Showing 1103 items matching " port of warrnambool"
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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Uniform - Tie, 1939-1945
... with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool ...This men's khaki tie was issued to Dr W R Angus by the Australian Army to their men during WWII. The tie is now part of Flagstaff Hill’s comprehensive W.R. Angus Collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist. Dr W R Angus was a Surgeon Captain for the Australian Defence Forces, Army Medical Corps, stationed in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W. He completed his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. The W.R. Angus Collection: - The W.R. Angus Collection includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) and Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. It includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. During World War II He served as a Military Doctor in the Australian Defence Forces. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. 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.This tie is significant for its connection with Australia's Military History as part of the uniform worn by officers in the Australian Army. Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist, collected a range of military objects including those he personally used during his time as Surgeon Captain in the Australian Defence Forces in World War II. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The Collection includes historical medical objects that date back to the late 1800s.Tie; Australian Army uniform neck tie, WWII era. The tie is a khaki-coloured lightweight fabric with an uneven point on the ends. The front-facing end is wider than the rear-facing end. The unlined tie has exposed stitching around the border of each end. The reverse has an inscription. The tie belonged to Dr W R Angus and is now part of the W. R. Angus Collection.Handwritten in black pen on the reverse "“W.R. ANGUS”"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, dr w r angus, w.r. angus collection, australian army, world war 2, second world war, australian defence forces, ww 2, army issue, wwii, army uniform, tie, necktie, neck tie -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Accessory - Traveller's Pouch, Lyall Robertson Pty Ltd, ca 1946
... . Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where ...The Robex traveller’s pouch may have originally contained men’s grooming set or toiletries such as shaving accessors and soap. The leather strap inside the lid was designed to hold items like a toothbrush, comb or razor. The owner, Dr W.R. Angus, had used the pouch to store his personal memorabilia including epaulettes and various Australian Army-issued items from WWII. It seems likely that he wore the epaulettes on a uniform when he worked his passage to or from the UK as a young Ship’s Surgeon, with the purpose of furthering his studies overseas in 1927-1928. He travelled outward on the SS Banffshire and homeward on the Commonwealth Line’s T.S.S. Largs Bay. The pouch dates from 1946 at the earliest. The Robex leather accessories brand was made by Lyall Robertson Pty. Ltd., Sandringham, Victoria. Robertson established his home business in the 1940s and went on to be a leading firm with over 200 staff. The Robex trademark was registered on July 5th, 1946. The leather pouch is now part of Flagstaff Hill’s comprehensive W.R. Angus Collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection: - The W.R. Angus Collection includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) and Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. It includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. During World War II Dr Angus served as a Military Doctor. He was a Surgeon Captain for the Australian Defence Forces, Army Medical Corps, stationed in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W. He completed his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. 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.This traveller's pouch is significant for its connection with the firm Lyall Robertson Pty Ltd of Victoria, a home-based enterprise of the 1940s with quickly grew to employ much staff to make its good quality goods. It is also connected with the local doctor, W.R. Angus and Warrnambool's Medical History. Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist, collected a range of military objects including those he personally used during his time as Surgeon Captain in the Australian Defence Forces in World War II. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The Collection includes historical medical objects that date back to the late 1800s.Traveller's pouch; tan water buffalo calf leather with brass zipper closure, cream-coloured fabric lining, and leather straps inside the lid for securing items. A silver embossed logo is on the lining of the base of the pouch. The Robex brand was made by Lyall Robertson Pty. Ltd in Victoria. The pouch belonged to Dr W R Angus and is now part of the W. R. Angus Collection.Stamped inside the base “ROBEX / WATER BUFFALO” and a silver logo [shield] flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, dr w r angus, w.r. angus collection, australian army, world war 2, second world war, ww 2, army issue, wwii, traveller's pouch, personal grooming accessory, robex, buffalo calf leather, lyall robertson pty. ltd, ss banffshire, t.s.s. largs bay, leather goods, travel goods -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Razor and case, Ford & Medley (F & M), ca 1900-1928
... Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool ...This straight edge razor, The F & M Wake, was made by Ford & Medley in Sheffield, England. This style or razor was a popular choice for men's shaving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ford & Medley were cutlers by trade and registered their first silver mark in 1900. The firm were also did electroplating. The firm was contracted to the government during World War I. The company was using the trademarks EMU and WIZARD as well as the logo of 'knotted ropes' with the letters "F M"by the end of that war at their factory called Emu Works. The firm's most popular razor was The Arrow. In 1928 the firm closed down. The Ford & Medley razor is now part of Flagstaff Hill’s comprehensive W.R. Angus Collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection: - The W.R. Angus Collection includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) and Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. It includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. During World War II Dr Angus served as a Military Doctor. He was a Surgeon Captain for the Australian Defence Forces, Army Medical Corps, stationed in Ballarat, Victoria, and in Bonegilla, N.S.W. He completed his service just before the end of the war due to suffering from a heart attack. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. 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.This razor is an example of men's shaving equipment used in the early 20th century. It is significant for its association with the local doctor, W.R. Angus. Dr W R Angus (1901-1970), surgeon and oculist, collected a range of military objects including those he personally used during his time as Surgeon Captain in the Australian Defence Forces in World War II. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The Collection includes historical medical objects that date back to the late 1800s.Razor, cut-throat straight blade razor, in black cardboard box with slide-off lid. Black composition arc shaped handle with pin to attach blade that folds inside the handle. Inscriptions are on handle, blade and case. "The Wake" razor, made by Ford & Medley, Sheffield, England. The pouch belonged to Dr W R Angus and is now part of the W. R. Angus Collection.On razor; "THE F & M WAKE" "CELEBRATED HOLLOW GROUND RAZOR" "FORD & MEDLEY / SHEFFIELD ENGLAND" On case; "WARRANTED GORMAN" "HOLLOW GROUND" Logo on razor [""F" "M" either side of entwined rope symbolflagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, dr w r angus, w.r. angus collection, personal grooming accessory, razor, shaving accessory, the wake, the f & m wake, hollow ground razor, ford & medley, sheffield, cutler, electroplater, emu works -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Letter Scale, Ca. early 20th century
... Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool ...This handheld portable pendulum quadrant scale was used to weigh small paper items such as letters and documents, powdered chemicals or metals like gold, and animal fleece samples. This mechanical scale can weigh up to a maximum of 10 ounces, which is about 285 grams or one-and-a-half cups of brown sugar. The operator holds the scale’s ring and connects the item to be weighed onto the wire clip. The weight of the item causes the pendulum to pivot, and the scale measures the weight of the object, indicated by the arrow. This scale belonged to Dr William Roy Angus and is now part of Flagstaff Hill’s comprehensive W.R. Angus Collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus, 1901-1970, surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection: - The W.R. Angus Collection includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) and Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. It includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. During World War II He served as a Military Doctor in the Australian Defence Force. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. 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.This letter scale is the only one of its type in our collection. It is an example of objects belonging to Dr. W. R. Angus, 1901-1970, surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The Collection includes historical medical objects that date back to the late 1800s.Letter scale, a handheld quadrant fixed pendulum scale made from silver-plated metal. This small weighing instrument is shaped like a quarter-circle with a metal ring, a fixed pendulum counterweight and a decorative pivoting arrow indicator. A hanger clip is attached to a short arm of the scale. Measurements are embossed on the arc of the circle, labelled in ounces (oz) and ranging from 0 to 10 at unequal distances apart. The scale is part of the W.R. Angus Collection.Scale measurements, "OZ" (ounces), "0 /14 1/2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, dr w r angus, mira hospital, w.r. angus collection, scale, weighing instrument, measure weight, postal scale, chemist scale, letter, weigh, post, office, quadrant scale, letter scale, handheld, portable, mechanical scale, pendulum scale, fixed balance scale -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Stencil Set, Mid-20th century
... family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his ...The stencil set has signs of use, with ink on the metal and paper stencils, and in the mixing lid and the block and tube of ink have been used too. The larger brush in this set is labelled "rubber set". The phrase is not to be confused with the 1900-1950s firm Rubberset but ''rubber set" is the process of setting the bristles of a brush into rubber to keep them together and hold them in place. This stencil set once belonged to Dr William Roy Angus. He habitually labelled his possessions with his name - this stencil set may have been used for that purpose. This set is now part of Flagstaff Hill’s comprehensive W.R. Angus Collection, donated by the family of Dr W R Angus, 1901-1970, surgeon and oculist. The W.R. Angus Collection: - The W.R. Angus Collection includes historical medical equipment, surgical instruments and material belonging to Dr Edward Ryan and Dr Thomas Francis Ryan, (both of Nhill, Victoria) and Dr Angus’ own belongings. The Collection’s history spans the medical practices of the two Doctors Ryan, from 1885-1926 plus that of Dr Angus, up until 1969. It includes historical medical and surgical equipment and instruments from the doctors Edward and Thomas Ryan of Nhill, Victoria. Dr Angus married Gladys in 1927 at Ballarat, the nearest big city to Nhill where he began as a Medical Assistant. He was also Acting House surgeon at the Nhill hospital where their two daughters were born. During World War II He served as a Military Doctor in the Australian Defence Force. Dr Angus and his family moved to Warrnambool in 1939, where Dr Angus operated his own medical practice. He later added the part-time Port Medical Officer responsibility and was the last person appointed to that position. 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.This stencil set is an example of objects belonging to Dr. W. R. Angus, 1901-1970, surgeon and oculist. It shows the keeness of the owner to label his posessions. The W.R. Angus Collection is significant for still being located at the site it is connected with, Doctor Angus being the last Port Medical Officer in Warrnambool. The Collection includes historical medical objects that date back to the late 1800s.Stencil set with 27 metal cut stencils of the 26 letters of the Alphabet plus an ‘&’, and a metal clip to hold the set together (.1 - .28). The set also has two wooden handled brushes (large with a purple band .29, small with grey band .30) a solid block of black ink and a tube of black paint (.31 and .32) in a green tobacco tin, and a round metal lid used for mixing the inks. The set is contained in a vintage wooden cigar box with a hinged lid. Another stencil (8452.33) is made from stiff waxed paper and reproduces the medical symbol [serpent wound around a rod or cross]. This set is part of the W. R. Angus Collection.Stamped on a large brush "PURE BRISTLE" "RUBBER SET" and a logo (looks like the head of an animal) On small brush "- - - ER" On the wooden box lid and inside the lid "EL VUELO" within a round logo with leaves, "MANILLA LEAF" and on the long side "PERLAS" "25" On wooden box end handwritten in pencil "STENCIL" On ink in a tin "The "GREYS" "SILK CUT VIRGINIA TOBACCO" On the round lid "‘Cellona’"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, dr w r angus, dr ryan, w.r. angus collection, stencils, stencil set, bristle brushes, rubber set brush, metal stencils, waxed paper stencil, black ink block, black ink tube, stencil ink, labelling equipment, el vuelo, manilla leaf cigars, the greys, virginia tobacco, silk cut virginia tobacco -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Location Chart, The Mahogany Ship, 2007
