounts of ecclesiastical gold ware and silverware, for the church including St Patrick's Cathedral. There are no records that disclose the number of employees in the firm, but it was large enough for Gaunt to hold an annual picnic for the watchmakers and apprentices at Mordialloc from 1876; two years previously they had successfully lobbied Gaunt to win the eight hour day. Gaunt's workforce was reportedly very stable, with many workers remaining in the business for 15 to 30 years. Gaunt's wife Jane died on September 1894, aged 64. They had one son and six daughters, but only three daughters survived to adulthood. Two became nuns at the Abbotsford Convent and one daughter, Cecelia Mary Gaunt (died 28 July 1941), married William Stanislaus Spillane on 22 September 1886 and had a large family. Gaunt died at his home in Coburg, Victoria, leaving an estate valued at ₤41,453. The business continued as T. Gaunt & Co. after his death. The barometer is historically significant as an example of the work of Melbourne’s leading scientific instrument maker, Thomas Gaunt. The barometer has social significance as an example of the type of scientific equipment that Thomas Gaunt expanded his horology business into producing. Further social significance lies in the fact that Robert Ellery, the Government Astronomer who designed the local version of the barometer, had a direct connection with the Melbourne Athenaeum founded in 1839 as the Melbourne Mechanics' Institution. Its purpose was "the diffusion of literary, scientific and other useful information". There are also records of a T Gaunt as a subscription and committee member of this the Athenaeum organisation during the 1870s and 1880s which may be Thomas Gaunt, unfortunately still unverified.Stick mercury barometer known as the Admiral Fitzroy Barometer. It comprises an oblong wooden case with glass front panel, ornate pediment, barometer with bulb cistern (empty of fluid), cleaning brush with printed instructions for interpreting information given by the gauge affixed to left and right face of instrument. Includes a thermometer. The barometer appears to be intact. Adapted to the Southern Hemisphere. Special remarks by Admiral Fitzroy. Made by Thomas Gaunt, Melbourne. Manufacturer's details are on back of wooden casing. Rear has upper and lower brass screw plates for securing to vertical surface."Manufactured by Thomas Gaunt, 14 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, barometer, admiral fitzroy, thomas gaunt, thomas gaunt of melbourne, clockmaker, admiral fitzroy barometer, barometer instructions, gaunt’s fitzroy barometer, gaunt’s of melbourne, gog and magog designer, horological manufacturer, meteorological instrument, melbourne athenaeum, melbourne mechanics' institution, melbourne observatory time signal, robert ellery government astronomer, scientific instrument, stick mercury barometer, thermometer, weather forecast, t gaunt & co -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Compass and Sundial, Mid 19th Century
James Henry Steward (1817–1896) established J.H. Steward in London in 1852. As “Head Optician” he would have been a qualified oculist but little is known about the founder’s early life and scholastic achievements. However, given the variety of disciplines for which he undertook he was also an accredited instrument maker,he clearly was a gifted scholar and quickly gained professional recognition in a full range of fields for an instrument maker of his day. J.H Steward became incorporated as J.H. Steward Limited on 1st February,1913. The business grew from modest beginnings. Steward would sell pocket watches and assorted items at the annual competition days of "The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom(NRA)" from a stall. As the governing body for full bore rifle and pistol shooting sports in the UK. The Association established in 1859 with the aim to improve the shooting skills of the newly formed corps of volunteers to meet the perceived threat of an invasion by the French. J.H. Steward advert first appeared in the NRA competition program of 1865. The NRA meetings were held at first on Wimbledon Common, Surrey until 1889. Then because of pressure by the local community, the NRA along with its buildings and its flourishing meetings moved further south to Brookwood, Surrey. By now the Steward operation had grown from a modest stall into a large marquee selling various optical and scientific instruments at these meetings. Throughout its long trading history the J.H. Steward company and many members of the family maintained strong ties to the NRA and competition shooting events. The NRA records show that at the end of the 19th century the NRA bestowed a Life Membership on 7 Steward family members. First presented by J. H. Steward Ltd. in 1902 was the “Steward Trophy” that is still an annual competition for teams of four from any rifle club affiliated to the NRA. There is also evidence that many family members were fine shots.The item was made by a significant instrument manufacturing company that concentrated during the middle 19th century on supplying the British military. This items pattern & design is still available as a reproduction, available on the internet. However this original seems unique as the writer cannot find another for sale or in a collection to date. The assumption is that this type of compass was made for the British artillery units given the sun dial. Further research is ongoing as the writer regards this item as rare and social significant.Brass Compass and Sundial manufactured by J H Steward 407 & 406 West Strand, London. Can be used in both hemispheres. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, compass, sundial, combination compass and sundial, steward strand london, j h steward -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Octant, Mid to late 19th Century
An octant is an astronomical instrument used in measuring the angles of heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon and stars at sea in relation to the horizon. This measurement could then be used to calculate the altitude of the body measured, and then the latitude at sea could also be calculated. The angle of the arms of an octant is 45 degrees, or 1/8 of a circle, which gives the instrument its name. Two men independently developed the octant around 1730: John Hadley (1682–1744), an English mathematician, and Thomas Godfrey (1704–1749), a glazier in Philadelphia. While both have a legitimate and equal claim to the invention, Hadley generally gets the greater share of the credit. This reflects the central role that London and the Royal Society played in the history of scientific instruments in the eighteenth and nineteenth century's. There were also two others who are attributed to having created octanes during this period, Caleb Smith, an English insurance broker with a strong interest in astronomy (in 1734), and Jean-Paul Fouchy, a mathematics professor and astronomer in France (in 1732) In 1767 the first edition of the Nautical Almanac tabulated lunar distances, enabling navigators to find the current time from the angle between the sun and the moon. This angle is sometimes larger than 90°, and thus not possible to measure with an octant. For that reason, Admiral John Campbell, who conducted shipboard experiments with the lunar distance method, suggested a larger instrument and the sextant was developed. From that time onward, the sextant was the instrument that experienced significant development and improvements and was the instrument of choice for naval navigators. The octant continued to be produced well into the 19th century, though it was generally a less accurate and less expensive instrument. The lower price of the octant, including versions without a telescope, made it a practical instrument for ships in the merchant and fishing fleets. One common practice among navigators up to the late nineteenth century was to use both a sextant and an octant. The sextant was used with great care and only for lunar sightings while the octant was used for routine meridional altitude measurements of the sun every day. This protected the very accurate and pricier sextant while using the more affordable octant for general use where it performs well. The invention of the octant was a significant step in providing accuracy of a sailors latitude position at sea and his vessels distance from land when taking sightings of land-based landmarks.Octant with metal handle, three different colored shades are attached, in wooden wedge-shaped box lined with green felt. Key is attached. Two telescope eyepieces are in box. Some parts are missing. Oval ink stamp inside lid of box, scale is graduated to 45 degrees. Ink stamp inside lid of box "SHIPLOVERS SOCIETY OF VICTORIA. LIBRARY"instrument, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, octant, navigation, nautical instrument, navigation instrument, john hadley, sextant, astronomical instrument -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Container - World War 1939-45 Ration pack, c1940
