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Ballarat Tramway Museum
Newspaper, The Courier Ballarat, Geelong tram extensions, early 1940's
Newspaper clipping from The Courier, early 1940's about the Melbourne Electric Lighting Co. notifying the Councils that it is prepared to extend the tram to North Geelong and run trams to Belmont and Highton when the new bridge is erected across the Barwon after the war. Item opposite a an advertisement "Don't be caught in a Blackout" - no date on the cutting. Item was contained within the back cover of Reg Item 5485 - Service Exercise Book, black covers, with label, red binding titled "No. 2 - Ballarat Tramways & S.E.C. Systems" - see list. On the rear of the cutting are numerous public notices for Ballarat. geelong -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about SEC Tram No. 35 in the late 1950's and the activities at a terminus.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 35 at the Lydiard St Nth terminus, with the crew changing the poles and a lady with a polka dot skirt walking nearby. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, lydiard st nth, tram 35 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about SEC Tram No. 36 in the late 1950's and the railway level crossing at Ballarat station.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 36 crossing the level crossing at the Ballarat Railway station with the signalling mast and Reid's Coffee Palace in the background. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, lydiard st nth, railway, level crossings, tram 36 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about SEC Tram No. 30 in the 1950's in bound along Ripon St on the View Point Line.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 30 in Ripon St, in bound to the City of the View Point line. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Has the houses either side of the street in view. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, ripon st, view point, tram 30 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about the depot and trams 20 and 36 in the late 1950's.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 36 on No. 2 road at the depot and No. 20 on 0 road at the depot. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Has the houses either side of the street in view. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, depot, tram 20, tram 36 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about 27 at the Sebastopol terminus in the late 1950's.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 27 at the Sebastopol terminus, with the pole turned and ready for the trip back to Lydiard St North. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Has the houses either side of the street in view. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, sebastopol, tram 27 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about No. 30 and the Albert St road crossing in the late 1950's, in particular the road surface and the buildings.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 30 crossing Albert St Sebastopol, with the destination of Sebastopol - in particular the road surface and the buildings. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Has the houses either side of the street in view. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, sebastopol, albert st, tram 30 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about No. 38 and the intersection at Drummond St South and Sturt. St.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No. 38 turning from Sturt St into Drummond St South, with the destination of Sebastopol. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, sebastopol, drummond st sth, sturt st, tram 38 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about Bridge St shopping area late 1950's and the motor cars in the street at the time.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC No.41 in bound in Bridge St, with the destination of Gardens via Drummond Nth. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, bridge st, tram 41 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about city terminus, south side with the Town Hall in the background in the late 1950's.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC trams 26 and 38 at the City terminus, south side with the Town Hall in the background, advertising the Begonia Festival. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Note the SEC termination box on the corner of the pavement. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, town hall, begonia festival, sturt st, city, tram 26, tram 38 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about the Grenville St intersection in the background in particular the shops on the corner in the late 1950's.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC trams tram 30 in the loop and two other single truckers at the Grenville St stop. Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Note the SE Dickins store on the north side, with the hotel on south side. Dickins later moved to the south side. Morsheads sign in photo as well as Grey's cigarettes. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, grenville st, sturt st, bridge st, city loop, tram 30 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Digital image, Late 1950's
Yields information the appearance and details about No. 35 crossing the railway level crossing.Digital scan from the Ben Parle collection of SEC 35 crossing the railway level crossing, south bound with the destination of Sebastopol . Photo 1950's or early 1960 prior to introduction of dash canopy lighting. Photo received with the Ben Parle slides 09/2004. trams, tramways, lydiard st nth, level crossings, tram 35 -
Otway Districts Historical Society
Book, Lothian Custom Publishing, The redwoods of the Otway Ranges. Roger Smith, January 2015
