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Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clock, 1867-1870
... clock maker...Chauncey Jerome (1793–1868) was an American clock maker...) was an American clock maker in the early to mid 19th century. He made ...Chauncey Jerome (1793–1868) was an American clock maker in the early to mid 19th century. He made a fortune selling his clocks, and his business grew quickly. Jerome was born in Canaan USA in 1793 son of a blacksmith and nail-maker. He began his career in Plymouth, making dials for long-case clocks where he learned all he could about clocks, particularly clock cases, and then went to New Jersey to make seven-foot cases for clocks mechanisms. In 1816 he went to work for Eli Terry making "Patent Shelf Clocks," learning how to make previously handmade cases using machinery. Deciding to go into business for himself, Jerome began to make cases, trading them to Terry for wooden movements. In 1822 Jerome moved his business to Bristol New Haven, opening a small shop with his brother Noble and began to produce a 30-hour and eight-day wooden clocks. By 1837 Jerome's company was selling more clocks than any of his competitors. A one-day wood-cased clock, which sold for six dollars had helped put the company on the map. A year later his company was selling that same clock for four dollars. The company also sold one line of clocks at a wholesale price of 75 cents and by 1841 the company was showing an annual profit of a whopping $35,000, primarily from the sale of its brass movements. In 1842 Jerome moved his clock-case manufacturing operation to St. John Street in New Haven. Three years later, following a fire that destroyed the Bristol plant, Jerome relocated the entire operation to Elm City factory. Enlarging the plant, the company soon became the largest industrial employer in the city, producing 150,000 clocks annually. In 1850 Jerome formed the Jerome Manufacturing Co. as a joint-stock company with Benedict & Burnham, brass manufacturers of Waterbury. In 1853 the company then became known as the New Haven Clock Co, producing 444,000 clocks and timepieces annually, then the largest clock maker in the world. Jerome's future should have been secure but in 1855 he bought out a failed Bridgeport clock company controlled by P.T. Barnum, which wiped him out financially, leaving the Jerome Manufacturing Co. bankrupt. Jerome never recovered from the loss. By his admission, he was a better inventor than a businessman. When Jerome went bankrupt in 1856 the New Haven Clock Company purchased the company. One of the primary benefits of Jerome purchasing New Haven in the first place was the good reputation of the Jerome brand and the network of companies that remained interested in selling its clocks. In England, Jerome & Co. Ltd. sold Jerome clocks for the New Haven company until 1904, when New Haven purchased the English firm outright. After his involvement with the New Haven Company in 1856, Jerome traveled from town to town, taking jobs where he could, often working for clock companies that had learned the business of clock making using Jerome's inventions. On returning to New Haven near the end of his life, he died, penniless, in 1868 at the age of 74. The company struggled on after Jerome's bankruptcy until after World War II, when the company endeavored to continue through disruptions caused by a takeover along with poor sales, finally having to fold its operations in 1960 a little more than 100 years after it had been founded. The item is significant as it is associated with Chauncey Jerome who had made a historic contribution to the clock making industry during the 19th century when he began to substitute brass mechanisms for wooden mechanisms in his clocks. This was said to be the greatest and most far-reaching contribution to the clock industry. Because of his discovery of stamping out clockwork gears rather than using castings, Jerome was producing the lowest-priced clocks in the world. That can only add to his significance as the major clock manufacture of the 19th century. Jerome may have made and lost, a fortune selling his clocks but was perhaps the most influential and creative person associated with the American clock business during the mid-19th century. Also, he had served his community as a legislator in 1834, a Presidential elector in 1852 and mayor of New Haven, Connecticut from 1854 to 1855.Eight day movement wall clock with Roman numerals, octagonal shaped rosewood veneered casing, hinged face with locking clip. Wound from front. Face has adjustment for Fast-to-Slow.Part paper label on back of case can just make out "Jerome" and "ight and One" probable meaning is "Eight and One Day" describing the movements operational time between winding the mechanism.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, clock maker, jerome & co, new haven, chauncey jerome, canaan -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clock, 1867-1870
... clock maker...Chauncey Jerome (1793–1868) was an American clock maker...) was an American clock maker in the early to mid 19th century. He made ...Chauncey Jerome (1793–1868) was an American clock maker in the early to mid 19th century. He made a fortune selling his clocks, and his business grew quickly. Jerome was born in Canaan USA in 1793 son of a blacksmith and nail-maker. He began his career in Plymouth, making dials for long-case clocks where he learned all he could about clocks, particularly clock cases, and then went to New Jersey to make seven-foot cases for clocks mechanisms. In 1816 he went to work for Eli Terry making "Patent Shelf Clocks," learning how to make previously handmade cases using machinery. Deciding to go into business for himself, Jerome began to make cases, trading them to Terry for wooden movements. In 1822 Jerome moved his business to Bristol New Haven, opening a small shop with his brother Noble and began to produce a 30-hour and eight-day wooden clocks. By 1837 Jerome's company was selling more clocks than any of his competitors. A one-day wood-cased clock, which sold for six dollars had helped put the company on the map. A year later his company was selling that same clock for four dollars. The company also sold one line of clocks at a wholesale price of 75 cents and by 1841 the company was showing an annual profit of a whopping $35,000, primarily from the sale of its brass movements. In 1842 Jerome moved his clock-case manufacturing operation to St. John Street in New Haven. Three years later, following a fire that destroyed the Bristol plant, Jerome relocated the entire operation to Elm City factory. Enlarging the plant, the company soon became the largest industrial employer in the city, producing 150,000 clocks annually. In 1850 Jerome formed the Jerome Manufacturing Co. as a joint-stock company with Benedict & Burnham, brass manufacturers of Waterbury. In 1853 the company then became known as the New Haven Clock Co, producing 444,000 clocks and timepieces annually, then the largest clock maker in the world. Jerome's future should have been secure but in 1855 he bought out a failed Bridgeport clock company controlled by P.T. Barnum, which wiped him out financially, leaving the Jerome Manufacturing Co. bankrupt. Jerome never recovered from the loss. By his admission, he was a better inventor than a businessman. When Jerome went bankrupt in 1856 the New Haven Clock Company purchased the company. One of the primary benefits of Jerome purchasing New Haven in the first place was the good reputation of the Jerome brand and the network of companies that remained interested in selling its clocks. In England, Jerome & Co. Ltd. sold Jerome clocks for the New Haven company until 1904, when New Haven purchased the English firm outright. After his involvement with the New Haven Company in 1856, Jerome traveled from town to town, taking jobs where he could, often working for clock companies that had learned the business of clock making using Jerome's inventions. On returning to New Haven near the end of his life, he died, penniless, in 1868 at the age of 74. The company struggled on after Jerome's bankruptcy until after World War II, when the company endeavored to continue through disruptions caused by a takeover along with poor sales, finally having to fold its operations in 1960 a little more than 100 years after it had been founded. The item is significant as it is associated with Chauncey Jerome who had made a historic contribution to the clock making industry during the 19th century when he began to substitute brass mechanisms for wooden mechanisms in his clocks. This was said to be the greatest and most far-reaching contribution to the clock industry. Because of his discovery of stamping out clockwork gears rather than using castings, Jerome was producing the lowest-priced clocks in the world. That can only add to his significance as the major clock manufacture of the 19th century. Jerome may have made and lost, a fortune selling his clocks but was perhaps the most influential and creative person associated with the American clock business during the mid-19th century. Also, he had served his community as a legislator in 1834, a Presidential elector in 1852 and mayor of New Haven, Connecticut from 1854 to 1855.Clock, marine, in octagonal rosewood veneer case. Roman numerals to dial, has a seconds dial. 2 key-winding holes slow-to-Fast adjustment pin through dial. Small lever in lower edge of case activates a chime. "8 day, 8 inch, Lever Striking escarpment " Paper label on the back of the clock "Jerome & Co, New Haven, Conn" "Manufacturers of every variety of Office and Home Clocks and Time Pieces".flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, clock, jerome & co, new haven, clock maker, chauncey jerome -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clock, 1890s