This chart shows a possible site for the fabled wreck called the 'Mahogany Ship'. Flagstaff Hill’s collection includes other objects that some say could be relics from this Ancient Wreck, (also called the Gold Ship, or the Ancient Vessel). The chart shows the coordinates for the Summits of Griffith Island and of Middle Island. It also has the depths of the sea at various intervals and shows the shore and sand dunes, lighthouses and other reference points. The mystery of the Mahogany Ship began in 1836 when two shipwrecked sealers discovered the remains of an “ancient vessel” in the sand dunes about four miles west of Warrnambool. Since the last recorded sightings in the 1880’s the true origin of the Mahogany Ship has remained one of Australia’s most famous historical mysteries or fables. One of the more recent theories is that the vessel was one of the Portuguese ships exploring the Australian coast in 1522. For over one hundred years searchers have attempted to locate and identify the wreck. The search continues for the tangible evidence which will once and for all establish the Mahogany Ship’s place in Australia’s History.The chart represents the worldwide interest in locating the wreck of the Mahogany Ship. Locating the actual wreck or proving the existence of a Portuguese ship's wreck could change the history of the discovery of Australia. A Mahogany Ship committee was formed to gather and research information about the discovery of the wrecked ship. A large amount of money was offered as a prize for finding the wreck or parts of it. People have written books, painted images, made videos and told tales of the ship but it continues to remain a mystery or even a fable. The chart is significant for its possible link to one of Victoria’s and Australia’s maritime mysteries, the Mahogany Ship (also known as the Ancient Wreck). It is one of very few known relics that could give evidence of the existence and history of the vessel. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register S438 as it is one of Victoria’s oldest recorded shipwrecks. The identity of the vessel has the potential to change Australia’s history.A chart in a wooden frame, behind glass. The chart shows the approximate position of the mystery Ancient Wreck, later called the "Mahogany Ship". The chart is a copy and is based on the Admiralty Chart by Lieut. Stanley, dated 1872. Lower left: "THE MAHOGANY SHIP" "LOCALITY PLAN, ENLARGED FROM LIEUT. STANLEY'S ADMIRALTY CHART 1872" "APPROXIMATE POSITION OF WRECK MARKED [symbol of a Portuguese cross]" Other labels on chart: "BELFAST" "PORT FIARY" "GRIFFITHS I" "RIVER MOYNE" "RIVER MERRI" "ARMSTRONG BAY" " GORMANS LANE" "TOWER HILL" "KOROIT" "HELEN ROCK" "WARRNAMBOOL" "LADY BAY" "MIDDLE I" "LIGHT HO." Lower right: "G 410 B" Label on the back; "This chart presented to the Mahogany Ship Committee and Flagstaff Hill by Avis Quarrell, April 2007"warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, mahogany ship, ancient vessel, ancient wreck, portuguese ship, coastal reserve, fabled wreck, gold ship, griffiths island, belfast (now port fairy), koroit, location plan, leuit. stanley, admiralty chart 1872, tower hill, merri river, moyne river, middle island, helen rock, armstrong bay, griffiths land -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Bottle, 1840s to 1878
This handmade green glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber-coloured glass and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free-blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from the fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best-known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, green glass wine bottle with contents. Glass has ripples and crease lines. The mouth has a seal in place. The applied lip is cracked. It has a deep pushed-up base with a pontil mark. Handmade with no seams in the body. The contents smell like apple cider vinegar. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle, green glass -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Bottle, 1840s to 1878
This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber-coloured glass and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a two-piece dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free-blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from the fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best-known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass wine bottle with contents. Glass has ripples, crease lines and side seams. The mouth has a seal in place. The applied lip is wide. The base has been pushed-up base and has a pontil mark. Handmade with a ridge in the body around the base of the shoulder. The bottle has a white sticker.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle, black glass, black bottle -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Container - Bottle, 1840s to 1878
This handmade black glass bottle was recovered between the late 1960s to early 1970s from the wreck of the sailing ship Loch Ard. The ship was wrecked in 1878 and its remains are located at Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell, Victoria and bottles of liquor were listed as part of the Loch Ard’s cargo. All glass is made from silica, which is found in quartz sand. The naturally occurring sand has impurities, such as iron, that determine the colour of the glass. Residual iron leads to green or amber-coloured glass and carbon in the sand makes that glass appear as ‘black’. A strong light behind the glass will show its colour as dark green or dark amber. This handmade bottle appears to have been made in a two-piece dip mould, with the molten glass blown into a seamless shoulder-height mould to give the body a uniform symmetrical shape and size. After the body is blown, the glass blower continues blowing free-form (without the mould) to form the shoulder and neck, then the base is pushed up with a tool, and the finish for the mouth is added with his tools. The dip mould gives the body a slightly textured surface, with the free-blown shoulders and neck being smoother and shinier. There is usually a line around the shoulder where the mould of the body meets the shoulder, and a lump or mark in the centre of the base, called a pontil mark, where the push-up tool was removed. The ship Loch Ard was built on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. It sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from the fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman, Tom Pearce, and one young female passenger, Eva Carmichael. This bottle is historically significant as an example of liquor bottles imported into to Colonial Victoria in the mid-1800s to early-1900s. The bottle is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from the Loch Ard, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. The collection is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417. The collection has additional significance because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the Loch Ard. The Loch Ard collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The Loch Ard collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The shipwreck is one of the worst, and best-known, shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Bottle, black glass wine bottle with contents. Glass has ripples, and crease lines and the neck has side seams. The mouth has a seal, the top of which comes away from the rest of the seal. The applied lip is wide. The base has been pushed-up base and has a pontil mark. Handmade with a ridge in the body around the base of the shoulder. The contents have no colour or odour. The bottle has a white sticker.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck artefact, loch ard, mutton bird island, eva carmichael, tom pearce, john chance, bottle, antique bottle, bulge neck bottle, handmade, dip mould, mouth blown, pontil base, blown bottle, liquor bottle, ale bottle, black glass, black bottle -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Cow Bell, Circa 1878
The artefact is a damaged brass cow bell recovered from the 1878 shipwreck of the LOCH ARD near Port Campbell. It was raised by Flagstaff Hill divers in 1973 and is in storage at the Maritime Village. The LOCH ARD was constructed on the Clyde in 1873 for the prestigious Loch Line of colonial clipper ships, designed for the Australian run. She sailed from England on 1 March 1878 carrying 37 crew, 17 passengers and a diverse general cargo ranging from luxury items to bulk railway iron. On 1 June 1878, emerging from fog and hearing too late the sound of breakers against the tall limestone cliffs, the vessel struck the southern foot of Mutton Bird Island and sank in 23 metres of water. Of the fifty-four people on board only two survived, one young male crewman and one young female passenger. A century later, despite the pounding seas and the efforts of looters, the wreck site continued to provide ample evidence of the extraordinary range of goods being imported into the Colony of Victoria in the post-Gold Rush era. Flagstaff Hill divers in the 1970s reported finds of “Bottles of champagne, window panes, rolls of zinc, barrels of cement, iron rails, clocks, lead shot, corrugated iron, lead, marble, salad oil bottles, ink bottles, copper wire, gin bottles, rolls of carpet, floor tiles, copper rivets, gas light fittings, pocket knives, toys, crystal chandeliers, beer mugs, cutlery, candles sticks, wick scissors, cow bells, and sauce bottles.” From this array of objects on the ocean floor emerged the humble brass cow bell. Cow bells were common to colonial agriculture and transport, used wherever animals were turned out to graze overnight and had to be rounded up again next morning. Bells were fastened around the necks of household milking cows, domestic goats, bullock teams, horse teams, and camel teams, to help find them in the pre-dawn light. Station shepherds and cattle drovers also used them to warn of any disturbances to their flocks and herds overnight. The bells were a necessary item in a largely unfenced continent. So important, that Anthony Mongon began making his pot-bells at Yackandandah from 1861, August Menneke produced the “Wagga Pot” from 1867, and Samuel Jones started manufacturing his distinctively shaped “Condamine Bell” in 1868. However, these deeply resonant Australian bells were made from iron — Mongon and Jones were blacksmiths who simply beat old pitsaw blades into shape. Few genuinely brass cow bells were made here, the vast majority being imported from Britain where the industry of brass founding was already well established. (Some bells were also imported from the United States, but these too were nearly all of iron).This bell is historically significant as typical of a cow bell used by farmers and herdsmen in Colonial Victoria. It was included in the cargo of the Loch Ard. Its significance is increased by being one of a collection of artefacts recovered by the Flagstaff Hill Divers from the wreck of the Loch Ard in the early 1970s. Items that come from several wrecks along Victoria's coast have also been recovered for Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village’s museum collection under a Government permit, illustrating this item’s level of historical value. The cow bell is also significant for being part of Flagstaff Hill’s collection of artefacts from LOCH ARD, which is significant for being one of the largest collections of artefacts from this shipwreck in Victoria. It is significant for its association with the shipwreck, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR S417). The collection is significant because of the relationship between the objects, as together they have a high potential to interpret the story of the LOCH ARD. The LOCH ARD collection is archaeologically significant as the remains of a large international passenger and cargo ship. The LOCH ARD collection is historically significant for representing aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its potential to interpret sub-theme 1.5 of Victoria’s Framework of Historical Themes (living with natural processes). The collection is also historically significant for its association with the LOCH ARD, which was one of the worst and best-known shipwrecks in Victoria’s history.Cow bell; a small brass bell, blunt-wedge shaped. The sides expand outwards from the smaller rectangular roof of the bell to a larger open rectangle or bell mouth. The handle, now missing, was fixed in two places at the top. A neat half-circle piece has been cut from the base on a long edge. Recovered from the wreck of the Loch Ard.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, eva carmichael, mutton bird island, loch ard gorge, brass cow bell, colonial cow bells, 1878 shipwreck, shipwreck artefact, flagstaff hill divers, cow bell -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Ceramic - Floor Tile, circa 1878
