Coal shipment from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia (1891)

Identifier: cassiersmagazi2719041newy Title: Cassier's magazine Year: 1891 (1890s) Authors: Subjects: Engineering Publisher: New York Cassier Magazine Co. Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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Text Appearing Before Image: y shipped, which gave it in this AN AUSTRALIAN COAL CITY 35i particular a manifest advantage overthat discovered to the southward.Some specimens of this coal werebrought up in the boat. The city of Newcastle, now with apopulation of nearly 60,000, stands onthe harbour in which Lieutenant Short-land discovered coal. The river whichempties itself into the harbour was orig-inally known as the Coal River, and, asa matter of fact, retained that name formany years, but soon after the discov-ery of coal it wasofficially named the withdraw that settlement altogether.This remark^ of the governor illustratesthe disadvantages under which the earlyrulers of Australia suffered. Another settlement was founded atNewcastle by Governor King in 1804,it having been decided to send the most turbulent and refractory char-acters to the coal mines instead of toNorfolk Island. Lieutenant Menzieswas appointed commandant of the set-tlement, which in the beginning con-sisted of fifteen officers and soldiers and

Text Appearing After Image: COAL AT THE DYKE, NEWCASTLE, AWAITING SHIPMEN Hunter River, in honour of the navalofficer who then ruled the colony. A small penal settlement was formedat the mouth of the river with a view tomarketing the coal by shipping it toSydney. It was also expected thatships on their way to China would bal-last with the coal. This, wrote thegovernor, was done by one or twovessels, but the success of the specula-tion was not encouraging to them totake a greater quantity, and as the per-son I had put in command at that placehad not conducted it so well as mighthave been done, and having no otherperson to place there, I was obliged to thirty-four convicts. The convicts werechiefly employed at the outset in clear-ing the land and erecting woodenhouses. Later, additional convicts weresent to the settlement, and, of course,the military guard was then increased.In March. 1806, there were 103 personsin the new settlement. Governor Kingnamed the district Newcastle; but formany years, indeed, until the

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