12-26-2014, 11:39 PM
In the days leading I to Christmas I found something at work which may interest you guys.
Many of you may know that I work maintenance at a prestigeous school here in Melbourne. The school is now over 150 years old and most of our main buildings date from @ the 1870's.
Well this summer break the main job for me has been the lifting of carpets and flooring to enable the contract electricians to run an evacuation speaker curcuit as well as to prepare for the installation of a "Guardian" control system. I'm not exactly 100% sure as to what that does myself, but in this day and age being able to co-ordinate and control the school with almost 1200 students and 200 plus staff in an emergency is vital.
Anyway, I was lifting carpets or carpet tiles and floor boards in one area and came across heaps of sawdust between the floor joists [about 8" x 3"] and under the sawdust but above the lathe and plaster was some carefully folded newspaper used as a barrier.
I removed the sawdust and inspected the newspaper, and we found one page dated 18 April 1876.
The classified ads made for some interesting reading as there were details about goods landed and up for auction, there were details of ship sailing schedules as well as ads touting the various attributes of ships sailing between Melbourne and London. Several touted having an experienced surgeon on board and one in particular touted having a milch cow on board.
On an other page was an ad for the private sale of a residence near the school in St Kilda Road, Melbourne [a major road] with a 99 foot frontage and 330 foot depth.
Anyone wishing they had title to that land now?
There was also notice of a deceased estate auction, where the gentleman's property named Rosanna near Heidelberg was to be sold, consisting of 800 acres of prime farm land to be sub-divided. This is auction basically forms and dates the establishment of the current suburb of Rosanna near where I live and where I do much of my shopping. Anyone wishing they had title to that land now?
Bizzare that I should happen to pull out such a newspaper.
I have given the original newspaper pages to the schools archivist as it provides an accurate date for the building an a glimpse of Melbourne of the time.
Mark
Many of you may know that I work maintenance at a prestigeous school here in Melbourne. The school is now over 150 years old and most of our main buildings date from @ the 1870's.
Well this summer break the main job for me has been the lifting of carpets and flooring to enable the contract electricians to run an evacuation speaker curcuit as well as to prepare for the installation of a "Guardian" control system. I'm not exactly 100% sure as to what that does myself, but in this day and age being able to co-ordinate and control the school with almost 1200 students and 200 plus staff in an emergency is vital.
Anyway, I was lifting carpets or carpet tiles and floor boards in one area and came across heaps of sawdust between the floor joists [about 8" x 3"] and under the sawdust but above the lathe and plaster was some carefully folded newspaper used as a barrier.
I removed the sawdust and inspected the newspaper, and we found one page dated 18 April 1876.
The classified ads made for some interesting reading as there were details about goods landed and up for auction, there were details of ship sailing schedules as well as ads touting the various attributes of ships sailing between Melbourne and London. Several touted having an experienced surgeon on board and one in particular touted having a milch cow on board.
On an other page was an ad for the private sale of a residence near the school in St Kilda Road, Melbourne [a major road] with a 99 foot frontage and 330 foot depth.
Anyone wishing they had title to that land now?
There was also notice of a deceased estate auction, where the gentleman's property named Rosanna near Heidelberg was to be sold, consisting of 800 acres of prime farm land to be sub-divided. This is auction basically forms and dates the establishment of the current suburb of Rosanna near where I live and where I do much of my shopping. Anyone wishing they had title to that land now?
Bizzare that I should happen to pull out such a newspaper.
I have given the original newspaper pages to the schools archivist as it provides an accurate date for the building an a glimpse of Melbourne of the time.
Mark
Fake It till you Make It, then Fake It some More