This Minton floor tile is from the wreck of the Loch Ard. The iron-hulled clipper ship from the Loch Line was heading for Port Phillip from London, when it ran into the cliffs of Mutton Bird Island near Port Campbell. The Loch Ard was laden with high-value cargo including luxury goods intended for display at the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. One notable survivor from the ship’s freight manifest was the well-packed Minton porcelain peacock, a two-meter high ceramic masterpiece of vivid glazed colours. (This is also on display in the Great Circle Gallery). The almost total loss of life and property from the Loch Ard registered as a shocking tragedy for the Colony of Victoria, at a time when social confidence and economic optimism were otherwise high. The wealth generated from Gold and Wool was increasingly being spent on grandiose private residences and imposing public buildings. The demand for quality furnishings and fittings was therefore strong. Among the products consigned to burgeoning colonial markets by the Milton Pottery at Stoke upon Trent, were their new range of colourfully patterned but very durable floor tiles ideal for the high-traffic spaces in the large civic buildings then being constructed in Australia and America. These floor tiles were “encaustic”, meaning that their designs and colours were encased “within” the depth of the tile. Rather than their decorative patterns being glazed onto the surface of the tile, their inlaid designs were created during the manufacturing process, as “coloured slips” (or liquid clay) were poured into a deep pre-moulded casting. When fired, the resulting tile was colour-fast and design-fast. The Minton floor tile is significant for its hard-wearing yet attractive design. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register ( S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck of which the subject items are a small part. The collections of objects give us a snapshot of how we can interpret the story of this tragic event. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allows us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. Through is associated with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. A square Minton floor tile with a white background, and beige, dark blue, light blue and black geometric pattern as well as leaves in the design. The tile has corner broken off and some chipping along the edges. The reverse has five rows of five evenly spaced holes. The back of the tile has inscriptions. Made by Minton & Co. at Stoke upon Trent. This encaustic floor tile was recovered from the shipwreck of the LOCH ARD. Branded "... MINTON&CO / PATENT / STOKE UPON TRENT"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, loch line, loch ard, captain gibbs, eva carmichael, tom pearce, glenample station, mutton bird island, minton floor tile, encaustic tile, melbourne international exhibition, floor tile, minton tile, minton & co., stoke upon trent -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Souvenir - Wood sample, Mr John Flett, c1885
This small piece of wood was cut from a rib of the wreck of the Enterprise in c1885 by Mr John Flett (1869 – 1944), whilst it was lying on the beach in Lady Bay, Warrnambool. Mr Flett was about 16 years old at the time and used the wood (with other pieces from the wreck) to make a picture frame. A newspaper report published in the Gippsland Gazette on Tuesday 16th July 1912 titled "An Interesting Relic" describes a picture frame being displayed in Mr. Flett's shop in Warragul which was of interest as it had been made from wood taken from the wreck of the Enterprise when it was lying on the beach at Lady Bay, Warrnambool. This was still in his possession in the 1930’s when Mr. Flett presented the small sample of wood to Mr. Henri Worland of the Warrnambool Museum and Art Gallery - along with a signed letter of ownership. A transcription of the letter is as follows - “Kalos” 12 Yendon Road Glen Huntly S.E.9 Dear Mr Warland, I am enclosing herewith a small piece of timber which, about 50 years ago, I cut from a rib of the old wreck which at that time was well known as the old “Enterprise”. I am prepared to sign a sworn statement that this is a piece of that wreck and has never been out of my possession since I cut it from the wreck. Since returning to the city I visited the museum and inspected the walking stick and small model of a boat, presented I think, by Mr Richie. I notice the different grain of the timber and would suggest that they are not Blue Gum, and the piece I am enclosing is definitely of that Tasmanian timber. Of course there may have been other imported timbers used and only the frame of the vessel made of the Blue Gum; I am not suggesting an error on the part of Mr Richie, who evidently knew the old wreck [in an?] earlier date than I did. The piece I am enclosing was incorporated in an old picture frame which I made 50 years ago, and although not used for many years has always been in my possession. With kind regards Yours faithfully J Flett (signature) P.S. I have other small pieces in a small photo frame which I may let you see some day, but not just now. Mr R. Christian will recognise the other frame when he sees it, as we were working together when it was made. J.F. There were several branches of Fletts living in Warrnambool in the mid to late 1800’s. They were all related and had emigrated from Stromness in the Orkney islands – arriving mostly in the 1850’s on different ships. John Flett’s mother was Jessie Isbister who arrived in Australia in 1852 with her family on board the Ticonderoga. Over 168 passengers died on the voyage including two of Jessie’s sisters and one of her brothers. Mrs Jessie Flett's obituary (titled "An Old Colonist") which appeared in the West Gippsland Gazette on Tuesday 8th September 1914 describes her early connections to Warnambool and the Ticonderoga. John Flett moved from Warrnambool to Birchip, Warragul and later went to Melbourne where he worked for the YMCA. During WW1, he worked at the Caulfield Military Hospital and volunteered for active service with the YMCA in France -caring for the welfare of the soldiers. After the war, he continued to work with the YMCA in a secretarial capacity. THE ENTERPRISE 1847-1850 The wooden, two-masted schooner Enterprise was built in New Zealand in 1847 and registered in Melbourne, Australia. The Enterprise carried a cargo of agricultural produce and other commodities for trade between the ports of the Colony. On September 14, 1850, the Enterprise was at anchor in Lady Bay under its Master, James Gardiner Caughtt, loaded with a cargo of wheat and potatoes. A strong south-easterly wind caused the vessel to drag on its only anchor and the rudder was lost. The gale force wind blew it sideways and it became grounded. A local aboriginal, Buckawall, braved the rough sea to take a line from the shore to the Enterprise. All five members of the crew were able to make it safely to land. The Enterprise was totally wrecked. The Enterprise wreck was in an area called Tramway Jetty in Lady Bay. Since then the area became the location of the Lady Bay Hotel and now, in 2019, it is in the grounds of the Deep Blue Apartments. In fact, with the constantly changing coastline through built-up sand, the wreck site is now apparently under the No 2 Caravan Park in Pertobe Road, perhaps 150 metres from the high tide. Its location was found by Ian McKiggan (leader of the various searches in the 1980s for the legendary Mahogany Ship). DIFFERENTIATING the New Zealand Schooner “Enterprise” from John Fawkner’s “Enterprize“ Dr. Murray Johns, Melbourne, says in his article The Mahogany Ship Story “… In fact, as I documented in 1985, the Warrnambool wreck was of an entirely different ship, also called Enterprize [with the spelling ‘Enterprise’], but built in New Zealand in 1847. Fawkner’s ship had already been sold to a Captain Sullivan in 1845 and was wrecked on the Richmond Pier in northern New South Wales early in 1847. “ - (further details are in NOTES: and FHMV documents) Mr Flett had assumed the timber was Tasmanian Gum as he thought it had come from the Enterprise which had been owned by Mr Fawkner and built in Tasmania but we now know the ship was built in New Zealand and the timber was most probably New Zealand Rimu.This piece of wood is significant for its association with the wreck of the schooner Enterprise, now on the Victorian Heritage List VHR S238, being a New Zealand built but Australian owned coastal trader. The wreck is also significant, by connection with the Enterprise, for its association with indigenous hero Buckawall who saved the lives of the five crew on board. The original owner of the wood (Mr John Flett) is significant as a member of one of Warrnambool’s pioneering families, which has contributed to the growth of the community in several ways over the years, living and working in the area.Small square piece of brown wood with a handwritten inscription on the back. The front is polished with a prominent grain and a shallow indentation along two sides. The back has the words "FLETT" and "ENTERPRISE" written in ink with a line separating them. The back is rough and has two indentations - possibly from a nail or tack. The wood sample is accompanied by a letter. Handwritten letter (two pages) of authenticity by Mr. John Flett to Mr. Worland (Manager of the Warrnambool Museum and Art Gallery). Transcribed below"FLETT" and "ENTERPRISE"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, carpentry, enterprise, lady bay warrnambool, schooner enterprise, wreck of the enterprise 1850, buckawall, shipwreck relic, john flett, warrnambool museum and art gallery, flett relic, letter, flett letter, ticonderoga, henri worland -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Ports and Harbours, Ports and Harbours, Tender for Warrnambool Light, 24-06-1902
... Ports and Harbours Melbourne Warrnambool Light Warrnambool ...The document confirms that the Tender for the supply of gas to the Warrnambool Light, also known as the Lighthouse, by the Warrnambool Gas Works was successful. The Tender was issued by the Engineer in Charge, Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, for a the period ending 30th June 1903, at the offered rate of 10/- (ten shillings) per 100.0 c/f (cubic feet). The Manager of the Warrnambool Gas Works expected to follow this acceptance with a visit to the Collector of Customs to sign the Conditions of Contract and Bond. The light of Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse was originally powered by oil. Later it was converted to gas, followed by electricity, then solar power, and finally to battery power. The Warrnambool Gas Company operated the gas works from the 1870's to the late 1920's.This document connects Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse to the Warrnambool Gas Works during the first decade of the 20th century. It documents to process of a Government department requesting Tenders for the supply of goods to operate a service, the the formal documentation required at that time.Pale green rectangular paper with template text printed in black and completed in black ink script. Letterhead of the Department of Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, and addressed to the Gas Works, Warrnambool, dated 24th June 1902, for the supply of gas to the Warrnambool Light until 30th June 1903 at the cost of Ten Shillings per 100 cubic feet."24th [June] 1902" Warrnambool [Light]" "Manager W'bool Gas Wks" "supply of gas to" "1903" "10/- per 100.0 c/f" "Collector of Customs" " The Manager / Gas Works / Warrnambool" [Signature] "for" [Engineer in Charge, Ports and Harbours]flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, department of ports and harbours, ports and harbours, ports and harbours melbourne, warrnambool light, warrnambool lighthouse, warrnambool gas works, w'bool gas works, gas works, gas supply, early 1900s, early 20th century, shillings, cubic feet, collector of customs, customs, warrnambool customs, engineer in charge, lady bay lighthouse, warrnambool gas company -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Ports and Harbours, Ports and Harbours, Tender for Warrnambool Light, 24-06-1904