This book is the remarkable story of the world's tallest tree species, the Redwood, growing in the Great Otway National Park in Victoria's south-west. It was originally planted by Victorian foresters for experimental purposes on land abandoned by the early settlers. The Coast Redwood, native of California, is now thrives in the Otways alongside the famous eucalypt, the towering Mountain Ash. The majestic Otway Redwoods, still in their youthful growth phase, have withstood adversity caused by fire, landslide, lighting and chainsaws, while the ongoing political debate about the conservation of the valuable forest resources continues.The redwoods of the Otway Ranges. Roger B. Smith. Lothian Custom Publishing; Middle Park (Vic); 2015. ii, 202 p.; illus., maps, appendices, notes. IBSN 978 1 921737 13 8. Soft cover.With best wishes from Roger Smith. -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Postcard - Folder Set, Nu-color-vue or Nucolorvue Productions, "Ballarat the Begonia City", early 1960s
Published by Nucolorvue Productions of Moorabbin Vic. Features photos the Imperial Crown at the Shell House, Ballarat Post Office, looking west up Sturt St with a number of trams in the City Loop. It would appear that the trams have been fitted with dash canopy lightings which dates the photo to early 1960s to mid 1960s. As well Eureka Stockade, Civic Hall, Lake Wendouree, Bridge St from Stones Corner that shows the tramway overhead and signals, Arch of Victory, Sturt St Statuary and Gardens, Begonia House, The Gardens and the Floral Clock with the Town or City Hall. Demonstrates a postcard folder produced by Nucolorvue.Printed colour postcard folder titled "Ballarat The Begonia City", featuring a photo of begonias on the cover and an address box on the rear of the folder.sturt st, city loop, postcards, gardens, lake wendouree, begonias, eureka stockade, shell house -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Black and White photograph - laminated, Jim Parker, early 1960s
Photograph of SEC No. 12, with dash canopy lighting, but small white stripe, at Victoria St. terminus in early 1960's. Conductor turning pole, with a large number of passengers about to board, including one pram. On a Sunday afternoon? Tram has a 'Twin Lakes, every Sunday' sign on front. Large trees in background. Image on data base file, made from digital photo of photo 22/6/02, replaced with hi res scan of neg 9-5-2020. trams, tramways, ballarat, secv, victoria st., tram 12 -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Slide - 35mm slide/s, early 60's
Bendigo Birneys 28 and 29 in Pall Mall at Charing Cross, no date. Safety zone for passengers has been provided and both trams have been fitted with dash canopy lighting and full striping. Both trams have 'Briquettes' roof advertisements. Early 1960'sniltramways, trams, bendigo, birney, charing cross, tram 28, tram 29 -
Kew Historical Society Inc
Programme, Kew Arts Festival, 1947
Arthur Henry Dear was an employee of the City of Kew, acting as Hall Keeper of the Kew Recreation Hall in Wellington Street, and later the new Kew City Hall in Cotham Road. The Arthur Dear Collection contains memorabilia - tickets, programmes, invitations - as well as his identification badge. Items in the collection dates from the 1940s to the 1960s. Important local arts festival initiated during the Second World War and continuing till the early 1950s. The souvenir programmes produced for successive festivals are historically and artistically significant records of visual and performing arts practice in Melbourne during this period.Souvenir programme for the Kew Arts Festival, held in the Kew Recreation Hall in 1947. The Festival was sponsored by the City of Kew. The Arts Festival featured art, music and ballet. 14pp.Annotations in the programme record lighting requirements. arthur dear collection, performing arts -- kew -- victoria, kew recreation hall -- wellington street, theatre memorabilia, visual arts -- kew (vic.), kew arts festival -
Mont De Lancey
Functional object, Lamp - Kerosene
... Lamps Lighting Equipment lamps An early 20th Century glass ...Used in the early 20th CenturyAn early 20th Century glass and rusted tin "hurricane" lamp with three wire curved horizontal bands protecting the clear chimney glass. This is a portable lantern with an oil tank at the bottom that forms the base of the lamp. The tank is filled through a metal tube with a screw top lid and it also houses a wick and knob that increases or decreases the length of the wick.lantens, kerosene lamps, lighting equipment, lamps -
Mont De Lancey
Functional object - Lamp - Kerosene, Early 20th century
... Lighting Equipment Lanterns An early 20th Century glass and rusted ...Used in the early 20th CenturyAn early 20th Century glass and rusted tin "hurricane" lamp with curved wire protecting the clear chimney glass. This is a portable lantern with an oil tank at the bottom that forms the base of the lamp. The tank is filled through a metal tube with a screw top lid and it also houses a wick and knob that increases or decreases the length of the wick.lamps, kerosene lamps, lighting equipment, lanterns -
Tarnagulla History Archive
Box of Donald Clark's Research Notes, Donald Clark's Research Notes, circa 1960s-2000s
