Top of the shaft with protective grill, 2017 author photo |
No records of the shaft being used as a
convict lockup or for storage of supplies or of it even existing have been located
in the official reports of the colonial surveyors, police, superintendents of
the iron-gangs, the journals of William Cox the road builder, Sir Thomas
Mitchell the Surveyor General and supervising engineer on the Western Road, the
account of Governor Macquarie’s journey over the new road in 1815 or any of the
accounts of early 19th Century travellers over the Blue Mountains to
Bathurst (Mackaness 1965), not does it appear on the 1878 Parish of Linden
survey (Dept. of Lands 1878).
Portion 22 Frederick Somers 1870, road reserve for Somers St visible on eastern boundary, no evidence of shaft shown |
Historical records show the convicts who
laboured on building William Cox’s 1815 road across the Blue Mountains were skilled
workers and tradesman – masons, cobblers, smiths and carpenters, they welcomed
the chance to earn a pardon, their ticket of leave or emancipation (Yeaman
1983). By the 1830s there were well established convict
stockades at Springwood, Mt Victoria and Cox’s river. At Mt Victoria in
addition to a tall stockade fence built from upright stakes to enclose the
convicts, there were barracks for the soldiers, constables' huts, a cottage for
the officers, a Commandant's house and a store house on this major site. So there
was already an efficient stockade system in operation and troublesome men were
punished by being put in leg irons and chains. The surviving contemporary
accounts of life in these stockades emphasise the fact that the convict road
gangs moved on as the road building progressed, and all wore distinctively
marked convict clothing to discourage escaping (Karskens 1984).
Would the shaft have been an efficient way
of holding convicts? The mean height of male convicts around 1820 was 168 cm - about
5 foot 5 inches (Nicholas 1988 p. 81). Even allowing for their smaller size, three
or four men lying down would be a cosy fit and five or six standing in the
narrow space would be pretty squishy but with more than five metres of waste
space above them. The ‘convict hole’ is a myth, a piece of local folklore and the
idea is untenable.
The shaft would also be impractical for the
storage of supplies because of its narrow vertical nature; it is simply the
wrong shape. There is a small, partially excavated earth and rock chamber at
Bull’s Camp, also known popularly as the ‘convict hole’ which in fact was used
by the road builders for storage of tools, equipment and explosives (Merriman
2014).
Another suggestion has been that it was a
kiln for producing lime for building or tanning and that the tunnel at the base
was for air draft (Fox 2009). However there are no commercial deposits of
limestone in the area, the nearest being at Wallerawang or Portland. The common
feature of early calcining kilns was a wide, shallow egg-cup shaped burning
chamber, with an air inlet at the base known as the "eye", all
constructed of brick. This type of brick kiln occurs at Hill End and there is
even a brick, shale processing kiln at Mt Victoria at the Asgard Swamp Mine (Higginbotham
and Jack 1982). Heap and pit burning were used from the early days of settlement
to produce lime from shell, and where simple shaft kilns were used they
incorporated a separate brick firing chamber and ash boxes with brick or iron
fire bars (Pearson 1990). None of this is in evidence at the Somers Street
shaft and close inspection of the interior shows no evidence of intense heat
such as soot accumulation, and spalling of the rock face. In fact, allowing for
normal weathering, the internal pick marks are still fairly sharp and
display the natural sandstone colouring. Nor is there any evidence of charcoal, ash, lime
waste or limestone rubble in the vicinity, something to be expected if it had
been a calcining kiln.
Roasting kiln at Hill End, 2015 author photo |
Milk churn located during the 1985 survey, 1985 author photo |
This area at the end of Somers Street below
the cliff line has some of the best grazing land in Lawson and from the 1840s when
the first settlers arrived in the area, was known as the Cow Pasture (Bratby
and Stockton 1986). It was probably the
site of a dairy from the 1880s when the local population began to increase
following the arrival of the railway in 1867. The Mechanic’s Institute opened
in 1896, and the town soon became a significant population centre in the
Mid-Mountains between Springwood and Katoomba. Lawson was also the seat of
local government for all of the Blue Mountains, apart from the Katoomba and
Blackheath urban areas, from 1907 to 1947 (Bentley, 1986).
