….The Cable Tram from Richmond.

         “Hi there young Garrath, hard at it?”

        “Uncle Matt!” I shouted out. “What are you doing here? Your boat must be docked at Port Melbourne! Be careful of the cable its running!”

  My Uncle Matt had suddenly appeared, stepping of the footpath, into the intersection of Bridge and Hoddle Street in Richmond to say hello.

 

        “I can see you are busy greasing the roller bearings and cable. I’ll see you this afternoon at the footy match, then later tonight at Mr. Duncan’s home. I have to tell him that the wooden chocks he had ordered have arrived on my vessel.”

        “Look Uncle Matt, my mates and I will probably climb the gum trees outside the ground at Punt Road, so we don’t have to pay the admission fee. We can still see most of the game and sing out a lot of catcalls.”

        “I see,’ said Matt. Who is Richmond playing?”

        “Abbotsford and we will beat them. We lost to Collingwood last week, but beat Carlton the week before, and lost to Fitzroy the week before that.”

  With that Uncle Matt took off, and I continued walking my three miles to Flinders Street and three miles back to the Cable Car Power Tower at Richmond, carrying a bucket of oily greasy mixture in the left hand and a stick with dripping rags wrapped around it on the right hand. I had to put two dobs of the mixture on each bearing that I saw, then walk on until the next and repeat the procedure.

My Cable Tram section actually went all the way from Bridge Road along Wellington Parade into Flinders Street, on to Spencer Street then up to Bourke Street. The Cable Power Tower, used steam engines to pull the cables in a never ending belt. The Double Ended Dummy Car had a lever that allowed a Single Jaw to grip the cable and then the cable would drag the Dummy Car and Passenger car to the destination. When the Cable Car was to stop the driver just released the Jaw from the cable. The cable still kept on running along the Tram Lines.

    After knock off time, just before the match, my mates and I could meet up and buy a pie outside the ground then have fun watching the Men’s Seniors game. On Sunday arvo we would all meet at the ground and have a small competition just kicking the ball and tackling.

In Summer we played Cricket on the same ground, but because I started School in February I didn’t get time to play and learn much about cricket.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…A School Boy living in Richmond…

This afternoon and tonight I would catch up with Uncle First Mate Matthew Duncan. His ship must be tied up at Port Melbourne or Williamstown.

I was at school and working part time at Richmond in Melbourne for the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company, the year 1885 at 16yo. Because, as Uncle Matt, my Guardian, put it, the sea trade in and out of Gippsland Lakes was a little flat at the moment, and job opportunities were scarce. So he had arranged for me to go to Melbourne and have a years education at the Wesleyan School at Richmond.

My lodgings were actually with the big boss of the Cable Tramway Mr. George Smith Duncan the Resident Engineer, who had come from New Zealand for the job as Consultant Engineer, then was promoted to the big job of running the Company. He was not a relation of ours, but my Dad had got to know him on the ship from New Zealand to Melbourne and had remained friends ever since. I went to school with his eldest son Peter.

My Dad, Malcolm Duncan, was a deep water sailing Captain, he sailed with Mum all over the world. He specialized in carrying live cargo, to anywhere. Australian brumbies to the army in India, sheep to England etc.

                                   Loading some horses.

 

Because Dad was never home to help and guide me, he appointed his younger brother Matthew to act as my guardian. Matthew specialised in manning Steamers and Boats that were occupied with the Gippsland Lakes trade, with small ocean trips to Melbourne, Adelaide Port Albert and the Islands between Australia and Tasmania.

Peter and I worked part time, as Mr. Duncan put it,” to keep us of the streets at the weekends, earn a bob or two, that we could spend, and help him out doing a necessary job,” whilst he grappled with the new Government Factories Act that made it hard for him in his job as Chief Engineer to find people to work on weekends.

We also had to carry a couple of bags with his notes and books when he had to address Council Members of the various Councils trying to get permission to run the Cable Trams from other suburbs to Flinders Street. We were experienced in seeing how meetings were run, and how some of the questions were answered.

Most of the Councils and Councilors’ were interested in getting the horses pulling carriages off the streets because of the mess made by the horse poo and wee wee. According to Mr. Duncan, there were 10 Municipalities surrounding Richmond all with elected representatives, who wanted to keep the Streets clean but…..

Only 34 years earlier an English Governor was in charge of all of Australia. Victoria was part of N.S.W. Secret meetings and votes had to be taken to get the English Government to separate Victoria from N.S.W., and have a separate Lt. Governor, with a two thirds of the Parliament elected by the population.

But some Councils were happy with the large Towers to be built and the transport services for residents. Some were not. Quite a few wondered about Electric or Steam Driven Trams, were they possible. But when it came down to raising and spending money most became hesitant. Anyway Mr. Duncan’s Company had a 30 year monopoly contract with the State Government from 1885 to 1916, for Cable Trams and development of a Network.

The Company had plans for about 65 miles of cable’s to draw Cable Trams all over Melbourne suburbs to central Melbourne. The steel cables for each route would be joined and could maybe weigh about 70 tons each. The Cars should be able to go about 9 miles an hour..