... Ports and Harbours Melbourne Warrnambool Light Warrnambool ...The document confirms that the Tender for the supply of gas to the Warrnambool Light, also known as the Lighthouse, by the Warrnambool Gas Works was successful. The Tender was issued by the Engineer in Charge, Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, for a the period ending 30th June 1905, at the offered rate of 10/- (ten shillings) per 100.0 c/f (cubic feet). The Manager of the Warrnambool Gas Works expected to follow this acceptance with a visit to the Collector of Customs to sign the Conditions of Contract and Bond. The light of Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse was originally powered by oil. Later it was converted to gas, followed by electricity, then solar power, and finally to battery power. The Warrnambool Gas Company operated the gas works from the 1870's to the late 1920's.This document connects Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse to the Warrnambool Gas Works during the first decade of the 20th century. It documents to process of a Government department requesting Tenders for the supply of goods to operate a service, the the formal documentation required at that time.Pale cream rectangular paper with template text printed in black and completed in black ink script. Letterhead of the Department of Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, and addressed to the Gas Works, Warrnambool, dated 24th June 1904, for the supply of gas to the Warrnambool Light until 30th June 1905 at the cost of Ten Shillings per 100 cubic feet."24th [June] 1904" Warrnambool [Light]" "Manager W'bool Gas Wks" "supply of gas to" "1905" "10/- per 100.0 c/f" "Collector of Customs" " The Manager / Gas Works / Warrnambool" [Signature] "for" [Engineer in Charge, Ports and Harbours]flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, department of ports and harbours, ports and harbours, ports and harbours melbourne, warrnambool light, warrnambool lighthouse, warrnambool gas works, w'bool gas works, gas works, gas supply, early 1900s, early 20th century, shillings, cubic feet, collector of customs, customs, warrnambool customs, engineer in charge, lady bay lighthouse, warrnambool gas company -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Document - Ports and Harbours, Ports and Harbours, Tender for Warrnambool Light, 24-06-1907
... Ports and Harbours Melbourne Warrnambool Light Warrnambool ...The document confirms that the Tender for the supply of maintenance to the Warrnambool Light, also known as the Lighthouse, by the Warrnambool Gasworks was successful. The Tender was issued by the Engineer in Charge, C. Maclean, Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, for a the period ending 30th June 1908, at the offered rate of 10/- (ten shillings) per 100.0 c/f (cubic feet). The Manager of the Warrnambool Gasworks expected to follow this acceptance with a visit to the Collector of Customs to sign the Conditions of Contract and Bond. The light of Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse was originally powered by oil. Later it was converted to gas, followed by electricity, then solar power, and finally to battery power. The Warrnambool Gas Company operated the gas works from the 1870's to the late 1920's.This document connects Warrnambool's Lady Bay Lighthouse to the Warrnambool Gas Works during the first decade of the 20th century. It documents to process of a Government department requesting Tenders for the supply of goods to operate a service, the the formal documentation required at that time.Pale cream rectangular paper with template text printed in black and completed in black ink script. Letterhead of the Department of Ports and Harbours, Melbourne, and addressed to the Gas Works, Warrnambool, dated 25th June 1907, for the supply of maintenance to the Warrnambool Light until 30th June 1908 at the cost of Ten Shillings per 100 cubic feet. A purple stamped signature is also added and initialled in red pen."25th [June] 1907" Warrnambool [Light]" "Manager W'bool Gasworks" "supply of gas to" "1908" "10/- per 100.0 c/f" "Collector of Customs" " The Manager / Warrnambool Gasworks" [Signature] "for" [Engineer in Charge, Ports and Harbours] Stamped " C. -. Maclean"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, department of ports and harbours, ports and harbours, ports and harbours melbourne, warrnambool light, warrnambool lighthouse, warrnambool gas works, w'bool gas works, gas works, gas supply, early 1900s, early 20th century, shillings, cubic feet, collector of customs, customs, warrnambool customs, engineer in charge, lady bay lighthouse, warrnambool gas company, gasworks, warrnambool gasworks, maintenance, c. - maclean -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book - Manual, Standing Orders, Department of Shipping and Transport, Standing Orders to Masters and Crews of Lighthouse Tenders, 1968
This book is a mid-20th century updated version of a manual with regulations and instructions for lighthouse staff and the supply of equipment and other goods that are necessary. It includes lists such as protective clothing required, fuel, when to raise a flag at half-mast, how communication must be carried out, the testing of equipment, and other similar information. It also contains templates for the Certificates of Service of various ranks such as Master and Mate. Australia no longer has manned lighthouses although some still have caretakers that report on the weather. The last manned lighthouse was in Tasmania and was de-manned in December 1995.The ultimate purpose of the book was to set down instructions that would be used to carry out life saving procedures, and to avoid shipwrecks. It confirms some earlier methods and updates others. The information within the book is similar to the information referred to by the 19th century and early 20th century lighthouse keepers and staff, and others involved in the preservation of life, such as those published by the Department of Ports and Harbours. The book is a valuable resource to those researching the evolving of maritime history from Colonial Australia to the modern day.Book, orange vinyl surface sealed cover on hard covered ring-binder. Gold embossed title on spine and front cover. Contains cream loose-leaf pages with rounded corners. Pages are printed with text, tables and diagrams, and are numbered with serial page and paragraph numbers. There is a Table of Contents and an Index. The cover displays the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth of Australia. Published by the Commonwealth of Australia in 1968 for the Department of Shipping and Transport, the book contains the Standing Orders to Masters and Crews of Lighthouse Tenders. It has examples for Certificates of Service for various ranks, a list of books and forms, protective clothing, rates for passengers, and a Scheme of Colour Painting for Lighthouse Tenders.Coat of Arms [Commonwealth of Australia] "COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA" "DEPARTMENT OF SHIPPING AND TRANSPORT" "STANDING ORDERS / TO / MASTERS AND CREWS OF LIGHTHOUSE TENDERS" "No 1/1968" "No.2/1968"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, shipwrecks, life saving, lifesaving, shiipping and transport, commonwealth of australia, standing orders, lighthouse crew, lighthouse tenders, masters and crews, 1968 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book, Old Melbourne Memories 1
Rolf Boldrewood (1826-1915) ‘Rolf Boldrewood’ is the pen-name used by Thomas Alexander Browne as a writer. Browne was the eldest child of Captain Sylvester John Brown and Elizabeth Angell nee Alexander. He was born in London on 6th August 1826 and arrived in Australia with his parents and siblings when he was 5 years old and grew up in Sydney. In the 1860’s Browne added the ‘e’ to his surname. As a 17 year old Browne took up land in the Western District of Victoria between Portland and Port Fairy on a property named “Squattlesea Mere”. He remained there until 1858, enjoying the squatters’ life on his 32,000 acre property, growing potatoes and running cattle and horses. He sold in 1858 and purchased a sheep station on the Murray River near Swan Hill. He later sold this and bought another sheep station near Narrandera until bad seasons and severe droughts eventually caused him to change his career after 25 years as a squatter. Over the next 25 years Browne held the position of Police Magistrate and as a gold commissioner in various locations. His third career as an author lasted approximately 40 years. In 1865 he wrote two articles on pastoral life while he was recovering from a riding accident. In the 1870’s his writing was bringing in the income to support his family, changing his focus to the writing of novels. A series of these was written for the Australian market and published in The Sydney Mail and the Centennial Magazine. His later novels were aimed at the overseas markets. His best known novel “Robbery Under Arms” was written from 1882 to 1883 and has been serialised on radio in Australia and Britain. The novel was filmed in 1907, 1920 and 1957, and in 1985 it was made into a television series. It is now an Australian Classic. He also wrote short stories, several nonfiction graziers’ guides, and an autobiography named “Old Melbourne Memories” in 1884. [This information has been taken from Wikipedia; Australian Authors-Perry Meddlemiss; Australian Dictionary of Biography, Browne, Thomas Alexander (1826-1915)] Old Melbourne Memories 1 Author: Rolf Boldrewood Publisher: MacMillan & Co Date: 1896Label on spine with typed text R.A. 994.5 BOL warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, old melbourne memories 1, rolf boldrewood -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Book, First Years At Port Phillip
First Years At Port Phillip Author: Robert Douglass Boys Publisher: Robinson & Mullens Ltd Date: 1935Label on spine with typed text R.A. 994.02 BOY warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, first years at port phillip, robert douglass boys -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Poster - Shipping Timetable, Barclay and Fry Ltd. London, Time Table of Australian Sailings, circa 1939