AMF Operational Ration This ration pack was developed by Sir Stanton Hicks. It contained three meals, each waterproofed (a vital consideration for the tropics), which offered a balanced selection of meat, vegetables, fruit and vitamin supplements. Before the development of this ration pack, Australian soldiers were supplied with quantities of preserved food that were difficult for a man to carry and divide, and which often did not provide a nourishing diet. Sir Cedric Stanton Hicks (1892-1976), university professor and army catering officer, was born on 2 June 1892 at Mosgiel, New Zealand. University of Otago (B.Sc., N.Z., 1914; M.Sc. Hons, 1915; M.B., Ch.B., 1923) 1916-18 Hicks served as a non-commissioned officer in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and he assisted Professor J. K. H. Inglis in the synthesis and production of Chloramine-T for use against meningitis among the troops. Hicks was appointed government analyst in 1918. On a Fellowship 1923, he travelled to England and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge (Ph.D., 1926) and caried out research in Switzerland, Germany and the United States of America. 1927 he was appointed to the new chair of physiology and pharmacology at Adelaide University, which he was to hold until 1957. During the Depression he studied the dietary patterns of five hundred families receiving relief. 1940 Hicks was appointed temporary captain, Australian Military Forces, and performed part-time duty as catering supervisor. Moved to Melbourne as chief inspector of catering, he began a campaign for applying scientific principles to the feeding of troops. 1943 the Australian Army Catering Corps was formed. Hicks altered the basis of the allowance for military rations from a monetary to a nutrient entitlement, improved the pay and promotion opportunities of cooks, established schools of cooking and catering, devised new methods for preparing food, supported the service's adoption of the Wiles steam-cooker, and designed jungle-patrol, emergency and air-drop rations. His 'Who Called the Cook a Bastard?' (Sydney, 1972) gave an account of his experiences in military catering.Men from most families in the City of Moorabbin area served in the Australian Military Forces during World War 2.A tin container , khaki colour, used for the storage of a food ration item for a soldier serving in the Australian Military Forces World War 11.TURN KEY ← TO OPEN CAN / diagram of key / A.M.F. / OPERATION/ RATION/ 02 / D↑Dworld war 11, australian military forces, sir cedric stanton hicks, army catering corps, soldier rations, food supplys, australian diggers, food preservation -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Sextant, Late 20th Century
In 1941, the scientific instrument manufacturing firms of Henry Hughes & Son Ltd, London, England, and Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, came together to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd. Kelvin Company History: The origins of the company lie in the highly successful and strictly informal relationship between William Thomson (1824-1907), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1846-1899 and James White, a Glasgow optical maker. James White (1824-1884) founded the firm of James White, an optical instrument maker in Glasgow in 1850 and was involved in supplying and mending apparatus for Thomson university laboratory and working with him on experimental constructions. White was declared bankrupt in August 1861 and released several months later. In 1870, White was largely responsible for equipping William Thomson laboratory in the new University premises at Gilmore hill. From 1876, he was producing accurate compasses for metal ships to Thomson design during this period and this became an important part of his business in the last years of his life. He was also involved in the production of sophisticated-sounding machinery that Thomson had designed to address problems encountered laying cables at sea, helping to make possible the first transatlantic cable connection. At the same time, he continued to make a whole range of more conventional instruments such as telescopes, microscopes and surveying equipment. White's association with Thomson continued until he died. After his death, his business continued under the same name, being administered by Matthew Edwards (until 1891 when he left to set up his own company. Thomson who became Sir William Thomson and then Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892, continued to maintain his interest in the business after James White's death. In 1884 raising most of the capital needed to construct and equip new workshops in Cambridge Street, Glasgow. At these premises, the company continued to make the compass Thomson had designed during the 1870s and to supply it in some quantity, especially to the Admiralty. At the same time, the firm became increasingly involved in the design, production and sale of electrical apparatus. In 1899, Lord Kelvin resigned from his University chair and became, in 1900, a director in the newly formed limited liability company Kelvin & James White Ltd which had acquired the business of James White. At the same time Kelvin's nephew, James Thomson Bottomley (1845-1926), joined the firm. In 1904, a London branch office was opened which by 1915 had become known as Kelvin, White & Hutton Ltd. Kelvin & James White Ltd underwent a further change of name in 1913, becoming Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd. Hughes Company History: Henry Hughes & Sons were founded in 1838 in London as a maker of chronographic and scientific instruments. The firm was incorporated as “Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd” in 1903. In 1923, the company produced its first recording echo sounder and in 1935 a controlling interest in the company was acquired by S Smith & Son Ltd resulting in the development and production of marine and aircraft instruments. Following the London office's destruction in the Blitz of 1941, a collaboration was entered into with Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd resulting in the establishing “Marine Instruments Ltd”. Following the formal amalgamation of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1947 to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd. Marine Instruments Ltd then acted as regional agents in the UK for Kelvin & Hughes Ltd who were essentially now a part of Smith's Industries Ltd founded in 1944 and the successors of S. Smith & Son Ltd. Kelvin & Hughes Ltd went on to develop various marine radar and echo sounders supplying the Ministry of Transport, and later the Ministry of Defence. The firm was liquidated in 1966 but the name was continued as Kelvin Hughes, a division of the Smiths Group. In 2002, Kelvin Hughes continues to produce and develop marine instruments for commercial and military. G. Falconer Company History: G Falconer (Hong Kong Ltd) appear to have had a retail presence in Hong Kong since 1885, according to the company website, and currently have a shop in the Peninsula Hotel. G Falconer was the Hong Kong selling agent for several British companies. Ross Ltd of 111 New Bond St London was one and the other was Kelvins Nautical Instruments. Falconers were primarily watchmakers, jewellers and diamond merchants.They were also agents for Admiralty Charts, Ross binoculars and telescopes, and sold English Silverware and High Class English Jewellery. In 1928 the company was operating from the Union Building opposite the Hong Kong general post office. It is unclear if the item is an original Sextant made by Kelvin prior to his amalgamation with Henry Hughes & Sons in 1941 as Kelvin appears to have only made compasses up to this date. If the Sextant can be established that it was made by Kelvin then it is very significant and a rare item made for and distributed through their Hong Kong selling agents G Falconer Ltd. There are many Sextants advertised for sale stating "Kelvin & Hughes 1917 model sextant". These can be regarded as replicas as the company was not formed until 1941 and production of marine instruments was not fully under way until after the war in 1947. Further investigation needs to be undertaken to accurately determine the provenance of this item. As the writer currently has the impression that the subject object was possibly made by Kelvin and Hughes in the mid to late 20th century or is a replica made by an unknown maker in the late 1970s. Purchased as an exhibition of marine navigational instruments for the Flagstaff Hill museum. The Sextant is a brass apparatus with filters and telescope lens, and comes with a wooden felt lined storage box. It is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation.G Falconer and Co. Hong Kong (retailers of nautical equipmentflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, sextant, kelvin & hughes ltd, hong kong, navigational instrument, g falconer, mariner's quadrants -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Plant specimen - Wood Sample, Alexander Hall and Son, ca. 1855
The wood sample is one of two pieces in the Collection from the wreck of the sailing ship Schomberg that were carried on the tides and discovered on a New Zealand beach along the coast. The samples have been positively identified scientifically as part of the timber from the Schomberg. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG (October 6 to December 27, 1855)- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Baines Black Ball Line had commissioned her for their fleet of passenger liners. The Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the clippers designed the three-masted wooden clipper ship to be fast. The timber used for the diagonal planking was British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury emigrant vessel was designed for superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first-class passengers. The master for Schomberg’s maiden voyage was Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes. He drunkenly predicted at her launch that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The poor winds slowed Schomberg’s sail across the equator. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted the coastal steamer SS Queen at dawn and sent a signal. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers safely disembarked. In 1975, 120 years after the Schomberg was wrecked, divers from Flagstaff Hill found an ornate communion set at the wreck site along with many other artefacts. In 1978 a diamond ring was discovered under the concretion in the lid of the communion set, which is currently on display. Former Director of Flagstaff Hill, Peter Ronald, had salvaged most of the artefacts from the wreck. This wood sample is significant for its connection with the wreck of the Schomberg, as part of the vessel's structure. It is scientifically important as evidence that shipwreck relics can move a long way for the site of the wreck. The Schomberg collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of prime significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes.Wood sample with layers of different coloured timber. The sample has holes along a portion of the edge and a fur-like appearance along one side. In places it has the appearance of charcoal. The sample is a piece of the hull from the wreck of the Schomberg. The sample was washed up on a beach on the coast of New Zealand. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, 1855, clipper ship, black ball line, luxury ship, emigrant ship, captain forbes, bully forbes, ss queen, wood sample, new zealand, james baines & co -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Plant specimen - Wood Sample, Alexander Hall and Son, ca. 1855
