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Federation University Historical Collection
Letter, Richard W. Richards et al, Correspondence with Dick Richards, 1956-7
Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antartica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antarctic Exploration Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrote in 1984 'Your incredible journey of almost 2000 miles across the Antarctic Wastelands - involving some 9 months in the field with makeshift equipment - and you're adherence to duty in the face of enormous difficulty, suffering from scurvy, and the death of comrades, will; be an inspiration to your countrymen of the future as it is to us today." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service.Correspondence .1) Dick Richards to the Ross Sea Committee, 06/06/1957 .2) Letter from Wilis N. Tressler to Dick Richards, 21/12/ .3) Letter from Dick Richards to Willis N Tresslerdick richards, r.w. richards, willis tressler, cape evans, mcmurdo sound, u.s.s. glacier agb-4, lettherhead, antarctica, ballarat school of mines principal, captain mackintosh, spencer-smith, hayward, cape royds, mortimer mccarthy -
The Beechworth Burke Museum
Functional object - Lorgnette, no
A lorgnette, in essence, consists of a handle-mounted pair of spectacles. Lorgnettes, which preceded modern opera binoculars, were frequently seen at both theaters and operas during the 19th century. The term "lorgnette" is derived from the French word "lorgner," which means to discreetly observe or gaze. Prior to the 17th century, optical devices were mainly associated with men, however the creation of the lorgnette marked a significant shift as women started to play a more prominent role in the realm of eyewear. The lorgnette piqued women's curiosity and led to the development of various new designs, such as the "jealousy lorgnette." Furthermore, the lorgnette evolved beyond its initial function as a theater or opera accessory and transformed into a practical daily accessory. Initial versions of the lorgnette featured a handle without any joints. Subsequent iterations introduced a hinged handle, and by the 19th century, a spring mechanism was incorporated which enabled the lenses to fold neatly inside the handle, which also doubled as a protective case.The Burke Museum's collection of historical artifacts illuminates Beechworth's past by showcasing the town's social, cultural, and economic dimensions, contributing to a richer understanding of its social history.A pair of spectacles with a decorative handle attached.burke museum, social history, glasses, opera -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Telescope, 1752-1900
The discovery of the first telescope in 1608 can be attributed to Hans Lippershey of the Netherlands when he discovers that holding two lenses up some distance apart bring objects closer. He applies for a patent on his invention and this becomes the first documented creation of a telescope. Then in 1668, Newton produces the first successful reflecting telescope using a two-inch diameter concave spherical mirror. This opened the door to magnifying objects millions of times far beyond what could ever be obtained with a lens. It wasn’t until 1729 that Chester Moor Hall develops an achromatic lens (two pieces of glass with different indices of light refraction combined produce a lens that can focus colours to almost an exact point resulting in much sharper images but still with some distortion around the edges of the image. Then in 1729 Scottish instrument maker James Short invents the first parabolic and elliptic, distortion-less mirror ideal for reflecting telescopes. We now come to John Dollond who improves upon the achromatic objective lens by placing a concave flint glass lens between two convex crown glass lenses. This had the effect of improving the image considerably. Makers Information: John Dollond (1707-1761) London England he was a maker of optical and astronomical instruments who developed an achromatic (non-colour distorting) refracting telescope and practical heliometer. A telescope that used a divided lens to measure the Sun’s diameter and the angles between celestial bodies. The son of a Huguenot refugees Dollond learned the family trade of silk weaving. He became proficient in optics and astronomy and in 1752 his eldest son, Peter joined his father in an optical business, in 1753 he introduced the heliometer. In the same year, he also took out a patent on his new lenses. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in May 1761 but died suddenly in November and his share in the patent passed to his son Peter. In subsequent squabbles between Peter and the many London opticians who challenged his patent, Peter’s consistent position was that, whatever precedents there may have been to his achromatic lenses, his father had independently reached his practical technique on the basis of his theoretical command of Newtonian optics. As a result of maintaining his fathers patent, Dollond s became the leading manufacturer of optical instruments. For a time in the eighteenth and nineteenth century the word 'Dollond' was almost a generic term for telescope rather like 'Hoover; is to vacuum cleaner. Genuine Dollond telescopes were considered to be amongst the best. Peter Dollond (1731-1820) was the business brain behind the company which he founded in Vine Street, Spitalfields in 1750 and in 1752 moved the business to the Strand London. The Dollonds seem to have made both types of telescopes (reflecting and refracting), possessing the technology to produce significant numbers of lenses free of chromatic aberration for refracting telescopes. A Dollond telescope sailed with Captain Cook in 1769 on his voyage to observe the Transit of Venus. Thomas Jefferson and Admiral Lord Nelson were also customers of the Dollonds. Dollond & Co merged with Aitchison & Co in 1927 to form Dollond & Aitchison, the well-known high street chain of opticians, now fully part of Boots Opticians. They no longer manufacture but are exclusively a retail operation. John Dollond's experiments in optics and how different combinations of lenses refract light and colour gave a better understanding of the divergent properties of lenses. That went on to inform and pave the way for the improvement of our understanding of optics that are represented today. Dollond was referred to in his time as the "Father of practical optics" as a leader in his field he received many prestigious awards. The telescope in the collection is a good example of one of Dollonds early library telescopes and its connection with one of England's 18th-century pioneers in optical development is in itself a significant and an important item to have within the collection. One tube ships day & Night Telescope brass inner tube with timber main tube covered in leather. Unavailable to inspect Inscriptions to determine authenticity.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, telescope, dolland, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, royal national life boat institution -
Parks Victoria - Wilsons Promontory Lightstation
Lamp, Aldis
The lamps were pioneered by the British Navy in the late nineteenth century and introduced by the Royal Australian Navy after 1918, and continue to be used to the present day. Manufactured in 1960, the Wilsons Promontory lamp was provided to the lighthouse by the Department of Shipping for signalling ships but was also used for communicating with Cliffy Island, 18 nautical miles away. This type of lamp was renowned for its brilliant light, and lightkeepers from the two lightstations ‘used to practice their signalling with each other, as its effective use was reliant on precise positioning of the scope which is located on top of the lamp’. The inside of the case is imprinted with ‘RAN (Royal Australian Navy), and details on the lamp include a serial number, the date of 1960 and the initials of the Department of Transport, which at that time incorporated the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service. Another Aldis lamp and case with a date of 1960 is held at Cape Nelson and third lamp and case is at Point Hicks; (date unconfirmed but possibly 1943). A fourth lamp and case formerly at Cape Schanck disappeared from the collection sometime between 1995 and 2003.Aldis lamp and case (WPLS 0003.2; likely provenance) The lamps are not rare in museum collections however the Wilsons Promontory example has a confirmed provenance to the lightation and has first level contributory significance as a fine example of the Aldis lamps that were distributed to lightstations throughout Victoria and Australia.1. Handheld black signaling lantern with trigger mechanism. Glass front with inner reflective disc. Black electrical cord is attached with a two pronged plug at the end. 2. Black painted wooden box for transporting lantern. brass catch, leather handle. Grey electrical cord inside plus transformer. Hinged lid. The Aldis lamp is portable, hand held visual signalling lamp with trigger mechanism and inner reflective disk used for optical communication via Morse code. The concave mirror is tilted to focus the light into pulse signals. Larger versions of the lamp are fixed on ships or pedestals and have shutters in front of the device that are opened and closed to transmit signals. Wilsons Promontory’s black metal Aldis lamp and attached electrical cord has a black painted wooden carrying case with metal clasp and leather hand grip.1. On trigger;"AP16413" Around V shaped protrusion attached to lamp "AP197873 / AEI .LTD 59" Beneath screw on face;"AD16415" Inside lamp, under glass;"ADMIRALTY PATTERN 16409 / 5 INCH HAND SIGNALING LANTERN SERIAL No. 212 Year 1960 / AEI PTY LTD SYDNEY" •2. Box. On brass plate below handle."ADMIRALTY PATTERN 16409 / BOX FOR TRANSPORTING LANTERN / PATTERN 16409" Inside box on side of metal insert attached to inside of box;"EXTRA LOW VOLTAGE TRANSFORMER / MADE BY / M.Brodribb, Melbourne/ cat & APP / No v/QR / 1811A / 50 / 60 va / CONT. 55 c / RATIO 240, 12 V TAPS " Top of metal box on sticker;"C of A / D.O.T 143076 / 12 V 5A" On Bakelite plug on metal box;"EXTRA LOW VOLTAGE" -
Parks Victoria - Point Hicks Lightstation
Lamp, Aldis
This portable, hand held visual signalling lamp was used for optical communication via Morse code. It comprises the metal encased Aldis lamp with electrical cord and its associated green-painted, hinged wooden carrying case, which has a metal clasp and leather hand grip. Larger versions of these lamps are fixed on ships or pedestals and have shutters on the front that are opened and closed to transmit signals. Smaller hand held versions like the Point Hicks example have a concave mirror that is tilted to focus the light into pulse signals via a trigger. The lamps were pioneered by the British navy in the late nineteenth century and continue to be used to the present day.317 Details on the Point Hicks lamp include a serial number and other information. Another Aldis lamp and case remaining at Cape Nelson Lightstation dates to 1960 and has the initials of the Department of Transport, which at that time incorporated the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service. Wilsons Promontory also has an Aldis lamp and case that dates from around the same year. A lamp formerly at Cape Schanck has disappeared. The Aldis lamp and associated case at Point Hicks has first level contributory significance for its historic values and provenance to the lightstation. PHLS0007.1 Hand held signal light. Painted metal trigger with attached black electrical leads with battery terminals at end. Inscriptions on metal of lantern. PHLS0007.2 Hinged lid, wooden box painted army green to house signal light. Metal plate with inscription on front of box.PHLS0007.1 "D^D / LANTERN PORTABLE SIGNALLING / ADMIRALITY No 5110D / SERIAL No 5482 YEAR 943 / AMALGAMATED WIRELESS / A ASA LTD / 9792-100" •PHLS0007.2 "20 K4 transporting lantern / admirality pattern no 91108" -
Bendigo Military Museum
Photograph - AUTOMAP 1 Production – Army Survey Regiment, Fortuna, Bendigo, c1980