"Freight forwarding" is the arranging of the shipping of goods from their point of origin to their final destination. Freight Forwarders worked as an intermediary between companies that needed to ship products and the shipping and transportation firms that could ensure delivery. A key element of "freight forwarding" was the advice and professional handling of documentation and customs requirements provided. Early "freight forwarders" tended to be innkeepers who forwarded on the luggage of their hotel guests. One of the first "freight forwarding" companies was established by Thomas Meadows in 1836 which made it one of the earliest freight companies in Europe. More reliable rail and steamships were beginning to be used to transport goods and this created a demand for the new "freight forwarding" industry. The combination of railroads and steamships became very important in the late 19th and early 20th century. International shipments became common and freight forwarding that could handle their complexity became an integral part of the manufacturing and shipping landscape. Thomas Meadows & Company Ltd moved to offices in Milk Street, London in 1854 (where they remained until 1969 when they moved out of the city to Leytonstone) and continued in the freight business until 1987 when the company was acquired by Rockwell International Freight. The growth of Thomas Meadows & Company Ltd coincided with the growth and development of the colony of Victoria with an increasing need for the transporting of large numbers of people as well as important goods required by the growing colony - furniture, spirits, food, clothing, agricultural implements, household items etc. In the late 1840's only two or three overseas ships a month visited Melbourne but by late 1852 (after gold was discovered) more than a dozen ships arrived each week. By 1939, Thomas Meadows & Co. Ltd. had offices in Canada, U.S.A., New Zealand, France, Belgium and in Flinders Street Melbourne. This poster was sold by "Smarts Authorised Newsagency" in 1988 in Warrnambool - a business that had been owned by Neil and Shirley Smart at 168 Timor Street, Warrnambool since 1976. Previously it had been "Reed's Newsagency and Book Shop" (a local business established by William Reed circa 1912 and known as "William Reed Bookseller and Stationer"). The original owners, Reed's Newsagency and Bookshop were operating the shop in 1939 which suggests the poster may have been on display (for the information of their customers) in their shop at that time. This poster is significant through its association with Thomas Meadows and Co. Ltd. who is considered to be the founder of the "freight forwarding" industry in the early 19th century. It is an example of advertising used by shipping agents in the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. Its information includes the addresses of the firm's different offices in the U.K. and abroad, ships, shipping lines and ports used and the timetable the vessels were likely to follow. It is also significant through its association with a well known and long standing local Warrnambool business.A 1939 Timetable of "Australian Sailings" produced by the shipping agents Thomas Meadows and Co Ltd. It lists all their ships (plus dates and ports) sailing from the UK to Australia as well as the addresses of their offices in other cities in the U.K., Canada, U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand, France and Belgium. It has three vertical columns depicting (from left to right) January to June sailings, a simple 1939 calendar and their July to December 1939 sailings. The poster is attached on the top and bottom to two thin black metal strips. The top strip has a metal ring with a hole. A stamped label on the back of the poster has the name, telephone number and address of Smarts newsagency plus the date.Front of poster - "FORWARDING AGENTS. INSURANCE BROKERS.PASSENGER AGENTS.CARTAGE CONTRACTORS / MOTOR CAR AND MACHINERY PACKERS.FURNITURE AND GENERALEXPORT PACKERS" "THOMAS MEADOWS & CO Ltd." "ESTABLISHED OVER 100 YEARS" "SHIPPING AGENTS / 35 MILK STREET, CHEAPSIDE, LONDON, E.C.2" "PACKING WAREHOUSES IN LONDON & MANCHESTER" "1939" "TIME TABLE OF AUSTRALIAN SAILINGS" "JANUARY TO JUNE, 1939/ FROM LONDON" "JULY TO DECEMBER, 1939 / FROM LONDON" "HAVE YOUR SMALL PACKAGES SENT BY OUR SPECIAL "SMALLS" SERVICE AT LOWER RATES/RATES TO PORT ONLY OR INCLUDING DELIVERY THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA" "INSURANCE AGAINST ALL RISKS EFFECTED WITH CLAIMS PAYABLE DESTINATION" "ROUTE YOUR SHIPMENTS VIA THOMAS MEADOWS & CO LTD. FOR PROMPTNESS AND ECONOMY" Stamp on back of poster - "SMART'S AUTHORISED NEWSAGENCY' "168 Timor Street, Warrnambool 3280" "Telephone: (055) 62 2092" "12 DEC 1988" Sticker at bottom - "51"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, great ocean road, shipping, shipping agents, freight forwarding, freight, shipping time table, thomas meadows & co. ltd., thomas meadows shipping agent, shipping and forwarding agent, smart's newsagency, warrnambool, warrnambool newsagency, chart, poster, smart's authorised newsagency, neil and shirley smart, william reed, reed's newsagency and bookshop -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Propeller, Purdon & Featherstone, 1909
This is an original propeller included with the steamer, the 1909 ferry SS Rowitta, which was installed at Flagstaff Hill in 1975 and was enjoyed by many visitors for 40 years. The wooden steam ferry Rowitta was built from 1909 to 1910 at Battery Point, Hobart, by Purdon & Featherstone using planks of Huon and Karri timber. It was owned and operated by the Tamar Trading Company and navigated the Tamar River from Launceston to George Town for many years. The ferry trip became a favourite activity for sightseeing passengers along Tasmania’s Tamar and Derwent rivers for 30 years. Rowitta also worked as a coastal trading vessel between Devonport and Melbourne as well as along the southern coast of Australia. The ship had served as a freighter, an army supply ship, a luxury charter ferry and a floating restaurant as well as a prawn boat at Lakes Entrance. It was also previously named the Sorrento by Port Phillip Ferries Pty Ltd of Melbourne and had at one time carried the name Tarkarri. The ferry was originally purchased by the Flagstaff Hill Museum in 1974 for converting into the historic and significant sailing ship the Speculant, but this didn’t eventuate due to the unavailability of funding. It was renovated it and renamed as the original Rowitta, to be used as an exhibit.The propeller represents a step in the evolution of ways that vessels were powered. It is also a record of the Rowitta, a large exhibit at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village from the museum’s early beginnings until the vessel’s end of life 40 years later. The Rowitta represents the importance of coastal traders to transport, trade and communication along the coast of Victoria, between states, and in Australia before rail and motor vehicles. The vessel was an example of a ferry built in the early 20th century and serving many different purposes over its lifetime of over 100 years. Propeller, three metal blades that meet in a central boss fitting that has a pointed cap. The blades have rounded edges and tips. This is an original propeller from the 1909-1910 steam ferry, ROWITTA, built in Hobart, Tasmania.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, liverpool, ss rowitta, navigation, marine technology, steam driven, propeller, hobart, tasmania, devonport, tasmanian-built, ferry, steam ferry, steamer, 1909, early 20th century, passenger vessel, tamar trading company, tamar river, launceston, george town, tarkarri, speculant, port phillip ferries pty ltd, melbourne, coastal trader, timber steamer, huon, karri, freighter, supply ship, charter ferry, floating restaurant, prawn boat, lakes entrance, sorrento -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Scenic, Warrnambool, Titan Bridge, Shelly Beach, Warrnambool, 1902-1929
... of Warrnambool from ports along Victoria's southwest coast. Joseph Jordan ...The nine postcards in this set were donated together and date to the early 1900s. All but one postcard in this set shows images of Warrnambool, in the Western District of Victoria; the other has a London image. The postcards were all printed in Great Britain according to that country’s postal regulations. The fronts of all cards have titles printed in red. Most of the images on the cards are attributed to photographer Joseph Jordan and belong to the Jordan Series. The back of these cards has an outline for a postage stamp, a vertical dividing line and a heading on each side of the line to separate the Correspondence from the Address. Postcards or ‘correspondence cards’ appeared in Britain in 1894. They were plain cards with a space for the message on one side and an address on the other; regulations didn’t allow anything but the address to be written on the ‘address’ side. In 1902 the British regulations then allowed a picture to be printed on the front and the address on the back, so messages had to be written on the picture side. Soon, the regulations changed and the back was divided for a message and the address. Titan Bridge, Warrnambool – The name Titan Bridge is likely to be a reference to the huge Titan crane that was used in the construction of the Breakwater in the late 19th century. Shelly Beach is a popular swimming area with the added attraction of rock pools to investigate and rock formations to climb. Joseph Jordan - Joseph Jordan was born in 1841 in Leicester England. When he was 16 he joined the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and was sent to India at the outbreak of the mutiny. He took part in the relief of Lucknow and remained in India for eleven years. It was during this time that he became interested in photography. He was posted to New Zealand and later came to Victoria, becoming a sergeant major of the Mounted Rifles. In the mid-1880s he came to the Western district where he was responsible for establishing units of the Mounted Rifles in various country towns such as Dunkeld, Mortlake, Panmure, Bushfield, Koroit etc. He resigned from the army in 1889 and set up a professional photography studio in Liebig Street, Warrnambool. He became very well known in the Western District for family photographs, official photographs of local councillors and groups as well as views of local scenery. In 1891 he photographed the wrecked barque ‘Fiji’ at ‘Wrecks Beach’ near Princetown. His business was taken over by his son Arthur around 1917. Joseph was a keen rifle shot and in 1924 he donated the "Jordan Shield" as a prize to the Victorian Rifle Association. He was made a "Life Honorary Member" of the Warrnambool Returned Soldiers League and in 1933 he was recognised as being the oldest living soldier in Victoria. Joseph died in 1935 aged 95.The image of the Titan Bridge rock formation with figures on it suggests that the location was a popular place to visit. It captures a time when the rock formation was publically accessible. The choice of subject for this postcard indicates the popularity of Warrnambool's natural environment as a tourist attraction at a time when ships called coastal traders brought passengers and cargo to the Port of Warrnambool from ports along Victoria's southwest coast. Joseph Jordan is a significant figure in Warrnambool history as he helped to establish early units of the Mounted Rifles (G Company) in local towns during the late 1880's and later, photographed local scenes, groups and citizens of early Warrnambool.Postcard, one of nine, landscape orientation, coloured print within an oval border and mauve-toned shading. The cameo image shows two figures, one seated and one standing, beside the sea on a rough rock beside a rock formation resembling a bridge. There is no correspondence written on the card. The back has inscriptions and outlines for a postage stamp. Jordan Series, printed in Great Britain.Front, in red: “TITAN BRIDGE / SHELLY BEACH, NEAR WARRNAMBOOL” Back in black: “Jordan Series” “POST CARD” “PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN” “For correspondence” “The Address only to be written here”flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, maritime museum, warrnambool, great ocean road, warrnambool and district, warrnambool scenes, local scenes, views of warrnambool, joseph jordan, jordan series, jordan photography, postcard, souvenir, correspondence, cameo postcard, landscape, shelly beach, titan bridge, titan, rock formation -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Scenic, Warrnambool, Pillar Caves, near Warrnambool, 1902-1929
... of Warrnambool from ports along Victoria's southwest coast. The presence ...The nine postcards in this set were donated together and date to the early 1900s. All but one postcard in this set shows images of Warrnambool, in the Western District of Victoria; the other has a London image. The postcards were all printed in Great Britain according to that country’s postal regulations. The fronts of all cards have titles printed in red. Most of the images on the cards are attributed to photographer Joseph Jordan and belong to the Jordan Series. The back of these cards has an outline for a postage stamp, a vertical dividing line and a heading on each side of the line to separate the Correspondence from the Address. Postcards or ‘correspondence cards’ appeared in Britain in 1894. They were plain cards with a space for the message on one side and an address on the other; regulations didn’t allow anything but the address to be written on the ‘address’ side. In 1902 the British regulations then allowed a picture to be printed on the front and the address on the back, so messages had to be written on the picture side. Soon, the regulations changed and the back was divided for a message and the address. Pliiar Caves, near Warrnambool – The formation at the front of the cave resembles the pillars of a porch, giving the cave its name. Local social media discussion locates the caves near Lake Gillear, east of Warrnambool. The area was popular with young lads as a place to explore and to go rabbiting. The caves in this area are home to colonies of bats and have been a source of bat feces or bat guano, which is an enriching additive to soil. The 19th century sailing ships in the Nitrogen or Guano trade collected large quantities of guano from caves and popular bird nesting locations to sell as a rich fertiliser, due to its high nitrogen and phosphorus properties. Joseph Jordan - Joseph Jordan was born in 1841 in Leicester England. When he was 16 he