Aerial view in 1943 showing the dairy, shaft and cow pasture. Photo courtesy SIX maps |
Geo. Whitte's dairy Katoomba 1912 |
The link between the shaft and dairy farming
is confirmed by the minutes of Blue Mountains City Council’s Town Planning
committee for 18 February 1970, which contains the following report from The
Town Planner:
Proposed Historical
Site, Lawson
Mr W Deverall of 70
Military Road, Dover Heights, has written to Council offering part of his land
in Somers Street providing it is retained permanently as a historical site. His
letter reads as follows:
“On portion of my
property at Lawson there is, I think, one of the most historic mountain
emblems. It is not mythic but definitely
this deep stone well has been hand-chiseled out by convicts. I have studied this matter hard and after a
good deal of research, I feel convinced this well has been used as an ensilage
pit. At the bottom it has an opening enabling the contents to be drawn
therefrom during the crossing of the Mountains or the making of the road.
This has become somewhat
sacred to me and I would not like, at some future date for this historic emblem
to be lost. If the Council should think the same as me about this matter, I would be pleased to dedicate this
portion of my land to the Council to be kept in perpetuity.”
The ensilage pit was inspected by
the Town Planning Committee in May, 1968, when the Lawson/Bullaburra Town
Planning proposals were under consideration. It has not been possible to verify
Mr Deverall’s statement that this is an ensilage pit but the Historical Society
will be contacted before the Meeting to this end. It is considered that Council
should accept Mr Deverall’s offer with a surround of approximately one acre as
illustrated in the accompanying sketch No.D2357.
Map identifying the silo from the 1970 Council report |
Before we turn to a further source of
evidence for dairying on the site, let us look at milk quality and how it was
determined. In the early 20th century there were two relatively
simple tests for quality available in small dairies. One was a basic test of
specific gravity using a lactometer
to determine adulteration; this would reveal watering down of milk. The second
was the Babcock test, invented
in the 1890s, which was the first inexpensive and practical test that could measure
the actual fat content of milk. A manual cream separator would
be used to extract the cream that was either churned into butter or when
combined with milk protein produces cheese, both were value added products for
the dairy farmer or milk processor. The Babcock test was also utilized by
farmers to selectively breed for cows producing milk of higher butter fat
content.
Milk inspection records 1924 showing James Linton and Miss McBriar among the Lawson dairies |
Dairy listing 1930 |
The economics of dairy farming easily
demonstrate that supplementary feeding was a worthwhile investment to maintain
production. A small dairy of 15-20 milking cows producing an average of two
gallons (9 litres) each per day over two milkings, much less than today’s
breeds, could return around £40.0.0 per week, before costs, based on milk
prices of around 4 pence per pint. The weekly basic wage in the 1920s was
around £4.5.0. In today’s values £40.0.0 is equivalent to over $2,500 based on
the CPI from 1920 to 2015, not a bad living, but a hard one, (see note for
calculations below). Ken Porter whose family operated a dairy in north Leura in
the 1930s with a milking herd of 80 cows, recalled in an oral history interview
for Blue Mountains Library in 2010, that his father would get up at 2.30 am to
begin milking at 4.00 am, seven days a week and his grandfather would still be
making deliveries at 9.00 pm, no wonder he would often fall asleep at the
dinner table; Ken began helping with the milking at age six, with his two
brothers, and would often not arrive at school until 11o’clock in the morning
(Levido 2010).
The cow pasture below Somers St, remains of The Glen dairy on right, 2017 author photo |
There are other early examples of pit silos,
including the seventeen grain storage silos located in the sandstone bedrock on
Cockatoo Island, these date from the
1840s, and have a small top entrance
opening up to a cavity six metres deep and seven metres wide. Earth silage pits
are found on dairy farms along the Nepean River at Castlereagh and may also
date from as early as the 1840s (Godden et. al. 2008). The Somers Street shaft
may be seen as part of an established tradition of on-farm fodder conservation
and storage. Ensilage and chaff were also widely available from commercial
suppliers (Maitland daily Mercury 1910) and may have been stored in the silo
for protection from weather and vermin. Oats and barley were also grown locally
for stock feed (Freemans’ Journal 1903).
Lawson guest house advertising pure local Jersey milk and cream, 1905 |
Beginning in the late 1860s there were camps
of fettlers and navvies throughout the Blue Mountains as the railway line was
pushed westwards from Penrith to Wentworth Falls by 1867 and over the Great
Zigzag to Bowenfels by October 1869 – here were men used to cutting through
rock and they were not in short supply.
In fact the labourers who worked on the Mountains line, with their
families, contributed significantly to the growth and development of the towns
along its route (Croft 1982).