  At the Footy that arvo, the pie was good, although I dropped half of it climbing the big gum tree. I had to give a kid who wanted to take the best spot a bit of a nudge, so I had half the pie in and half the pie out of my mouth. We had a good time but our team lost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

          …Leaving Richmond, going back to the “sticks”…

        Mr. Duncan’s home was on Erin street, a short block away from where the Richmond Cable Tram power Tower was located. The night was fun before Uncle Matt had to go back to his Steamer at Port Melbourne. He thought the wind might get pretty strong and he should be on board, because the Captain might decide to go back to the Lakes. .

        “That’s a good idea to go back to your ship Matthew,’’ said Mr. Duncan,” we are expecting very high winds and rain over the next 2 or 3 days. It will play havoc with our Cable Trams, and of course our customers. My chief Clerk is also worried about how absences of workers on top of the scheduling of our work force to cater for this new Government directive on Wages and Conditions, and of course the coming Public Holiday celebrating 8 hour day..

“ I also think that your news about a big contract being let, to cut a canal between the Thompson river and the Town of Sale will have a big impact on shipping in the Lakes and Sale in particular.

“It would be a wise decision to take Garrath back to the Lakes to find a suitable job.” Said Mr. Duncan.

“Well Garrath,” exclaimed Uncle Matthew,” George and I have been discussing your future. We think you did moderately well at school!”

        “Yes that’s my opinion”, said Mr. Duncan,” after talking with Mr. Barraclough your Teacher. Although it seems you have an affinity towards modern mechanical things. As an Engineer I can relate to that,” Mr. Duncan said.

  Matt continued.” We have an idea, but what would you like to do.?”

  At this stage I have no idea, but after talking with Mr. Barraclough, my school teacher, I certainly don’t want to work in, or end up owning a business like he did.

       “I don’t really know Uncle Matt, but I suppose I will have to return to Bairnsdale with you anyway, now I have finished this year at school.”

So that was it! My 12 month stay in Richmond was over. I was to return with Uncle Matt to the Lakes. Apart from a few mates that I could quickly say good bye to, I had better catch up with my Schoolteacher Mr. Myles Barraclough.. He had previously owned a Book and Map selling shop in Bridge Road but it didn’t make enough to support his Family so he had to resort to Teaching at a school.

After knocking on Mr. Barraclough’s front door, I quickly explained to him the reasons why I would have to leave his school.

“Well Garrath! I had expected that you would have to return to the Bairnsdale area soon. Why don’t you have a look inside the School, then come inside. I have some visitors I would like you to meet.”

Ah yes! In the Schoolroom, there were the 2 big pictures fastened on the wall that really captured my imagination.

The first was the S.S. Great Britain. Built by Mr. Isambard Brunel and a lot of investors.

                                   S.S. Great Britain.”

                          S.S. Great Britain, berthed at New York.

What a ship that was. Built in 1843 as a Paddle Steamer, for the Transatlantic passenger trade. After 3 years it ran aground. The new owners altered the ship to become propeller driven by a 16 ton propeller. It could take about 750 passengers and it did about 32 voyages from England to Australia until 1840.

They say it carried about 16,000 emigrants to this country. Mostly for the Gold diggings. It also carried the First Ever English cricket team here to Melbourne in 1861. In the 1870’s it was converted to a 3 Mast Sailing ship, then ran aground at Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

The second picture on the wall, was a lighter than air balloon flight, from Cremorne Gardens. As I ducked down to my Teachers house I had passed the Cremorne Entertainment Gardens, the place where in 1858 Mr. William Deane was the first person to fly a lighter than air craft in Australia. After some difficulties pumping in the hydrogen gas, the Balloon lifted of the ground, but a part owner, Mr. C Brown, who was supposed to have flown with Deane, had to jump out because the Balloon would not lift off. With the weight of only one Man aboard, the Balloon lifted off and flew 7 miles to land in Brunswick. What a feat! Wish I could do that!..

 

                                                  Mr. Deane?

        My Teacher answered his door, and he invited me in to meet some his visitors.

        “Come in Matthew, I have visitors who might interest you. Mr. Tom Roberts, Mr. Frederick McCubbin, and Mr. Louis Abrahams. They are Painters, and have set up an Artists camp at Box Hill, where struggling painters can go and live and just contribute to the costs when they can.”

“And over there sitting at the piano ready to sing is a lady who was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies College here in Melbourne, Miss Melba as she likes to call herself. It’s not her married name but she likes it as an abbreviation of Melbourne. But anyway we call her by her family name of Nellie. Isn’t that right Nellie!”

  With that he introduced me to his other visitors. They were fascinating in their aims and ways to go about creating their “Art.” Apart from understanding that they paint on canvas or paper, I didn’t really understand what they meant by “Art.” Then Miss Melba was asked to sing. Mr. Barraclough quickly ushered in his Wife and family to also listen. Miss Melba sang, and sang the most beautiful songs that I had never heard before.

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