... Warrnambool Clock maker... maker John Mainland John Gall Mainland Mary Gall clock maker ...John Gall Mainlands father John Mainland Snr. was born in 1835 in the town of Lerwick in the Shetland Isles off the coast of Scotland. At the age of fifteen, he migrated to the South Island of New Zealand where he trained as a carpenter/builder after settling in Oamaru where he soon became a prominent citizen. He was for many years the Chairman of the Hospital Board and Captain of the fire brigade (which he founded). Mary Gall, Johns wife had also migrated with her family from Glasgow Scotland in 1837 at the age of thirteen to New Zealand where she had met and married John Mainland and in 1866 John Gall Mainland the second eldest of their six children was born. After John Gall Mainland Jnr. had trained as a jeweller and watchmaker he also developed itchy feet and left New Zealand for Australia in the late 1880s eventually settling in Walhalla Victoria where he became chief of the fire brigade for ten years before moving to Warrnambool. Gertrude Emily born 1872 met and married John G Mainland after he had increased his skills to become an optician. In Jan 1892 opened a business in Liebig St Warrnambool the sign outside his premises read, (J Mainland Watchmaker Jeweler and Optician). While he was establishing his business and profession John had set about contributing to the cultural and business life of the Warrnambool community. One of his many community commitments was with the scouting movement where he became a King Scout and an original charter member of the Warrnambool Rotary Club.The clock was made by an early Warrnambool business identity who had also made an important contribution to the local community over the years through his involvement with Rotary as a founding member the fire brigade. Having an item that was made by John Mainland during the early development of Warrnambool and in such good condition is in itself significant, it's provenance is well established and it is another piece of local history that further tells a story of Warrnambool's cultural life and early development in the 1890s. Wall Clock, circular in a wooden case Roman numerals on a twelve hour dialName of maker to dial face "J Mainland & Co Warrnambool"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, warrnambool clock maker, john mainland, john gall mainland, mary gall, clock maker, optician, jeweller -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Clock case, Late 19th to early 20th centuries
... clock maker... clock case vintage horology time keeping clock maker domestic ...This vintage-era clock case has a curved top and two doors, one at the side, and the other at the top. It could have had another frame for the front with a window or fitted space for the clock mechanism. The doors may have given access for winding the clock with a key and to set the time or perhaps an alarm or chime. It is possible that the arched shape was the bottom of the clock case and not the top, in which case, there would be more space for a pendulum to swing. The wooden case would amplify the sound of the tick of the clock.The wooden clock case is connected to domestic life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when households could afford at least one clock for their furnishings.Wooden clock case with open front and arched top, which may be the bottom of the case. It has a hinged door on the side and another door on the top with a small brass knob. This case is ready to be fitted with a clock mechanism.warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, clock case, clock case with two doors, pendulum clock case, vintage, horology, time keeping, clock maker, domestic clock, furnishing -
Federation University Historical Collection
Images - black & White, Eight Hours' Anniversary Sports, 1892, 21/04/1892
... and Clock Maker, Walker's Hat Warehouse.... Palace, Hamburger Watch and Clock Maker, Walker's Hat Warehouse ...Digitised copy of a sports programme for the Eight Hour Day Anniversary Sports in Ballarat. Advertisements for: J. Whykes Merchant and Tailer, F. Jago Ballarat Boot Palace, Hamburger Watch and Clock Maker, Walker's Hat Warehouse.eight hours day, eight hours day procession, h. josephs, captain palmer, t. davies, r. surtees, w. brwon, r. carling, r. goolhooley, r. phillipson, t. rowell, w. baxter, w. tweedale, w. trotman, w. bennett, w. perkins, r. young, j. wilson, j. whykes -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Newspaper - JENNY FOLEY COLLECTION: WATCHES
... Junction. In 1901 he was listed as "atch anc clock maker, English... was listed as "atch anc clock maker, English and Colonial jewlerry ...Bendigo Advertiser "The way we were" from 1999. Watches: J. Picken's premises, situated at High Street, Sailors Gully Road Junction. In 1901 he was listed as "atch anc clock maker, English and Colonial jewlerry made to order and repaired"newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Newspaper - JENNY FOLET COLLECTION: WATCH AND CLOCK
... . In 1901 he was listed as ''watch and clock'' maker. He made... as ''watch and clock'' maker. He made and repaired English ...Bendigo Advertiser ''The way we were'' from 2000. Watch and clock: James Pickens established his business prior to 1872. In 1901 he was listed as ''watch and clock'' maker. He made and repaired English and colonial jewellery to order. The premises were on the High Street and Sailors Gully Road junction. The clip is in a folder.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were -
Ballarat Clarendon College
Book, C L Brightwell, Heroes of the laboratory and the workshop, Preface dated 1859
... of canal navigation; Graham & Breguet - watch & clock makers...; Graham & Breguet - watch & clock makers; & Vaucanson - automata ...Prize awarded to James Cleeland Shaw (BD 15/10/1862) for excellence in conduct and general proficiency. James entered Ballarat College 1870. Son of Mr. W.H.Shaw the Managing Director of the celebrated Phoenix Foundry which played such an important part in the early industrial history of Ballarat and who lived all his Ballarat life in a house in Armstrong Street South not far from Dana Street. Born in Ballarat on 15th October 1862 and attended Ballarat College 1870-1877. Was articled to Hardy and Madden of Ballarat Solicitors. Practised as a Solicitor in Ballarat for some years. Went to Western Australia in 1897 and acted for a time as Deputy Master of Western Australia Supreme Court. Was for some time partner with Drake Brockman now a judge but latterly practised as Shaw and Shaw in partnership with his brother Frank as Solicitors at 81 St. Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia. Example of prize ordered from London where they were specially bound and embossed with the College crest. Awarded by F J Thomas B A, principal under unusual circumstances 1874 - 1876.Preface dated 1859. A clean crisp book of 222 clean unmarked pages . 22 chapters, each dealing with a separate subject including; Berthollet - chemist; James Brindley - originator of canal navigation; Graham & Breguet - watch & clock makers; & Vaucanson - automata. Firmly bound in light brown calf with six compartments between raised bands and gilt title & decorations on the spine ; gilt school crest on the front; marbled end pages and edges.Book plate inside front cover: Ballarat College crest / PRIZE / FOR / Good Conduct and General Proficiency / Awarded to / Master J Shaw / Fifith Class / Christmas 1975 / F J Thomas B A Principalf-j-thomas, ballarat-college, james-shaw, 1875, book-prize -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Clock - Wall
... On clock face "Smiths" On the back "Smiths / English clocks... "Smiths / English clocks" Details re maker, watts etc. embossed ...Smiths were once the largest clock manufacturers in Europe. They produced clocks for the home.Used by a resident of the Kiewa ValleyWhite clock face with black hands and numbers. The seconds hand is red. Electric cord attached at the back with details of makers embossed in the centre circle. The face of the clock is attached to a round tin mantel. It has a white knob at the bottom (for adjusting the hands). The electric wall plug has 3 cylinder shaped prongs (they are not flat). On clock face "Smiths" On the back "Smiths / English clocks" Details re maker, watts etc. embossed on the back centre.smiths clock, wall clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Taffrail log, Late 19th Century
... as a silversmith and clock maker in Vermont, and began in business... in Connecticut, trained as a silversmith and clock maker in Vermont ...John Bliss (1795-1857) was born in Connecticut, trained as a silversmith and clock maker in Vermont, and began in business as a jeweller in New York around 1830. In 1834, now trading as Bliss & Creighton, he made and marketed chronometers and other items for navigational use. The firm became John Bliss & Son in 1855 and John Bliss & Co. in 1857. It remained in business until 1957. Truman Hotchkiss, a sea captain from Stratford, Connecticut, designed a mechanical Taff rail log in which the recording mechanism was placed on taffrail (or upper part of the stern) of the ship. After acquiring the rights to Hotchkiss’s patents of 1864 and 1867, John Bliss & Co. began advertising the "American Patent Taffrail Log." The firm also offered mechanical logs based on patents granted to John Bliss, Jnr and his brother George, as well as English instruments based on Massey’s and Walker’s patents.The SPECULANT is historically significant as the largest ship to have been registered in Warrnambool, and is believed to have been the largest barquentine to visit Melbourne. It is evidence of the final days of large commercial sailing vessels involved in the Victorian and New Zealand timber trade. The SPECULANT is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register VHR S626John Bliss Taffrail ship log incomplete, rope and spinner missing used on the vessel "Speculant " ( See "Notes" at the end of this document for further information) "Taffrail Log Patented Nov .. Apr .. June .. Sep 1.", dial registers 1/4, units and 10's. with 3 sets of dials, 2 with hands missingflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, la bella, speculant, cumming and ellis, international timber trade, p. j. mcgennan and co. warrnambool, capt. james jacobsen, first mate: james munro, second mate: john scerling;, cook: b bond; a. b., s: v. sundring, s: h. hansen, s: b. melson, s: h. johnston, s: t. trumblen;, ordinary seaman: r. thompson, cape patton, c. ramsden, log, taffrail ship's log, ship log, john bliss, patent log, peter mcgennan -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Clock, late 1900s early 20th Century