The wood sample is one of two pieces in the Collection from the wreck of the sailing ship Schomberg that were carried on the tides and discovered on a New Zealand beach along the coast. The samples have been positively identified scientifically as part of the timber from the Schomberg. ABOUT THE SCHOMBERG (October 6 to December 27, 1855)- When the ship Schomberg was launched in 1855, she was considered the most perfect clipper ship ever to be built. James Baines Black Ball Line had commissioned her for their fleet of passenger liners. The Aberdeen builders designed her to sail faster than the clippers designed the three-masted wooden clipper ship to be fast. The timber used for the diagonal planking was British oak with layers of Scottish larch. This luxury emigrant vessel was designed for superior comfort. She had ventilation ducts to provide air to the lower decks and a dining saloon, smoking room, library and bathrooms for the first-class passengers. The master for Schomberg’s maiden voyage was Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes. He drunkenly predicted at her launch that he would make the journey between Liverpool and Melbourne in 60 days. Schomberg departed Liverpool on 6 October 1855 with 430 passengers and 3000 tons of cargo including iron rails and equipment intended the build the Geelong Railway and a bridge over the Yarra from Melbourne to Hawthorn. The poor winds slowed Schomberg’s sail across the equator. She was 78 days out of Liverpool when she ran aground on a sand spit near Peterborough, Victoria, on 27 December; the sand spit and currents were not marked on Forbes’s map. The ship’s Chief Officer spotted the coastal steamer SS Queen at dawn and sent a signal. The master of the SS Queen approached the stranded vessel and all of Schomberg’s passengers safely disembarked. In 1975, 120 years after the Schomberg was wrecked, divers from Flagstaff Hill found an ornate communion set at the wreck site along with many other artefacts. In 1978 a diamond ring was discovered under the concretion in the lid of the communion set, which is currently on display. Former Director of Flagstaff Hill, Peter Ronald, had salvaged most of the artefacts from the wreck. This wood sample is significant for its connection with the wreck of the Schomberg, as part of the vessel's structure. It is scientifically important as evidence that shipwreck relics can move a long way for the site of the wreck. The Schomberg collection as a whole is of historical and archaeological significance at a State level. Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Schomberg is also significant for its association with the Victorian Heritage Registered shipwreck (VHR S 612). The collection is of prime significance because of the relationship between the objects salvaged, as together they help us to interpret the story of the Schomberg. The collection as a whole is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria's maritime history and its potential to interpret social and historical themes.Wood sample with layers of different coloured timber. The sample has holes along a portion of the edge and a fur-like appearance along one side. In places it has the appearance of charcoal. The sample is a piece of the hull from the wreck of the Schomberg. The sample was washed up on a beach on the coast of New Zealand. flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, schomberg, 1855, clipper ship, black ball line, luxury ship, emigrant ship, captain forbes, bully forbes, ss queen, wood sample, new zealand, james baines & co -
Parks Victoria - Point Hicks Lightstation
Megaphone
Used to communicate with ships from Point Hicks Lightstation. In Greek mythology, "Stentor" was a herald on the Greek side during the Trojan War. His name has given rise to the adjective "stentorian", meaning loud-voiced, for which he was famous. Homer said his "voice was as powerful as fifty voices of other men." He died after his defeat by Hermes in a shouting contest. See the Iliad, V. The large funnel-shaped device is nearly 750mm (30 inches) in length and is made of re coated cardboard that is riveted together. It has a metal mouth-piece at the narrow end and a metal edge at the wide end, and a metal handle. The maker’s information inside indicates that it is a ‘Stentor Megaphone’ patented on 4 April 1899 by a company in Boston. Stentor brand megaphones were manufactured by Merriman Brothers, a firm established in Boston in 1898 specializing in hardware for yachts. Merriman Bros. Manufacturers. 139 Border St. East Boston, Mass. Their equipment, which included pulley blocks, winches and fittings, was well-known worldwide before the company closed in about 1995. However, their ‘main business was not blocks and winches’…‘it was Merriman megaphones, including the familiar cheerleader megaphones’. They came in different sizes, one of which was employed by the United States Navy because of its scientifically proven horn angle of 22 degrees’. Their patent for the device, dated April 4, 1899, specified details such as the ‘rivets, metal mouthpiece, and adjacent parts’,and an undated pamphlet promoting the Stentor Megaphone emphasizes its ‘highly finished’ appearance ‘with nickel mouthpiece, rim and other fittings’. It also pronounces ‘the carrying power of a Megaphone is astonishing. Even under adverse conditions, it magnifies the power of the voice many times. For listening to distant sounds, it is also of great assistance’. Various sizes were designed for particular uses, and the pamphlet advises that the 30 inch no.2 model, which cost US $2.50, ‘makes it easy to talk half-a-mile and shout a mile’. An advertisement also stresses that it has ‘no iron parts’, making it ideal for marine situations.The Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, Maine, United States, has the same or similar model of megaphone in its collection, and the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village Museum, Warrnambool, Victoria, has a galvanised metal ‘Acme Stentor’ megaphone. The Point Hicks Stentor Megaphone has first level contributory significance for its provenance and historic value, and also as a relatively rare item of equipment once used worldwide in marine situations, such as lightstations, as demonstrated by this example in a Victorian lightstation.One large funnel shaped megaphone made of coated cardboard riveted together. Has a metal handle and metal rims at each end. Dark reddish brown colour."No 2 / THE / STENTOR MEGAPHONE / PATENTED APRIL 4TH 1899 / .../ MAKERS / .OSTON. MASS" -
Ballarat Heritage Services
Digital photograph, Dorothy Wickham, Tower of London, 2016
The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins),[3] although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times, and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England. From the early 14th century until the reign of Charles II, a procession would be led from the Tower to Westminster Abbey on the coronation of a monarch. In the absence of the monarch, the Constable of the Tower is in charge of the castle. This was a powerful and trusted position in the medieval period. In the late 15th century the castle was the prison of the Princes in the Tower. Under the Tudors, the Tower became used less as a royal residence, and despite attempts to refortify and repair the castle its defences lagged behind developments to deal with artillery. The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries, when many figures who had fallen into disgrace, such as Elizabeth I before she became queen, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Elizabeth Throckmorton were held within its walls. This use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower". Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, popularised by 16th-century religious propagandists and 19th-century writers, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century. Executions were more commonly held on the notorious Tower Hill to the north of the castle, with 112 occurring there over a 400-year period. In the latter half of the 19th century, institutions such as the Royal Mint moved out of the castle to other locations, leaving many buildings empty. Anthony Salvin and John Taylor took the opportunity to restore the Tower to what was felt to be its medieval appearance, clearing out many of the vacant post-medieval structures. In the First and Second World Wars, the Tower was again used as a prison, and witnessed the executions of 12 men for espionage. After the Second World War, damage caused during the Blitz was repaired, and the castle reopened to the public. Today the Tower of London is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Under the ceremonial charge of the Constable of the Tower, it is cared for by the charity Historic Royal Palaces and is protected as a World Heritage Site.(Wikipedia) A World Heritage Site is a landmark which has been officially recognized by the United Nations, specifically by UNESCO. Sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance, and they are legally protected by international treaties. UNESCO regards these sites as being important to the collective interests of humanity. More specifically, a World Heritage Site is an already classified landmark on the earth, which by way of being unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable piece is of special cultural or physical significance (such as either due to hosting an ancient ruins or some historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, or mountain) and symbolizes a remarkable footprint of extreme human endeavour often coupled with some act of indisputable accomplishment of humanity which then serves as a surviving evidence of its intellectual existence on the planet. And with an ignoble intent of its practical conservation for posterity, but which otherwise could be subject to inherent risk of endangerment from human or animal trespassing, owing to unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted nature of access or threat by natural or accelerated extinction owing to local administrative negligence, hence it would have been listed and demarcated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to have been identified or recognised and officially christened and internationally elevated through multilateral declaration by UNESCO as a universally protected zone. [1] The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly. (Wikipedia)The Tower of London is a UNESCO world heritage site.tower of london -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Baby Feeding Bottle, Allen & Handbury's, 1891-1920
