Petra across the bridge to Shag Bay
Petra to Shag Bay: the true story!
With the Marples all married off to the Windsor, and Red Hair again in fashion, it was an ideal day this Sunday (20 May 2018) to travel to the sunny side and explore the northern side of the bridge.
At stages the travel was slow going, but the end product was quite a long ride, with sufficient stops and entertainments to make it feel relatively relaxed.
The Glenorchy - Casino (why don't they get their own?) walk/run day was on, so there was doubt about whether we would be blocked trying to cross the bridge.
With an agreed start at Montague Bay of 10am, Porter and Fitz took the car option, and parked near Rose Bay. Kimber being uncertain about damage to the limo by poking his bike in the boot, rode over from Nixon St.
By 0915 hrs the Royal wedding had been swept aside like last night's rubbish in the street, and people were back egocentrically exploring their own world. No wind, 11 degrees, and a great wash of humanity trundling southward on the annual City/Casino run. Ducking all of that, we met at Geilston Bay reserve, near the primary school.
Following the bike lane track took us (well it took us nothing, we rode on it, and we took ourselves. Too much of this artistic licence is distracting) to Geilston Bay, near the yacht club. On the way we inspected Tony's yacht at the Lindisfarne Yacht Club, and I can see the big sailing day being spruiked again for mid winter.
How about Shag Bay? Fitz has the job of exploring the history of this, but here are the picks.
First: directly across one can see the EZ Works. Marvellous site, and what a great contribution to the economy and life of so many Tasmanians. Without it there would be little north of Creek Road. Lutana would be just a hill.
A little walk from the end of the bike track and down a goat lane, we got beside Shag Bay; you will remember it from little trips in Amity for luncheon. On the land side we were able to explore the old works site. Speculation is that it was a fertilizer factory.
There were quite a lot of punters on the north side walking their dogs, off for a bike ride, and young families with strollers. Good to see, they all seemed happy. No doubt having erased the Royal wedding from their memory.
Graphic: Porter and Alli Fitz G resting on a very strong condom at Shag Bay
We pondered how and why the bay had been used in history; it has a straight line view to Mt Wellington, and is protected from all but the most vicious Sou' Westerly winds. Rumour has it there are ruins in the water which will trap your anchor. But Fitz G is on the task for that.
We explored some shale caves on the Derwent side, not apparently very deep, nor appearing to have any significance other than they are there (as Spike said: "Everyone has to be somewhere").
Graphic: View from Shag Bay to Mt Wellington, over the top of Cornelian Bay (dead centre of Hobart) and Lutana, through Lenah Valley, near the cable car plot to bring down the western world).
So with all that done, we pedalled back to a nice little cafe in Lindisfarne, Natone St, and enjoyed excellent coffee and the last warmth of the sun before the rain started to accumulate in the sky ready to drop at 2pm as predicted by Porter.
The wind picked up and it was not pleasant over the bridge. Really, it is such an uninviting arrangement, and continues to create a physical barrier between East and West (Putin and Trump). The lane is raised about 6 feet off the roadway, and is just wide enough for one bike: no passing. The barrier between bike way and road way is about hip height, so if you got caught up you would be thrown, easily, over the barrier into the traffic.
But back to Petra:
Wadu-Mesu: The interweb is clogged to near death with information about buying tours to the 5, 7 or 10 or even 15 things you must do in Jordan.
Well, suffice to say that my reading has distracted me, and I can't summarise it all. Transjordan, as it was immediately after independence taken or granted in 1946, from the Poms, and before then for centuries part of the Ottoman empire, and ampitheatres just like the one in Rome and Pompei, and buildings carved out of rock. That is the Petra bit. Here is a photo:
Over and out, until I get the script from Jeff on Shag Bay to add in.
PK
From The Fitz on Shag Bay: Tasmanian Fertilizer Company:
https://tasmaniangeographic.com/early-recycling-at-shag-bay/
A great view of Shag Bay State Reserve, as it once was, fully operational.
1914: PIPE FAILURE
In January 1914, 5480 ft. of one-inch galvanised piping was laid across the Derwent, with a view to bringing water from Glenorchy to the Shag Bay factory to assist in the process. For the previous 30 years, water had been drawn from a well 150ft. above the high water mark.