... Connecticut clock makers, Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews... and two Bristol Connecticut clock makers, Theodore Terry ...In 1850 the Ansonia Clock Company was formed as a subsidiary of the Ansonia Brass Company by Phelps and two Bristol Connecticut clock makers, Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews. Terry & Andrews were the largest clock manufacturers in Bristol at the time with more than 50 employees using 58 tons of brass in the production of about 25,000 clocks in 1849. Phelps decided to get into the clock making business to expand the market for his brass, while Terry and Andrews got access to better quality brass at better prices. They had then sold 50% of their business to Phelps and moved the business to Ansonia, Connecticut. In 1877 the clock company purchased a factory in New York and moved most of its production thereafter being spun off from the brass company. Henry J. Davies of Brooklyn, himself a clock maker, inventor and case designer, joined the newly reconstituted company as one of its founders. As President, he is thought to have been largely responsible for the figurine clocks, swing clocks and other unusual and desirable novelties for which the Ansonia firm became known. By 1879, a second factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York and by June 1880 employed 360 workers, while the Connecticut factory continued producing clocks as well with a workforce of 100 men and 25 women. Hence, clocks marked "Connecticut" were generally produced before 1879, while those marked "New York" were all produced after 1880 After the New York factory burnt down in 1880 the company rebuilt the factory on the same site, and reopened the expanded factory in 1881, with a capacity to exceed that of the Connecticut factory which by 1883 had closed. By 1886, the company had sales offices in New York, Chicago and London, with more than 225 different clock models being manufactured. In 1899, Phelps' grandson William Earle Dodge Stokes commissioned architect Duboy to build the "greatest and grandest hotel in Manhattan, New York” which became the city's first air-conditioned building. In 1929 the majority of the timekeeping machinery and tooling was sold to the Soviet government's US trading company Amtorg, just before the stock market crash. The parts, machinery and key skilled workers were shipped out of the USA to form the basis, along with the remains of a watch company purchased a year later, of the clock and watch industry in Moscow such as Poljot and Sekonda. In 1969, the rights to the use of the name, trademarks, and goodwill were transferred to Ansonia Clock Co., Inc., Lynnwood, Washington. The item marks the beginning of mass produced clocks in the United States, cheaply priced and available to all. The company had many innervation's during it’s life regards clock and later wrist watch making that led the way for other companies in many different countries to emulate.Clock, pendulum mantle model. Carved scallop "Ginger bread house" cottage clock. Oak case, white enamel face, floral etched glass door. Clock has an hour bell chime. Glass front opens to allow rewinding. Made by Ansonia Clock Co, New York. Marked "Manufactured by Ansonia Clock Co. New York, USA"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, mantle clock, clock, pendulum clock, time keeper, horology, ansonia, ansonia clock co, america -
Melbourne Athenaeum Archives
Barometer, Given the plaque affixed to the instrument states Royal Arcade as the premises’ address it is assumed that the barometer was manufactured no sooner than1869
... and Gaunt its leading clock maker. PROVENANCE According... and Gaunt its leading clock maker. PROVENANCE According ...Stick mercury barometer, named after Admiral Robert Fitzroy of the Royal Navy (1805 - 1865) for his detailed instructions on interpreting the weather that are included with the instrument. Fitzroy was the captain of the Beagle, 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 and it was adapted for the southern hemisphere by Robert Ellery, the State Astronomer based at the Melbourne Observatory. Described as "Gaunt's Fitzroy Barometers" in the original sale catalogue, it was priced from 25/- to ₤9.9s. [See Miller, M., Gaunt’s Time, 2014]. Thomas Gaunt's business was originally located at 14 Bourke Street East from 1858. In 1869-1870 he moved to new premises in the Royal Arcade, Collins Street. Gaunt's business became an institution in Victorian Melbourne and Gaunt its leading clock maker. PROVENANCE According to official minutes the barometer was purchased by the Melbourne Athenaeum in 1874. In particular, at the March meeting of the General Committee the House Subcommittee was instructed to "obtain a Fitzroy or other reliable barometer" to be "fixed in the Reading Room". The 1874 Annual Report records the purchase at ₤3.10.0. 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 accoutrements provided by the committee of the Melbourne Athenaeum for the comfort of its members. Further social significance lies in the fact that Robert Ellery, the Government Astronomer, who designed the local version of the barometer, has a direct connection with the Athenaeum being a subscription member and committee member of the Athenaeum during the 1870s. There are also records of a T Gaunt as a subscription member of the Athenaeum during the 1870s and 1880s which may be Thomas Gaunt, however, this is yet to be verified. 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),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 except for the turning knobs which are missing and the mercury in the tube which is not present. Whether the instrument could be restored to working order is unknown. Front right panel, metal plaque: "Thos Gaunt, Barometer Maker, Royal Arcade, Melbourne"melbourne athenaeum, barometer, thermometer, admiral fitzroy, thomas gaunt of melbourne, robert ellery -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Theodolite, Troughton & Simms, Mid 19th Century
... : Thomas Ambrose Gaunt (1829 – 1890) was a jeweller, clock maker...: Thomas Ambrose Gaunt (1829 – 1890) was a jeweller, clock maker ...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 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Wood Samples, 1891
... by an enterprising local clock-maker Thomas Sharp and he spent the next 40... by an enterprising local clock-maker Thomas Sharp and he spent the next 40 ...The timber display case was presented to Mr Richard Standcombe Harris of Warrnambool (1831-1923). He was a councillor (1875-1891) and predominant businessman. Mr C F Loggin had met Mr Harris while on a trip to Stratford upon Avon in the United Kingdom. Upon his return to Warrnambool, Mr Harris donated the item to the Warrnambool Museum and Art Gallery, (established 1886) where Joseph Archibald was Curator: he catalogued the case in 1894. THE LETTERS IN THE CASE The two letters contained within the display case confirm the authenticity of the oak wood sample. The first letter in the case includes the text; "[Stamped Header on banner] High Street, Stratford on Avon [Hand written] Sept. 22nd / 91. Mr. R. S. Harris, Dear Sir, Enclosed you will find [underlined next 3 words] every authentic proof of the Oak from Shakespeare's House (Birth place). I regret very much Sir, that you made a short-day at S. on A. I should have been delighted to have had the honour, & pleasure, of showing you around our Beautiful Country. You did not give [next 3 words underlined] me or yourself a fair chance. But however I hope that we may again some day have more time to go quietly around. With kind regards, and wishing you, Sir, a pleasant voyage, I remain, Dear Sir, Yours very truly, C.F. Loggin. P.S. A paper will be always acceptable to be as how you Jolly Warrnamboolites are desporting yourselves. “ The second letter includes text; “[Printed Letterhead with stamped impression] The Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare’s Birthplace Incorporated by Act of 54 and 55, Vict. 1891 Secretary and Librarian - Richard Savage Shakespeare’s Birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon [handwritten] 22 Sept 1891 This piece of oak is a portion of what was cut away at at the restoration of Shakespeare’s Birthplace in 1857-58. C. F. Loggins Chemist 3 High Street Richard Savage Sec. – Shakespeare’s Birthplace Mr C F Loggin was connected with the Shakespeare Trust as the person who had originally donated a scion of Shakespeare's mulberry tree to the "Shakespearean Birthday Committee" in 1842. (The scion that was given to the Shakespearean Birthday Committee, from which the Mulberry sample is derived, still grows today in "New Place" garden.) Mr Richard Savage was the Secretary and Liberian of the then renamed “Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare’s Birthplace when the display case was given to Mr Harris in 1891 by Mr Loggin. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he also grew up. He married at 18 years and he and his wife, Anne Hathaway, had three children: They moved to London where he became successful as an actor, writer, and part-owner of a playing company. He later returned to Stratford and purchased his last home, which he called "New Place" in 1602 where he later died in 1616. For the next 150 years, it was known that there existed a black mulberry tree in the garden. At the time there was a fashion for planting mulberry trees. It was the early 17th century after King James had come to the throne, and he imported tens of thousands of saplings in an attempt to get landowners to start a silk industry in England. Unfortunately for posterity, Shakespeare's mulberry was felled around 1756, by the then owner of “New Place" the Reverend Francis Gastrell, who was apparently tired of continual visits by pilgrims asking to see the tree, so he chopped it down. Gastrell had applied for local permission to extend the garden but the application was rejected and his tax was increased. Gastrell retaliated by demolishing the house in 1759, this greatly outraged the local inhabitants. Gastrell was eventually forced to leave town having provoked the wrath of Stratford residents for committing such an act. Today only the garden remains where “New House" used to stand with a scion from the original mulberry tree still growing there. The wood from the felled mulberry tree at “New House" was purchased by an enterprising local clock-maker Thomas Sharp and he spent the next 40 years or so years making souvenirs from the wood. These became early tourist souvenirs and subsequently developed into a profitable sideline for various other makers, including George Cooper and John Marshall. These objects range from relatively small domestic wooden objects, such as snuff boxes and weight scales to large tea caddies and even tables. C. F. Loggin donated a scion or cutting from Shakespeare's mulberry tree to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1862, he was a chemist who lived and worked in Stratford. There is a note on the frame of the donation that the mulberry sample is from this scion, research shows that from Richard Savage's diary notes that there must have been a lot of wood taken