joined the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and was sent to India at the outbreak of the mutiny. He took part in the relief of Lucknow and remained in India for eleven years. It was during this time that he became interested in photography. He was posted to New Zealand and later came to Victoria, becoming a sergeant major of the Mounted Rifles. In the mid-1880s he came to the Western district where he was responsible for establishing units of the Mounted Rifles in various country towns such as Dunkeld, Mortlake, Panmure, Bushfield, Koroit etc. He resigned from the army in 1889 and set up a professional photography studio in Liebig Street, Warrnambool. He became very well known in the Western District for family photographs, official photographs of local councillors and groups as well as views of local scenery. In 1891 he photographed the wrecked barque ‘Fiji’ at ‘Wrecks Beach’ near Princetown. His business was taken over by his son Arthur around 1917. Joseph was a keen rifle shot and in 1924 he donated the "Jordan Shield" as a prize to the Victorian Rifle Association. He was made a "Life Honorary Member" of the Warrnambool Returned Soldiers League and in 1933 he was recognised as being the oldest living soldier in Victoria. Joseph died in 1935 aged 95.The image of the Pillar Caves rock formation with figures on it suggests that the location was a popular place to visit. The choice of subject for this postcard indicates the popularity of Warrnambool's natural environment as a tourist attraction at a time when ships called coastal traders brought passengers and cargo to the Port of Warrnambool from ports along Victoria's southwest coast. The presence of bats in local caves also connects the postcard to the 19th century Nitro Trade and Guano Trade, when bat guano was collected and sold for plant fertiliser around the world. Joseph Jordan is a significant figure in Warrnambool history as he helped to establish early units of the Mounted Rifles (G Company) in local towns during the late 1880's and later, photographed local scenes, groups and citizens of early Warrnambool.Postcard, one of nine, landscape orientation, coloured print within an oval border and mauve-toned shading. The cameo image shows figures on the high, grass-topped cliff, one between the likeness of pillars in the cave entry, and others walking on the rocks nearby. The background below is rough ground. There is no correspondence written on the card. The back has inscriptions and outlines for a postage stamp. Jordan Series, printed in Great Britain.Front, in red: “PILLAR CAVES, NEAR WARRNAMBOOL” Back in black: “Jordan Series” “POST CARD” “PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN” “For correspondence” “The Address only to be written here”flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, maritime museum, warrnambool, great ocean road, warrnambool and district, warrnambool scenes, local scenes, views of warrnambool, joseph jordan, jordan series, jordan photography, postcard, souvenir, correspondence, cameo postcard, landscape, rock formation, pillar caves, pillars cave, lake gillear, rebbiting, bats, guano, nitro trade, fertilizers -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Postcard - Scenic, Warrnambool, Tower Hill and Lake, Warrnambool, 1902-1929
... and Lake is connected to the location near Warrnambool where many ...The nine postcards in this set were donated together and date to the early 1900s. All but one postcard in this set shows images of Warrnambool, in the Western District of Victoria; the other has a London image. The postcards were all printed in Great Britain according to that country’s postal regulations. The fronts of all cards have titles printed in red. Most of the images on the cards are attributed to photographer Joseph Jordan and belong to the Jordan Series. The back of these cards has an outline for a postage stamp, a vertical dividing line and a heading on each side of the line to separate the Correspondence from the Address. Postcards or ‘correspondence cards’ appeared in Britain in 1894. They were plain cards with a space for the message on one side and an address on the other; regulations didn’t allow anything but the address to be written on the ‘address’ side. In 1902 the British regulations then allowed a picture to be printed on the front and the address on the back, so messages had to be written on the picture side. Soon, the regulations changed and the back was divided for a message and the address. Tower Hill and Lake, Warrnambool – Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve is in the crater of a dormant volcano. In 1892 the area was declared a National Park, the first in Victoria, preserving native animals and Indigenous plants. The rich volcanic soil in the area attracted early settlers including the families of Henry Giles, born at Tower Hill in 1858 and his wife Mary Jane (born Freckleton) born nearby at Cooramook in 1860. Henry and Mary worked in the local area where they also raised their six children. For a time, Henry was employed as a labourer on the Warrnambool Breakwater. Joseph Jordan - Joseph Jordan was born in 1841 in Leicester England. When he was 16 he joined the 7th Queen's Own Hussars and was sent to India at the outbreak of the mutiny. He took part in the relief of Lucknow and remained in India for eleven years. It was during this time that he became interested in photography. He was posted to New Zealand and later came to Victoria, becoming a sergeant major of the Mounted Rifles. In the mid-1880s he came to the Western district where he was responsible for establishing units of the Mounted Rifles in various country towns such as Dunkeld, Mortlake, Panmure, Bushfield, Koroit etc. He resigned from the army in 1889 and set up a professional photography studio in Liebig Street, Warrnambool. He became very well known in the Western District for family photographs, official photographs of local councillors and groups as well as views of local scenery. In 1891 he photographed the wrecked barque ‘Fiji’ at ‘Wrecks Beach’ near Princetown. His business was taken over by his son Arthur around 1917. Joseph was a keen rifle shot and in 1924 he donated the "Jordan Shield" as a prize to the Victorian Rifle Association. He was made a "Life Honorary Member" of the Warrnambool Returned Soldiers League and in 1933 he was recognised as being the oldest living soldier in Victoria. Joseph died in 1935 aged 95.The postcard of Tower Hill and Lake is connected to the location near Warrnambool where many of our early settlers lived and worked. One of these settlers was the Giles family, whose son Henry was born at Tower Hill. His family has donated many Victorian-era items which are now on display at Flagstaff Hill. Tower Hill National Park is the first place in Victoria to be named a National Park. As in the times when coastal trading ships brought passengers and cargo to the Port of Warrnambool, it continues to be a popular place to visit. Joseph Jordan is a significant figure in Warrnambool history as he helped to establish early units of the Mounted Rifles (G Company) in local towns during the late 1880's and later, photographed local scenes, groups and citizens of early Warrnambool.Postcard, one of nine, landscape orientation, coloured print within a rectangle and an impressed line around the image on the front. The picture shows several islands close together with hills around them and bushland in the foreground. There are dead trees amongst the vegetation and a sandy shore at the foot of some of the hills. The lower left corner shows what appears to be two white rails, possibly a lookout fence. There is no correspondence written on the card. The title is printed in red on the front and the back has inscriptions and outlines for a postage stamp. Jordan Series, printed in Great Britain. Front, in red: “Tower Hill Lake, Warrnambool” Back in green: “Jordan Series” “POST CARD” “PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN” “For correspondence” “The Address only to be written here”flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, maritime museum, warrnambool, great ocean road, warrnambool and district, warrnambool scenes, local scenes, views of warrnambool, joseph jordan, jordan series, jordan photography, postcard, souvenir, correspondence, cameo postcard, tower hill, tower hill national park, victoria's first national park, henry giles, mary jane freckleton, breakwater, early settlers -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Ceramic - Teacup, 1920s
This teacup is part of a four-piece place setting, comprising a teacup, saucer and plates, from a tea set. The tea set was given by Eva Carmichael, a survivor of the ship Loch Ard which was wrecked near Port Campbell in 1878, to Jane Shields, the young woman who supported Eva during her recovery from the ordeal. Ms Shields was Eva’s close companion while she was convalescing at Glenample Homestead. The friendship between the two women continued after Eva Carmichael returned to her home in Britain, became Mrs Townsend, and had three sons. Jane Shields also married, becoming Mrs John Osborne and bearing four daughters and two sons. In 1926-27, almost forty-eight years after the shipwreck, one of Jane’s daughters (Ella Marie Schulby nee Osborne) visited Eva in England. Eva gave her the tea set to take back home to her mother. Jane died in 1932 and her tea set was inherited by her daughters, who divided it between themselves, a four-piece place setting for each of them. A brief history of the Loch Ard: - The Loch Ard was named after a Scottish lake. It was one of the famous Loch Line of ships that sailed the long voyage from England to Australia. Barclay, Curdle and Co. built the three-masted iron ship in Glasgow in 1873. It had sailed three trips to Australia and one trip to Calcutta before its fateful voyage. Loch Ard left England on March 2, 1878, under the command of recently married, 29-year-old Captain Gibbs, bound for Melbourne with a crew of 37, plus 17 passengers. The general cargo reflected the affluence of Melbourne at the time. Onboard were straw hats, umbrellas, perfumes, clay pipes, pianos, clocks, confectionery, linen and candles, and a heavier load of railway irons, cement, lead and copper. Other cargo included items intended for display in the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880. The Loch Ard had been sailing for three months and was close to its destination. At 3 am on June 1, 1878, Captain Gibbs expected to see land, but the Loch Ard ran into a fog that greatly reduced visibility. Captain Gibbs became anxious as there was no sign of land or the Cape Otway lighthouse. The fog lifted at 4 am. A lookout announced that he could see breakers. The sheer cliffs of Victoria's west coast came into view; the ship was much closer to them than Captain Gibbs expected. It was not long before the Loch Ard's bow swung towards land. Although the Captain tried to manage the vessel, his attempts didn’t work and the ship struck a reef at the base of Mutton Bird Island, near Port Campbell. The top deck became loosened from the hull, and the masts and rigging crashed down, knocking passengers and crew overboard. The lifeboat was launched by Tom Pearce but crashed into the side of Loch Ard and capsized. Tom Pearce managed to cling to the lifeboat’s overturned hull and shelter beneath it. He drifted out to sea and the tide brought him back to what is now called Loch Ard Gorge. He swam to shore and found a cave for shelter. A passenger, Eva Carmichael, had raced onto the deck to find out what was happening and was confronted by towering cliffs above the ship. She was soon swept off the ship by a huge wave. Eva saw Tom Pearce on a small rocky beach and yelled to attract his attention. He swam to the exhausted woman and dragged her to shore and to the shelter of the cave. He revived Eva with a bottle of brandy from a case that had washed up on the beach. Tom scaled a cliff in search of help and followed some horse hoof prints. He came from two men from Glenample Station, three and a half miles away. He told the men of the tragedy and then returned to the gorge while the two men rode back to the station to get help. They reached Loch Ard Gorge and took the two shipwreck survivors to Glenample Station to recover. Eva stayed at the station for six weeks before returning to Ireland by steamship. In Melbourne, Tom Pearce received a hero's welcome and was presented with a medal and some money. Of the 54 crew members and passengers on board, only two survived: the apprentice, Tom Pearce and the young woman passenger, Eva Carmichael, who lost her family in the tragedy.This blue china tea set, comprising a teacup, saucer and two plates, is of high significance as it is closely connected to the wreck of the Loch Ard, and to one of only two survivors, Eva Carmichael. Memorabilia connected to Eva Carmichael are precious and rare. The Loch Ard shipwreck is significant for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The group gives a snapshot of history, enabling us to interpret the story of this tragic event and the lives of the people involved. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allow us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collection's historical significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history.The teacup is part of a china tea set place setting, which comprises the teacup, a saucer and two plates of slightly different sizes. The cup is a royal blue outer, white inside with gold lip, a gold ring around the base and a gold handle. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, china tea set, tea set, royal blue china, tom pearce, eva carmichael, jane shields, glenample, loch ard, place setting, teacup -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Ceramic - Saucer, 1920s