Allen & Hanburys was founded in 1715 in Old Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, by Silvanus Bevan, a Welshman, apothecary, and a Quaker. Bevan and his brother, Timothy, who became his partner and later succeeded him, were known for their just dealings and the integrity and quality of their drugs. The company grew into a respected pharmaceutical center and had established a strong reputation with American doctors by the late 18th century. William Allen, FRS, also a Quaker, and well-known scientist, joined the firm in 1792 and rose quickly to become the dominant personality. His second wife was a member of the Hanbury family who had produced several learned scientists. On Allen's death, the Hanbury family assumed control of the company. The growth of the company was continuous, but it was in the second part of the 19th century that developments on a large scale took place. Factories were built at Ware, Hertfordshire, and Bethnal Green in East London. The factory at Ware specialised in infants' foods, dietetic products, medicated pastilles, malt preparations as well as galenical preparations, beginning production in 1892. The brands included Allenburys Nº1 and Nº2 foods (essentially milk foods for babies up to six months), and Allenburys Nº 3 (malted farinaceous food, six months and older). Allenburys Rusks was a suitable first solid food for infants. Allenburys claimed to be pioneers in Great Britain in the production of pastilles, and thus the Ware factory also produced Allenburys Glycerine and Black Currant Pastilles, amongst another 80 different kinds of medicated and crystallised pastilles. Allen and Hanburys were one of the first manufacturers of cod liver oil in Great Britain, and owned factories in the Lofoten Islands (Norway) as well as at Hull and Aberdeen taking cod directly from the North Sea. The Bethnal Green factory carried much of the administrative and scientific side of the business, which included research, analytical control, chemistry, pharmacy, and pharmacology. In this plant, galenical preparations, pills, tablets, capsules, and other classes of pharmaceutical and medical goods were prepared. The company had overseas branches in Lindsay, Ontario, Durban, India, Shanghai, Australia, and Buenos Aires, and agencies in many other countries. The company address was for many years at 37 Lombard Street, London EC. Allen and Hanburys Ltd were absorbed by Glaxo Laboratories in 1958 under the name Glaxo Smith Kline, the company, used the Allen and Hanburys name for the specialist respiratory division until it was phased out in 2013.An early baby feeding bottle was made by the Allen & Hanburys company between 1891 to around 1920. The item is significant as it was used to feed babies the new manufactured baby milk formula's made by Allen & Hanburys that were gaining in popularity towards the end of the Victorian era.Baby feeding bottle clear glass curved with flat bottom and measuring scale, teat opening at one end and filling hole without stopper at the other end.Allenburys Feeder AD 1715warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, baby feeding bottle, bottle, domestic object -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Azimuth Compass, Early 20th Century
Negretti and Zambra 1850-1980s were optical instrument makers and mathematical instrument makers based in London, England. The firm of Negretti and Zambra was established in 1850 by Henry Negretti and Joseph Zambra who had formed a partnership. Their skill was immediately apparent when exhibiting at the 1851 Great Exhibition at Hyde Park, they were the only English instrument makers to receive a prize medal for meteorological instruments, resulting in their appointment as instrument makers to the queen, Greenwich observatory, and the British Meteorological Society. In 1853, when the Crystal Palace was re-erected in Sydenham, Negretti and Zambra became the official photographers of the Crystal Palace Company, which allowed them to photograph the interior and grounds of the new building. The firm made use of this access to produce a number of stereographs. Between 1855 and 1857 Negretti and Zambra commissioned photographer Pierre Rossier to travel to China to document the Second Opium War. Although Rossier subsequently was unable to accompany to Anglo-French forces in that campaign, he nevertheless produced a number of stereographs and other photographs of China, Japan, the Philippines and Siam (now Thailand), which Negretti and Zambra published and that represented the first commercial photographs of those countries. In 1856 Negretti and Zambra sponsored a photographic expedition to Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia conducted by Francis Firth. In 1864 Negretti and Zambra (themselves) photographed Shakespeare's House at Stratford on Avon. A sepia photograph was then pasted onto card 4" × 2.5". This was then presented to visitors to the Crystal Palace to enable them to compare it with the model erected by Mr E. T. Parr in the Centre Transept. The card itself is headed "Crystal Palace April 23rd 1864." That year they also published a book, titled A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments, (which was reprinted in 1995). Throughout World War One Negretti and Zambra were entirely engaged in the production of various instruments for the Ministry of Munitions. They developed many instruments for the Air Ministry including a mercury-in-steel distance thermometer for taking the oil and air temperatures in aircraft which was patented in 1920. In 1946 the company went private and in 1948 the company was made public, and by 1950 Negretti and Zambra had 821 employees in Britain. In order to increase production and to safeguard future development in 1964, they purchased a modern factory at Aylesbury for all their production. In 1981 Negretti and Zambra were taken over by a group of financial institutions in the form of Western Scientific Instruments and in 1985 the company was acquired by Meggitt Holdings.The subject compass is just one type of the many marine and scientific, optical items this company produced over it’s life time. Negretti and Zambra were prolific manufactures of types of items as well as being very prominent in photography pioneering new innervation's and sponsoring expeditions to little known countries to document peoples daily lives and culture through photography.Azimuth compass on tripod in a fitted wooden box with a round spirit level included, lid of box has three indented circles where the legs of the compass fit when it is set up for use. Stamped "C.M.O. 9" on with Maker Negretti & Zambra London.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, azimuth compass, nautical instrument, negretti & zambra london, navigational instrument, compass -
University of Melbourne, School of Chemistry
Diethylene Disulphide Methyl Iodide
Born in Ireland, John Drummond Kirkland trained as a chemical analyst through apprenticeship in a medical laboratory in Dublin, before migrating to Australia in 1852 and moving to Melbourne in 1855. While still an undergraduate medical student at the University of Melbourne, he was appointed lecturer in chemistry following the sudden death of John Macadam in 1865. Due to the enthusiastic support of his fellow students this temporary role became a permanent appointment the following year. Kirkland continued his studies, graduating in medicine in 1873 and surgery in 1880. His son, John Booth Kirkland, was appointed as his assistant in 1878, later leading to accusations of nepotism. In 1882 John Drummond Kirkland became the University?s first professor of chemistry and metallurgy, continuing until his death in 1885. Today?s researchers use a high performance computing facility named ?Kirkland? after the first Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne. Chemistry was still controlled by the medical school during Kirkland?s career, but became part of the science degree from 1886, along with the appointment of David Orme Masson as professor. Kirkland struggled for University funding to buy new apparatus. To compensate, he bought much from his own personal funds, including analytical chemistry equipment. Chemistry was first taught at Melbourne in the medical school, located in the area now occupied by Physics and the Ian Potter Museum of Art. (Sir) David Orme Masson was Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne from 1886 to1923. As well as being a distinguished teacher and researcher, he contributed significantly to Australian scientific and public life, being instrumental in the establishment and governance of many important bodies including the CSIRO. Masson supported Antarctic research for 25 years, beginning with Douglas Mawson?s expedition of 1911. Born in England and receiving an MA, BSc and DSc from the University of Edinburgh, he was a gifted, elegant and disciplined lecturer and a researcher of substance. His research work included the theory of solutions, from which emerged the term ?critical solution temperature?; the periodic classification of the elements; and the velocity of migration of ions in solutions. Much of his research was done in collaboration with talented students such as David Rivett and his own son Irvine Masson. Masson was knighted in 1923. He is commemorated by the Masson Theatre and Masson Road at the University of Melbourne; a mountain range and island in Antarctica; a portrait painting by William McInnes in the foyer of the School of Chemistry; the Masson lectureship from the Australian National Research Council; and the Masson memorial scholarship from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.Stocks used in the Blackie - Masson - J.B.Kirkland work. -
University of Melbourne, School of Chemistry
Microbalance