from that scion over the years which was planted in the garden of “New Place” and is still growing there today. The "Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare’s Birthplace" (1847 -1964) was formed after the house where Shakespeare is believed to have been born fell into disrepair. Subsequently in 1846 after the death of Thomas Court's widow the last owner. Interest in the house was revived when PT Barnum, the American showman, wanted to buy it and ship the house back to America. In response to this, the Shakespeare Birthday Committee was established (by a private Act of Parliament) with the help of such luminaries as Charles Dickens, the Committee of Trustees raised the necessary £3,000 and purchased the house the following year. Once the Committee had acquired the building, restoration work began. Originally the Birthplace formed part of a terrace with later houses built either side. The first stage in its conservation was their destruction. At the time it was thought necessary to avoid the risk of fire spreading to Shakespeare's birthplace. Reconstruction was carried out by the Shakespeare Trust between 1857 and 1864 that restored the outside of the building to its original 16th-century state. It is from this restoration that the donated piece of oak is derived, originally from a beam that was in the house. Communication from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, dated April 11th, 2019, confirms that the pieces displayed in this case have good provenance. The wood samples are significant for their association with the history of William Shakespeare. The display case and its content is significant to Warrnambool local history for its association with the establishment in 1886 of the Warrnambool Museum and Art Gallery. However, it should be noted that the letters of authentication that accompany the wood samples are only applicable to the oak sample. None the less, all the pieces have very good provenance, with Richard Savage's certificate of authenticity for the oak, and the mulberry sample with the letter to Mr Harris from Mr CF Loggin having also been the donor of the scion of mulberry in 1862 to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. This scion was then established at Shakespeare's garden at "New Home" that had been demolished by Rev Francis Gastrell in 1759. Two wood samples associated with William Shakespeare, presented in a hanging, timber and glass display case with metal trim around the frame. The case also contains two letters and a label printed on a card that refers to the contents, their origins and the donor. A card label with a printed number and a round adhesive label are attached on the back of the case. The left round section of wood is from a donated scion (or shoot) derived from the original mulberry tree planted by William Shakespeare at his last home "New Place", Stratford-upon-Avon. The outer section is light brown coloured while the centre is dark grain. The right wood sample in the case is a section of oak rafter from the house where Shakespeare was born in 1564. The wood is mid brown with a distinct grain. The included letters, each dated 22/9/1891, refer to only the oak sample. - The letter on the left comprises two handwritten pages from Mr CF Loggin to Mr Richard Standcombe Harris. The paper has the printed letterhead address of High Street, Stratford on Avon. - The letter on the right is a handwritten certificate of authenticity signed by Mr CF Loggin and counter signed by Mr Richard Savage, Secretary and Liberian of the Shakespeare Trust. It is on the printed letterhead of The Trustees and Guardians of Shakespeare’s Birthplace Cardboard label inside the glass case “Shakespeare Section of Mulberry Tree, traditionally said to have been planted by Shakespeare in his garden, “New Place,” Stratford-on-Avon. PORTION OF OAK RAFTER from the house in which Shakespeare was born. (Presented by R S Harris 1891.) Printed label on the back of the case “3 2 “ The handwritten adhesive label “0566” flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, shakespeare display case, wood samples, oak from shakespeare's birthplace, mulberry from shakespeare's home "new place", stratford-upon-avon, shakespeare's birthplace, the trustees and guardians of shakespeare's birthplace &c., shakespeare trust, shakespeare birthday committee, r.s. harris, brunswick, victoria, richard s harris, brunswick, victoria, c.f. loggins, chemist, 3 high street stratford-on-avon, richard savage, warrnambool museum and art gallery, thomas court, pt barnum, charles dickins, anne hathaway, black mulberry tree, reverend francis gastrell -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Clock, ca. 1861
... This wall clock originated from the Bank of Australasia... Warrnambool great-ocean-road This wall clock originated from the Bank ...This wall clock originated from the Bank of Australasia. The label on the base matches other items from the same donor. It was spring powered by winding the key mechanism with the clock's key through the hole in the clock face. The hinged door on the base of the clock's case allows access to the clock's working mechanism. James Murray (son of James Murray 1780-1847) was a maker of clocks and chronometers. He worked at No. 1, Royal Exchange, London and from 1861 at 107 Great Bourke Street, Melbourne. In 1854 William Kerr ordered a clock from James Murray and erected it on the Albert Street frontage of the National Model & Training School in Spring Street Melbourne. It was Melbourne's first turret clock and remained there for 80 years before it was transferred to the Public Library in Melbourne in 1934 (now Museum Victoria). The Bank of Australasia was incorporated by Royal Charter of England in March 1834. It had its Australian beginning on 14th December 1835, opening in Sydney. The Acting Superintendent of the bank at that time was David Charters McArthur. He was Superintendent from 1867-to 1876. The Melbourne branch opened on 28th August 1838 in a two-roomed brick cottage on the north side of Little Collins Street, where two huge mastiff dogs were used at night to guard the bank. The government also provided an armed military sentinel. Due to the bank's rapid growth, a new building for the Melbourne branch was opened in 1840 at 75 Collins Street West. By 1879 the bank had been upgraded to a magnificent two-storey building on the corners of Collins and Queens Streets, with the entry on Collins Street. In 1951 the Bank of Australasia amalgamated with the Union Bank to form the Australia and New Zealand Bank, now known as the ANZ. Then in 1970, the ANZ merged with both the ES&A and the London Bank of Australia to form the ANZ Banking Group Limited. The ANZ Banking Group Ltd kindly donated a variety of historic items from the Bank of Australasia. BANK of AUSTRALASIA, WARRNAMBOOL – In 1854 Warrnambool had two banks, the Union Bank and the Bank of Australasia. Later, completely different bank businesses opened; in 1867 the National Bank of Australasia, then in 1875 the Colonial Bank of Australasia. The original Warrnambool branch of the Bank of Australasia was established in July 1854, and operated from a leased cottage on Merri Street, close to Liebig Street. The bank next bought a stone building previously erected by drapers Cramond & Dickson on the corner of Timor and Gibson Streets. Samuel Hannaford was a teller and then Manager at the Warrnambool branch from 1855 to 1856 and the Warrnambool Council chose that bank for its dealings during 1856-57. In 1859 Roberts & Co. was awarded the contract to build the new Bank of Australasia branch for the sum of £3,000. The land was on a sand hill on the northeast corner of Timor and Kepler Streets and had been bought in 1855 from investor James Cust. The new building opened on May 21, 1860. The bank continued to operate there until 1951 when it merged with the Union Bank to form the ANZ Bank, which continued operating from its Liebig Street building. Warrnambool City Council purchased the former Bank of Australasia building in 1971 and renovated it, then on 3rd December 1973 it was officially opened as the Art Gallery by Cr. Harold Stephenson and Gallery Director John Welsh. The Gallery transferred to the purpose-built building in Liebig Street in 1986 and the old bank building is now the Gallery club. Staff at the Bank of Australasia in Warrnambool included the following men but others were also involved: Samuel Hannaford, Teller then Manager from 1855-1856; W H Palmer, Manager from January 1857 until November 1869 when the Teller Basil Spence was promoted to Manager; H B Chomley, Manager from April 1873 and still there in 1886; A Butt, Manager in 1895-1904; J R McCleary Accountant and Acting Manager for 12 months, until 1900; A Kirk, Manager 1904; J Moore, staff until his transfer to Bendigo in December 1908; J S Bath was Manager until 1915; C C Cox, Manager until April 1923; Richard C Stanley, Manager 1923 to April 1928. The clock has significance through its association with the Bank of Australasia. The early Australian bank was established in 1834 by Royal Charter and opened in Sydney, Australia, in Sydney in 1835. The bank had many Australian offices in November 1877, particularly on the east and south coasts. Victoria had 45 percent of all Offices. The clock is significant for its connection with the quality clockmaker James Murray, originally from Royal Exchange London with a branch that opened in Melbourne in 1861. James Murray is renown for making the first turret clock to be installed in Melbourne. The clock is locally significant for its association with the Warrnambool Bank of Australasia, which was established in 1854. It was Warrnambool Council’s first bank. The bank continued to operate until the organisation's merger in 1951 when it became the ANZ Bank Group today. The Bank was an integral part of the growth of local commerce and the community.Wall clock with a round face behind glass in a wooden case. The painted brass face has Roman numerals, two decorative hands, divisions for minutes and a keyhole. The curved base of the case has a hinged access door with a keyhole and adhesive label. The back of the clock's case has metal mounting brackets. Inscriptions on the rectangular white label. Made by James Murray, Melbourne.Face: "JAMES MURRAY / - GT. BOURKE ST. / MELBOURNE / & / ROYAL EXCHANGE / LONEON" Label: "A M / 40"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, bank of australasia, boa, union bank, australia & new zealand bank, anz bank, james murray, clock, wall clock, great bourke street melbourne, royal exchange london, william kerr, turret clock, old model school, national model & training school, access door, winding key -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Compass, 1940's