This collection of five photos was most likely taken in c1980. The AUTOMAP 1 computer assisted cartography and mapping system was introduced in 1975. The components of AUTOMAP 1 were the Input Sub-System of four Wild B8s stereoplotters and three Gradicon digitising tables, the Optical Line Following Sub-System – Gerber OLF, the Verification Sub-System – Gerber 1442 drum plotter, the General Purpose Sub-system – HP21MX computer and the Output Sub-System – Gerber 1232 flatbed plotter). The first map was published in 1978 (Strickland 3665-3, 1:50,000). AUTOMAP 1 was the first computer assisted cartography and mapping system utilised by the Survey Corps and was the first system used by Australian mapping organisations. The history of the AUTOMAP 1 system is covered in more detail with additional historic photographs, in pages 116-118 of Valerie Lovejoy’s book 'Mapmakers of Fortuna – A history of the Army Survey Regiment’ ISBN: 0-646-42120-4. See items 6410.24P, 6122.20P, 6183.19P, 6184.20P and 6222.17P for more photos of the AUTOMAP 1 computer system.This is a set of five photographs of Air Survey Squadron military personnel operating AUTOMAP 1 equipment at the Army Survey Regiment at Fortuna, Bendigo, c1980. Black and white photos are on photographic paper and were scanned at 300 dpi. They are part of the Army Survey Regiment’s Collection. .1) - Photo, black & white, c1980, SGT Cliff Webb operating AUTOMAP 1 terminal. .2) - Photo, black & white, c1980, HP21MX computer General Purpose Sub-system. .3) - Photo, black & white, c1980, Gerber verification drum plotter. .4) and .5) - Photo, black & white, c1980, unidentified personnel operating AUTOMAP 1 terminal. .1P to .5P - No personnel are identified.royal australian survey corps, rasvy, army survey regiment, army svy regt, fortuna, asr, automap 1 -
Federation University Historical Collection
Book - Class Notes, A History of Architecture Grade I by R.D. Fraser, 1948, 1948
R.D. Fraser was a student of the Ballarat Technical Art School, a division of the Ballarat School of Mines. Numerous hand written and hand drawn class notes from from the Ballarat Technical Art School. Topics include: Egyptian Architecture, Greek Architecture (BC300-BC700), Etruscan Architecture (BC750-BC100) and Roman Architecture (BC146-BC365) Early Christian Architecture Images include: Egypt, Great Pyramids, rock cut tombs, catacombs, Egyptian Temples, Development of a Pyramid, Egyptian Construction Methods, Greece, Greek Temples, Sloping Roofs, Doric Temples, Temple of Poseidon, Parthenon, arches, Acropolis Athens, Partenon, Ionic Volute, Propylaea, Erechtheion Athens, Corinthian examples, Greek Theatre, Optical Corrections in Architecture, The Greek House, Temple of Fortuna Virilis Rome, Maison Caree Nimes, Roman Circular Temples, Basilica of Trajan, Column of Trajan, Colosseum Rome, Basilica of Constantine, Roman Arched Structures, Romas Thermae at Romes, Arch and Wall construction, columns, mouldings Clemente Rome, S. Paolo Fuori le Mura Rome, Baptistery of Constantine Rome, S. Constanza Romearchitecture, art history, ballarat technical art school, r.d. fraser, alumni -
Parks Victoria - Cape Nelson Lightstation
Instrument - Lamp, Aldis
This portable, hand held visual signaling lamp, with trigger mechanism and inner reflective disk, was used for optical communication via Morse code, with the concave mirror tilted to focus the light into pulse signals. Larger versions of these lamps are fixed on ships or pedestals and have shutters in front of the light that are opened and closed to transmit signals. Smaller hand held versions like the Cape Nelson example have a concave mirror that is tilted to focus the light into pulse signals, and despite their size the lamps were renowned for their brilliant light. Invented by Arthur C W Aldis (1878‐1953) and pioneered by the British navy in the late nineteenth century, they continue to be used to the present day. Details on the Cape Nelson lamp include a serial number, a date of 1960 and the initials of the Department of Transport, which at that time incorporated the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service. Another lamp of the same date which is held at Wilsons Promontory was provided to the lighthouse by the Department of Shipping for signaling ships but was also used for communicating with Cliffy Island, 18 nautical miles away. Point Hicks also has an Aldis lamp and an associated case, which is painted an army green colour. A fourth lamp and case formerly at Cape Schanck disappeared from the collection sometime between 1995 and 2003. These types of lamps are not rare in museum collections.These types of lamps are not rare in museum collections however the Cape Nelson example has a reliable provenance to the lightstation and has first level contributory significance as a fine example of the Aldis lamps that were distributed to lightstations throughout Victoria and Australia.This object is comprised of a black metal encased Aldis lamp with electrical cord and associated wooden carrying case with metal clasp and red leather hand grip. yes -
Parks Victoria - Gabo Island Lightstation
Tanks, kerosene vaporiser
The heavy twin tanks formerly contained vaporised kerosene which was used as a fuel to light the lantern. Kerosene became available in the 1860s as the oil industry in the United States developed, and vaporised kerosene soon became the most common system of illumination. The kerosene vapour lamp was perfected by Chance Bros. for burning the light in their renowned lenses. The system involved vaporising kerosene under pressure and mixing it with air and then burning the vapour to heat an incandescent mantle. The lamp had to be watched throughout the night in case a mantle broke, and the tanks needed to be maintained by hand-pumping each hour or so. Kerosene tanks like these were developed in the early twentieth century, and kerosene as a fuel was phased out by electricity, with the last kerosene system in Australia eventually replaced in 1985. The wick lamp in Gabo Island’s light was altered to a vaporised incandescent kerosene mantle burner in 1909. They would have been in use until 1935, when the light was electrified and the original first-order lens was replaced by a fourth-order lens. The Gabo Island tanks, which are presumed to be those used in the lighthouse between 1909 and 1935, are not attached to the optical apparatus and are no longer in the lighthouse. They are also missing the pressure gauges that were formerly attached to the top of each cylinder. Cape Schanck has a pair of unattached tanks, which are not historically associated with the lighthouse. Point Hicks has an iron stand that formerly supported its lighthouse oil tanks. Despite their lack of intactness, the Gabo Island tanks have first level contributory significance for their provenance to the lightstation and historic association with the lantern’s original Chance Brothers first order lens, which was removed in 1935Two large green cylinders standing in a metal frame. There is also a pumping mechanism attached to the stand with a wooden handle. -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Manufactured Glass, Pharmacy beaker 'PYREX', 20thC
PYREX is a brand that was introduced by Amory Houghton Sr. (1812-1882) founder of Corning Incorporated in 1915 for a line of clear, low-thermal-expansion borosilicate glass used for laboratory glassware and kitchenware. In 1879 Corning Incorporated developed a bulb-shaped glass encasement for Thomas Edison’s new incandescent lamp. Borosilicate glass was first made by German chemist and glass technologist Otto Schott, founder of Schott AG , Jena , Germany in 1893, 22 years before Corning Inc. produced the PYREX brand. Schott AG sold the product under the name "Duran.".. In 1908, Dr. Eugene Sullivan (1872 - 1962), Director of Research at Corning Glass Works, U.S.A., who had studied in Leipzig, Germany, developed Nonex, a borosilicate low-expansion glass. 1913 Jesse Littleton of Corning Inc. discovered the cooking potential of borosilicate glass by giving his wife a casserole dish made from a cut-down Nonex battery jar. Corning Inc. removed the lead from Nonex, and developed it as a consumer product and Pyrex made its public debut in 1915 during World War I, positioned as an American-produced alternative to the German ‘Duran’. 1952 ‘Corning ware’ ceramic glass was developed by Dr. S.D.Stookey. 1994 Corning received an Award for life- changing, life- enhancing technological inventions that enabled new industries, - lighting, television, optical communications. The PYREX line of highly durable cookware and laboratory glass products are still available today. It is now made of tempered glass.A pharmaceutical clear glass beaker with capacity 300mlPYREX 300pyrex, corning ware, corning incorporated, houghton amory snr, sullivan eugene, littleton jesse, schott otto, jena germany, corning america, glass manufacturers, laboratory glass, cooking, housework, kitchen equipment, pharmacy, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, fibe optics, television, hubble telescope -
City of Moorabbin Historical Society (Operating the Box Cottage Museum)
Manufactured glass, graduated cylinder 10ml, c1948 - 1991
Otto Schott, a chemist and glass engineer, had the vision of uniform production ie making glass items that would resemble one another. At the end of the eighteenth century, with most glass items still created by hand, the quality of output was still a guessing game. Schott was the first to render this an industrial certainty. 1884 Otto Schott, Ernst Abbe and Carl and Roderich Zeiss found the Schott & Associates Glass Technology Laboratory in Jena, Germany. Glastechnisches Laboratorium Schott & Gen was born. Production started in 1886. The following year, a crucial discovery was made: borosilicate, a heat and chemically resistant glass.By it’s 25th year anniversary, the company had grown from an experimental glass factory into an internationally renowned manufacturer of optical and industrial glasses. Soon to be added was fiolax, tube-shaped glass used for vials, ampoules and syringes thus allowing the company to play a significant role in supplying Europe's nascent pharmaceutical industry. During WW2 Company was taken over for military use, and in 1945 given to the Russians as East Germany - GDR. , US troops transfer the "brain trust" of Jenaer Glas to Mainz in West and In Jena , East Germany, in 1948 the company became a state-owned "property of the people." The West German company becomes Schott Glaswerk, while the people in Jena, GDR, shorten their name to Jenaer Glaswerk. When the Berlin Wall comes down in 1989 Germany is united once again and in 1991 the company is joined and the Jena factory is brought up-to-date by 1994.This 10ml clear glass, graduated cylinder for laboratory tests, set in a plastic pentagonal base, is made of borosilicate glass. It has a pouring lip. The wide pentagonal shaped base provides stability and makes the cylinder roll-resistant. agr / ? TRS 10/0.1 / B Tol + - 0.1 / ml in 20'C / GDR pharmacy, medications, medicines, glass manufacturing, glass works, early settlers, moorabbin, bentleigh, cheltenham, jenaer glaswerk schott & gen company, west germany, east germany, berlin wall, ww2 1939-45, schott otto, zeiss roderich, borosilicate glass, glass cylinders, laboratory glass -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Compass, 1947-1950