An original Kerr-Grant Microbalance, modified by E.J.Hartung This balance was invented in the chemistry department by Bertram Dillon Steele, later first Professor of Chemistry at the University of Queensland 1910-1930, in collaboration with Professor Kerr Grant, Physics. The design was widely used by other chemists, including Masson's mentor, Professor Ramsay, working in London on newly discovered rare gases (especially Radon), and Professor Hartung in Melbourne, investigating the chemistry of the decomposition of silver salts in photographic processes. The principle of the microbalance was to measure the change in density of a gas by the shift in the balancing beam due to a change in pressure of the gas in the balance case. The quartz balancing beam was made by Bertram Steele who was particularly skilled in glassblowing. A quartz beam is the beam of the Aston microbalance based on the Steele/Grant instrument, and described by F.W. Aston, the inventor of the mass spectrometer. The bulb at one end of the beam contained a fixed amount of air, so that a change in the pressure of gas in the balance case changed the buoyancy of the beam, yielding a displacement in the beam which could be measured. By this means, differences in weight of about 10 nanogram could be measured, in amounts of up to 0.1 gram. Such differences are significant the increase in weight of a metal sample due to surface oxidation (Steele's interest) in the weight loss due to radioactive decay of Radium (Ramsay's work), and in the estimates of density change due to the isotopic distribution of Neon (Aston). Ernst Johannes Hartung was a chemist and astronomer. Educated at the University of Melbourne (BSc 1913, DSc 1919), he became lecturer in 1919, associate professor in 1924, and succeeded Rivett as chair of chemistry in 1928, remaining in this position until 1953. Hartung?s lecturing style surged with enthusiasm and he employed the use of screen projections to demonstrate chemical phenomena to large undergraduate classes. In 1935 he recorded Brownian movement in colloidal solutions on 35 mm cinefilm, which was later copied onto 16 mm film for the Eastman Kodak Co. World Science Library. This can be viewed in the Chemistry laboratory. He researched the photo decomposition of silver halides, and was awarded the David Syme Prize in 1926. He devoted time to the design and construction of a large, new chemistry building for the School of Chemistry (built 1938?1939). During World War II he was approached by Professor Thomas Laby, chairman of the Optical Munitions Panel, to chair the advisory committee on optical materials, to produce high quality optical glass in Australia. This was successful, with large-scale production achieved within ten months at a reasonable cost. Hartung served three terms as general President of the (Royal) Australian Chemical Institute, was an ex-officio councillor of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and a Trustee of the Museum of Applied Science (now part of Museum Victoria).An original Kerr-Grant Microbalance, modified by E.J. Hartung. -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Print - Maritme, Colonial Clipper Schomberg, 1992
This framed print of the famous clipper ship “Schomberg” is associated with Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the wreck of the “Schomberg”. The original was painted in 1992 by maritime artist Philip J. Gray. This limited edition print is number 9/1000. ABOUTH THE SUBJECT – “Schomberg” The Schomberg was a luxury ship built in 1855 to bring immigrants from the UK to Australia in superior comfort. The voyage could take three months or longer but Captain ‘Bully’ Forbes thought that he could sail the Schomberg from Liverpool to Melbourne in a record time of 60 days. On October 6th 1855 the Schomberg left Liverpool on its maiden voyage. She carried 430 passengers plus 3000 tons cargo including rail lines for Geelong and iron for a bridge in Melbourne. After 78 days at sea, on December 27th, Schomberg ran aground near Peterborough, Victoria. All on board were rescued the next day by the passing steamer SS Queen. Gray is well known for his depiction of maritime history. His meticulous attention to detail shows the enormity of the immigrant clipper with its huge billowing sails compared to the tiny figures at work on the deck. The busy crew can be seen attending to the rigging, as can a group of sailors working on the bow under supervision. He identifies the company logo of the Black Ball Ship Line by the flapping white flag with its black circle. Divers from Flagstaff Hill including Peter Ronald (former director) salvaged artefacts and personal effects from the wreck, to be preserved and displayed. Amongst these is the famous Schomberg Diamond ring. ABOUT THE ARTIST – Philip James Gray “Philip is one of Australia’s leading maritime artists and his meticulous research and social commentary paintings of ships, such as, the Loch Ard and Schomberg form an important part of Warrnambool’s Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum.” [ref. Dr Marion Manifold, Artist and Art Historian, 2014] Philip James Gray was born in London but has lived most of his life in Australia. He graduated from a London school of art as an illustrator, specialising in technical and scientific illustration as well as other commercial and applied art. He was also a student for a time of Fyffe Christie - British figurative artist, mural painter and humanitarian – who had a great influence on his career. Philip has always worked as a professional artist and illustrator. Many publications on maritime history have featured his work. His paintings have been released and sold all over the world as limited edition prints. The State Library of Victoria’s ‘Latrobe Collection’ holds two of his paintings. His street painting of ‘The Ashes Contest’ decorates the brick wall of Old Bakery Laneway in Sunbury and a Sunbury café owner commissioned him to paint the ‘Sunbury Pop Festival’ as a remembrance of local history. [ref. Sunbury Leader, Nov 15 2013] Philip has been an active member of the Sunbury Art Society in Victoria for several years, serving on the committee for some of that time and being involved in exhibitions. He enjoys helping new artists and sharing his skills and experience. The subject of the sailing ship “Schomberg” is significant for is connection with the 1800s vessel “Schomberg” and the historic role the ship, and other similar ships, played to transport migrants and goods into Australia. The print is significant as it is a limited edition of an Australian maritime artist. Print in gilt timber frame. "The Colonial Clipper Schomberg" by Australian maritime artist Philip J Gray, 1992. Signed and numbered, Limited Edition print 9/1000. Depicts clipper ship “Schomberg”, in full sail at sea with land in background. Backing of frame has illegible adhesive label and pencilled text. Stamp In pencil “FLAGSTAFF HILL” and “FLAGSTAFF C”. Illegible text on adhesive label. Signature [Philip J Gray] Stamped as a limited edition of SCHOMBERG Handwritten edition "9/1000"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, sailing ships, schomberg, clipper ship, colonial clipper, limited edition print, 9/1000, philip j gray, marine artist -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Tool - Plane, 1819-1901
A moulding plane is a specialised plane used for making the complex shapes found in wooden mouldings that are used to decorate furniture or other wooden objects. Traditionally, moulding planes were blocks of wear-resistant hardwood, often beech or maple, which were worked to the shape of the intended moulding. The blade or iron was likewise formed to the intended moulding profile and secured in the body of the plane with a wooden wedge. A traditional cabinetmakers shop might have many, perhaps hundreds, of moulding planes for the full range of work to be performed. Large crown mouldings required planes of six or more inches in width, which demanded great strength to push and often had additional peg handles on the sides, allowing the craftsman's apprentice or other workers to pull the plane ahead of the master who guided it. Company History: The Holtzapffel dynasty of tool and lathe makers was founded in Long Acre, London by a Strasbourg-born turner, Jean-Jacques Holtzapffel, in 1794. The firm specialized in lathes for ornamental turning but also made a name for its high-quality edge and boring tools. Moving to London from Alsace in 1792, Jean-Jacques worked initially in the workshop of the scientific-instrument maker Jesse Ramsden, Anglicizing his name to John Jacob Holtzapffel. In 1794 he set up a tool-making partnership in Long Acre with Francis Rousset and they began trading under the name of John Holtzapffel. From 1804 he was in partnership with the Mannheim-born Johann Georg Deyerlein until the latter died in 1826, trading under the name Holtzapffel & Deyerlein. Holtzapffel sold his first lathe in June 1795, for £25-4s-10d, an enormous price at the time. All of Holtzapffel's lathes were numbered and by the time he died in 1835, about 1,600 had been sold. The business was located at 64 Charing Cross, London from 1819 until 1901 when the site was required "for building purposes". The firm then moved to 13 and 14 New Bond Street and was in premises in the Haymarket from 1907 to 1930. John's son, Charles Holtzapffel (1806–1847) joined the firm in 1827, at around which time the firm became known as Holtzapffel & Co. Charles continued to run the business after his father's death. He wrote a 2,750-page treatise entitled Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, published in 1843 which came to be regarded as the bible of ornamental turning. The final two volumes were completed and published after his death by his son, John Jacob Holtzapffel (1836–1897). When Charles Holtzapffel died in 1847 his wife Amelia ran the business until 1853. John Jacob II, the son of Charles and Amelia, was head of the firm from 1867 until 1896. A nephew of John Jacob II, George William Budd (1857–1924) became head of the firm in 1896. His son John George Holtzapffel Budd (1888–1968) later ran the business. By the early twentieth century, ornamental turning was going out of fashion, and the firm sold its last lathe in 1928. A vintage tool made by a well-known firm made for firms and individuals that worked in wood. The tool was used before routers and spindle moulders came into use after World War ll, a time when to produce a decorative moulding for a piece of furniture or other items this had to be accomplished by hand using one of these types of planes. A significant item from the mid to late 19th century that today is quite rare and sought after by collectors. It gives us a snapshot of how furniture was made predominately by hand and with tools that were themselves hand made shows the craftsmanship used to make such a unique item. Moulding Plane Holtzaffel 64 Charing & Owner J Heath 9/16" marked opposite endflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, plane moulding, plane, j heath -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph (black & white), Four Principals of the Ballarat School of Mines, June 1983