When the scheme was completed, the caretaker at the Glenorchy waterworks stated that the meter registered 150 gallons of water in a few minutes on his side of the river; however, no water was coming out at the eastern side. The valves were inspected, and a suction pump was tried, but the problem persisted. The failure of the supply was later found to be due to leakage, and not to water pressure or to the entry of salt water into the pipes. A legal dispute arose between John Paterson, the engineer contracted to install the pipes (who owned the Risdon Road bonemill on the opposite side of the Derwent), and the Tasmanian Fertiliser Company. Paterson held that the contract was simply for laying the pipes, whereas the Company held that the contract was for the reliable supply of water. The judge decided in favour of Paterson.
1915: EXPLOSION
On the 28th of January 1915 at around 4.30 p.m., tragedy struck the fertiliser factory in the form of a devastating explosion. George Byworth Russell, and his son William, who was a bargeman for the company, were both killed.
FATAL EXPLOSION AT RISDON. TWO MEN KILLED. BONEMILL BURNED DOWN.A boiler explosion with fatal results to two men, occurred yesterday afternoon at the Tasmanian Fertiliser Company’s bonemill at Risdon, the victims being George B. Russell, aged 70 years, and his son, William F. Russell, aged 35 years. Frederick W, Jordan, engineer, was slightly injured. A very large amount of damage was done by the explosion, and it was followed by an outbreak of fire, which destroyed the building, which was of wood.Above: Workers at the Bedlam Walls Quarry, Shag Bay, cutting stone for upgrade of Hobart wharf. Tasmanian Mail, September 11, 1913, page 23.At about 4.30 p.m. a number of men were employed at the Marine Board’s quarry on the northern side, of Shag Bay, Risdon, when suddenly, a tremendous explosion was heard from the opposite side of the bay, and on looking towards the bonemill they saw dense clouds of steam and pieces of debris flying through the air, followed by flames from the end of the building. Led by Foreman John Colledge, they hurried off to the scene of the accident in their launch, and on arrival were met by a man named Jordan, who informed them that the boiler had burst, and that two men were lying underneath the timber that had been blown down. Colledge, assisted by the quarry-men, got the two men from under the debris and found that they were George Russell, the works manager, and his son William, who was dead when found. The old man was badly cut about and had his head crushed. When discovered there were two casks of tallow lying upon his body. Colledge lost no time in getting Mr. Russell and his son’s body on board the launch and conveyed them to Hobart. He informed Sergeant Ward of the water police who took them of the General Hospital. Here the older man was attended by Dr. Goddard, but died shortly after admission.On receiving the information at 5.30 p.m. Sergeant Ward hired a motor-launch and went to the scene of the accident. Arriving there at 7 o’clock, he found the whole of the mill and wharves on fire, and burning fiercely. None of the mill hands were about, but he questioned the crew of the ketch Good Intent, which was discharging manure about 30 yards from where the boiler burst. A deck hand named George Walker said that when he and his mates heard the explosion they ran down into the cabin to escape the falling debris, of which there was a considerable quantity. They afterwards went to the mill, and met Alfred Jordan, the enginedriver, running out, with his head all cut and scalded. The quarrymen then came over and they brought out the injured driver. They found Mr. George Russell lying about 6ft. away from the burst boiler, underneath two kegs of tallow and on returning after placing him in the launch they found the dead body of the son.Sergeant Ward could not get near the boiler owing to the fire, which by now had got a big hold and was blazing fiercely, blue and green flames arising from the bags of bone-dust, of which there was something like 900 tons in the building. The boiler was split in half, and one end had been blown out and the dome had been blown off.The mill, which belongs to the Tasmanian Fertiliser Company, was a large two-storey wood and iron structure, built on a steep hillside near the water’s edge. It was on the southern shore of Shag Bay, near the head of the inlet, and contained a large quantity of machinery, the boiler which burst being situated at one end. At the time of the accident there, were about 15 hands working at the mill, but when the explosion actually occurred all except the two Russells and Jordan were busy unloading a barge at the wharf, and so escaped injury.The fire subsequently raged for several hours, subsiding only when the whole building was razed to the ground, and everything, including the bone-dust, burned.The deceased were both married men with families. Mr. George Russell, the father, leaves a wife and six children–four sons and two daughters–most of whom are grown up. His son, Mr. William Russell, leaves a wife, and one child about three months old.The building is known to be insured with the South British Insurance Company, but the amount has not been ascertained. The boiler which exploded was a second-hand one, and was put in about twelve months ago. The damage is very extensive, and must run into thousands of pounds.10