Henry Browne and Son Ltd, of Barking, made aviation and nautical compasses, clocks and dials. The company made compasses for aircraft notably, Spitfires, Tiger moths and Concord. Henry Browne was born in Lewis, Sussex in 1842 and died in Barking in 1935. His company was a well respected English instrument maker that had been making and selling fine quality compasses, ship's clocks, inclinometers, sextants, and chandlery items for over 140 years. It started in a factory in Brightlingsea, Essex and moved to Barking in 1929. The Trade Mark brand Sestrel was used on all their equipment. Their “Dead Beat“ compass design is well dampened serving to reduce oscillations. It is reported that this design compass was fitted to many Allied ships during WW II. The company went through a boom period in the 1970s but collapsed in the 1980s due to the popularity of cheaper plastic compasses over tradition brass ones. Over more recent years, there has been a consolidation of British instrument makers and the firm of Henry Browne & Son has changed hands a number of times. At last count, it became part of Lillie & Gillie of London in 1985 when John Lilley & Gillie Ltd acquires the assets of Henry Browne & Sons (Sestrel) Ltd, a major competitor for what may be the second time. The model name of Sestral came about via the following.Take first two letters of the word Sensitive then the firs two letter of steady and the firs three letters of reliable hence the trade name of "Sestral". Item relates to the second world war used in many ships of the time merchant and military, It reminds us of a time in our social and world history when most of the world was in conflict.Henry Browne and Sons “Dead Beat“ compass design is well dampened serving to reduce oscillations and was an innervation that many makes of compass of the time din't have as a result the "Sestrel" design was fitted to many Allied ships during WW II.A liquid-filled Sestrel compass, with a brass housing and gimbal ring, wired for an internal low voltage light to illuminate the compass card. Inscriptions printed on face and impressed in metal around outer rim TRADE MARK", "Sestrel Dead-Beat", "No 1724 N", "Barking & London" HENRY BROWNE & SON", additional inscription "AFT No 1724 N". flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, compass, marine compass, henry browne & son barking london, sestrel dead-beat marine compass, navigation instrument, sestrel dead-beat marine compass -
Bendigo Military Museum
Domestic object - CLOCK, WALL PENDULUM, Gilbert Clock Co, C. 1918 - 1921
This clock was placed in what was called the "Writing Room" of the Soldiers Memorial Institute when it was opened in 1921. After the renovations to the SMI in 2016 - 18 the clock was placed back in the same position in what is now called "The Building and RSL History Room".Pendulum Wall Clock, timber frame with glass front insets in door, clock face has Roman Numerals, chimes on the hour and half hour, wind up key inside. A small silver plaque is on the front bottom space.On clock face under hands, "J.T. Knowlton & Co watch makers Bendigo". Around edge of clock face, "W.M.L Gilbert Clock Co Winsted Conn U.S.A" On small Plaque, "Presented by Pioneer Comforts Fund 15.11.1921"brsl, smirsl, domestic -
Warrnambool and District Historical Society Inc.
Functional object - Railway Clock, Wilson Brothers, Clock Makers, Warrnambool, 1890s
... object Railway Clock Wilson Brothers, Clock Makers, Warrnambool ...This clock is believed to have come from the Warrnambool Railway Station. The Railway commenced in 1890 and the station was opened in 1897. The clock was made by Wilson Brothers, a prominent manufacturing watch and clock- making business in Timor Street, Warrnambool in the second half of the 19th Century.This item is of considerable significance as an early Railway Clock in Warrnambool. Railway Clocks were important in the 19th century as prominent time pieces for the general community to use to establish the time of day.This is a clock with a circular face behind glass enclosed in a metal frame with wood surrounds The wooden frame is attached to a wooden rectangular box with a curved bottom. The box has a metal clip for attachment to a wall or a board. The metal face is white with black painted Roman numerals, which are damaged, and black printing. Minute markers are indicated. The hands are metal. All the metal is rusted.Wilson Bros Warrnamboolwarrnambool railway station, wilson brothers warrnambool -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clocks, 1950
In 1865 James Jones Elliott of 156 Cheapside in the City of London, was apprenticed to a clockmaker"Bateman" of 82 St John Street, Smithfield, London., to learn the art of clock making. Initially, J J Elliott specialized in producing pinions and balance shafts for clocks. He eventually progressed to making, and patenting, a weight-driven movement which had chimes on tubes. This clock was very successful and resulted in considerable trade with America. James Elliott's son, Frank Westcombe Elliott, when he was 17 years old, went into business with his father after his father had bought a partnership with a jeweler called “Walden” of Brompton Road, London. In 1904, JJ Elliott died and Frank succeeded his father in clock making business. In 1909 company of JJ Elliott amalgamated with Grimshaw Baxter, and the factory moved to Grays Inn Lane, London, in 1911, followed by a further move, in 1917, to larger premises in St Ann’s Road, Tottenham, London. In 1921 the partnership with Grimshaw Baxter was dissolved and Frank Elliott joined a well-known firm of Bell Founders and Clockmakers, Gillett and Johnson Ltd, in Croydon. In 1923, two years later, he took over their clock factory and formed the famous company of F.W. Elliott Ltd. He was joined by his two sons, Leonard and Horace Elliott, who had served their apprenticeships in the trade. The third son, Ronald, joined the company in 1929. Elliott's started to produce clocks for the armed forces when war was declared in 1939, together with test gear and apparatus for the Rolls Royce engines used in the RAF planes. In 1944, Frank Elliott died at the age of 69 and Horace Elliott assumed the role of Managing Director. Whilst Horace controlled sales from a showroom in Hatton Garden. In 1952, Horace Elliott was elected Chairman of the British Horological Institute in the same year as Tony, one of Horace's sons, joined the company after he had completed training as a cabinet maker. Ronald Elliott died suddenly in 1966, at the age of 54, his son Peter continued to manage the company until 1998 when it ceased trading. An item that is now regarded as vintage, sought by horology collector’s worldwide and is in excellent condition. The item is unique in that it was made specifically for ships by a well-known British clock manufacture. Its provenance is well established as the serial numbers on the clock indicate it was made in 1950. Production by F.W Elliott for this design of ships clock ceased in 1959. Clock has a gold color case with a 150 mm white painted dial and Roman numerals. The movement has a balance wheel escapement and a slow-fast timekeeping adjuster to the top of the dial. The back of the clock is stamped “made by F W Elliott Ltd of Croydon” and a serial number 21B/829, an additional number 994 is also stamped on the back casing. Thsi model clock finished production in 1959. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, clock, f w elliott, maritime clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Standard measure, Mid to late 19th Century
The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon, the company ceased trading in 1993. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artefacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct.Maker Possibly Robert Brettell Blake or De Grave, Short & Co Ltd both of LondonContainer bronze round shape for measuring dry quantities has brass handles & is a 'half-bushel' measurement"IMPERIAL STANDARD HALF BUSHEL" engraved around the top of the container. VICTORIA engraved under "J & M Ewan & Co London and Melbourne" engraved around the bottom of the container.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bronze, peck measurement, j & m ewan, victorian standard dry measurement, bronze container, victorian standards, melbourne observatory, robert brettell bate -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Chronometer or Marine Clock, ca. 1935 to 1975
This chronometer was made around 1936 and has been on display at Flagstaff Hill for over 40 years as part of the exhibit of the ‘Reginald M’, an Australian-built, 19ss, coastal trader vessel. A chronometer is an accurate mechanical instrument used for measuring time. It is constructed carefully to remain stable even under the changing conditions of seafaring life such as temperature, humidity and air pressure. The Master or Navigator of a ship could use the chronometer and the positions of celestial bodies to calculate the ship’s latitude at sea. In 1905 the business Chronometerwerke GmbH was formed in Frankfurt, Germany, to supply the country with high-quality mechanical chronometers and ship clocks for their maritime trade, making the country independent of other international suppliers such as those in England. In 1938 the firm was renamed Wempe Chronometerwerke. The business continues today. Its products now include its well-known chronometers, battery-powered ship clocks, ship’s bell clocks, barometers, barographs, thermometers, hygrometers, comfort meters to measure temperature and humidity, and wristwatches. The company also performs chronometer testing facilities for the State’s Weights and Measures office. The article written by Givi in July 2022 “The Basics of Marine Meteorology – a Guide for Seafarers” refers to the weather’s signs and patterns being repeated over and over, and the recording of these observations helps forecasters predict changes in the weather. The chronometer is an example of a mechanical navigational marine instrument in use in the early to the mid-20th century. The maker is significant as part of a German government initiative to be self-sufficient in the production of good quality marine technology. This chronometer is significant as part of the exhibit, the Australian-built vessel, 1922 coastal trader ‘Reginald M’, listed on the Australian Register of Historic Vessels and on display for over 40 years.Marine chronometer or marine clock, brass case, glass cover, Roman numerals, 24-hour numbers beside them. Two black hands, a keyhole for winding and ventilation holes in the side. The base has a collar with four machined mounting holes. Inscriptions are on the clock’s face."Made in Germany"" and ""WEMPE / CHRONOMETERWERKE / HAMBURG"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, marine meteorology, horology, chronometer, marine technology, latitude, marine navigation, mechanical instrument, scientific instrument, ship clock, chromometerwerke gmbh, wempe chronometerwerke, marine clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Fob watch, 1882