This photograph was taken at the presentation of a bust of Dick Richards to the Ballarat School of Mines. Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antartica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antartic Exploraton Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Dick Richards was the physicist and sled manager for Shackleton's Ross Sea Party - with the task to meet Shackleton on the other side of the continent. When Shackleton planned his transcontinental crossing he decided to use supply depots as loads of supplies were too heavy to pull. The depots would enable Shackleton's party to carry just enough to reach the Pole, relying on the depots which were to be left by the Aurora's crew every 60 miles, stowed in 2 sledge journeys in 1915 and 1916. Dick Richards spent 3 freezing years in Antarctica between 1914 and 1917. Travelling south with Sir Ernest Shackleton Richards' worst experience was when his ship Aurora, tethered offshore, was blown away in a gale leaving Richards marooned for two years with nine other men on the ice floe. The Ross Sea Party arrived in McMurdo Sound aboard the Aurora in January 1915. The going was tough on the sledging trips as the sledges were overloaded. Temperatures were as low as minus 68F. In June 1916 the party crossed on foot to Cape Evans, occupied Scott's Hut (from his Terra Nova Expedition, erected in January 1911) in May 1915, for two months. On 10 January 1917 Richards was hunting for seals when he saw a ship on the horizon. It was 'The Aurora'. Picking up the relieved survivors 'The Aurora' arrived in New Zealand on 9 February 1917 to a hero's welcome. Joyce, Wild, Hayward and Richards later won the Albert Medal for their heroic devotion to duty. Later an inlet on the Antartic continent was named after Richards. Dick Richards wrote the following years after the ordeal "To me no undertaking carried through to conclusion is for nothing. And so I don't think of our struggle as futile. It was something the human spirit accomplished." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service. Dick Richards has been honoured through the naming of a Ballarat School of Mines prize - The R.W. Richards Medal. This medal later became a University of Ballarat prize. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the Bachelor of Applied Science graduate considered to have achieved the most outstanding academic performance of their course. The award was was introduced to commemerate the long years of service to tertiary education in Ballarat by Mr Richards. See http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/collections/art_history/honour-roll/honourroll_Richards,Dick.shtmlBlack and white photograph featuring 4 men who had serves as Principal of the Ballarat School of Mines. Left to Right: E.J. (Jack) Barker, Peter Shiells, Richard W. Richards, Graham Beanland.ballarat school of mines, dick richards, antarctica, ernest shackleton -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph (black & white), Richard W. Richards, c1950
This photograph was taken at the presentation of a bust of Dick Richards to the Ballarat School of Mines. Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antarctica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antartic Exploration Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Dick Richards was the physicist and sled manager for Shackleton's Ross Sea Party - with the task to meet Shackleton on the other side of the continent. When Shackleton planned his transcontinental crossing he decided to use supply depots as loads of supplies were too heavy to pull. The depots would enable Shackleton's party to carry just enough to reach the Pole, relying on the depots which were to be left by the Aurora's crew every 60 miles, stowed in 2 sledge journeys in 1915 and 1916. Dick Richards spent 3 freezing years in Antarctica between 1914 and 1917. Travelling south with Sir Ernest Shackleton Richards' worst experience was when his ship Aurora, tethered offshore, was blown away in a gale leaving Richards marooned for two years with nine other men on the ice floe. The Ross Sea Party arrived in McMurdo Sound aboard the Aurora in January 1915. The going was tough on the sledging trips as the sledges were overloaded. Temperatures were as low as minus 68F. In June 1916 the party crossed on foot to Cape Evans, occupied Scott's Hut (from his Terra Nova Expedition, erected in January 1911) in May 1915, for two months. On 10 January 1917 Richards was hunting for seals when he saw a ship on the horizon. It was 'The Aurora'. Picking up the relieved survivors 'The Aurora' arrived in New Zealand on 9 February 1917 to a hero's welcome. Joyce, Wild, Hayward and Richards later won the Albert Medal for their heroic devotion to duty. Later an inlet on the Antartic continent was named after Richards. Dick Richards wrote the following years after the ordeal "To me no undertaking carried through to conclusion is for nothing. And so I don't think of our struggle as futile. It was something the human spirit accomplished." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service. Dick Richards has been honoured through the naming of a Ballarat School of Mines prize - The R.W. Richards Medal. This medal later became a University of Ballarat prize. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the Bachelor of Applied Science graduate considered to have achieved the most outstanding academic performance of their course. The award was was introduced to commemerate the long years of service to tertiary education in Ballarat by Mr Richards. See http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/collections/art_history/honour-roll/honourroll_Richards,Dick.shtml Black and photo portrait of Richard W. (Dick) Richards, Principal of the Ballarat School of Mines. dick richards, r.w. richards, ballarat school of mines, antarctic explorer -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Tool - Plane, 1819-1901
A moulding plane is a specialised plane used for making the complex shapes found in wooden mouldings that are used to decorate furniture or other wooden objects. Traditionally, moulding planes were blocks of wear-resistant hardwood, often beech or maple, which were worked to the shape of the intended moulding. The blade or iron was likewise formed to the intended moulding profile and secured in the body of the plane with a wooden wedge. A traditional cabinetmakers shop might have many, perhaps hundreds, of moulding planes for the full range of work to be performed. Large crown mouldings required planes of six or more inches in width, which demanded great strength to push and often had additional peg handles on the sides, allowing the craftsman's apprentice or other workers to pull the plane ahead of the master who guided it. Company History: The Holtzapffel dynasty of tool and lathe makers was founded in Long Acre, London by a Strasbourg-born turner, Jean-Jacques Holtzapffel, in 1794. The firm specialized in lathes for ornamental turning but also made a name for its high-quality edge and boring tools. Moving to London from Alsace in 1792, Jean-Jacques worked initially in the workshop of the scientific-instrument maker Jesse Ramsden, Anglicizing his name to John Jacob Holtzapffel. In 1794 he set up a tool-making partnership in Long Acre with Francis Rousset and they began trading under the name of John Holtzapffel. From 1804 he was in partnership with the Mannheim-born Johann Georg Deyerlein until the latter died in 1826, trading under the name Holtzapffel & Deyerlein. Holtzapffel sold his first lathe in June 1795, for £25-4s-10d, an enormous price at the time. All of Holtzapffel's lathes were numbered and by the time he died in 1835, about 1,600 had been sold. The business was located at 64 Charing Cross, London from 1819 until 1901 when the site was required "for building purposes". The firm then moved to 13 and 14 New Bond Street and was in premises in the Haymarket from 1907 to 1930. John's son, Charles Holtzapffel (1806–1847) joined the firm in 1827, at around which time the firm became known as Holtzapffel & Co. Charles continued to run the business after his father's death. He wrote a 2,750-page treatise entitled Turning and Mechanical Manipulation, published in 1843 which came to be regarded as the bible of ornamental turning. The final two volumes were completed and published after his death by his son, John Jacob Holtzapffel (1836–1897). When Charles Holtzapffel died in 1847 his wife Amelia ran the business until 1853. John Jacob II, the son of Charles and Amelia, was head of the firm from 1867 until 1896. A nephew of John Jacob II, George William Budd (1857–1924) became head of the firm in 1896. His son John George Holtzapffel Budd (1888–1968) later ran the business. By the early twentieth century, ornamental turning was going out of fashion, and the firm sold its last lathe in 1928. A vintage tool made by a well-known firm made for firms and individuals that worked in wood. The tool was used before routers and spindle moulders came into use after World War ll, a time when to produce a decorative moulding for a piece of furniture or other items this had to be accomplished by hand using one of these types of planes. A significant item from the mid to late 19th century that today is quite rare and sought after by collectors. It gives us a snapshot of how furniture was made predominately by hand and with tools that were themselves hand made shows the craftsmanship used to make such a unique item. Moulding Plane Holtzaffel 64 Charing & Owner J Heath 9/16" marked opposite endflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, plane moulding, plane, j heath -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Spectacles and Case, Carter & Foord, 1902-1930s