The noise caused consternation in Lindisfarne and the opposite side of the Derwent. The weatherboard building which was lost had been nearly 200 ft. in length. One side of the building had been blown 20 ft. away onto a nearby hill. The fire, as well as consuming what was left of the building and contents, also claimed the nearby wharves. Frederick Jordan was lucky to escape with his life, as he was within six feet of the boiler at the time it exploded.11
Mr. Russell, senior, was the founder of the fertiliser works about 35 years back. Only 18 months ago he floated the business into a company. The boiler, the explosion of which is believed to have caused the disaster, was installed a year ago.12
The inquiry started on Tuesday 9 Feb13. Frederick Jordan reported to the inquiry on 10 Feb:
William Russell was employed unloading the barge, but a few minutes before the explosion witness saw him talking to his father in the boiler house. Witness had been on the side of the boiler shortly before to see if things were alright, and when he came down he saw George Russell closing the furnace door. As he stepped away a flash of flame came from the furnace door, and he thought the hind leg, which was underneath the boiler, had gone. George Russell was standing close to the tallow shed, and William Russell was standing near. Witness turned to run away, and afterwards he remembered no more. When he came to he found himself among the debris. The boiler was housed in a wooden shed. … The boiler was about 6ft. in diameter, and 10ft. long. … He knew that the salt water was getting in, but every precaution was taken to keep it out.14
The inquest concluded on 13 Feb 1915, with the verdict: “No one guilty of negligence.”15 The coroner, Mr. W. O. Wise, was satisfied that the company’s regimen of regular cleaning had been adequate.
… in the present instance two theories had been adduced. One was Mr. Jordan’s that some explosive had got into the firebox, but he (the Coroner) could not agree with that, because the firebox had not been blown out. Mr. Reynolds’s theory was that the explosion was caused through accumulation of sediment upon the floor of the boiler, thus causing it to become overheated, and that was the theory that he (the Coroner) inclined to.
CO-OPERATIVE FERTILISERS LTD.,
PORTER BAY
In 1918, Mr. George T. Russell, son of George B. and brother of William F. Russell, who both lost their lives in the explosion, formed a new company named Co-operative Fertilisers Ltd. He applied to set up his glue and manure manufacturing works at Porter Bay, just north of Shag Bay.
The company was set up to assist fruit growers at Wattle Grove. Shares were offered in June 1918. The city council was on-side as the scheme would again assist in disposal of waste products.16
Unfortunately, the plant at Porter Bay fared only a little better than its predecessor in Shag Bay. On 20 April 1919 a fire totally destroyed the works.
FERTILISER WORKS DESTROYED HOBART. Sunday. The fertiliser works, situated at Risdon, belonging to the Co-operative Fertilisers Company, Limited, were totally destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning. The foreman, who resides near the works, was awakened shortly after 1 o’clock and immediately discovered the works in flames. He was powerless to do anything, and only managed, after a struggle, to save his own house. The works contained a quantity of tallow ready for shipment, also fish and other manures. The damage is estimated at from £2000 to £2800. The building, machinery, and stock were insured. The company
was composed principally of fruit and hop growers.17
Mr. Russell was the manager and lived very close to the works at Porter Bay. The fire started in the middle of the night and he was woken by the noise and flames. He was unable to save the factory, and only with difficulty was he able to save his own house.18
The company unsurprisingly went into liquidation shortly afterwards in 1922.19 This, however, was not the end for Mr. Russell. He became managing director of Shark Fisheries Ltd., which planned in 1928 to set up factories throughout Australia, commencing in N.S.W.20 The N.S.W. plant was in fact built, and he supplied Tasmanian fruit growers with 200 tons per annum in 1929.21
However, there is no further evidence of any fertiliser works being set up in the Risdon area.
FOOTNOTES:
1 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article169159285 1886 advertisement
7 Weekly Courier, 12 September 1912, page 35.
13 See the 9 Feb report in The Tasmanian Mail, 11 Jeb 1915, page 22.
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