The watch was given to William James Robe by the captain of the barque Fiji as a token for helping to save his life and that of the crew on September 6th 1891 when the steel barque Fiji had foundered off “wreck beach" near Moonlight Head Warrnambool during a voyage from Hamburg to Melbourne. William or Bill as he was called was the one who had hauled out the last man, the captain, after he had become tangled in the kelp. William along with many other onlookers on the beach at the time had taken it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. These rescuers along with William James Robe, included Edwin Vinge, Hugh Cameron, Fenelon Mott, Arthur Wilkinson and Peter Carmody. Years later Bill passed the watch on to his brother-in-law Gilbert Hulands as payment of a debt. The grandson of Gilbert Hulands, John Hulands, has donated this watch to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum. The Fiji Wreck: The three-masted iron barque Fiji had been built in Belfast, Ireland, in 1875 by Harland and Wolfe for a Liverpool based shipping company. The ship departed Hamburg on 22nd May 1891 bound for Melbourne, under the command of Captain William Vickers with a crew of 25. On September 5th, one hundred days out from Hamburg in squally and boisterous south-west winds the Cape Otway light was sighted on a bearing differing from Captain Vickers' calculation of his position. At about 2:30 am, Sunday 6th September 1891 land was reported 4-5 miles off the port bow. The captain tried to put the ship on the other tack, but she would not respond. He then tried to turn her the other way but just as the manoeuvre was being completed Fiji struck rock only 274 metres from shore. The place is known as Wreck Bay, Moonlight Head. Blue lights were burned and rockets fired whilst an effort was made to lower boats but all capsized or swamped and smashed to pieces. Two of the younger crewmen volunteered to swim for the shore, taking a line. One, a Russian named Daniel Carkland, drowned after he was swept away when the line broke. The other, 17-year-old able seaman Julius Gebauhr, a German, reached shore safely on his second attempt but without the line, which he had cut loose with his sheath-knife when it becomes tangled in kelp. He rested on the beach a while then climbed the cliffs in search of help. At about 10 am on Sunday a party of land selectors - including F. J. Stanmore, Leslie Dickson (or Dixon) and Mott - found Gebauhr. They were near Ryans Den, on their travels on horseback from Princetown towards Moonlight Head, and about 5km from the wreck. They found Gebauhr lying in scrub and a poor state, bleeding and scantly dressed and with a sheath-knife. At first, they were concerned about his appearance and gibberish speech, taking him to be an escaped lunatic. They were reassured after Gebauhr threw his knife away realising he was speaking half-English, half-German. They gave him food and brandy and some clothing and were then able to gain information about the wreck. Some of the men took him to Rivernook, a nearby guest house owned by John Evans, where he was cared for. Stansmore and Dickson rode off to try and summon help. Others went down to the site of the wreck. Messages for rescuing the rest of the crew were sent both to Port Campbell for the rocket rescue crew and to Warrnambool for the lifeboat. The S.S. Casino sailed from Portland towards the scene. After travelling the 25 miles to the scene, half of the Port Campbell rocket crew and equipment arrived and set up the rocket tripod on the beach below the cliffs. By this time the crew of Fiji had been clinging to the jib-boom for almost 15 hours, calling frantically for help. Mr Tregear from the Rocket Crew fired the line. The light line broke and the rocket was carried away. A second line was successfully fired across the ship and made fast. The anxious sailors then attempted to come ashore along the line but, with as many as five at a time, the line sagged considerably and some were washed off. Others, nearly exhausted, had to then make their way through masses of seaweed and were often smothered by waves. Only 14 of the 24 who had remained on the ship made it to shore. Many onlookers on the beach took it in turns to go into the surf and drag half-drowned seamen to safety. One of the rescuers Arthur Wilkinson, a 29-year-old land selector, swam out to the aid of one of the ship's crewmen, a carpenter named John Plunken who was attempting to swim to shore. Two or three times both men almost reached the shore but were washed back to the wreck, a line was thrown to them. It was thought that Wilkinson had struck his head on the anchor during the rescue and had remained unconscious, the carpenter survived this ordeal but Wilkinson died and his body was washed up the next day. The wreck of Fiji smashed apart within 20 minutes of the captain being brought ashore, and it finally settling in 6m of water. Of the 26 men on Fiji, 11 in total lost their lives. The remains of 7 bodies were washed onto the beach. They were buried on the clifftop above the wreck. Captain Vickers was severely reprimanded for his mishandling of the ship and his is Masters Certificate was suspended for 12 months. At the time there was also a great deal of public criticism at the slow and disorganised rescue attempt to save those on board. The important canvas ‘breech buoy’ or ‘bucket chair’ and the heavy line from the Rocket Rescue was in the half of the rocket outfit that didn’t make it in time for the rescue: they had been delayed at the Gellibrand River ferry. Communications to Warrnambool were down so the call for help didn’t get through on time and the two or three boats that had been notified of the wreck failed to reach it in time. Much looting occurred of the cargo that washed up on the shore, with nearly every visitor leaving the beach with bulky pockets. One looter was caught with a small load of red and white rubber balls, which were duly confiscated and he was 'detained' for 14 days. The essence of peppermint mysteriously turned up in many settlers homes. Sailcloth was salvaged and used for horse rugs and tent flies. Soon after the wreck "Fiji tobacco" was being advertised around Victoria. A Customs officer, trying to prevent some of the looting, was assaulted by looters and thrown over a cliff. He managed to cling to a bush lower down until rescued. Seaman Julius Gebauhr later gave his knife, in its hand crafted leather sheath, to F. J. Stansmore for caring for him when he came ashore. Flagstaff Hill’s Fiji collection is of historical significance at a State level because of its association with the wreck Fiji, which is on the Victorian Heritage Register (S 259). The collection also represents key aspects of Victoria’s shipping history and its items offer the potential to interpret maritime historical events and social history of the time. Along with the potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.Sterling silver fob watch Fusee movement face has a white background with black Roman numerals on it. The minute hand is gold coloured with a leaf shape. Seconds dial is inset at position 6, with Arabic numerals around it. Watch has machine engraving flower pattern front and back. The spherical winder has a number and a symbol on the upper face and a hole through the centre, the ring for the chain is missing. Back of a the watch opens to reveal a concave cover with a winding hole, which has a border of overlapping crescent-shapes. Inside cover a diamond with initials “JR”(John Rotherham) inside, a date letter “G” (1882) with a Lion Passant (Sterling Silver) also 3 numbers “8 1 9“embossed beside each other. The clock face has “Rotherhams / London” printed on it. The winder is also marked with a maker and sterling silver mark. “Y” and numbers “688” “3 CI A” “3309” “819” “555 A” and other numbers including a set engraved around the edge possibly jewelers marks who did repairs or maintenance on the item over the years.1891, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwrecked artefact, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwreck coast, warrnambool, fiji, pocket watch, william vickers, william robe, bill robe, fiji watch -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Clock, c. 1860s
... of Melbourne’s Henry Walsh, maker and retailer of clocks, watches... of Melbourne’s Henry Walsh, maker and retailer of clocks, watches ...The clock 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. Thomas Gaunt History: 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. Post Office and Clock History: Warrnambool’s Post Office has been in existence since 1857, when it was originally situated on the corner of Timor and Gilles Street. In March 1864 the Warrnambool Borough Council purchased this clock from Henry Walsh Jnr. for the sum of £25, “to be put up in front of the Post Office”. Henry Walsh Jnr was the eldest son of Melbourne’s Henry Walsh, maker and retailer of clocks, watches, thermometers and jewellery. In 1854 Henry Walsh Jnr. began business in Warrnambool as a watchmaker and jeweller later becoming a Councillor with now a local street named after him. The Post Office was extensively remodelled in 1875-76. Early photographs of this building show that the clock was installed on the northern outside wall, Timor Street, under the arches and between the 2 centre windows, where it could be seen by passers-by. Although spring loaded clocks date back to the 15th century, and fob and pocket watches evolving from these date to the 17th century, personal pocket watches were only affordable to the very fortunate. Public clocks such as this Post Office clock provided opportunity for all to know the time, and for those in possession of a personal watch to check and set their own timepieces to the correct time. During post office reservations during the 1970s the clock was removed and was eventually donated to the Flagstaff Collection. The Clock’s maker Thomas Gaunt, is