Kelvin Company History: The origins of the company lie in the highly successful, if strictly informal, the relationship between William Thomson (1824-1907), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1846-1899 and James White, a Glasgow optical maker. James White (1824-1884) founded the firm of James White, who was an optical instrument maker in Glasgow in 1850. He was involved in supplying and mending apparatus for Thomson's university laboratory and working with him on experimental constructions. White was actually declared bankrupt in August 1861 and released several months later. In 1870, White was largely responsible for equipping William Thomson's laboratory in the new University premises at Gilmore hill. From 1876, he was producing accurate compasses for metal ships to Thomson's design during this period and this became an important part of his business in the last years of his life. He was also involved in the production of sophisticated sounding machinery that Thomson had designed to address problems encountered laying cables at sea, helping to make possible the first transatlantic cable connection. At the same time, he continued to make a whole range of more conventional instruments such as telescopes, microscopes and surveying equipment. White's association with Thomson continued until he died. After his death, his business continued under the same name, being administered by Matthew Edwards (until 1891 when he left to set up his own company). Thomson, who became Sir William Thomson and then Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892, continued to maintain his interest in the business after James White's death in 1884, raising most of the capital needed to construct and equip new workshops in Cambridge Street, Glasgow. At these premises, the company continued to make the compass Thomson had designed during the 1870s and to supply it in some quantity, especially to the Admiralty. At the same time, the firm became increasingly involved in the design, production and sale of electrical apparatus. In 1899, Lord Kelvin resigned from his University chair and became, in 1900, a director in the newly formed limited liability company Kelvin & James White Ltd which had acquired the business of James White. At the same time Kelvin's nephew, James Thomson Bottomley (1845-1926), joined the firm. In 1904, a London branch office was opened which by 1915 had become known as Kelvin, White & Hutton Ltd . Kelvin & James White Ltd underwent a further change of name in 1913, becoming Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd . Hughes Company History: Henry Hughes & Sons was founded in 1838 in London as a maker of chronographic and scientific instruments. The firm was incorporated as Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1903. In 1923, the company produced its first recording echo sounder and in 1935, a controlling interest in the company was acquired by S Smith & Son Ltd resulting in the development and production of marine and aircraft instruments. Following the London office's destruction in the Blitz of 1941, a collaboration was entered into with Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd resulting in the establishing Marine Instruments Ltd. Following the formal amalgamation of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1947 to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd., Marine Instruments Ltd then acted as regional agents in the UK for Kelvin & Hughes Ltd who were essentially now a part of Smith's Industries Ltd founded in 1944 and the successors of S Smith & Son Ltd. Kelvin & Hughes Ltd went on to develop various marine radar and echo sounders supplying the Ministry of Transport, and later the Ministry of Defence. The firm was liquidated in 1966 but the name was continued as Kelvin Hughes, a division of the Smiths Group. In 2002, Kelvin Hughes continues to produce and develop marine instruments for commercial and military use. This model compass is a good example of the commercial type of instruments made by Kelvin & Hughes after the world war 2, it was made in numbers for use on various types of shipping after the second world war and is not particularly rare or significant for it's type. Also it was made no earlier than 1947 as the firms of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd who took over from Smith & Sons were not amalgamated until 1947. Given that Smith and Sons is engraved on the compass with Kelvin & Hughes it can be assumed that this compass was made during the company's transitional period to Kelvin & Hughes.Compass, marine or ship's card compass, gimble mounted, with inscriptions. Type is Lord Kelvin 10 inch compass card. Made in Great Britain by Kelvin Hughes Division of S. Smith & Sons (England) Ltd. "LORD KELVIN 10.", "COMPASS GRID", "MANUFACTURED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY", "KELVIN HUGHES DIVISION", "S. Smith & Sons (England) Ltd".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, marine compass, gimble compass, ship's compass, lord kelvin compass, smith and sons england ltd, henry hughes & son ltd london england, kelvin bottomley & baird ltd glasgow scotland, kelvin & hughes ltd, navigation instrument, scientific instrument, william thomson, james white, baron kelvin of largs -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Parallel Rule, 1947-1950
Navigators use parallel rule with maps and charts for plotting a specific course on a chart. One long edge is used with the compass rose on the chart, aligning the centre of the rose with the desired direction around the edge of the rose. The compass bars are then ‘walked’ in and out across the map to the desired location so that lines can be plotted to represent the direction to be travelled. Kelvin Company History: The origins of the company lie in the highly successful and strictly informal relationship between William Thomson (1824-1907), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1846-1899 and James White, a Glasgow optical maker. James White (1824-1884) founded the firm of James White, an optical instrument maker in Glasgow in 1850 and was involved in supplying and mending apparatus for Thomson university laboratory and working with him on experimental constructions. White was declared bankrupt in August 1861 and released several months later. In 1870, White was largely responsible for equipping William Thomson laboratory in the new University premises at Gilmore hill. From 1876, he was producing accurate compasses for metal ships to Thomson design during this period and this became an important part of his business in the last years of his life. He was also involved in the production of sophisticated sounding machinery that Thomson had designed to address problems encountered laying cables at sea, helping to make possible the first transatlantic cable connection. At the same time, he continued to make a whole range of more conventional instruments such as telescopes, microscopes and surveying equipment. White's association with Thomson continued until he died. After his death, his business continued under the same name, being administered by Matthew Edwards until 1891 when he left to set up his own company. Thomson who became Sir William Thomson and then Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892, continued to maintain his interest in the business after James White's death in 1884, raising most of the capital needed to construct and equip new workshops in Cambridge Street, Glasgow. At these premises, the company continued to make the compass Thomson had designed during the 1870s and to supply it in some quantity, especially to the Admiralty. At the same time, the firm became increasingly involved in the design, production and sale of electrical apparatus. In 1899, Lord Kelvin resigned from his University chair and became, in 1900, a director in the newly formed limited liability company Kelvin & James White Ltd which had acquired the business of James White. At the same time Kelvin's nephew, James Thomson Bottomley (1845-1926), joined the firm. In 1904, a London branch office was opened which by 1915 had become known as Kelvin, White & Hutton Ltd. Kelvin & James White Ltd underwent a further change of name in 1913, becoming Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd. Hughes Company History: Henry Hughes & Sons were founded in 1838 in London as a maker of chronographic and scientific instruments. The firm was incorporated as “Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd” in 1903. In 1923, the company produced its first recording echo sounder and in 1935 a controlling interest in the company was acquired by S Smith & Son Ltd resulting in the development and production of marine and aircraft instruments. Following the London office's destruction in the Blitz of 1941, a collaboration was entered into with Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd resulting in the establishing “Marine Instruments Ltd”. Following the formal amalgamation of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1947 to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd. Marine Instruments Ltd then acted as regional agents in the UK for Kelvin & Hughes Ltd who were essentially now a part of Smith's Industries Ltd founded in 1944 and the successors of S Smith & Son Ltd. Kelvin & Hughes Ltd went on to develop various marine radar and echo sounders supplying the Ministry of Transport, and later the Ministry of Defence. The firm was liquidated in 1966 but the name was continued as Kelvin Hughes, a division of the Smiths Group. In 2002, Kelvin Hughes continues to produce and develop marine instruments for commercial and military. This model parallel map ruler is a good example of the commercial diversity of navigational instruments made by Kelvin & Hughes after World War II. It was made in numbers for use by shipping after the second world war and is not particularly rare or significant for it's type. Also it was made no earlier than 1947 as the firms of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd who took over from Smith & Sons were not amalgamated until 1947. It can therefor be assumed that this ruler was made during the company's transitional period to Kelvin & Hughes from Smith Industries Ltd.Brass parallel rule in wooden box with blue felt lining.Rule inscribed on front "Kelvin & Hughes Ltd" " Made in Great Britain"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, parallel rule, kelvin & hughes ltd, map ruler, plot direction, navigation, maps, echo sounder, kelvin & james white, lord kelvin, baron kelvin of largs, scientific instrument -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Compass and Sundial, Mid 19th Century
James Henry Steward (1817–1896) established J.H. Steward in London in 1852. As “Head Optician” he would have been a qualified oculist but little is known about the founder’s early life and scholastic achievements. However, given the variety of disciplines for which he undertook he was also an accredited instrument maker,he clearly was a gifted scholar and quickly gained professional recognition in a full range of fields for an instrument maker of his day. J.H Steward became incorporated as J.H. Steward Limited on 1st February,1913. The business grew from modest beginnings. Steward would sell pocket watches and assorted items at the annual competition days of "The National Rifle Association of the United Kingdom(NRA)" from a stall. As the governing body for full bore rifle and pistol shooting sports in the UK. The Association established in 1859 with the aim to improve the shooting skills of the newly formed corps of volunteers to meet the perceived threat of an invasion by the French. J.H. Steward advert first appeared in the NRA competition program of 1865. The NRA meetings were held at first on Wimbledon Common, Surrey until 1889. Then because of pressure by the local community, the NRA along with its buildings and its flourishing meetings moved further south to Brookwood, Surrey. By now the Steward operation had grown from a modest stall into a large marquee selling various optical and scientific instruments at these meetings. Throughout its long trading history the J.H. Steward company and many members of the family maintained strong ties to the NRA and competition shooting events. The NRA records show that at the end of the 19th century the NRA bestowed a Life Membership on 7 Steward family members. First presented by J. H. Steward Ltd. in 1902 was the “Steward Trophy” that is still an annual competition for teams of four from any rifle club affiliated to the NRA. There is also evidence that many family members were fine shots.The item was made by a significant instrument manufacturing company that concentrated during the middle 19th century on supplying the British military. This items pattern & design is still available as a reproduction, available on the internet. However this original seems unique as the writer cannot find another for sale or in a collection to date. The assumption is that this type of compass was made for the British artillery units given the sun dial. Further research is ongoing as the writer regards this item as rare and social significant.Brass Compass and Sundial manufactured by J H Steward 407 & 406 West Strand, London. Can be used in both hemispheres. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, compass, sundial, combination compass and sundial, steward strand london, j h steward -
Parks Victoria - Point Hicks Lightstation
Stand, pump & tank