Interior of the shaft showing pick marks, author photo, scale is 10 cm 2017 author photo |
Interior view of the silo showing access tunnel, 2017 author photo |
The rock face was then cleaned up with a
pick axe swung alternately from right and left, this produces the familiar
angled cuts seen on many of the local railway
cuttings and in our shaft. The space needed to swing the pick also
determined the minimum diameter of the shaft. Although black powder and
dynamite were available and used in the bigger road and rail cuttings, (Convict
Trail 2017), it is unlikely they were used in our shaft for fear of shattering
the cliff face. There is some evidence of coarse sandy, rock spoil in crevices
on the cliff top, but most is visible as a mound at the base of the cliff
outside the lower entrance tunnel, see photo.
Exterior view showing access tunnel in relation to cliff face and mound of spoil 1985, author photo |
So to summarise, the shaft post-dates the
convict period and was probably excavated by skilled rock cutters employed on
the numerous railway gangs living and working in the area, during the railway
construction period of the 1880s and early 1900s. It is further proposed that
it was the need to maintain milk production, perhaps prompted by the severe
drought of the period 1896-1902, that prompted the significant economic
investment in providing supplementary fodder storage, either grain or ensilage
and perhaps both, that is the origin what can now be identified as the rock
silo in Somers Street, Lawson.
Ossie Smith's dairy Katoomba c. 1920 |
The
Mountains dairies continued to operate into the 1950s due to the demand for
fresh milk by the local community that valued their local milk and wanted
nothing to do with the so called ‘imported’ stuff. Before their eventual demise
they were the last remnant, on a human scale, of a cultural adaptation that
stretches back into prehistory and still survives in many rural and small scale
societies in parts of Europe, Africa and Asia, where milch animals have
included not only cows but sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, buffalo and
reindeer.
Ossie Smith's milk cart c. 1920 |
The
importance of milk was apparent from the beginning of European settlement 1788. When the First Fleet arrived at Sydney
cove, it brought one bull, four cows and one calf. These animals were to supply
milk to the new colony and to serve as foundation stock for future herds. There
were many setbacks in the first year (poor soils and pastures being a major
concern) and within the first four months of settlement the original herd had
wandered off in search of better food. Seven years later the herd was found
near the Nepean River, numbering 40 cows and 2 bulls. During those early years,
famine, drought and a lack of farming experience meant that many of the initial
shipments of dairy cattle were slaughtered for meat. After these initial
difficulties, the herd increased from 200 cows in 1796, to 1,044 in 1800 and
rapidly to 34,500 head by 1825, and went on to form the basis of the dairy
industry as we know it. (ABS, 2004).
Full fat
cow’s milk is recognised as a good source of nutrition for brain development and
generations of school children have been nurtured on milk with clear health
benefits (Adee et. al. 2017). The difference now is that most children will
never know the warm, rich smells of a milch cow chewing her cud, or experience
the drama of a busy dairy at sunrise. Milk products are now consumer items that
come from supermarket cabinets via a supply chain. The standard of nutrition of
most Western countries is now so high that cow’s milk is probably unnecessary in
our diet (ibid.) and is just as likely to be enjoyed in a latte or a yogurt
smoothie, yet in the not so distant past the village dairy formed an essential
part of small town life.
Acknowledgements
Stan Bentley for personal conversations
during the 1985 research, Stan was a member of Springwood Historical Society
and as a young man worked in various Blue Mountains dairies; he supplied many
of the personal details of the Lawson dairy operators.
The pioneering Blue Mountains archaeologist,
Fr. Eugene Stockton first alerted me to the shaft and reported finding oat
hulls in the interior; he has resided in Somers Street for many years and first
explored the silo in the 1960s.
Images from Blue Mountains Library Local Studies Collection and the author unless otherwise noted
Historical prices and modern values
Historic currency value calculator - https://www.measuringworth.com/australiacompare/
What is used to cost - http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/whatitcost/groceries
References and further reading
ABS - Australian Bureau of Statistics, Year Book Australia, 2004. History of milk
production in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/B006A83A9127B0F5CA256DEA00053965?Open
Adee, Sally et. al. 2017. Milk, New
Scientist No 3116, 11 March.
Atkinson, James 1826. An Account of the State of Agriculture and
Grazing in New South Wales. Holborn, London, J. Cross.
Bentley, Stan 1986. Christmas Swamp, a
history of Lawson. Springwood Historical Society.