Donald Clark Collection. Blue-grey archive box containing research notes of Donald Clark. Within this set are multiple archival folders with the following subject matter: Hotels Gold, prospecting & mining Peace Picnic Street lighting Churches Cemetery Poems Shire of Bet Bet Chinese Clubs Police Transport Local businesses/premises Local people Post Offices Previous history work / previous history enquiries Back To Tarnagulla events Victoria Theatre / Entertainment Schools Water and waterways Early town Mapping and geography Photocopies of photos Miscellaneous Rail Link Centenary Newbridge Eddington Waanyarra Bet bet (town) Llanelly Murphy's Creek / Irishtown Laanecoorie Military Service Fire Brigade Tarnagulla Landmarks / Places of Interest Family Histories Births, Deaths, Marriage info Transcript of St. Saviour's Records A plastic pocket containing duplicate copies of local history images held elsewhere in the collection. The contents of these files were research notes compiled by Donald Clark from his local history research about Tarnagulla and district. tarnagulla & district, donald clark, research -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Set of Three Railway Signal Lamps, c. late 1800s - early 1900s
These types of metal and glass railway signalling lamps were used for communication, safety and lighting by train guards, shunters and signalmen, as well as station staff in the late 1880s to the early 1900s. They were hand operated and used fuel such as kerosene.The three railway signalling lamps have local significance as a set donated by a resident of Wodonga who worked for the Victorian Railways, as well as national significance as examples of the communication and safety equipment used by the railways in Australia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.Set of three painted black metal and glass railway signal lamps used for various purposes during train journeys. The largest signal lamp has circular blue and red glass filters and a turning mechanism on the top under the handle. "A y" on a small copper plate on one side of the largest signal lamp - Lamp 1.railway lamps, signalling lamp, train signal lamps -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Railway Signal Lamp, c. late 1800s - early 1900s
Metal and glass railway signalling lamps were used for communication, safety and lighting by train guards, shunters and signalmen, as well as station staff in the late 1880s to the early 1900s. They were hand operated and used fuel such as kerosene.The railway signal lamp has local significance as part of a set of three lamps donated by a resident of Wodonga who worked for the Victorian Railways. It also has national significance as an example of communication and safety equipment used by the railways in Australia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.Exterior casing of a black painted metal railway signal lamp with circular blue and red glass filters and a turning mechanism on the top under a circular handle. Small copper plate with the letters "A y" stamped on it, on one side of the lamp. "A y"railway lamps, signalling lamp, train signal lamps -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Railway Signal Lamp, 1917
Metal and glass railway signalling lamps were used for communication, safety and lighting by train guards, shunters and signalmen, as well as station staff in the late 1880s to the early 1900s. They were hand operated and used fuel such as kerosene.The railway signal lamp has local significance as part of a set of three lamps donated by a resident of Wodonga who worked for the Victorian Railways. It also has national significance as an example of communication and safety equipment used by the railways in Australia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.Black painted metal signal lamp with a circular metal cover over a clear glass disk at the front and an elongated oval shaped handle at the back. The circular metal cover has a vertical slit in it. There is an inscription on the top of the lamp with the date 1917 and the company name "Eli Griffiths & Sons, Birmingham"."ELI GRIFFITHS & SONS / 1917 / BIRMINGHAM"railway lamps, signalling lamp, train signal lamps, railway equipment -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Functional object - Railway Signal Lamp, 1901
These types of metal and glass railway signal lamps were used for communication, safety and lighting by train guards, shunters and signalmen, as well as station staff in the late 1880s to the early 1900s. They were hand operated and used fuel such as kerosene.The railway signal lamp has local significance as part of a set of three lamps donated by a resident of Wodonga who worked for the Victorian Railways. It also has national significance as an example of communication and safety equipment used by the railways in Australia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.Black painted metal signal lamp with a clear glass lens secured at the front and one thin elongated oval shaped handle showing at the back. The metal appears to be tin plated iron under the black paint layer. There is an oval plate with an embossed inscription on the proper left side of the lamp that is partly covered by the door at the front which holds the clear glass lens. The inscription includes the date 1901."...NARIPPINGILLE STOVE / CO LTD 1901 / PATENT...S & / ...NUFACTURERS / RMINGHAM" on an oval shaped plate on the proper left side, which is partly covered by the door with the clear glass lens.railways wodonga, victorian railways -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Postcard, Rose Stereograph Co, "St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne", early 1940s
Rose Series postcard No. P 657, titled "St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne". Photo shows two southbound trams, A W2 class car, possible bound for Toorak on route 8, followed by W3 class car at the Flinders Street stop in Swanston Street. Traffic lights for this intersection can be seen attached to street lighting and overhead pole. All the trams have the war time white strip under the driver's windows and the part white bumper bar. The photo appears to have been taken from the dome of the Flinders Street Railway station.Yields information about St Paul's Cathedral and tram services, early 1940s.Postcard - printed real photograph with Rose Stereograph Co. name on the rear. Two copies held.tramways, trams, w2 class, swanston st, st paul's cathedral, flinders st, w3 class, world war ii -