Was the stand for a Chance Brothers air & oil containers fitted with pump handle & pressure gauges.This type of installation was once common and relied on the lightkeeper having to pressurise the cylinders manually at regular intervals throughout the hours of darkness. The oil was fed under pressure to the burner mantle. It is all that remains of an air and kerosene oil tank installation, with each rounded side formerly supporting a heavy iron tank. The containers would have been fitted with a pump handle and pressure gauges. An intact assemblage is displayed in the AMSA offices, Canberra with a text that explains ‘This type of installation was once common and relied on the lightkeeper having to pressurise the cylinders manually at regular intervals throughout the hours of darkness’.The system involved vaporising kerosene under pressure and mixing it with air and then burning the vapour to heat an incandescent mantle. The use of kerosene as a fuel to light the lantern became the most common system of illumination from the 1860s after the oil industry in the United States began to develop. The kerosene vapour burner was created in 1901 by British inventor Arthur Kitson (1859-1937) and perfected by Chance Bros for burning a more intense light in their renowned lenses. The lamp had to be watched throughout the night in case a mantle broke, and the tanks needed to be maintained by hand-pumping each hour or so. The Point Hicks lantern was initially lit by a six-wick Trinity house kerosene burner. This was replaced by the more efficient and brighter 55mm vaporised kerosene mantle burner in 1905, and the tank stand is probably original to this apparatus. Electricity eventually replaced kerosene at Point Hicks in 1964 making the tank installation obsolete, and the last kerosene system in an Australian lighthouse was replaced in 1985. Gabo Island Lightstation has a pair of tanks that are not attached to the optical system and are no longer in the lighthouse. They are also missing the pressure gauges that were formerly attached to the top of each cylinder. An intact tank assemblage is displayed at the Cape Schanck Lighthouse Museum it is detached and not original to the lighthouse. Although corroded, the remnant Point Hicks tank stand has first level contributory importance to the lightstation. It is significant for its provenance and historical value as part of the Chance Bros vaporised kerosene burner introduced in 1905 to intensify the light and improve the efficiency of the system. The rusted iron stand rests on four short legs and is shaped like a pair of spectacles. -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Ephemera - Ballarat, Electric Supply Co. of Vic (ESCo), "Official Time table", 1914
Timetable published by the Electric Supply Co of Victoria (ESCo) for Ballarat Tramways - dated 1/10/1914 to 30/4/1915. Provides times for each route, ticket prices, school tickets, fare box routes, fares, transfer tickets, and route colours both for day and night. Also has notes to passengers and places of interest for each route. Has contact phone numbers for the Company. Manager Mr Pringle. See item 9131 for a 1915 Winter timetable. Has many adverts - from the front page: A M Palmer Chemist Hodgson - optical Snows - department store Summerscales - postcards W E Thomas - Dentist L Casper - optician E Jermyn - feed merchant Standsfield & Smith - Decorators Briant's Red shop tea rooms A E White - tailor Ellingsen & Co - furniture Southern Cross Hotel H P Stevens & Co - fur coats Frank Williams - painter and decorator Longhurst's bread factory G Buchanan - metal ceilings Robert Hutchinson - electrical engineer and contractor G Ludbrook - furnishing undertaker A Cant - plumber, gasfitter and ironmonger Huddart Parker and Howard Smith coal merchants Precision Big 4 - motor cycles and bicycles H W Channing - Tram drivers' training school T H Richards - butcher C Ellis - furniture exchange Levecke's motor garage Frank Penhalluriack - electrical work Nankervis - store Taffy King Fred A Reed - tobacconist F & J W Gower - builder E E Hobson - decorator Walter Cornell - liver pills Irvines - wines G Warner - Ironmonger J A Reynolds - Wall papers W J Robson - leadlights Porter's - boots and shoes Holman & Fiscalini - stables and motor garage Butler & Co - blinds Mrs Kerby - clothing reseller Rose Cosmetic - H Binzer & Co Mrs Busfield - laundry Mrs J H Dogson - registry office for servants B G Tucker's Water Cure Electric Supply Co Rowlands drinks On the bottom of most pages - Sidar products and on the top the Coliseum Picture Palace. Demonstrates and ESCo timetable and provides information about fare systems and local businesses.Time table - booklet - 40 pages + brown light card covers centre stapled with tabbed or cut pages.tramways, ballarat, timetables, esco, advertisements, fares, tickets, fare boxes -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Sextant, Late 20th Century
In 1941, the scientific instrument manufacturing firms of Henry Hughes & Son Ltd, London, England, and Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland, came together to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd. Kelvin Company History: The origins of the company lie in the highly successful and strictly informal relationship between William Thomson (1824-1907), Professor of Natural Philosophy at Glasgow University from 1846-1899 and James White, a Glasgow optical maker. James White (1824-1884) founded the firm of James White, an optical instrument maker in Glasgow in 1850 and was involved in supplying and mending apparatus for Thomson university laboratory and working with him on experimental constructions. White was declared bankrupt in August 1861 and released several months later. In 1870, White was largely responsible for equipping William Thomson laboratory in the new University premises at Gilmore hill. From 1876, he was producing accurate compasses for metal ships to Thomson design during this period and this became an important part of his business in the last years of his life. He was also involved in the production of sophisticated-sounding machinery that Thomson had designed to address problems encountered laying cables at sea, helping to make possible the first transatlantic cable connection. At the same time, he continued to make a whole range of more conventional instruments such as telescopes, microscopes and surveying equipment. White's association with Thomson continued until he died. After his death, his business continued under the same name, being administered by Matthew Edwards (until 1891 when he left to set up his own company. Thomson who became Sir William Thomson and then Baron Kelvin of Largs in 1892, continued to maintain his interest in the business after James White's death. In 1884 raising most of the capital needed to construct and equip new workshops in Cambridge Street, Glasgow. At these premises, the company continued to make the compass Thomson had designed during the 1870s and to supply it in some quantity, especially to the Admiralty. At the same time, the firm became increasingly involved in the design, production and sale of electrical apparatus. In 1899, Lord Kelvin resigned from his University chair and became, in 1900, a director in the newly formed limited liability company Kelvin & James White Ltd which had acquired the business of James White. At the same time Kelvin's nephew, James Thomson Bottomley (1845-1926), joined the firm. In 1904, a London branch office was opened which by 1915 had become known as Kelvin, White & Hutton Ltd. Kelvin & James White Ltd underwent a further change of name in 1913, becoming Kelvin Bottomley & Baird Ltd. Hughes Company History: Henry Hughes & Sons were founded in 1838 in London as a maker of chronographic and scientific instruments. The firm was incorporated as “Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd” in 1903. In 1923, the company produced its first recording echo sounder and in 1935 a controlling interest in the company was acquired by S Smith & Son Ltd resulting in the development and production of marine and aircraft instruments. Following the London office's destruction in the Blitz of 1941, a collaboration was entered into with Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd resulting in the establishing “Marine Instruments Ltd”. Following the formal amalgamation of Kelvin, Bottomley & Baird Ltd and Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd in 1947 to form Kelvin & Hughes Ltd. Marine Instruments Ltd then acted as regional agents in the UK for Kelvin & Hughes Ltd who were essentially now a part of Smith's Industries Ltd founded in 1944 and the successors of S. Smith & Son Ltd. Kelvin & Hughes Ltd went on to develop various marine radar and echo sounders supplying the Ministry of Transport, and later the Ministry of Defence. The firm was liquidated in 1966 but the name was continued as Kelvin Hughes, a division of the Smiths Group. In 2002, Kelvin Hughes continues to produce and develop marine instruments for commercial and military. G. Falconer Company History: G Falconer (Hong Kong Ltd) appear to have had a retail presence in Hong Kong since 1885, according to the company website, and currently have a shop in the Peninsula Hotel. G Falconer was the Hong Kong selling agent for several British companies. Ross Ltd of 111 New Bond St London was one and the other was Kelvins Nautical Instruments. Falconers were primarily watchmakers, jewellers and diamond merchants.They were also agents for Admiralty Charts, Ross binoculars and telescopes, and sold English Silverware and High Class English Jewellery. In 1928 the company was operating from the Union Building opposite the Hong Kong general post office. It is unclear if the item is an original Sextant made by Kelvin prior to his amalgamation with Henry Hughes & Sons in 1941 as Kelvin appears to have only made compasses up to this date. If the Sextant can be established that it was made by Kelvin then it is very significant and a rare item made for and distributed through their Hong Kong selling agents G Falconer Ltd. There are many Sextants advertised for sale stating "Kelvin & Hughes 1917 model sextant". These can be regarded as replicas as the company was not formed until 1941 and production of marine instruments was not fully under way until after the war in 1947. Further investigation needs to be undertaken to accurately determine the provenance of this item. As the writer currently has the impression that the subject object was possibly made by Kelvin and Hughes in the mid to late 20th century or is a replica made by an unknown maker in the late 1970s. Purchased as an exhibition of marine navigational instruments for the Flagstaff Hill museum. The Sextant is a brass apparatus with filters and telescope lens, and comes with a wooden felt lined storage box. It is a doubly reflecting navigation instrument that measures the angular distance between two visible objects. The primary use of a sextant is to measure the angle between an astronomical object and the horizon for the purposes of celestial navigation.G Falconer and Co. Hong Kong (retailers of nautical equipmentflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, sextant, kelvin & hughes ltd, hong kong, navigational instrument, g falconer, mariner's quadrants -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Ephemera - Ballarat, Electric Supply Co. of Vic (ESCo), "Official Time table", 1915
Timetable published by the Electric Supply Co of Victoria (ESCo) for Ballarat Tramways - dated 1/5/1915 to 30/9/1915 - winter. Provides times for each route, ticket prices, school tickets, issue and use of tokens, fares, transfer tickets, and route colours both for day and night. Also has notes to passengers and places of interest for each route. Has contact phone numbers for the Company. Manager Mr Pringle. See item 9132 for a 1914 Summer timetable. Has many adverts - from the front page: A M Palmer Chemist Hodgson - optical Snows - department store ESCo - show room in Sturt St L Casper - optician E Jermyn - feed merchant Standsfield & Smith - Decorators Briant's Red shop tea rooms A E White - tailor Ellingsen & Co - furniture Southern Cross Hotel H P Stevens & Co - fur coats Frank Williams - painter and decorator Longhurst's bread factory G Buchanan - metal ceilings Robert Hutchinson - electrical engineer and contractor G Ludbrook - furnishing undertaker A Cant - plumber, gasfitter and ironmonger Huddart Parker and Howard Smith coal merchants Precision Big 4 - motor cycles and bicycles H W Channing - Tram drivers' training school T H Richards - butcher C Ellis - furniture exchange Levecke's motor garage Frank Penhalluriack - electrical work Nankervis - store Taffy King Fred A Reed - tobacconist F & J W Gower - builder E E Hobson - decorator Walter Cornell - liver pills Irvines - wines G Warner - Ironmonger J A Reynolds - Wall papers ESCo Electric lighting Holman & Fiscalini - stables and motor garage Butler & Co - blinds Mrs Kerby - clothing reseller Rose Cosmetic - H Binzer & Co Mrs Busfield - laundry Mrs J H Dogson - registry office for servants Summerscales - stationary and postcards W J Robson - glass Porter's Boots and Shoes B G Tucker's Water Cure Electric Supply Co Rowlands drinks On the bottom of most pages - Sidar products and on the top the Coliseum Picture Palace. Demonstrates and ESCo timetable and provides information about fare systems and local businesses.Time table - booklet - 40 pages + green light card covers centre stapled with tabbed or cut pages.tramways, ballarat, timetables, esco, advertisements, fares, tickets, tokens -