The Blue Mountains Advertiser (Katoomba, NSW
: 1940 - 1954) Blackheath Council To Oppose Milk Board (1946, April 12) ,
p. 6. Retrieved December 6, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article189904187
Blue Mountains Encyclopaedia1926 -7. Where
to Stay and What to Do. Local Govt. Sydney, NSW Tourist Agency.
Blue Mountains Shire Council. Inspector’s
Record of Inspections, 1915-1928. Lawson, Shire Chambers.
Bratby, D.
(interviewer) and Stockton, J. (interviewee). 1984, February 18. Interview
with Julie
Stockton by Diana Bratby [Audio file]. Speaking of the Past, Blue
Mountains Library.
Retrieved from http://library.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Convict Trail: Formation of the Great North Road - http://greatnorthroad.com.au/about-the-trail/construction-of-the-road/formation-of-the-great-north-road
. Accessed 28 November 2017.
Croft &
Associates with Meredith Walker 1982. Blue Mountains Heritage Study – Final
Report, for Blue Mountains City Council.
Fox, Brian 2009.
One of Lawson’s Mysteries. Hobby’s Outreach vol. 20, no. 5 December
2008-January 2009. Wentworth Falls, Blue Mountains Historical Society.
Freeman’s Journal
1903. 'THE SETTLER', Freeman's
Journal (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1932), 7 November, p. 12. , viewed 29 Nov
2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article108253850
Godden McKay Logan
2008. Archaeological Management Plan,
Penrith Lakes Scheme - http://admin.penrithlakes.com.au/content/2015/03/Smith-Road-Archaeology-Handbook.pdf
Higginbotham E,
and R Ian Jack, 1982. The Asgard Swamp Mine and Kiln near Mt Victoria, New
South Wales: An Archaeological Report. Australian Archaeology No. 15 (Dec., 1982),
pp. 54-66
Hughes Turnbull,
Lucy 2008. The End of Transportation, Dictionary of Sydney. https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/the_end_of_transportation
Karskens, Grace 1984. The Convict Road Station Site at Wisemans
Ferry: an Historical and Archaeological
Investigation. Australian Historical
Archaeology, 2, 1984.
La Grange, Robert et. al. 2007. Nutrition
Management for Tasmanian Dairy Farmers. Department of Primary Industries &
Water Tasmania.
Levido, Trish (interviewer) and Porter, Ken
(interviewee) 2010. Leura Dairy 1930s, interview with Ken Porter by Trish
Levido for Blue Mountains City Library.
Mackaness, George 1965. Fourteen journeys
over the Blue Mountains of New South Wales: 1813-1841. Reprint ed. Sydney,
Halstead Press.
Maitland Daily
Mercury (NSW: 1894 - 1939),
1911 'AGRICULTURE.', 25 November, p. 5. , viewed 29 Nov 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121469500
Merriman, John 2014. From Linden Bluff to 20
Mile Hollow: the Western Road 1814-2014. In Eugene Stockton ed., This Tortuous
Ridge, Linden to Lawson. Lawson, Blue Mountain Education and Research
Trust.
Merriman, John 1985. A rock silo in Somers
Street, Lawson: an archaeological and historical investigation. Armidale,
University of New England, Dept. of Archaeology and Paleoanthropology.
Nicholas, Stephen, ed. 1988. Convict Workers: Reinterpreting Australia's
Past. Cambridge University Press.
Pearson, M 1990. The Lime Industry in
Australia: an overview. Australian Archaeology No. 8, 1990, pp.
28-35.
Somers
Street, Lawson. Pamphlet file, Blue
Mountains City Library, Springwood.
Sutherland,
JA 1980. Fodder Conservation in: Introduction to Agriculture. Sydney,
McGraw-Hill.
Sydney
Morning Herald 1891. COUNTRY NEWS, (NSW: 1842 - 1954), 26 August, p. 8. ,
viewed 29 Nov 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13836498
Wikipedia. Federation Drought - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_Drought
accessed 4 October 2017.
Wikipedia. Silage - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silage
accessed 4 October 2017.
Woods,
Henry, 1883. Ensilage: its origin, history, and practice, a lecture. - https://archive.org/details/ensilageitsorig00woodgoog
Yeaman,
John 1983, 2010 and 2014. Footsteps in time, a road across the mountains. http://www.nswlrs.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/211894/Footsteps_in_Time_2014.pdf
Accessed 29 November 2017.
John Merriman, Local Studies Librarian, Blue Mountains City Library, 2017
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