Hathorn, Davey and Co: Charters Towers
Note: This is a sub-section of Hathorn, Davey and Co
of Queensland, Australia
The former Burdekin River Pumping Station was erected as part of the important Charters Towers water supply system, constructed from 1887 to 1891 for the Burdekin Water Scheme Joint Board. When completed the scheme included a pumping station, rising main, reservoir on Tower Hill, chimney stack, engineer's residence, workers' cottages, provisional school, tram track, bridge across the Burdekin River and several trestle bridges to carry the rising main across small creeks between the pumping station and the reservoir in the town.
While the land survey and loans were being arranged Henderson prepared the plans and Frederick Talbot Joyce, a London trained civil engineer from Sydney, was selected as the site engineer. By early 1888 the Joint Board had placed an order with Hathorn, Davey and Co of Leeds, for a 75 horse power, inverted compound non-rotative engine coupled to a two-stage pumping system, with a capacity of 20,000 gallons per hour. The engine was designed by Henry Davey who made a significant contribution to the development of steam powered water pumping systems during the late 19th century. His differential system, applied to vertical compound engines, greatly increased the efficiency of non-rotative pumping engines and prolonged their viability as alternatives to rotating machines. Plans for the engine foundations, specifications for the assembling of engine and boilers, directions for the construction of buildings to protect them, and plans for a 60 feet high chimney arrived from Hathorn Davey in June 1888.
John Baillie Henderson was the hydraulic engineer
Engine 4552 Order Entered Jan 4th 1888
“To be delivered in 20 weeks from Nov 19/87”
Delivered October 31st 1888
Engine 5225 Order Entered March 18th 1895
To be shipped August 18th, 1895
Delivered 30th Nov, 1895
Further information from a Queensland researcher.[1]
Recently when reading through the manufacturers Order Book for Engine 4225 for Charters Towers, I noticed a comment about parts for that engine being “same as Townsville”. The Leeds database gave me that engine number – 4127 built in 1885, and installed in Hubert’s Well, South Townsville.
This set me searching to try and determine how similar the engines might have been. Long story – Townsville Water, Townsville City Council Heritage, Townsville Museum, North Queensland Machinery Preservationists provided little information but I did manage to track some notes made by someone who apparently had a similar interest to mine. From those notes by John Matthews, I gathered only that there was an official opening on 17/12/1885, and a “re-equipping” in 1914 (whatever that meant).
I then found a mention of demolition plans in the event of invasion in WW2 which mentioned that the pumps at Hubert’s Well were “centrifugal” indicating that the Hathorn Davey was at least not operating.
I have now found an article in the Townsville Daily Bulletin of 7/11/1938, that the HD engines were retired in 1926 and were in the process of being scrapped in 1938. Newspaper Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any photos of this engine.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 20230111 CA
- Heritage Register, Queensland Government, Australia