Parks Victoria - Gabo Island Lightstation
Lens section
Detached sector panel from upper lantern. The lens segment is one of a pair of freestanding panels that formerly stood on a platform in the upper lantern room on either side of a small fixed light. The platform rested above the 1860/62 Chance Bros. first order, fixed lens and could be accessed by a ladder. The two sector lens panels were each set in a bronze frame and comprised a curved wider (belt) piece in the centre with nine curved, slim line pieces above and below it (19 pieces in total). The belt aligned with the light source to provide optimal focus and range. The panels, the light and the platform were installed in 1934 to upgrade the original optical system with red warning lights. Fitting them above the lantern was a convenient and inexpensive way to do this, with each lens panel set up behind a red glass panel to project a red sector to the seaward over to Cape Howe and the Western Shore. The two sectors are likely to be Chance Bros. by manufacture although they do not appear to bear the maker’s name. This is probably because Chance Bros. typically fixed metal plaques to their apparatus and tended not to stamp smaller components such as their lens frames. It could possibly indicate that the two sectors are former components of a larger system, i.e. another lens. This can easily be confirmed by closely inspecting the bronze frames. A series of holes on the frame would indicate that ‘they would have bolted to other panels to make a larger lens assembly’. The absence of holes would confirm that ‘they were made specifically to stand alone’. The sector panels were removed from the Gabo lantern in February 1992. At some point after their removal, they were found in boxes marked with ‘Ince Pt.’, however it is thought that Ince Point lighthouse ‘never had … stand alone sectors’. The panel in the Gabo Island collection is one of two segments discovered at the Eden Killer Whale Museum in about 2007. One section was repatriated to Gabo Island and the other was to go to Smoky Cape Lighthouse in northern NSW. The Gabo lens segment has first level contributory significance for its historic value and provenance to the lantern room. It is recommended that Parks Victoria/AMSA seek to return the Smoky Cape segment to Gabo Island and reunite the sector panels.The Gabo lens segment has first level contributory significance for its historic value and provenance to the lantern room.Section of a lens from a lighting apparatus , rectangular louvers of glass enclosed in a metal frame. -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Azimuth Compass, Early 20th Century
Negretti and Zambra 1850-1980s were optical instrument makers and mathematical instrument makers based in London, England. The firm of Negretti and Zambra was established in 1850 by Henry Negretti and Joseph Zambra who had formed a partnership. Their skill was immediately apparent when exhibiting at the 1851 Great Exhibition at Hyde Park, they were the only English instrument makers to receive a prize medal for meteorological instruments, resulting in their appointment as instrument makers to the queen, Greenwich observatory, and the British Meteorological Society. In 1853, when the Crystal Palace was re-erected in Sydenham, Negretti and Zambra became the official photographers of the Crystal Palace Company, which allowed them to photograph the interior and grounds of the new building. The firm made use of this access to produce a number of stereographs. Between 1855 and 1857 Negretti and Zambra commissioned photographer Pierre Rossier to travel to China to document the Second Opium War. Although Rossier subsequently was unable to accompany to Anglo-French forces in that campaign, he nevertheless produced a number of stereographs and other photographs of China, Japan, the Philippines and Siam (now Thailand), which Negretti and Zambra published and that represented the first commercial photographs of those countries. In 1856 Negretti and Zambra sponsored a photographic expedition to Egypt, Nubia and Ethiopia conducted by Francis Firth. In 1864 Negretti and Zambra (themselves) photographed Shakespeare's House at Stratford on Avon. A sepia photograph was then pasted onto card 4" × 2.5". This was then presented to visitors to the Crystal Palace to enable them to compare it with the model erected by Mr E. T. Parr in the Centre Transept. The card itself is headed "Crystal Palace April 23rd 1864." That year they also published a book, titled A Treatise on Meteorological Instruments, (which was reprinted in 1995). Throughout World War One Negretti and Zambra were entirely engaged in the production of various instruments for the Ministry of Munitions. They developed many instruments for the Air Ministry including a mercury-in-steel distance thermometer for taking the oil and air temperatures in aircraft which was patented in 1920. In 1946 the company went private and in 1948 the company was made public, and by 1950 Negretti and Zambra had 821 employees in Britain. In order to increase production and to safeguard future development in 1964, they purchased a modern factory at Aylesbury for all their production. In 1981 Negretti and Zambra were taken over by a group of financial institutions in the form of Western Scientific Instruments and in 1985 the company was acquired by Meggitt Holdings.The subject compass is just one type of the many marine and scientific, optical items this company produced over it’s life time. Negretti and Zambra were prolific manufactures of types of items as well as being very prominent in photography pioneering new innervation's and sponsoring expeditions to little known countries to document peoples daily lives and culture through photography.Azimuth compass on tripod in a fitted wooden box with a round spirit level included, lid of box has three indented circles where the legs of the compass fit when it is set up for use. Stamped "C.M.O. 9" on with Maker Negretti & Zambra London.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, azimuth compass, nautical instrument, negretti & zambra london, navigational instrument, compass -
Federation University Historical Collection
Instrument, W. H. Stanley, Surveying level, July 1899
Used by students attending surveying classes at the School of Mines & Industries, Ballarat.Surveyor's level caste in metal with brass trimmings. Features external focus, twin inclined vertical crosshairs with stadia wires. With ray-shade clinomenter. Three levelling screws. Without transverse level (mounting provided). dust shield for object. Features glass lens x 2. Timber carry case features dovetailed joints, separate lid attached to body of case with two brass piano hinges along back side. Case has a metal carry handle screwed to each end. Matches tripod Item 4116 Item's serial number: 99142*The timber lid of the carry case has 'L3' painted on it in white paint. *The paper label glued to reverse side lid of inside carry box reads: STANLEY'S PATENT LEVELS AND THEODOLITES No.99142 July 1899 STADIA POINTS SET=1 : 100. In taking readings of a distant staff by means of the subtense points in the diaphragm, read every 1/100 foot (or metre) on the staff as being equal to one foot (or metre) of distance from the centre of the instrument adding to the reading of plus constant of 18 3/4 inchess from any distance shown. W.F. Stanley, Great Turnstile, Holborn, London. *The paper label glued to lower edge inside lid of carry box reads: N. H. SEWARD, "Optical House" 457 BOURKE STREET (Near Queen Street) MELBOURNE *Engraving on brass plate encompassing the catch on front edge of the timber carry case reads: H&C L (inside an engraved heart on LSH) EUCHRE LEVER (engraved on RHS of brass plate) *Maker's mark is engraved along the length of the telescope barrel: 99142 Stanley. Great Turnstile Holborn, London. level, theodolite, surveying instrument, surveying, scientific instruments -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Clock, 1900's
In August 1884, Alfred Hirst who had started his trade as a watch repairer and was described as a watchmaker extraordinaire established Hirst Brothers and Company, on Union Street in Oldham Manchester. He took his two stepbrothers into the business and the company was set up to produce timepieces and jewellery as well as importing “Limit company” Swiss watches and precision machine tools for the watch and clock trade. By 1902 Hirst Brothers. had become a limited company and was still growing, adding other businesses in Manchester in 1904 and at Birmingham in 1907. The quality of the clocks and watches was such that Alfred Hirst realised his greatest ambition in 1912 with a range of watches which carried the "Limit" trademark. These watch movements had originally been made in Switzerland and shipped to Hirst Bros. to be put into British made “Dennison” cases. This trade brought even more growth with additional sales offices opening in London and Glasgow. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 found them manufacturing aircraft parts including revolution counters and optical instruments. The firm had been tasked by the Ministry of Munitions to solve the problem of pilots dropping bombs by hand and as a result, they effectively created the first bomb rack. After the war, the company once again began to prosper and with the demand for their products increasing they looked to build a new purpose-built factory to manufacture their products. In 1917 they purchased a seven-acre field site at Tame Side Dobcross, the designing of the new factory was passed onto local architect AJ Howcroft. His brief for the design of the clockworks would have been prompted by Alfred Hirst who having visited modern factories in the United States was inspired by the latest factory designs providing as much daylight as possible during working hours. The factory was eventually completed in 1920, by the mid-1920s there were cheap clock imports from Germany and production turned to radio sets and other components as well as counter and gas meters for the "Parkinson and Cowan" company who was later to take over the business. In 1926 came the cotton crash and the District Bank who had loans with the company foreclosed on the Hirst loan. The company did survive and throughout the second World, War II were involved in munitions work at the factory as well as making instruments for various aircraft. In the 1950’s they were producing meters and high grade measuring equipment but by the 1970's the business had closed and the factory was demolished in the mid-1980 "s The item is a good example of the later use of an early mechanism “Fusee” that was originally invented around 1525 in Prague. This type of clock mechanism was replaced as watchmakers looked for mechanisms that could reduce the size of clocks and watches, it appears England was the only country to continue making clocks with a Fusee device until around 1900,s of which our clock is an example. The use of a Fusee movement eventually became obsolete in 1970,s. The item is significant for the collection as it is a clock with a movement that has long since been made obsolete. Fusee type gallery wall clock made by Tame Side with an 8-day mechanical fusee movement. The white enamel dial is a little crazed and some of the Roman Numeral numbers are fading due to over-cleaning. The movement has a hexagonal iron pendulum bob hooking onto a pendulum rod with a spring-wound anchor escapement.Only mark is stamped on the movement believed to be a production number "13490" and made in Tame Side. (If the clock had been made after 1912 it would have had a trade mark "Limit")flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, clock, wall clock, fusee, gallery clock, alfred hirst, tame side -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Theodolite, Troughton & Simms, Mid 19th Century
