Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Newspaper - Fortuna Articles - "Discover Bendigo - Lansell erects Australia's tallest poppet head", Dec 31 1998
... ...george fauckner...Local carpenter George Fauckner, experienced but new to such a scale, led the construction. ...Local carpenter George Fauckner, experienced but new to such a scale, led the construction. ...
This article details the construction and significance of the 222 mine's poppet head in Bendigo, Australia, during the late 19th century.
George Lansell, known as the 'Quartz King,' commissioned the tallest poppet legs in Australia for the 222 mine to transport ore to his crushing battery. Local carpenter George Fauckner, experienced but new to such a scale, led the construction. The mine was named '222' after Lansell's 222-yard lease along the New Chum reef.
Ten years after acquiring the land, Lansell planned the substantial plant and poppet head. Lansell initially proposed a steel tube leg to serve as a boiler flue, but engineers rejected the idea. The poppet head needed to be 39 metres tall (much higher than the typical 23 metres) to accommodate an elevated tramway connecting the mine to the battery.
The first landing brace was 24.3 metres above ground; legs were raised using manually operated geared crab winches.Stringy Bark timber from Ballarook Forest was used, with eight large logs forming the four legs.Steel fittings were custom-made and riveted by blacksmiths.
Harkness Foundry built Bendigo's largest winding plant for the mine, with 1.5-metre stroke cylinders. Two boilers powered the engine and compressor, with a flue connected to a brick chimney resembling Cleopatra's Needle. Gin wheels on the top brace were 3.5 metres in diameter. The 222 poppet head remained the tallest in Bendigo into the 20th century, unmatched by other mines. The article references a photograph from the 1890s showing the mine and its surroundings.Fortuna Articles - "Discover Bendigo - Lansell erects Australia's tallest poppet head" Dec 31 1998 The Bendigo Weekly by James Lerk
This item contains the following:
11217.53a Black and white photo of the poppet heads
11217.53b Part of Page 3 - Fortuna Articles - "Discover Bendigo - Lansell erects Australia's tallest poppet head"non-fictionbendigo, fortuna, george lansell, james lerk, george fauckner, 222 mine, new chum reef, ballarook forest, harkness foundry