Handwritten extract from the Bendigo Advertiser 5/12/1893 where three miners had a narrow escape in a winding accident at the Huster's Reserve No 2 Company's Mine, in Pall Mall. At the change of shift, three miners, William Merrin, Frederick Willoughby and E. Johns got into the cage on the western compartment to be lowered to the 845 ft. plat. The Driver Russel lost control of the engine and hauled the empty cage in the eastern compartment to the poppet heads. Cage went up with a crash, but the safety hooks caught it and let the rope go. The men in the cage in western compartment were very alarmed has cage hit the bearers on the 845 feet plat with considerable force. If it had crashed through the bearers they would have landed in the water below. The shaft was 1070 feet deep. The Mine Manager, S. T. Glanville ordered the driver off the mine; another rope re-attached and the men hauled to the surface.document, gold, mining accidents, sensational winding accident at the hustler's reserve no 2 co, william merrin, frederick willoughby, e johns, driver russell, s t glanville

Seven men were killed at the Great Extended Hustler's mine disaster on 2nd May 1914 by an explosion of dynamite occurring as the men were waiting at the plat to ascend the mine at the end of their shift. No blame was attached to anyone in the findings of the inquisition. It was unknown what caused the dynamite to explode. One page typed document detailing the escape of three miners when a cage plunged to the 845 feet plat. William Merrin, Frederick Willoughby and E. Johns were the miners in the cage when the engine driver lost 'control of engine and hauled the empty cage in the eastern compartment to the poppet head' . On back of page, article on Unity Mine Fire on Tuesday 8th October, 1907. Louis Pabst, Conrad Inglefinger, Edward Fuller, Frederick Allen and William Whitford were miners at work when fire occurred. 3603.2 on bottom of all pages. Duplicate copy. great extended hustlers, goldmining, accident, quartz, mining, winding accident, overwinding, engine driver, s.t. glanville mine manager

Reproduced on p31 of 'Pioneers & Painters' Was destroyed in 1962 bushfire. Now Peter Franks Reserve, St Andrews On Friday 29th (August 1919) …, the Hon. S. Barnes, M. L. A., Minister of Mines, accompanied by Mr W. Everard, M.L.A., Mr. V. Dickson, secretary for Mines, and Mr. Merrin, Chief Mining Inspector, visited Smith's Gully for the purpose of opening, the new Government battery which has recently been erected. The party arrived punctually at 12.30, and was received by an assemblage of about 200 residents, including, those representing local prospecting and mining interests. At the mill house the Minister wished prosperity to mining on the old Queenstown field, and, in a few appropriate remarks, gave the battery the name of St. Andrew's. Then, as the stamps began to fall, three hearty cheers were given by the gathering. ….. The Queenstown field, dating back to the early sixties, might be regarded as a link that took them back to the Augustine age of gold mining in Victoria…From 1868 to 1918 the total yield of gold from the field was 274,606 fine oz. It might be that here, as elsewhere, deeper prospecting would give new life to the Queenstown goldfield. The miners of Queenstown, who through long year's had never lost faith in the possibilities of the field, felt that the purpose for which they were that day marked the beginning of a new era in the history of local reefing. …. The new mill is situated on the bank of the creek opposite the Queenstown Cemetery, and consists of a five head battery (Berdan pan) and 12 h.p. portable steam engine housed in a spacious structure of wood and iron. A concrete weir across the creek provides a good water supply, and all the necessary pumps, settling dams, etc., have been installed. Later on, should circumstances warrant it, it is pro-posed to erect Wilfley tables for concentrates. Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser and Diamond Creek Valley Advocate, Friday 5 September 1919, page 3This photo forms part of a collection of photographs gathered by the Shire of Eltham for their centenary project book,"Pioneers and Painters: 100 years of the Shire of Eltham" by Alan Marshall (1971). The collection of over 500 images is held in partnership between Eltham District Historical Society and Yarra Plenty Regional Library (Eltham Library) and is now formally known as the 'The Shire of Eltham Pioneers Photograph Collection.' It is significant in being the first community sourced collection representing the places and people of the Shire's first one hundred years.Digital image 4 x 5 inch B&W Neg Print 20 x 25 (2)shire of eltham pioneers photograph collection, queenstown, st andrews, st. andrews battery, gold mining, s. barnes, merrin, st andrews battery, v. dickson, william h. everard, peter franks reserve