The theodolite was sold by T. Gaunt & Co. of Melbourne, a manufacturer, importer and retailer of a wide variety of goods including jewellery, clocks and watches, navigational and measuring instruments, dinnerware, glassware and ornaments. Thomas Gaunt photograph was included in an album of security identity portraits of members of the Victorian Court, Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888. (See further details below.) History for Troughton & Simms: Edward Troughton & William Simms established a scientific instrument making business in London in 1826. Edward Troughton (1756-1835) had previously had his own scientific instrument business, inherited from his father. His achievement's included a transit telescope for Greenwich Observatory (1816) and the precision surveying instruments for the Ordnance Survey of Britain, Ireland and India. William Simms (1793-1860) had trained as a goldsmith and began to gain work dividing circles on fine astronomical instruments. When William Simms died in 1860, the business was taken over by his son James and nephew William. Troughton & Simms shop in Fleet Street became the hub of the finest scientific instrument made in London, in a period in which there was an expanding demand for precision instruments, for astronomy, surveying and precision measurement. They made instruments for Greenwich Observatory, for imperial surveys and exploring expeditions. When fire destroyed the Houses of Parliament in 1834, the firm was commissioned to create new standard lengths, this required 10 years of testing against the remaining old measurements. Troughton and Simms made several of the main instruments for Melbourne Observatory, including an 18 inch azimuth used of the Geodetic Survey, portable transit instrument (circa 1850), zenith sector (1860), a 4.5 inch equatorial telescope (1862), an 8 inch equatorial telescope (1874) spectroscope (1877) and an 8 inch transit instrument in (1884). While the firm had an excellent reputation for quality the company exasperated many of its customers with delays of years in delivering some instruments. History for Thomas Gaunt: Thomas Ambrose Gaunt (1829 – 1890) was a jeweller, clock maker, and manufacturer of scientific instruments, whose head office and showroom were at 337–339 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Thomas Gaunt established Melbourne's leading watchmaking, optical and jewellery business during the second half of the 19th century. Gaunt arrived in Melbourne in 1852, and by 1858 had established his own business at 14 Little Bourke Street. Around 1869 he moved to new premises in Bourke Street on the corner of Royal Arcade, Gaunt's shop quickly became a Melbourne institution. Gaunt proudly advertised that he was 'The only watch manufacturer in the Australian colonies'. While many watches and clocks may have had Gaunt's name on the dial, few would have been made locally. Gaunt did make some watches for exhibitions, and perhaps a few expensive watches for wealthy individuals. Gaunt's received a telegraph signal from Melbourne Observatory each day to correct his main clock and used this signal to rate and repair ship's chronometers and good quality watches. Thomas Gaunt also developed a department that focused on scientific instrumentation, making thermometers and barometers (from imported glass tubes), telescopes, surveying instruments and microscopes. Significance: With the rapid urban expansion, one of the most important needs of the new colony was to survey and map the landscape of the Australian Colony’s interior. Theodolites, such as this one, made by Troughton and Simms, who were significant scientific instrument makers of the 19th century were instrumental to the colony's surveyors and would have played an important part in their everyday work. This transit theodolite remains of national significance due to its pioneering role in Australian science and its association with Australia's earliest surveyors and astronomers. It is also significant for its association with nineteenth-century surveying instruments and instrument makers. Theodolite, Vernier repetition theodolite with enclosed horizontal circle (of about 130 mm diameter). Vertical circle exposed and somewhat corroded (diameter about 115 mm). Plate level 20" per division. Altitude bubble 20" per division. Horizontal and vertical circle intervals 20". Original (blue/grey) paint. Altitude bubble setting screw disabled. Tribrach allows movement of theodolite by 15 mm inside tribrach (for centering).Inscribed on the inner mounting plate,“Specially made in England for T Gaunt & Co Melbourne” and inscribed a little lower “Troughton & Simms London”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, theodolite, t. gaunt & co, troughton & simms, scientific instrument, measuring instrument, surveyor's instrument -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph (black & white), Four Principals of the Ballarat School of Mines, June 1983
This photograph was taken at the presentation of a bust of Dick Richards to the Ballarat School of Mines. Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antartica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antartic Exploraton Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Dick Richards was the physicist and sled manager for Shackleton's Ross Sea Party - with the task to meet Shackleton on the other side of the continent. When Shackleton planned his transcontinental crossing he decided to use supply depots as loads of supplies were too heavy to pull. The depots would enable Shackleton's party to carry just enough to reach the Pole, relying on the depots which were to be left by the Aurora's crew every 60 miles, stowed in 2 sledge journeys in 1915 and 1916. Dick Richards spent 3 freezing years in Antarctica between 1914 and 1917. Travelling south with Sir Ernest Shackleton Richards' worst experience was when his ship Aurora, tethered offshore, was blown away in a gale leaving Richards marooned for two years with nine other men on the ice floe. The Ross Sea Party arrived in McMurdo Sound aboard the Aurora in January 1915. The going was tough on the sledging trips as the sledges were overloaded. Temperatures were as low as minus 68F. In June 1916 the party crossed on foot to Cape Evans, occupied Scott's Hut (from his Terra Nova Expedition, erected in January 1911) in May 1915, for two months. On 10 January 1917 Richards was hunting for seals when he saw a ship on the horizon. It was 'The Aurora'. Picking up the relieved survivors 'The Aurora' arrived in New Zealand on 9 February 1917 to a hero's welcome. Joyce, Wild, Hayward and Richards later won the Albert Medal for their heroic devotion to duty. Later an inlet on the Antartic continent was named after Richards. Dick Richards wrote the following years after the ordeal "To me no undertaking carried through to conclusion is for nothing. And so I don't think of our struggle as futile. It was something the human spirit accomplished." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service. Dick Richards has been honoured through the naming of a Ballarat School of Mines prize - The R.W. Richards Medal. This medal later became a University of Ballarat prize. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the Bachelor of Applied Science graduate considered to have achieved the most outstanding academic performance of their course. The award was was introduced to commemerate the long years of service to tertiary education in Ballarat by Mr Richards. See http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/collections/art_history/honour-roll/honourroll_Richards,Dick.shtmlBlack and white photograph featuring 4 men who had serves as Principal of the Ballarat School of Mines. Left to Right: E.J. (Jack) Barker, Peter Shiells, Richard W. Richards, Graham Beanland.ballarat school of mines, dick richards, antarctica, ernest shackleton -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph (black & white), Richard W. Richards, c1950
This photograph was taken at the presentation of a bust of Dick Richards to the Ballarat School of Mines. Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines (SMB) in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antarctica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antartic Exploration Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Dick Richards was the physicist and sled manager for Shackleton's Ross Sea Party - with the task to meet Shackleton on the other side of the continent. When Shackleton planned his transcontinental crossing he decided to use supply depots as loads of supplies were too heavy to pull. The depots would enable Shackleton's party to carry just enough to reach the Pole, relying on the depots which were to be left by the Aurora's crew every 60 miles, stowed in 2 sledge journeys in 1915 and 1916. Dick Richards spent 3 freezing years in Antarctica between 1914 and 1917. Travelling south with Sir Ernest Shackleton Richards' worst experience was when his ship Aurora, tethered offshore, was blown away in a gale leaving Richards marooned for two years with nine other men on the ice floe. The Ross Sea Party arrived in McMurdo Sound aboard the Aurora in January 1915. The going was tough on the sledging trips as the sledges were overloaded. Temperatures were as low as minus 68F. In June 1916 the party crossed on foot to Cape Evans, occupied Scott's Hut (from his Terra Nova Expedition, erected in January 1911) in May 1915, for two months. On 10 January 1917 Richards was hunting for seals when he saw a ship on the horizon. It was 'The Aurora'. Picking up the relieved survivors 'The Aurora' arrived in New Zealand on 9 February 1917 to a hero's welcome. Joyce, Wild, Hayward and Richards later won the Albert Medal for their heroic devotion to duty. Later an inlet on the Antartic continent was named after Richards. Dick Richards wrote the following years after the ordeal "To me no undertaking carried through to conclusion is for nothing. And so I don't think of our struggle as futile. It was something the human spirit accomplished." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service. Dick Richards has been honoured through the naming of a Ballarat School of Mines prize - The R.W. Richards Medal. This medal later became a University of Ballarat prize. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the Bachelor of Applied Science graduate considered to have achieved the most outstanding academic performance of their course. The award was was introduced to commemerate the long years of service to tertiary education in Ballarat by Mr Richards. See http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/collections/art_history/honour-roll/honourroll_Richards,Dick.shtml Black and photo portrait of Richard W. (Dick) Richards, Principal of the Ballarat School of Mines. dick richards, r.w. richards, ballarat school of mines, antarctic explorer -
Vision Australia
Equipment - Object, Telesensory Systems, Optacon, 1974