The spectacles and case are an example of eyewear from the early 20th century. The case was made by Carter & Foord of Ballarat. According to the tag inside, the spectacles frame cost three pounds, three shillings and sixpence (£3.3.6). Carter & Foord was established in 1902. The firm advertised as opticians, oculists, watchmakers and jewellers. The staff repaired scientific instruments and were sole agents for the gramophone, demonstrating its advantages whenever there was an opportunity. In 1902 the business was located at 46 Lydiard Street, Ballarat. The staff in the ophthalmic department, under the care of Harold Foord, specialised in sight testing using up-to-date equipment and this service was free of charge. Customers were promised that they would be fitted with glasses guaranteed to correct the most complex sight. Mr F M Clacius performed the grinding of specific lenses. Julia Carter, Harold Foord and Clacius were all formerly from the business Carter & Warner, which had been sold to Frederick Clark around 1903 after Mr Carder passed away. Carter & Foord operated a few doors away from the former business. In 1912 advertisements in the Geelong Advertiser invited the community to visit Harold Foord, of Carter & Foord, to have their eyes examined at no charge. These spectacles are similar to others in the W.R. Angus collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus, surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection spans the years 1885 to the mid-1900s and includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria, with whom Dr Angus worked for several years. Dr Tom and his brother had worked as surgeons including in eye surgery. Dr Tom Ryan performed many of his operations in the Mira private hospital on his premises. 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. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant and had been Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later took on the part-time role of Port Medical Officer and was the last person appointed to that position. After convalescing from injury resulting from his service during WWII, Dr Angus studied ophthalmology at the Royal Melbourne Eye and Ear Hospital. He created cosmetically superior artificial eyes by pioneering the use of 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 artificial eye improvements. He had been an Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist at Warrnambool Base Hospital for 31 years. He made monthly visits to Portland as a visiting surgeon, to perform eye surgery. Both Dr Angus and his wife were very involved in the local community, including the planning stages of the new Flagstaff Hill and the layout of the gardens there. Dr Angus passed away in March 1970.The Carter &O Foord spectacles are significant as an example of early 20th-century eyewear and fashion. They are connected to the history of regional Victoria, being made in Ballarat and purchased for local use. The spectacles are significant for being connected to the W.R. Angus Collection, which is important for still being located at the site connected to Doctor Angus, Warrnambool’s last Port Medical Officer. Dr Angus and his wife brought their young family to Warrnambool in 1938 and he remained a resident until his death in 1970. Early in his profession in the town of Nhill, Dr Angus assisted Dr Tom Ryan in his pioneering use of X-rays and in ocular surgery, and Dr Angus later inherited these items. The W.R. Angus Collection includes these medical instruments and other related equipment and is culturally and historically significant as an example of the medical practice of the late 19th to the mid-20th century. Other items in the collection relate to Dr Angus’ service in the Flying Doctor Service and the Army.Spectacles in a hard brown textured case with rounded corners and a hinged lid. The case is lined with brown velvet. The opaque yellow oval frames, raised at the outer top corners, are decorated with sparkling jewell decorations on the bridge. The arms are reinforced with metal inside. Also in the case is a pale blue cleaning cloth and a cardboard price tag with handwritten text. An inscription in gold lettering is stamped inside the case. The case was made by Carter & Foord of Ballarat. The design of the frames is called ‘ewell These spectacles are part of the W.R. Angus Collection.Stamped: “CARTER & FOORD / STURT ST BALLARAT” Handwritten label: “JEWELL / £3.3.6”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, dr w r angus, dr roy angus, dr ryan, warrnambool oculist, port medical officer, nhill base hospital, mira hospital nhill, oculist, spectacles, eyewear, glasses, carter & foord, ballarat oculist, w.r. angus collection, ophthalmology, royal melbourne eye and ear hospital., artificial eyes, intrascleral cartilage, eye surgery -
Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
Periodical, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Australian Aboriginal studies : journal of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2007
1. The moral lexicon of the Warlpiri people of central Australia LR Hiatt This paper discusses words that match ?Good? and ?Bad?; examples of ?Good? and ?Bad? behaviour; morality and law; and egalitarianism and dominance. It also presents a comparison with Gidjingarli (Burarra). 2. Mobs and bosses: Structures of Aboriginal sociality Patrick Mullins (Mount Druitt, NSW) A commonality of Aboriginal social organisation exists across the continent in communities as different as those from the Western Desert across to Cape York, from the towns of New South Wales and Western Australia to cities like Adelaide. This is found in the colloquial expressions ?mob? and ?boss?, which are used in widely differing contexts. Mobbing is the activity where relatedness, in the sense of social alliances, is established and affirmed by virtue of a common affiliation with place, common experience and common descent, as well as by the exchange of cash and commodities. Bossing is the activity of commanding respect by virtue of one?s capacity to bestow items of value such as ritual knowledge, nurturance, care, cash and commodities. Mobbing and bossing are best understood as structures in Giddens? sense of sets of rules and resources involved in the production of social systems, in this case social alliances. Mobbing and bossing imply a concept of a person as a being in a relationship. Attention needs to be given to the way these structures interact with institutions in the wider Australian society. 3. Recognising victims without blaming them: A moral contest? About Peter Sutton?s ?The Politics of Suffering: Indigenous Policy in Australia since the 1970s? and Gillian Cowlishaw?s replies Ma�a Ponsonnet (Universit� Paris- 8-Saint-Denis) Peter Sutton?s texts on Aboriginal violence, health and their politicisation are replied to using his methodology, and acknowledging his convincing points. Sutton rightly denounces a lack of lucidity and scientific objectivity in anthropological debates. These inadequacies impede identification of what Aboriginal groups can do to improve their situations for fear that this identification would lead to blame the victims. At the other end of the ethical spectrum, those who advocate a broader use of what I will call a ?resistance interpretation? of violence fail to recognise victims as such, on the implicit grounds that seeing victims as victims would deprive them of any agency, on the one hand, and entail blame, on the other hand. I aim to define a middle road between those views: the idea that victims should be acknowledged as such without being denied their agency and without being blamed for their own condition. This middle road allows identification of the colonisers? responsibilities in the contemporary situation of Indigenous communities in Australia, and to determine who can do what. Secondly, I show that Sutton?s texts convey, through subtle but recurrent remarks, an ideology of blame rather than a mere will to identify practical solutions. As a consequence, some of his proposals do not stand on a solid and objective causal analysis. 4. 'You would have loved her for her lore?: The letters of Daisy Bates Bob Reece (Murdoch University) Daisy Bates was once an iconic figure in Australia but her popular and academic reputation became tarnished by her retrograde views. Her credibility was also put in doubt through the exposure of her fictionalised Irish background. In more recent times, however, her ethnographic data on the Aborigines of Western Australia has been an invaluable source for Native Title claims, while her views on Aboriginal extinction, cannibalism and ?castes? are being seen as typical of her time. This article briefly reviews what has been the orthodox academic opinion of her scientific achievement before summarising what is reliably known of her early history and indicating what kind of person is revealed in the 3000 or more letters that she left behind. 5. What potential might Narrative Therapy have to assist Indigenous Australians reduce substance misuse? Violet Bacon (Curtin University of Technology) Substance misuse is associated with adverse consequences for many Australians including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Extensive research has been conducted into various intervention, treatment and prevention programs to ascertain their potential in reducing substance misuse within Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. I explore the potential of Narrative Therapy as a counselling intervention for assisting Indigenous Australians reduce the harm associated with substance misuse. 6. Bone points from the Adelaide River, Northern Territory Sally Brockwell (University of Canberra) and Kim Akerman (Moonah) Large earth mounds located next to the vast floodplains of the lower Adelaide River, one of the major tropical rivers draining the flat coastal plains of northern Australia, contain cultural material, including bone points. The floodplains of the north underwent dynamic environmental change from extensive mangrove swamps in the mid-Holocene, through a transition phase of variable estuarine and freshwater mosaic environments, to the freshwater environment that exists today. This geomorphological framework provides a background for the interpretation of the archaeology, which spans some 4000 years. 