The Woolgar Goldfields Industrial Archaeology of Capitalism 1879-1939 by Victor Jean Taylor.
Chillagoe, Queensland, Australia.
The forerunner to the later established Chillagoe smelter was a piecemeal smelter
project by Moffat in 1894 to handle the copper from the nearby Boomerang mine. The
Calcifer was the only treatment plant erected by Moffat that was without a dam
presumably because the small creek running through the smelter site was only fed by an
insignificant spring (Kerr 1995: 19). In any event the lifespan of the small smelter and
the fading ore bodies of the Boomerang mine curtailed the Calcifer’s production to a
mere 6 years before the better financed and equipped Chillagoe smelter was established
nearby (Kerr 1995: 20-1). The history of Calcifer’s smelting is well documented by
Kerr (1995) and has been particularly chosen to demonstrate the marginality of frontier
mining towns. The field diary’s notation is of the opinion that the archaeology of this
small settlement is probably that of a palimpsest that includes the 1937 reworkings of
the Boomerang, Harper and Christmas Gift mines. The presumed remnants of the
smelter would seem to be an engine bed besides a concrete pad on the northern side of
the creek. The part of a boiler’s steel chimney mentioned by Kerr (1995: 21) had
disappeared by the time of the author’s short visit in 2002 armed with a copy of a
photograph of the area that was said to have been taken in 1900 (see Figure 7:14).
Figure 7—14: Calcifer Smelter and township circa 1900 (photo John Oxley Library)
Access to the site is via a well marked ‘Private’ driveway which passes the remnants of a
stone building on the way to the homestead. The archaeological features of an area near
the smelter site features what looked like four inlaid flagon stone entrances to possible
huts and a very noticeable scattering of intact torpedo-shaped glass lemonade bottles
with no traceable trademark. Bottles of that shape usually date from the late 19th to
early 20th century and seeing that the glass was unblemished indicates a post-1914
manufacture (eg. Arnold 1990: 136-38). In addition, the brick scatter seen in the area
included the occasional Gartcraig brick later found to be of Scottish origin after
conferring with Kerr (1995: 21).
The following bricks were found in Suriname, South America by Marnix (John) Visser. Marnix states – I have found several bricks on an old Scottish plantation in Suriname South America with the name Waterloo and located in Nickerie at the border with Guyana. James Balfour was the plantation owner. . . Below – Hurlford –…
Found by Hector Miguez in the area of Mendoza, Argentina. Prestongrange Brick, Tile and Fireclay Works, Prestonpans, East Lothian. . . . .
Found by Michèle Côté and Marc Trudel on the beach along the Gaspé shore of Percé, Québec Canada. The ‘Gartcraig’ brick is most definitely Scottish. It was found near to a brick stamped ‘Vulcan’ which may also be Scottish as ‘Vulcan’ is a trademark of Campbell & Co, Roughcastle Fireclay Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. (However, ‘Vulcan’…
Many thanks to Bruce MacDonald for the following photographs which were taken at The Sunbury Plantation House, St Philip Parish Barbados. All the bricks present were fire bricks and included English manufacturers such as Ruffors of Stourbridge, Cowen of Newcastle and Duddell of Fenton. 90% of the bricks present appear to have been stamped ‘Glenboig’….
Many thanks to Charlie Terry for the following photographs and information. Charlie states – My great-grandfather worked at the Beaconsfield and Lefroy gold mines in Tasmania. He was an assayer. Some of the bricks are still in their original boxes and have been stored in a shed for decades. Below – An example of one…
This brick is in the possession of John Hicks, West Monroe, Louisiana, USA. John is uncertain where the Docken brick was found in the USA as he picked it up at a brick swap meeting. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. .
Found by Joe Fletcher at “Turonville” in Tarana, NSW Australia. The property is a farm dating back to the 1850s. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
The following Scottish bricks were found by Tracie Perrie on the shore at Borden, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Below – ‘Glenboig’. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire Below – ‘Gartcraig Scotland Gaskil’. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow….
Found by Dr Ali Asghar Hemmati in an old building previously belonging to the Iranian oil company located in Haftgel City in the province of Khuzestan, Iran. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. . .
Found by Jeffrey Valli on the railroad tracks in Truro, Massachusetts, USA. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