The Optacon OPtical-to-TActile-CONverter is a compact, portable reading aid for the blind. It is about the size of a textbook, and weighs less than 2kg. It works by converting a printed image into a tactile image that a blind person can feel with one finger. After a period of training and practice, a blind person can use the Optacon to read ordinary books, magazines, newspapers, and other printed materials. The Optacon was developed after intensive research at Standford University, California, USA and was trialed by clients of the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (now part of Vision Australia) in 1973. It has three main sections: 1 a miniature camera, 2 an electronics section, and 3 a tactile stimulator array. The miniature camera, about the size of a pocket knife, is mounted in a housing that has rollers for easy movement along a line of print. The camera is connected to the electronics section by a lightweight cable. The electronics section and the tactile stimulator array are in the main chassis. The array consists of 144 tiny metal rods arranged in six vertical columns and 24 horizontal rows. Each of the rods can vibrate independently. The tips of these rods protrude through holes in a concave finger plate where the index finger is placed flat in order to read. These three components act together to convert the image of a printed letter or other shape into a pattern of vibrating rods, a tactile image of the letter or shape. The letter shape is tactually perceived as an image that moves from right to left on the finger, showing the left or leading edge of the letter first. Letters are felt sequentially rather than all at once, and the image should be kept moving. The Optacon converts a printed O into a tactile form that resembles a crater with a vibrating rim -- a completed circle. C would have a gap or opening on the right side of the curve. The letter F would be felt, sequentially, as a vertical line with two trailing horizontal lines. Because it can convert any ordinary printed image into a corresponding tactile image, the Optacon is not restricted to any special typestyle or language. The camera has a zoom lens that compensates for differences in the size of type. The standard Optacon lens can accommodate type sizes from 6 point to 20 point. With the optional F4A magnifier lens, type sizes as small as 4 point can be read. Powered by a rechargeable battery, and comes with its own battery charger. The battery is contained within the main chassis, and is not removable by the user. There are four basic controls on the Optacon: the Magnification Adjustment zoom button located on the camera section on the side opposite the rollers; and the On-Off switch, the Stimulator Intensity Adjustment knob, and the Threshold Adjustment knob located on the right side of the front panel. The Circuit Breaker protrudes from the right-hand wall inside the chassis compartment. From left to right when the back panel is facing you, are located: the jack for connecting the battery charger; the Battery Check button; the Normal-Invert switch; and the Input/Output I/O connector for use with the Visual Display, when using the Repeater Cable to connect two Optacons to one another or with other accessories. Designed not be removed from the leather case during normal operation, the On-Off switch is a slide switch located on the right side of the front panel. It slides up and snaps into place in the on position. 1 black with orange front, rectangular device in leather case assistive devices, audio equipment -
Federation University Historical Collection
Pamphlet - Promotional brochure, Bachelor of Visual Arts, Graphic Design/Multimedia, c1999
Promoting the Graphic Design/Multimedia program being offered by the University of Ballarat at the Mt Helen Campus. Promoted course as "one of the smallest and arguably the best three year programs of its kind in Australia and the South Pacific region." The brochure lists student awards received including Platinum and Gold in the AGFA International Young Designer Contest, 1999; two meritorious awards in The Art Directors Club Student Awards, New York, USA 1999; Graphis New Talent 1999; two Gold in Souther Cross Packaging Awards, 1998. At time of publication, the School of Arts, Visual Arts reportedly had 210 students with majors in Graphic Design/Multimedia, Ceramics/3D, Painting, Drawing, and Multidiscipline. Minors studies included Printmaking, Photography, 3D, 2D, and Graphic Communication. ___ Course aimed to train "independent, flexible thinkers". The course promised to "Promote creativity, originality and imaginative thinking; Develop self-directed learners, displaying initiative in the formation of ideas and the confidence to construct personal responses; Develop appropriate conceptual, technical and professional skills; Develop the student's critical process: ability to undertake research, and to make informed decisions; Clarify thinking, concepts and understanding and deep knowledge, attitudes and skills enabling the designer to respond to community needs." Studio and working environment described as "one open space with working facilities for approximately 75 students across 3 year levels. The area is divided up into work stations where 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students intermix, allowing a natural interaction. These workstations are configurations of six, consisting of two students from each year level. This reinforces the area's ongoing development with an open ethos and cross-level delivery and learning. This maximises the use of information in order for it to be applied throughout all levels of the learning process, whilst allowing a natural mentor arrangment to be developed for all first year students, " "The open ethos approach also encourages students and staff to freely express their opinions in relation to design via cross-level critiques, whilst allowing for a liberal arts approach and structure to the development of the creative process." "Emphasis is placed on experimentation, innovation, expression and the development of the individual's design philosophies, concepts and style." Also notes the 24 hour access Macintosh laboratory, with 34 Power Macintosh computers, ratio of one for every 2.5 students. Each with a Fujitsu Dyna Magneto Optical drive for file storage and transport. Two Sharp scanners, Phaser Dye-Sublimation Extra Tabloid colour printer and Ricoh A3 colour printer. Two large format printers. Digital and video cameras. Software: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat; QuarkXpress; Macromedia Freehand; Pagemaker; Premier; Director; 3D Extreme; Sound Eidt, Shockwave, Infinite 3D and After Effects. Approx 4.5 staff, "all of whom are practicing designers. They have a full understanding of industry requirements and trends which assists in the development of industrial contacts when specialists are required." Prospective students interviewed in late Nov/ early Dec, face to face. Present a "comprehensive folio of work", academic records, references. "Selection is determined by the perceived potential of the student, their motivation and reason for study within the field as well as their previous experience in the Visual Arts. Folio work should be representative of the individual's ideas and abilities. Qualities of importance are: originality, innovation, imagination, experimentation and a competent display of the basic skills associated with visual arts [evidence of drawing skills should be included]." Demonstration of GD/MM computer skills an advantage. Students also asked to bring sketch books. Promotional brochure for prospective students. 8pp Double fold brochureuniversity of ballarat, federation university, graphic design, multimedia, bachelor, degree -
Federation University Historical Collection
Photograph - Photograph - Black and White, Ballarat Courier, Dick Richards and his sister, Mrs V.S. Greenhalgh with the Bust of Dick Richards, 06/1983
Dick Richards joined the Ballarat School of Mines in 1914, and soon afterwards was granted leave to join an expedition to Antartica. In 1915 he sailed from Australia with the Antartic Exploraton Expedition, led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Most Antarctic enthusiasts know of Ernest Shackleton's attempt to cross the continent, only to be thwarted by the sinking of the ship 'Endurance'. Dick Richards was the physicist and sled manager for Shackleton's Ross Sea Party - with the task to meet Shackleton on the other side of the continent. When Shackleton planned his transcontinental crossing he decided to use supply depots as loads of supplies were too heavy to pull. The depots would enable Shackleton's party to carry just enough to reach the Pole, relying on the depots which were to be left by the Aurora's crew every 60 miles, stowed in 2 sledge journeys in 1915 and 1916. Dick Richards spent 3 freezing years in Antarctica between 1914 and 1917. Richards' worst experience was when his ship Aurora, tethered offshore, was blown away in a gale leaving Richards marooned for two years with nine other men on the ice floe. The expedition, consisting of two teams, were attempting to cross Antarctica from opposite sides, linking up somewhere near the middle. "That was with pretty poor equipment by today's standards, and we did not make it." (Dick Richards) The Ross Sea Party arrived in McMurdo Sound aboard the Aurora in January 1915. The men planned to make two sledging trips to leave supply depots every 60 nautical miles to Mount Hope about 400 miles away. The going was tough as the sledges were overloaded. Temperatures were as low as minus 68F. In June 1916 the party crossed on foot to Cape Evans, occupied Scott's Hut (from his Terra Nova Expedition, erected in January 1911) in May 1915, for two months. On 10 January 1917 Richards was hunting for seals when he saw a ship on the horizon. It was 'The Aurora'. Picking up the relieved survivors 'The Aurora' arrived in New Zealand on 9 February 1917 to a hero's welcome. Joyce, Wild, Hayward and Richards later won the Albert Medal for their heroic devotion to duty. Later an inlet on the Antartic continent was named after Richards. Dick Richards wrote the following years after the ordeal "To me no undertaking carried through to conclusion is for nothing. And so I don't think of our struggle as futile. It was something the human spirit accomplished." Prime Minister Bob Hawke wrote in 1984 'Your incredible journey of almost 2000 miles across the Antarctic Wastelands - involving some 9 months in the field with makeshift equipment - and you're adherence to duty in the face of enormous difficulty, suffering from scurvy, and the death of comrades, will; be an inspiration to your countrymen of the future as it is to us today." After returning to Australia Dick Richards resumed his work at SMB as Lecturer in Physics and Mathematics, and developed many pieces of experimental equipment. During World War Two he acted as a scientific adviser in the production of optical apparatus in Australia. In 1946 he was appointed Principal and twelve years later he retired after a total of 44 years service. Dick Richards has been honoured through the naming of a Ballarat School of Mines prize - The R.W. Richards Medal. This medal later became a University of Ballarat prize. It has been awarded annually since 1959 to the Bachelor of Applied Science graduate considered to have achieved the most outstanding academic performance of their course. (See http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/collections/art_history/honour-roll/honourroll_Richards,Dick.shtml )A man and lady inspect a bust of Richard (Dick) Richards by sculptor Victor Greenhalgh. The scultpure is at the Ballarat School of Mines. The man is Dick Richards, and the woman is his sister and wife of sculptor Victor Greenhalgh. Both Dick Richards and Victor Greenhalgh were former students and teachers at the Ballarat School of Mines. The bust of Dick Richards was Victor Greenhalgh's last work and was cast in bronze after his death. The bust was presented to the Ballarat School of Mines by Mrs V.S. Greenhalgh (widow of the sculptor and sister of the subject). At the presentation Victor Greenhagh's son said "the two men had been friends as well as brothers-in-law, were of similar age, both enjoyed red wine, beer and cricket and both were educationalists, one an artist the other a mathematician."dick richards, r.w. richards, richards, richard w. richards, victor greenhalgh, bust, sculpture, ballarat school of mines, antarctica, ross shore -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Barometer, 1858-1869