Lakes Entrance Historical Society
Photograph, Holding M, 2006
Property and subdivision believed to have been done by Bill and Kaye Reddenbach.Colour photograph of early stage of residential development showing roadways formed through property, drainage pipes placed ready for installation, street lighting in place. Photograph taken from school, looking east. Swan Reach Victorialand development, housing -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Artwork, other - Shipwreck Board, The Eye of the Needle: Shipwrecks, Stranding's and Collisions, ca 2002
The Shipwreck Board is a feature of Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village/ its subject is explained briefly in the Museum's handbook, The Flagstaff Hill Navigator, published in 2008: - "Known as the ‘Eye of the Needle’ the treacherous entrance to Bass Strait is littered with the wreckage of large international vessels and smaller sail and steam craft used in coastal trade. The vessels bringing emigrants and cargo to Australia found the western entrance to Bass Strait the most dangerous part of their voyage. They had to thread their way between the southern point of Victoria (Cape Otway) and the northern point of King Island, a stretch of water less than 90 km wide. Many smaller coastal vessels were lost at Portland, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Apollo Bay which are not safe harbours in certain weather conditions. "The Shipwreck Board shows shipwrecks, strandings and collisions which occurred in this area up to the year 1940. Wrecks are identified by a yellow light and collisions/strandings by a green light. These lights also identify the decade the wreck occurred by lighting up when the relevant decade button is pushed. Interesting happenings of the decades are listed next to the buttons." The Shipwreck Board's demonstration of The Eye of the Needle is an interactive visual display that helps teach the perils and dangers faced by early settlers in Victoria. It tells of the vast number of lives lost. It lists the names of many infamous shipwrecks and significant events.The large stained and lacquered timber board is mounted in a timber, frame. It is painted with a small sketch of Australia, and an enlarged outline of the southern coast of Victoria, King Island and the North West coast of Tasmania. The interactive display highlights the shipwrecks, standings and collisions suffered by many vessels as they navigated the 'Eye of the Needle', a narrow stretch of Bass Strait. The locations of the Lighthouses are pinpointed. Lists of groups of ships are below the coastlines. A painted scroll shows eight major shipwrecks with the number of lives lost for each one. A table shows historical facts associated with the decades from pre-1830 to 1940. A system of coloured lights compares the decades with the vessels that suffered damage. The board was created by artist and signwriter, Alex O'Flynn Computer Signs.flagstaff hill, maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck coast, eye of the needle, shipwreck locations, bass strait, basses strait, king island, north west tasmania, south coast of victoria, cape otway, victorian lighthouse, king island lighthouse, strandings, coastal tracers, emigrant ships, sea trade, 1930s-1940s, shipwreck board, the eye of the needle, collosions, alex o'flynn, alex o’flynn computer signs, shipwrecks of western victoria -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Vehicle - BICYCLE LIGHT
Francis Powell (1861-) and Francis Hanmer (1858-1925) founded Powell and Hanmer Ltd in the Summer of 1885 for the manufacturer of bike and carriage lamps. Their first advertisements began to appear in November of 1885. Early models of the automobile, motorbike and bicycles used carbide lamps as headlamps. Acetylene gas, derived from carbide, enabled early automobiles to drive safely at night. Thick concave mirrors combined with magnifying lenses projected the acetylene flame light. These type of lights were used until reliable batteries and dynamos became available, and manufacturers switched to electric lights.Acetylene bicycle light carbide. Green and red side lens. 200 cm High. Inscription Powell & Hanmer Birmingham. Previous Catalogue Number 112.lighting, accessories, bicycle light -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale Rib Bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The British were not interested. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Baleen, or "Whalebone" The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Baleen whales do not have teeth. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone during the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries was an important industry providing an important commodity. Whales from these times provided everything from lighting & machine oils to using the animal's bones for use in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and many other everyday items then in use.Whale rib bone with advanced stage of calcification as indicated by brittleness. None.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips, whaleling industry, maritime fishing, whalebone -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Photograph - MMTB SW6 Class Tram 850, Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB), 1939
Photograph of the first SW6 class tram built by Preston Workshops. Note the dash canopy lighting, tail lamp and the sign "This is you car Use It"Tram 850 was the first SW6 built by MMTB 1n 1939, and featured sliding doors. Some earlier class trams were retrofitted with sliding doors.MMTB SW6 Class Tram 850, possibly photographed at South Melbourne Depottramcars, tramways, sw6 class, tram 850, dash canopy lighting