historically significant and was an established and well renowned scientific instrument and clock maker in Melbourne during the 1860s. He was at that time the only watchmaker in the Australian colonies. In the 1870’s and 1880’s he won many awards for his clocks and was responsible for sending time signals to other clocks in the city and rural areas, enabling many businesses and organisations to accurate set their clocks each day. Warrnambool Borough Council purchased this clock from Henry Walsh Jnr. for the sum of £25 and the clock used to stand in front of the Warrnambool post office to allow ordinary citizens to set their time pieces as they walked by. The item is not only important because it was made by a significant early colonial clock maker and retailed by a locally known clock maker and jeweler but also that it was installed in the Warrnambool Post Office a significantly historical building in it's own right. Built in 1857 and regarded as one of the oldest postal facilities in Australia, with a listing on the National Heritage Database, (ID 15656). This 1864 hall clock originates from the Warrnambool Post Office. The clock glass is hinged to the top of the clock face and has a catch at the bottom. The metal rim of the glass is painted black. The clock face is metal, painted white, with black Roman numerals and markings for minutes and five minutes. The tip of the small hour hand is shaped like a leaf. "T. GAUNT / MELBOURNE" is printed in black on the clock face. The winding key hole is just below the centre of the clock face. The key winds a fusee chain mechanism, attached to the brass mainspring barrel that powers the pendulum with an 8-day movement. The speed of the clock can be adjusted by changing the position of the weight on the pendulum, lengthening or shortening the swing; raising the pendulum shortens its swing and speeds up the clock. The metal fusee mechanism has an inscription on it. The rectangular wooden casing is with a convex curve at the bottom that has a hinged door with a swivel latch. The original stained surface has been painted over with a matte black. There are two other doors that also allow access to the clock’s workings. The case fits over the pendulum and workings at the rear and attaches to the clock by inserting four wooden pegs into holes in the sides of the case then into the back of the clock. A flat metal plate has been secured by five screws onto the top of the case and a hole has been cut into it for the purpose of hanging up the clock. There is a nail inside the case, possibly used for a place to the key."T. GAUNT MELBOURNE" is printed on the clock face. “6 1 3” embossed on the back of the fusee mechanism behind the clock. warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, shipwrecked artefact, clock, warrnambool post office, fusee, henry walsh jnr, thomas gaunt, t gaunt & co, post office clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Functional object - Vase, T. Gaunt & Co, circa 1944
This pair of brass altar vases is from the St. Nicholas Seamen’s Church, 139 Nelson Place, Williamstown, Victoria, during religious services there. The Church was operated by the Mission to Seamen organisation. Each vase is inscribed with the donors' names and the year of presentation - Margaret R. Pearson 1944, Mrs B Raybould 1944, - and the maker's name T. Gaunt & Co. The two donors presented the vases to St Nicholas Seamen's Church in Williamstown as part of the furniture and furnishings for the new church that officially opened in 1944. T. Gaunt & Co. engraved on both vases. T. Gaunt & Co. of Melbourne, is 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's photograph was included in an album of security identity portraits of members of the Victorian Court, Centennial International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1888. THE MISSIONS TO SEAMEN (Brief History: for more, see our Reg. No. 611, Set of Pews) The Missions to Seamen, an Anglican charity, has served seafarers of the world since 1856 in Great Britain. It symbol is a Flying Angel, inspired by a Bible verse. Today there are centr4es in over 200 ports world-wide where seamen of all backgrounds are offered a warm welcome and provided with a wide range of facilities. In Victoria the orgainsation began in Williamstown in 1857. It was as a Sailors’ Church, also known as ‘Bethel’ or the ‘Floating Church’. Its location was an old hulk floating in Hobson’s Bay, Port of Melbourne. It soon became part of the Missions to Seamen, Victoria. In the year 2000 the organisation, now named Mission to Seafarers, still operated locally in Melbourne, Portland, Geelong and Hastings. The Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild was formed in 1906 to support the Missions to Seamen in Melbourne and other centres such as Williamstown. Two of the most significant ladies of the Guild were founder Ethel Augusta Godfrey and foundation member Alice Sibthorpe Tracy (who established a branch of the Guild in Warrnambool in 1920). The Guild continued its work until the 1960s. In 1943 a former Williamstown bank was purchased for the Missions to Seaman Club. The chapel was named St Nicholas’ Seamen’s Church and was supported by the Ladies’ Harbour Lights Guild, the Williamstown Lightkeepers’ Auxiliary and the League of Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Friends. It ceased operation in 1966. A Missions to Seamen Chapel and Recreation Room was a significant feature of ports during the late 1800s and into the 1900s. It seemed appropriate for Flagstaff Hill to include such a representation within the new Maritime Village, so the Melbourne Board of Management of Missions to Seamen Victoria gave its permission on 21st May 1979 for the entire furnishings of the Williamstown chapel to be transferred to Flagstaff Hill. The St Nicholas Seamen’s Church was officially opened on October 11, 1981 and closely resembles the Williamstown chapel. This par of vases is significant historically for its origin in the St Nicholas Mission to Seamen's Church in Williamstown, established in 1857 to cater for the physical, social, and spiritual needs of seafarers. It originated in Bristol, England when a Seamen's Mission was formed in 1837. The connection of pair of vases to the original donation to the Mission to Seamen highlights the strong community awareness of the life of people at sea, their dangers and hardships, and their need for physical, financial, spiritual and moral support. Vase: pair of two polished brass altar vases, round, pear-shaped, bulbous body on a round pedestal, two neck rings and flared lips. Inscriptions on both vases in script around the base. Made by T. Gaunt & Co. One was presented to the church by Margaret R Pearson and the other presented by Mrs B. Raybould in 1944 The vases are part of the St Nicholas Seamen's Church Engraved on the 625.1 "Presented By Margaret R. Pearson 1944." Engraved on 625.2 "Presented By Mrs B. Raybould. 1944." Both engraved "T GAUNT & Co"flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, religion, religious service, st nicholas seamen’s church, williamstown, missions to seamen victoria, brass vases, metal craft, brassware, altar vase, church vase, mrs r raybould, margaret r pearson, t gaunt & co, church furnishing -
Federation University Historical Collection
Artwork, other - Artwork - Decals, ZILLES COLLECTION: Car Dash Decals for Darryl James Rowe; Qualified Instrument Repairs, 1984-1986
Zilles Printers was begun by Lewis Zilles in the early 1930s. It was in McKenzie Street Ballarat. His son Jeffrey also became a printer - letterpress, offset and screen printer. The business became Zilles Printers/Graphics and was in Armstrong Street and later Bell Street Ballarat. Darryl James Rowe was a qualified instrument repairer. He specialized in Vintage car instruments on dash boards. These would include speedometers, car clocks, ammeters, oil gauges, ignition switches, temperature gauges, glass tube fuel gauges and dials repaired. He was located in Vickers Street Sebastopol. Documents relate to the years 1984 to 1986.Decal designs various sizes for car dash boards. Ledger showing orders from 1984Car makers, guages zilles printers, darryl james rowe, instrument repairer, ballarat, vintage cars, dash boards, decals, speedometers, car clocks, ammeters, oil gauges, ignition switches, temperature gauges, fuel gauges -
Federation University Historical Collection
Object, Synchronome Co. Ltd, Synchronome Frequency Checking Master Clock No. 2191, c1930
Information from Norman F. Dalton: Ballarat had a reticulated DC supply in the early part of last century and in 1905 had sufficient generating capacity to enable the trams to be changed from horse drawn to DC electricity. The use of electricity increased with the main power station located on Wendouree Parade, near Webster Street, under the ownership of The Electric Supply Company of Victoria. AC generating plant was installed in 1925 and conversion to AC proceeded. In 1934 the company was taken over by the State Electricity Commission Victoria (SECV) and more AC generation was installed and the changeover of customers was accelerated. This is around the time that the Synchronome Frequency Checking Mast Clock was installed at the Wendouree Parade Power Station. The SECV Annual Report of 1921 states: ::Section 11 of the act directed the COmmission to enquire into the question of securing the adoption of such standards of plant and equipment of a system, frequency and pressure for the generation and distribution of electricity as will admit of the efficient interconnection of undertakings throughout the State. In 1934 when the SECV took over the Ballarat operations the question of linking with the State grid had been a planned operation for some years but due to financial considerations had hindered it and in fact would continue to do so for a further 10 years. So while the need for close frequency control for interconnection was hardly an issue, the need to keep electric clocks correct was important, particularly as this item was a frequent sales point to cover the inconvenience and sometimes expense of converting from DC to AC. The clock is a very accurate pendulum clock with provision for varying effective length during operation for precise time regulation. There are two normal time dials and one is controlled by the pendulum and the other is operated by the system frequency. When the clock was in use it was installed by the MEter and Tests Laboratory and the time was checked daily by radio time signals. The two dials were repeated in the operators control