This saucer is part of a four-piece place setting, comprising a teacup, saucer and plates, from a tea set. The tea set was given by Eva Carmichael, one of only two survivors of the ship Loch Ard which was wrecked near Port Campbell in 1878, to Jane Shields, the young woman who supported Eva during her recovery from the ordeal. Ms Shields was Eva’s close companion while she was convalescing at Glenample Homestead. The friendship between the two women continued after Eva Carmichael returned to her home in Britain, became Mrs Townsend, and had three sons. Jane Shields also married, becoming Mrs John Osborne and bearing four daughters and two sons. n 1926-27, almost forty-eight years after the shipwreck, one of Jane’s daughters (Ella Marie Schulz nee Osborne) visited Eva in England. Eva gave her the tea set to take back home to her mother. Jane died in 1932 and her tea set was inherited by her daughters, who divided it between themselves, a four-piece place setting for each of them. This blue ceramic tea set, comprising a teacup, saucer and two plates, is of high significance as it is closely connected to the wreck of the Loch Ard, and one of only two survivors, Eva Carmichael. Memorabilia connected to Eva Carmichael are precious and rare. The Loch Ard shipwreck is significant for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collection gives a snapshot of history, enabling us to interpret the story of this tragic event and the lives of the people involved. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allow us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collection's historical significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history.Saucer; this saucer is part of a ceramic tea set place setting, comprising a cup, saucer and two plates of slightly different sizes. The saucer is royal blue with a gold rim.warrnambool, maritime-museum, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, loch ard, shipwreck, tea set, ceramic, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, royal blue china, eva carmichael, jane shields, glenample, place setting, saucer, ceramic tea set -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Ceramic - Plate, 1920s
This plate is part of a four-piece place setting, comprising a teacup, saucer and plates, from a tea set. The tea set was given by Eva Carmichael, one of only two survivors of the ship Loch Ard which was wrecked near Port Campbell in 1878, to Jane Shields, the young woman who supported Eva during her recovery from the ordeal. Ms Shields was Eva’s close companion while she was convalescing at Glenample Homestead. The friendship between the two women continued after Eva Carmichael returned to her home in Britain, became Mrs Townsend, and had three sons. Jane Shields also married, becoming Mrs John Osborne and bearing four daughters and two sons. In 1926-27, almost forty-eight years after the shipwreck, one of Jane’s daughters (Ella Marie Schulz nee Osborne) visited Eva in England. Eva gave her the tea set to take back home to her mother. Jane died in 1932 and her tea set was inherited by her daughters, who divided it between themselves, a four-piece place setting for each of them. This blue china tea set, comprising a teacup, saucer and two plates, is of high significance as it is closely connected to the wreck of the Loch Ard, and one of only two survivors, Eva Carmichael. Memorabilia connected to Eva Carmichael are precious and rare. The Loch Ard shipwreck is significant for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collection gives a snapshot of history, enabling us to interpret the story of this tragic event and the lives of the people involved. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allow us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collection's historical significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history. Plate; this plate is part of a ceramic tea set place setting, comprising a cup, saucer and two plates of slightly different sizes. The plate is a royal blue colour with a gold rim.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, ceramic tea set, plate, tea set, royal blue china, eva carmichael, jane shields, glenample, loch ard, place setting, coffee cup plate -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Ceramic - Plate, 1920s
This plate is part of a four-piece place setting, comprising a teacup, saucer and plates, from a tea set. The tea set was given by Eva Carmichael, one of only two survivors of the ship Loch Ard which was wrecked near Port Campbell in 1878, to Jane Shields, the young woman who supported Eva during her recovery from the ordeal. Ms Shields was Eva’s close companion while she was convalescing at Glenample Homestead. The friendship between the two women continued after Eva Carmichael returned to her home in Britain, became Mrs Townsend, and had three sons. Jane Shields also married, becoming Mrs John Osborne and bearing four daughters and two sons. In 1926-27, almost forty-eight years after the shipwreck, one of Jane’s daughters (Ella Marie Schulz nee Osborne) visited Eva in England. Eva gave her the tea set to take back home to her mother. Jane died in 1932 and her tea set was inherited by her daughters, who divided it between themselves, a four-piece place setting for each of them. This blue china tea set, comprising a teacup, saucer and two plates, is of high significance as it is closely connected to the wreck of the Loch Ard, and one of only two survivors, Eva Carmichael. Memorabilia connected to Eva Carmichael are precious and rare. The Loch Ard shipwreck is significant for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collection gives a snapshot of history, enabling us to interpret the story of this tragic event and the lives of the people involved. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allow us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collection's historical significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history.Plate; this plate is part of a ceramic tea set place setting, comprising a cup, saucer and two plates of slightly different sizes. The plate is a royal blue colour with a gold rim.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, ceramic tea set, plate, tea set, royal blue china, eva carmichael, jane shields, glenample, loch ard, place setting -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Photograph - Portrait, Burlington, Jane Osborne nee Shields, 1870's to 1923
This photograph of Jane Shields was taken at the Burlington Studio, Melbourne in the late 19th to early 20th century. Jane Shields became friends with Eva Carmichael in 1878, a friendship that continued throughout their lives. The item was created by layering fabric glued onto card, the the oval-cut photograph blued onto the fabric. A tea set was given by Eva Carmichael, a survivor of the ship Loch Ard which was wrecked near Port Campbell in 1878, to Jane Shields, who was the young woman who supported Eva during her recovery from the ordeal. Jane was Eva’s close companion while she was convalescing at Glenample Homestead. The friendship between the two women continued after Eva Carmichael returned to her home in Britain, became Mrs Townsend, and had three sons. Jane Shields also married, becoming Mrs John Osborne and bearing four daughters and two sons. In 1926-27, almost forty-eight years after the shipwreck, one of Jane’s daughters (Ella Marie Schulz nee Osborne) visited Eva in England. Eva gave her the tea set to take back home to her mother. Jane died in 1932 and her tea set was inherited by her daughters, who divided it between themselves, a four-piece place setting for each of them. This photograph of Jane Osborne nee Shields is significant for its connection with Eva Carmichael and the wreck of the Loch Ard in 1878. Memorabilia connected to Eva Carmichael are precious and rare. The shipwreck of the Loch Ard itself is of significance for Victoria and is registered on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 417). Flagstaff Hill has a varied collection of artefacts from Loch Ard and its collection is significant for being one of the largest accumulations of artefacts from this notable Victorian shipwreck. The collection gives a snapshot of history, enabling us to interpret the story of this tragic event and the lives of the people involved. The collection is also archaeologically significant as it represents aspects of Victoria's shipping history that allow us to interpret Victoria's social and historical themes of the time. The collection's historical significance is that it is associated unfortunately with the worst and best-known shipwreck in Victoria's history.Photograph; studio portrait of the upper torso of a female. The photograph has been has been cut into an oval shape, glued on rectangular fabric that was already glued onto card. The woman is wearing a light-coloured jacket, white blouse and bow tie. The figure is Jane Osbourne, nee Jane Shields, a friend of Eva Carmichael. An inscription is handwritten on the matt card. Burlington, Melbourne, produced the photograph."Burlington, Melb." flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, china tea set, tea cup, tea set, royal blue china, eva carmichael, jane shields, glenample, loch ard, place setting, eva townsend, jane osborne -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Wood Sample, about 1871
This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Triangular shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Wood Sample, About 1871
This piece of timber from the ship Eric the Red has been eaten through by the marine animals called Teredo Worms, sometimes called sea worms or ‘termites of the sea’. The worms bore holes into wood that is immersed in sea water and bacteria inside the worms digest the wood. Shipbuilders tried to prevent this problem by using coatings of tar, wax, lead or pitch. In the 18th and 19th centuries the outside of their ships were sheathed in copper or a combination of copper and zinc (called Muntz metal) and would be re-metalled periodically to ensure the sheathing would remain effective. In more recent times the ships are protected with a toxic coating. The American ship Eric the Red was a wooden, three masted clipper ship. She had 1,580 tons register and was the largest full-rigged ship built at Bath, Maine, USA in 1871. She was built and registered by Arthur Sewall, later to become the partnership E. & A. Sewall, the 51st ship built by this company. The annually-published List of Merchant Vessels of the U.S. shows Bath was still the home port of Eric the Red in 1880. The vessel was named after the Viking discoverer, Eric ‘the Red-haired’ Thorvaldsson , who was the first European to reach the shores of North America (in 980AD). The ship Eric the Red at first traded in coal between America and Britain, and later traded in guano nitrates from South America. In 1879 she was re-metalled and was in first class condition. On 10th June 1880 (some records say 12th June) Eric the Red departed New York for Melbourne and then Sydney. She had been commissioned by American trade representatives to carry a special cargo of 500 exhibits (1400 tons) – about a quarter to a third of America’s total exhibits - for the U.S.A. pavilion at Melbourne’s first International Exhibition. The exhibits included furniture, ironmongery, wines, chemicals, dental and surgical instruments, paper, cages, bronze lamp trimmings, axles, stamped ware, astronomical and time globes, samples of corn and the choicest of leaf tobacco. Other general cargo included merchandise such as cases of kerosene and turpentine, brooms, Bristol's Sarsaparilla, Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, Wheeler’s thresher machine, axe handles and tools, cases of silver plate, toys, pianos and organs, carriages and Yankee notions. The Eric the Red left New York under the command of Captain Zaccheus Allen (or some records say Captain Jacques Allen) and 24 other crew