The barometer was either made or sold by T. Gaunt & Co. of Melbourne, a manufacturer, importer and retailer of a wide variety of goods including jewellery, clocks and watches, navigational and measuring instruments, dinnerware, glassware and ornaments. Thomas Gaunt photograph was included in an album of security identity portraits of members of the Victorian Court, Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888. (See below for further details.) Admiral Fitzroy Pattern Barometer History: The stick mercury barometer was named after Admiral Robert Fitzroy of the Royal Navy (1805-1865) for his detailed instructions on how to interpret the weather, which were included with the instrument. Fitzroy was the captain of the HMS Beagle, also a weather forecaster to Charles Darwin and the second Governor of New Zealand. He developed many different types of barometers and was the first person to introduce the science of weather forecasting to the British Isles. A local manufacturer of scientific instruments, Thomas Gaunt, produced the barometer that was adapted for the southern hemisphere by Robert Ellery, the State Astronomer based at the Melbourne Observatory. In the original sale catalogue for Gaunt's, the item is described as "Gaunt's Fitzroy Barometers" and it was priced from 25/- to ₤9.9s. History of Thomas Gaunt: Thomas Gaunt established Melbourne's leading watchmaking, optical and jewellery business during the second half of the 19th century. Gaunt arrived in Melbourne in 1852, and by 1858 had established his own business at 14 Little Bourke Street. Around 1869 he moved to new premises in Bourke Street on the corner of Royal Arcade. Gaunt's shop quickly became a Melbourne institution. Gaunt proudly advertised that he was 'The only watch manufacturer in the Australian colonies'. While many watches and clocks may have had Gaunt's name on the dial, few would have been made locally. Gaunt did make some watches for exhibitions, and perhaps a few expensive watches for wealthy individuals. Gaunt's received a telegraph signal from Melbourne Observatory each day to correct his main clock and used this signal to rate and repair ship's chronometers and good quality watches. His main horological manufacturing was directed at turret clocks for town halls, churches and post offices. These tended to be specific commissions requiring individualised design and construction. He made the clock for the Melbourne Post Office lobby, to a design by Government Astronomer Robert Ellery, and won an award at the 1880-81 Melbourne International Exhibition for his turret clock for the Emerald Hill Town Hall. He became well known for his installation of a chronograph at Flemington Racecourse in 1876, which showed the time for the race, accurate to a quarter of a second. The firm also installed the clockwork and figures for Gog and Magog in the Royal Arcade. Thomas Gaunt also developed a department that focused on scientific instrumentation, making thermometers and barometers (from imported glass tubes), telescopes, surveying instruments and microscopes. Another department specialised in electroplating for trophies, awards and silverware, and the firm manufactured large amounts of ecclesiastical gold ware and silverware, for the church including St Patrick's Cathedral. There are no records that disclose the number of employees in the firm, but it was large enough for Gaunt to hold an annual picnic for the watchmakers and apprentices at Mordialloc from 1876; two years previously they had successfully lobbied Gaunt to win the eight hour day. Gaunt's workforce was reportedly very stable, with many workers remaining in the business for 15 to 30 years. Gaunt's wife Jane died on September 1894, aged 64. They had one son and six daughters, but only three daughters survived to adulthood. Two became nuns at the Abbotsford Convent and one daughter, Cecelia Mary Gaunt (died 28 July 1941), married William Stanislaus Spillane on 22 September 1886 and had a large family. Gaunt died at his home in Coburg, Victoria, leaving an estate valued at ₤41,453. The business continued as T. Gaunt & Co. after his death. The barometer is historically significant as an example of the work of Melbourne’s leading scientific instrument maker, Thomas Gaunt. The barometer has social significance as an example of the type of scientific equipment that Thomas Gaunt expanded his horology business into producing. Further social significance lies in the fact that Robert Ellery, the Government Astronomer who designed the local version of the barometer, had a direct connection with the Melbourne Athenaeum founded in 1839 as the Melbourne Mechanics' Institution. Its purpose was "the diffusion of literary, scientific and other useful information". There are also records of a T Gaunt as a subscription and committee member of this the Athenaeum organisation during the 1870s and 1880s which may be Thomas Gaunt, unfortunately still unverified.Stick mercury barometer known as the Admiral Fitzroy Barometer. It comprises an oblong wooden case with glass front panel, ornate pediment, barometer with bulb cistern (empty of fluid), cleaning brush with printed instructions for interpreting information given by the gauge affixed to left and right face of instrument. Includes a thermometer. The barometer appears to be intact. Adapted to the Southern Hemisphere. Special remarks by Admiral Fitzroy. Made by Thomas Gaunt, Melbourne. Manufacturer's details are on back of wooden casing. Rear has upper and lower brass screw plates for securing to vertical surface."Manufactured by Thomas Gaunt, 14 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne. "flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, barometer, admiral fitzroy, thomas gaunt, thomas gaunt of melbourne, clockmaker, admiral fitzroy barometer, barometer instructions, gaunt’s fitzroy barometer, gaunt’s of melbourne, gog and magog designer, horological manufacturer, meteorological instrument, melbourne athenaeum, melbourne mechanics' institution, melbourne observatory time signal, robert ellery government astronomer, scientific instrument, stick mercury barometer, thermometer, weather forecast, t gaunt & co -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Ship's Telegraph section, Chadburn & Sons, 1875-1898
This is the Bridge Section of a ship’s telegraph and is a Duplex Gong model, made by Chadburn & Son of Liverpool. This duplex gong model would sound two signals whenever the navigational commands were given by the ship’s pilot to change the speed or direction. The ship’s telegraph was installed on Flagstaff Hill’s exhibit of the 1909 Hobart, Tasmania, ferry “SS Rowitta” installed in 1975 and enjoyed for more than 40 years. Communication between the ship’s pilot and the engine room in the late 19th century to the mid-20th-century was made with a system called an Engine Order Telegraph (E.O.T.) or ship’s telegraph. The equipment has two parts, the Bridge Section and the Engine Room Section. The Bridge Section is usually mounted onto a pedestal, and the Engine Room Section is attached to a vertical surface. The standard marine commands are printed or stamped around the face of the dial and indicated by a pointer or arrow that is usually moved by a rotating brass section or handle. The ship’s pilot stationed on the Bridge of a vessel sends his Orders for speed and direction to the Engine Room with the E.O.T. He moves the lever or levers, depending on the number of engines the ship has, to change the indicator on the Bridge Section’s dial to point in the new direction and speed of travel. This change causes the Orders to be duplicated on the Engine Room Section’s dial and a bell or bells to signal the change at the same time. The engineer then adjusts the ship’s engines and steering equipment to follow the pilot’s Order. CHADBURN & SON, Liverpool- Chadburn Brothers, William and C.H., were joint inventors and well-established makers of optical and scientific instruments and marine gauges. The firm was granted the Prince Albert Royal Warrant in the late 19th century. In 1870 William Chadburn applied for a patent for his navigational communication device for use on ships. By 1875 Chadburn & Son was producing the brass Engine Order Telegraph in its plant at 71 Lord Street, Liverpool. In 1911 the ship RMS Titanic was launched, fitted with Chadburn & Sons E.O.T. The Chadburn Ship Telegraph Company Limited was registered in 1898 to take over Chadburn & Sons. In 1903 a large factory at Bootle, near Liverpool, and their products were being sold overseas. In 1920 electric-powered telegraphs were developed. In 1944 the name changed to Chadburn’s (Liverpool) Limited. In 1968 the company became Chadburn Bloctube Ltd. In 2000 the company, now Bloctube Marine Limited, was still manufacturing ship telegraphs. SS ROWITTA: - The 1909 steam ferry, SS Rowitta, was installed as an exhibit at Flagstaff Hill in 1975 and was enjoyed by many visitors for 40 years. Rowitta was a timber steam ferry built in Hobart in 1909 using planks of Huon and Karri wood. It was a favourite of sightseeing passengers along Tasmania’s Tamar and Derwent rivers for 30 years. Rowitta was also known as Tarkarri and Sorrento and had worked as a coastal trading vessel between Devonport and Melbourne, and Melbourne Queenscliff and Sorrento. In 1974 Rowitta was purchased by Flagstaff Hilt to convert into a representation of the Speculant, a historic and locally significant sailing ship listed on the Victorian Heritage Database. (The Speculant was built in Scotland in 1895 and traded timber between the United Kingdom and Russia. Warrnambool’s P J McGennan & Co. then bought the vessel to trade pine timber from New Zealand to Victorian ports and cargo to Melbourne. It was the largest ship registered with Warrnambool as her home port, playing a key role in the early 1900s in the Port of Warrnambool. In 1911, on her way to Melbourne, it was wrecked near Cape Otway. None of the nine crew lost their lives.) The promised funds for converting Rowitta into the Speculant were no longer available, so it was restored back to its original configuration. The vessel represented the importance of coastal traders to transport, trade and communication in Australia times before rail and motor vehicles. Sadly, in 2015 the time had come to demolish the Rowitta due to her excessive deterioration and the high cost of ongoing repairs. The vessel had given over 100 years of service and pleasure to those who knew her. This Bridge section of a ship’s Engine Order Telegraph, used with an Engine Room section, represents late-19th century change and progress in communication and navigation at sea. This type of equipment was still in use in the mid-20th century. The object is significant for its association with its maker, Chadburn & Son, of Liverpool, a well-known marine instrument maker whose work was recognised by English Royalty, and whose products were selected to supply similar equipment for use on the RMS Titanic. This ship’s telegraph is connected to the history of the Rowitta, which was a large exhibit on display at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village from the museum’s early beginnings until the vessel’s end of life 40 years later. The display was used as an aid to maritime education. 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 that served many different roles over its lifetime of over 100 years. Bridge section of a Ship’s Telegraph or Engine Order Telegraph (E.O.T.). The round double-sided, painted glass dial is contained within a brass case behind glass. It is fitted onto an outward tapering brass pedestal with a round base. The brass indicator arrows between the handles point simultaneously to both sides of the dial when moved. An oval brass maker’s plate is attached to the top of the case. The dial’s faces have inscriptions that indicate speed and direction, and the front face and plate include the maker’s details. A serial number is stamped on the collar where the dial is fitted to the pedestal. The ship’s telegraph is a Duplex Gong model, made by Chadburn & Son of Liverpool. Dial, maker’s details: “PATENT “DUPLEX GONG” TELEGRAPH / CHADBURN & SON / TELEGRAPH WORKS / PATENTEES & MANUFACTURERS / 11 WATERLOO ROAD / LIVERPOOL” LONDON / 105 FENCHURCH STREET” “NEWCASTLE / 85 QUAY + SIDE” “GLASGOW / 69 ANDERSON QUAY” “PATENT” Dial instructions: “FULL / HALF/ SLOW / FINISHED WITH ENGINES / STOP STAND BY / SLOW / HALF / FULL / ASTERN / AHEAD” Maker’s plate: “CHADBURN / & SON / PATENT / LIVERPOOL” Serial number: “22073”flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, engine order telegraph, e.o.t., navigational instrument, communication device, ship’s telegraph, engine room section, bridge section, rms titanic, chadburn & son, chadburn brothers, william chadburn, chadburn ship telegraph company, chadburns, duplex gong, liverpool, ss rowitta, navigation, marine technology, pilot’s orders, steam power, hobart, tasmania, devonport, tasmanian-built, ferry, steam ferry, steamer, 1909, early 20th century vessel, passenger vessel, tamar trading company, launceston, george town, sorrento, tarkarri, speculant, peter mcgennan, p j mcgennan & co. port phillip ferries pty ltd, melbourne, coastal trader, timber steamer, huon, karri, freighter, supply ship, charter ferry, floating restaurant, prawn boat, lakes entrance