panel in the Power Station. A maximum deviation between the two dials was set in the operating instructions (eg 5 seconds) and the operator would correct this when necessary by remote manual alteration of the turbine governor set point. The clock was used to drive and regulate a system of "slave" clocks which were used to display the time in various locations around the power station. A slave clock is a simple clock which is driven by a small electric motor, its accuracy is regulated by the master clock every 30 seconds to ensure that it and all the other slave clocks in the station are on exactly the right time; slave clocks were placed in various locations, from common rooms to workshops. A master clock could potentially run thousands of slave clocks at one plant. The clock also contains a rectifier. A rectifier is a device that is used to convert AC power to more stable DC current.Two clocks in a timber case. Both are electric, one is powered by the main pendulum mechanism, the other is a self contained electric clock. The main mechanism is of the gravity arm and roller type, which sends an impulse to the slave clocks every 30 seconds. The This Synchronome Frequency Checking Master Clock was used at the Ballarat Power Station. Below the main section of the case is a smaller cabinet containing a rectifier to provide consistent DC power for the clock. The rectifier was made by the Victorian company Hilco, which was located in Burwood. There is a high chance this is not the original rectifier from this clock as there appears to be brackets to hold a larger device in the space the rectifier occupies.Front below main clock face on front of case: "Patented Sychronome Brisbane" Lower left-hand clock face: "Frequency time" Lower right-hand clock face: "Standard Seconds" Synchronous electric clock mechanism on door (Frequency time clock): >200/250 V. 50~ >"Synchronomains" Made in England >Direction indicator for clock starting switch >"To start move lever in direction of arrow and release" >"Patent applied for" Mechanism for "standard seconds" clock: >"English Made" >"Patented" >Serial number "321" >0 above right-hand pillar on front-plate Mechanism for "standard seconds" clock: >"English Made" >"Patented" >Serial number "321" >0 above right-hand pillar on front-plate Mechanism for main clock face: >"English Made" >"Patented" >Serial number "8751" >0 above right-hand pillar on front-plate Inside case, back panel, top enamel plate: >Seconds Battery + Pos. > Battery Common or - Neg. >1/2 min dials Inside case, back panel, bottom enamel plate: external seconds dial Inside case, right hand side, electrical knobs: two switches, both "A.C. mains" Pendulum rod, below suspension spring: Serial number (?) 0000005 Rectifier in bottom cabinet: >"Hilco Rectifier" >"A.C. Volts 230/240" >"Model 1060/S" >"A.C. Amperes" >"Serial No. 1060/S >"Phases 1" >"D.C. Volts 6" >"C.P.S. 50" >"D.C. Amperes 1" >"Made in Australia by Hilco Transformers McIntyre St., Burwood, Victoria." Bakelite electrical plug: makers mark Lower cabinet, RH side panel, pressed tin plate: "AC" (upside down) Brass speed adjustment, outer right RH side: "S" and "F" Ivory and wood pendulum beat ruler: >Ruler, with 0 in centre and numbers 1-5 in ascending order from centre on left and right. > "Synchronome Patent." Steel plate, back panel, inside case, right hand side: >N R A" (descending) >"2191" serial number/part number Face of main clock: "Synchronome Electric" synchronome frequency checking master clock, electricity, state electricity commission, wendouree parade power station, secv, clock, time, pendulum, electric supply company of victoria, norman f. dalton, ballarat power station, rectifier, slave clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Standard measure, Mid to late 19th Century
The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artifacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct. Bronze round container with brass two handles used as a legal standard for measuring dry quantities & is a 'peck' measurement. "IMPERIAL STANDARD PECK" engraved around top of container with " VICTORIA" engraved under.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bronze, peck measurement, j & m ewan, victorian standard dry measurement, bronze container, victorian standards, melbourne observatory, robert bettell bate -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Equipment - Standard measure, Mid to Late 19th Century
The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artefacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct.Maker Possibly Robert Brettell Blake or De Grave, Short & Co Ltd both of LondonContainer brass round for measuring quantities- Has brass handles & is a 'Bushel' measurement. 'Imperial Standard Bushel Victoria' engraved around container. Container bronze round shape for measuring dry quantities has brass handles & is a 'Bushel' measurement"IMPERIAL STANDARD BUSHEL" engraved around the top of the container. VICTORIA engraved under "J & M Ewan & Co London and Melbourne" engraved around the bottom of the container.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bushel, bushel measurement, j & m ewan, dry measurement, victorian measurement standard, bronze container, melbourne observatory, robert brettell bate -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Clock, 1940's
... Smith and Sons Clock Maritime Clocks Clock makers Bulkhead Clock ...Smiths began with a craftsman named Samuel Smith who in 1851 opened a shop in Newington Causeway, London, where he made and sold watches, clocks and precision instruments. Samuel had a son, Samuel Jnr who was apprenticed in his fathers business. Samuel Jnr eventually opened his own business at 85 Strand and later opened other premises at 9 Strand, Trafalgar Square and 68 Piccadilly. In 1899 he turned his business into a private limited company, S. Smith & Son Ltd. Samuel Jnr son, Sir Allan Gordon-Smith, joined him as Manager at 9 Strand in 1903 and laid the foundation of the vast Smiths organisation of the future, leading the company towards the supply of accessories for the then developing motor industry making car clocks and the first speedometers patented in 1904. In July 1914 a new company was formed under the name S. Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd., to take over the motor accessory business of S. Smith and Son Ltd. and this became the main company of the group which eventually grew to become Smiths Industries Ltd. The original company S Smith and Sons Ltd., continued as jewelers and clock and watchmakers until 1930 when the company was taken over by Bravingtons retail jeweller chain. In 1931 Smiths decided to enter the domestic clock market and formed a new company, Smiths English Clocks Ltd., as the Clock and Watch division of S Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) Ltd. This is the start of "Smiths Clocks" because this is when they began to manufacture domestic clocks in quantity. Moreover, they set out to produce these clocks at a price that the average householder could afford. S Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) was at this time was the main company in the Smiths group of companies and their business developed both in the motor vehicle field and outside it. Smiths began to make automatic pilots for aircraft and, through the acquisition of a majority interest in Henry Hughes & Sons Ltd., entered the field of marine instruments. During the war from 1939 to 1945, Smiths' production expanded. There was a demand for motor, aircraft and marine instruments for the Services and the production of industrial instruments and it is at this time that our item was made. In 1944 many changes were made to the Smiths' organisation. The name of the principal company was changed from S Smith & Sons (Motor Accessories) to S. Smith & Sons (England) Ltd. and four new subsidiary selling companies were set up. These were Smiths Motor Accessories Ltd., Smiths Aircraft Instruments Ltd., Smiths Industrial Instruments Ltd., and Smiths English clocks Ltd. The manufacture of clocks and watches ceased in 1979 and 1983 saw Smiths withdraw from producing items for the motor industry.An item that is now regarded as a vintage, sought by horology collectors worldwide and is in excellent condition. The item is unique in that it was made specifically for ships by the Smith company a well known British clock manufacture. Its provenance is well established and it was made during the world war II era specifically for merchant and naval vessels of the time. Naval brass ships bulkhead clock. The clock face is of white enamel with black Roman numerals, an outer minutes ring and black steel hands. There is a subsidiary seconds dial with sweeping hand just above the centre and a fast/slow adjustment lever above that. There is no manufactures name on the dial. There are a beveled glass and brass hinged lid to the front of the clock. The clock is housed in a heavy brass case with screw holes around the circumference for mounting. There are no markings on the clock or mechanism flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, s smith and sons, clock, maritime clocks, clock makers, bulkhead clock -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Instrument - Clock, 1920s
It is possible that this may have been a wedding present or gift to Roy Wines and or his family as his name is scratched on the bottom. Roy was married in 1924 in Warrnambool. Roy Arthur Wines was Born in 1897 in Mailors Flat Victoria Australia and Died in 1980 in Ballarat. Roy lived for a number of years in Warrnambool during his married life.A massed produced item that at the time was cheap to buy with no makers mark or date stamp thousands would have been produced using a mould to make the ceramic case in two half's by pouring liquid clay into the mould and then joining the half's together when cured. This item could have been produced in Holland at any number of pottery factories at this time for export in vast quantities.Ceramic clock; the mechanism is plated steel and set in a ceramic case with glass over the face. The ceramic base colour is white with royal blue ceramic colour to the front and sides only. The blue ceramic has been painted over with lime green house paint on the front and sides. An inscription of a handwritten name is on the case and a hard-to-read model or batch number is on the cast base. Handwritten "Roy Wines" Cast number "6072"flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, clock, roy wines, ceramic, ceramic clock, horology, time keeper, travel clock, bedside clock, timepiece