7. A different look: Comparative rock-art recording from the Torres Strait using computer enhancement techniques Liam M Brady (Monash University) In 1888 and 1898, Cambridge University?s Alfred C Haddon made the first recording of rock-art from the Torres Strait islands using photography and sketches. Systematic recording of these same paintings and sites was carried out from 2000 to 2004 by archaeologists and Indigenous Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal communities as part of community-based rock-art recording projects. Computer enhancement techniques were used to identify differences between both sets of recordings, to reveal design elements that Haddon missed in his recordings, and to recover images recorded by Haddon that are today no longer visible to the naked eye. Using this data, preliminary observations into the antiquity of Torres Strait rock-art are noted along with recommendations for future Torres Strait region rock-art research and baseline monitoring projects. 8. Sources of bias in the Murray Black Collection: Implications for palaeopathological analysis Sarah Robertson (National Museum of Australia) The Murray Black collection of Aboriginal skeletal remains has been a mainstay of bio-anthropological research in Australia, but relatively little thought has been given to how and why this collection may differ from archaeologically obtained collections. The context in which remains were located and recovered has created bias within the sample, which was further skewed within the component of the collection sent to the Australian Institute of Anatomy, resulting in limitations for the research potential of the collection. This does not render all research on the collection unviable, but it demonstrates the importance of understanding the context of a skeletal collection when assessing its suitability for addressing specific research questions.maps, b&w photographs, colour photographs, illustrations, graphs, chartswarlpiri, sociology, daisy bates, substance abuse, narrative therapy, rock art, technology and art, murray black collection, pleistocene sites, watarrka plateau -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Rangefinder, E R Watts & Sons, 1930-1945
E. R. Watts and Son, makers of theodolites and other surveying instruments, of 123 Camberwell Road, London. The company was established in 1856 by Edwin Watts at twenty-three he had saved £100 from his earnings to start the business with his staff consisting of one boy and later Alexander Clarkson as an apprentice with the workshop a small room over a Bemondsey stable. Watts' first order was from Negretti and Zambra for a mining dial Alexander Clarkson In the early days the firm worked mainly on marine compasses. Edwin Watts would go down to the Docks to adjust the compasses once they had been installed on the ships. In May 1873 the business moved to larger premises a house with a garden. The workshop was also the home of Mr and Mrs Watts and their five sons and three daughters. By now there were fifteen to twenty men employed by the firm. The company were commissioned to supply the Theodolites and Levels for the construction to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881. Towards the end of the century, the firm began to make heliographs continuing to produce them for the government until just before the Second World War when by agreement assigned their manufacture to another firm. 1904 The first dividing engine was completed by George William Watts. It was so remarkable an instrument at the time and for years afterwards, In 1907 Arthur Ames went to Canada and started an organisation in Winnipeg in 1909 this became a separate company called E. R. Watts and Son Ltd. of Ottawa. This firm developed considerably and was eventually with the co-operation of three other instrument companies (Cambridge Instrument Co, Ross, and Negretti and Zambra), were reconstituted as ”Instruments Ltd” of Ottawa and Toronto. During the next ten years, the firm expanded greatly to include glass grinding, leather work, dividing and engraving, testing, adjusting and packing. This expansion was continued during the First World War when workshops were completed and the machinery installed and running within eleven weeks from the start of construction. During the war, a Sergeant Coles, among the rats, lice and mud of the trenches, fitted various bits of scrap into his cocoa tin and made the first Flash Spotter for plotting the positions of enemy guns. Coles was rushed home to the firm's factory where he and George William Watts designed a spotter not made out of a cocoa tin and as a result, the Watts Vertical Force Variometer was developed during WWI. Other Watts instruments made in the First World War included the Light Mountain Theodolites which were taken on Mt Everest expeditions. In 1919 ER Watts and Sons was incorporated as a limited company and in 1939 G. A. Whipple joined the Board of Directors. Shortly afterwards, Frank Charles Watts died having been Chairman of the firm for over 37 years and seen it through the First World War with all its expansions and difficulties. He was succeeded by his brother George William Watts with the vacant post of Managing Director being filled by G. A. Whipple. During the Second World War, the company expanded further and the number of employees rose to well over 1,300. In 1946 Watts acquired 78% of Adam Hilger and the microscope maker James Swift and Son Who were Manufacturers of Theodolites, Levels, Alidades, Meteorological Instruments, Variometers, and many other types of scientific instruments Then in 1948 the company amalgamated with Adam Hilger as Hilger and Watts which was then incorporated as a public company.Naval Rangefinder with a vertical wooden handle, and an arrangement of optical lenses. Three reversible brass inserts calibrated on both sides in yards, correspond to various base heights, (20 and 25 feet, 30 and 35 feet and 40 and 50 feet). They are fitted along the axis of the instrument. When the scale for the appropriate base height is selected and inserted, the carriage can be slid for coincidence and the distance read at the index mark on the sliding carriage.inscribed "Rangefinder Cotton Type Mk II" Calibrated scale up to 5000 yds (50 ft), 5000 yds (35 ft), 4000 yds (25 ft) made by E. R. Watts & Son.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, rangefinder, cotton type, e r watts & sons, naval range finder, marine equipment -
Victorian Interpretive Projects Inc.
Photograph - digital, LJ Gervasoni, Murtoa Stick Shed 00031, 13/08/2011
From the Victorian Heritage Register statement of significance H0791 The Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store, originally the No.1 Murtoa Shed, is located within the Murtoa Grain Terminal, adjacent to the grain elevator tower and railway line. The shed is 280m long, 60m wide and 19m high at the ridge with a capacity of 3.4 million bushels. The hipped corrugated iron roof of the shed is supported on approximately 600 unmilled hardwood poles set in a concrete slab floor and braced with iron tie rods. These poles are the reason for use of the term "stick shed". With its vast gabled interior and the long rows of poles the space has been likened to the nave of a cathedral. An elevator at one end took wheat from railway trucks to ridge level where it was distributed by conveyor along the length of the shed, creating a huge single mound of grain. Braced internal timber bulkheads on either side took the lateral thrust of the wheat, and conveyors at ground level outside the bulkheads took wheat back to the elevator for transport elsewhere. Wheat had been handled in jute bags from the start of the Victorian wheat industry in the mid nineteenth century. Bulk storage had been developed in North America from the early 1900s. NSW began building substantial concrete silos from 1920-21. In Western Australia, farmers' co-operatives, who had to supply their own bulk storage from 1934-5, pioneered the use of low-cost horizontal sheds of timber and corrugated iron for bulk storage. Following its establishment in 1935 the Victorian Grain Elevators Board (GEB) planned a network of 160 concrete silos in country locations, connected by rail to the shipping terminal at Geelong. By the outbreak of the Second World War there was a worldwide glut of wheat, and Australia soon had a massive surplus which it was unable to export. Only 48 silos had been established under the Victorian Silo Scheme so far, and wartime material and labour restrictions prevented progress with this scheme. The storage deficit had become an emergency by 1941 as Britain obtained its imports from North America, rather than over the lengthy and difficult shipping route from Australia. In 1941 the GEB, under chairman and general manager Harold Glowrey, proposed large temporary versions of the horizontal bulk storage sheds already in use in Western Australia. The proposal was approved by the Victorian Wheat and Woolgrowers Association, who considered the use of shed storages as a longer term proposition. After initial resistance from the Australian Wheat Board, some of whose members represented wheat bagging interests, the Commonwealth and Victorian governments agreed to split the costs, and Murtoa was chosen as a suitable site for the first emergency storage. The main contractor, Green Bros, commenced work on the No.1 Murtoa Shed in September 1941, deliveries of bulk wheat began in January 1942, and the store was full by June of the same year. In the following years the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (later CSIRO) conducted valuable research and experiment on the impacts and control of insect pests at the Murtoa No.1 shed. With these discoveries, and the development of more effective pesticides, use of the No.1 shed and the larger No.2 shed, erected in 1942/43, continued for many years. The No.2 shed was demolished in 1975. By the 1990s, pest resistance to pesticides and requirements for both pest free and insecticide free grain rendered open storage of this type unviable. The No. 1 store was also becoming increasingly expensive to maintain, and its use was phased out from 1989.Image of the Marmalake/Murtoa Grain Store which is of historical, architectural, scientific (technical) and social significance to the State of VictoriaDigital colour image of the interior of the Marmaduke . Murtoa grain storage facility better known as the Stick Shed. The shed was constructed in World War Two to store grain. The supporting columns are trees.marmalake, murtoa grain store, wheat store, stick shed, murtoa