including the owner’s son third mate Ned Sewall. There were also 2 saloon passengers on board. The ship had been sailing for an uneventful 85 days and the voyage was almost at its end. As Eric the Red approached Cape Otway there was a moderate north-west wind and hazy and overcast atmosphere. On 4th September 1880 at about 1:30am Captain Allen sighted the Cape Otway light and was keeping the ship 5-6 miles offshore to stay clear of the hazardous Otway Reef. However he had badly misjudged his position. The ship hit the Otway Reef about 2 miles out to sea, south west of the Cape Otway light station. Captain Allen ordered the wheel to be put ‘hard up’ thinking that she might float off the reef. The sea knocked the helmsman away from the wheel, broke the wheel ropes and carried away the rudder. The lifeboats were swamped, the mizzenmast fell, with all of its rigging, then the mainmast also fell and the ship broke in two. Some said that the passenger Vaughan, who was travelling for his health and not very strong, was washed overboard and never seen again. The ship started breaking up. The forward house came adrift with three of the crew on it as well as a longboat, which the men succeeded in launching and keeping afloat by continually bailing with their sea boots. The captain, the third mate (the owner’s son) and others clung to the mizzenmast in the sea. Then the owner’s son was washed away off the mast. Within 10 minutes the rest of the ship was in pieces, completely wrecked, with cargo and wreckage floating in the sea. The captain encouraged the second mate to swim with him to the deckhouse where there were other crew but the second mate wouldn’t go with him. Eventually the Captain made it to the deckhouse and the men pulled him up. At about 4:30am the group of men on the deckhouse saw the lights of a steamer and called for help. At the same time they noticed the second mate and the other man had drifted nearby, still on the spur, and pulled them both onto the wreck. The coastal steamer SS Dawn was returning to Warrnambool from Melbourne, its sailing time different to its usual schedule. She was built in 1876 and bought by the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co. in 1877. At the time of this journey she was commanded by Captain Jones, and was sailing between Melbourne and Portland via Warrnambool. The provedore of the Dawn, Benjamin Lear, heard cries of distress coming through the portholes of the saloon. He gave the alarm and the engines were stopped. Cries could be heard clearly, coming from the land. Captain Jones sent out crew in two boats, and fired off rockets and blue lights to illuminate the area. They picked up the three survivors who were in the long boat from Eric the Red. Two men were picked up out of the water, one being the owner’s son who was clinging to floating kerosene boxes. At daylight the Dawn then rescued the 18 men from the floating portion of the deckhouse, which had drifted about 4 miles from where they’d struck the reef. Shortly after the rescue the deckhouse drifted onto breakers and was thrown onto rocks at Point Franklin, about 2 miles east of Cape Otway. Captain Jones had signalled to Cape Otway lighthouse the number of the Eric the Red and later signalled that there was a wreck at Otway Reef but there was no response from the lighthouse. The captain and crew of the Dawn spent several more hours searching unsuccessfully for more survivors, even going back as far as Apollo Bay. On board the Dawn the exhausted men received care and attention to their needs and wants, including much needed clothing. Captain Allen was amongst the 23 battered and injured men who were rescued and later taken to Warrnambool for care. Warrnambool’s mayor and town clerk offered them all hospitality, the three badly injured men going to the hospital for care and others to the Olive Branch Hotel, then on to Melbourne. Captain Allen’s leg injury prevented him from going ashore so he and three other men travelled on the Dawn to Portland. They were met by the mayor who also treated them all with great kindness. Captain Allen took the train back to Melbourne then returned to America. Those saved were Captain Zaccheus Allen (or Jacques Allen), J. Darcy chief mate, James F. Lawrence second mate, Ned Sewall third mate and owner’s son, John French the cook, C. Nelson sail maker, Clarence W. New passenger, and the able seamen Dickenson, J. Black, Denis White, C. Herbert, C. Thompson, A. Brooks, D. Wilson, J. Ellis, Q. Thompson, C. Newman, W. Paul, J. Davis, M. Horenleng, J. Ogduff, T. W. Drew, R. Richardson. Four men had lost their lives; three of them were crew (Gus Dahlgreen ship’s carpenter, H. Ackman steward, who drowned in his cabin, and George Silver seaman) and one a passenger (J. B. Vaughan). The body of one of them had been found washed up at Cape Otway and was later buried in the lighthouse cemetery; another body was seen on an inaccessible ledge. Twelve months later the second mate James F. Lawrence, from Nova Scotia, passed away in the Warrnambool district; an obituary was displayed in the local paper. Neither the ship, nor its cargo, was insured. The ship was worth about £15,000 and the cargo was reportedly worth £40,000; only about £2,000 worth had been recovered. Cargo and wreckage washed up at Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Western Port and according to some reports, even as far away as the beaches of New Zealand. The day after the wreck the government steam ship Pharos was sent from Queenscliff to clear the shipping lanes of debris that could be a danger to ships. The large midship deckhouse of the ship was found floating in a calm sea near Henty Reef. Items such as an American chair, a ladder and a nest of boxes were all on top of the deckhouse. As it was so large and could cause danger to passing ships, Captain Payne had the deckhouse towed towards the shore just beyond Apollo Bay. Between Apollo Bay and Blanket Bay the captain and crew of Pharos collected Wheeler and Wilson sewing machines, nests of boxes, bottles of Bristol’s sarsaparilla, pieces of common American chairs, axe handles, a Wheelers’ Patent thresher and a sailor’s trunk with the words “A. James” on the front. A ship’s flag-board bearing the words “Eric the Red” was found on the deckhouse; finally those on board the Pharos had the name of the wrecked vessel. During this operation Pharos came across the government steamer Victoria and also a steamer S.S. Otway, both of which were picking up flotsam and wreckage. A whole side of the hull and three large pieces of the other side of the hull, with some of the copper sheathing stripped off, had floated on to Point Franklin. Some of the vessels yards and portions of her masts were on shore. The pieces of canvas attached to the yards and masts confirmed that the vessel had been under sail. The beach there was piled with debris several feet high. There were many cases of Diamond Oil kerosene, labelled R. W. Cameron and Company, New York. There were also many large planks of red pine, portions of a small white boat and a large, well-used oar. Other items found ashore included sewing machines (some consigned to ‘Long and Co.”) and notions, axe and scythe handles, hay forks, wooden pegs, rolls of wire (some branded “T.S” and Co, Melbourne”), kegs of nails branded “A.T. and Co.” from the factory of A. Field and Son, Taunton, Massachusetts, croquet balls and mallets, buggy fittings, rat traps, perfumery, cutlery and Douay Bibles, clocks, bicycles, chairs, a fly wheel, a cooking stove, timber, boxes, pianos, organs and a ladder. (Wooden clothes pegs drifted in for many years). There seemed to be no personal luggage or clothing. The Pharos encountered a long line, about one and a half miles, of floating wreckage about 10 miles off land, south east of Cape Otway, and in some places about 40 feet wide. It seemed that more than half of it was from Eric the Red. The ship’s crew rescued 3 cases that were for the Melbourne Exhibition and other items from amongst the debris. There were also chairs, doors, musical instruments, washing boards, nests of trunks and fly catchers floating in the sea. Most of the goods were saturated and smelt of kerosene. A section of the hull lies buried in the sand at Parker River Beach. An anchor with chain is embedded in the rocks east of Point Franklin and a second anchor, thought to be from Eric the Red, is on display at the Cape Otway light station. (There is a photograph of a life belt on the verandah of Rivernook Guest House in Princetown with the words “ERIC THE RED / BOSTON”. This is rather a mystery as the ship was registered in Bath, Maine, USA.) Parts of the ship are on display at Bimbi Park Caravan Park and at Apollo Bay Museum. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village also has part of the helm (steering wheel), a carved wooden sword (said to be the only remaining portion of the ship’s figurehead; further research is currently being carried out), a door, a metal rod, several samples of wood and a medal for bravery, awarded to Nelson Johnson, a crew member of the S.S. Dawn by the U.S. President, for the rescue of the crew. Much of the wreckage was recovered by the local residents before police and other authorities arrived at the scene. Looters went to great effort to salvage goods, being lowered down the high cliff faces to areas with little or no beach to collect items from the wreckage, their mates above watching out for dangerous waves. A Tasmanian newspaper reports on a court case in Stawell, Victoria, noting a man who was caught 2 months later selling tobacco from the wreckage of Eric the Red. Some of the silverware is still treasured by descendants of Mr Mackenzie who was given these items by officials for his help in securing the cargo. The gifts included silver coffee and tea pots, half a dozen silver serviette rings and two sewing machines. A Mr G.W. Black has in his possession a medal and a purse that were awarded to his father, another Dawn crew member who was part of the rescue team. The medal is inscribed and named “To John Black ….” (from “Shipwrecks” by Margaret E. Mackenzie, 3rd edition, published 1964). The wreck and cargo were sold to a Melbourne man who salvaged a quantity of high quality tobacco and dental and surgical instruments. Timbers from the ship were salvaged and used in the construction of houses and sheds around Apollo Bay, including a guest house, Milford House (since burnt down in bushfires), which had furniture, fittings and timber on the dining room floor from the ship. A 39.7 foot long trading ketch, the Apollo, was also built from its timbers by Mr Burgess in 1883 and subsequently used in Tasmanian waters. It was the first attempt at ship building in Apollo bay. In 1881 a red light was installed about 300 feet above sea level at the base of the Cape Otway lighthouse to warn ships when they were too close to shore; It would not be visible unless a ship came within 3 miles from it. This has proved to be an effective warning. Nelson Johnson, recipient of the medal for bravery, married Elizabeth Howard in 1881 and they had 10 children. They lived in South Melbourne, Victoria. Nelson died in 1922 in Fitzroy Victoria, age 66. In 1895 the owners of the S.S. Dawn, the Portland and Belfast Steam Navigation Co., wound up and sold out to the Belfast Company who took over the Dawn for one year before selling her to Howard Smith. She was condemned and sunk in Suva in 1928. The State Library of Victoria has a lithograph in its collection depicting the steamer Dawn and the shipwrecked men, titled. "Wreck of the ship Eric the Red, Cape Otway: rescue of the crew by the Dawn".The wood (timber) sample is listed on the Collections Australia Database, Heritage Victoria, number 239 00010 A “The Eric the Red is historically significant as one of Victoria's major 19th century shipwrecks. (Heritage Victoria Eric the Red; HV ID 239) The wreck led to the provision of an additional warning light placed below the Cape Otway lighthouse to alert mariners to the location of Otway Reef. The site is archaeologically significant for its remains of a large and varied cargo and ship's fittings being scattered over a wide area. The site is recreationally and aesthetically significant as it is one of the few sites along this coast where tourists can visit identifiable remains of a large wooden shipwreck, and for its location set against the background of Cape Otway, Bass Strait, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.“ (Victorian Heritage Database Registration Number S239, Official Number 8745 USA) Wood sample from the wreck of the ship Eric the Red. Oblong shaped, full of sea worm (Teredo worm) holes. The wood is dark in colour and is very light in weight. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwreck-artefact, eric-the-red, zaccheus-allen, sewall, 1880, melbourne-exhibition, cape-otway, otway-reef, wood-sample, s.s.-dawn