The Hobart Time Ball: request for a picture

[RogerKinns]

This is request for help. I have been carrying out research into the history of time balls in Australia, but I have not yet seen a satisfactory photograph of the time ball at Hobart. It was dropped by hand at 1 pm each day and was operated in parallel with a 'one o'clock gun'. Both the ball and the gun are included in the first and fifth editions of the Admiralty 'List of Time Signals', published in 1880 and 1898, so were extant throughout that period. The time ball location was stated in 1898 to be the Flagstaff at Fort Mulgrave: Latitude 42 degrees, 53 minutes, 22 seconds S; Longitude 147 degrees, 20 minutes, 28 seconds E. These coordinates differ somewhat from those stated in 1880, but this is likely to represented improved accuracy of measurement, rather than a change of physical location. The gun location was stated to be at Queen's Battery in 1898, 37 seconds (about 1 km) further north and 10 seconds (about 200 m at the stated latitude) further east than the flagstaff.

Does anyone have a picture postcard, or simply a photograph, of the time ball or one o'clock gun at Hobart? They must have been well-known landmarks in the late nineteenth century and possibly well into the twentieth century. I should be most grateful for a copy of any photographic image and I would be glad to acknowledge the source in any publication that might ensue.

[Ross Ewington]

Hi Roger .... a most interesting subject!! I have just spent a little time strolling through the Tas Archives and found a glass slide
of the "One O' Clock Gun" by E.R. Pretyman ....... note the careful use of "heritage adhesive tape" holding it all together.

A little more to the right and I might have got some wadding through my office window in Watchorn Street.


archive details can be obtained via this link http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.a ... 013-1-1965

I have also sent e-mails to a couple of BB members asking for assistance with an image of the time ball at the Mulgrave Battery.

[RogerKinns]

Ross. That's a spectacular picture of the smoke from the gun! Many thanks for locating it so quickly. I can't imagine that the two men near the gun in the photograph would have had much hearing left. I heard the Edinburgh one-oclock gun from a mile way, when I went to have a look at the newly-restored time ball a couple of weeks ago. it was still an impressive noise. The delay between seeing the smoke and hearing the gun brought home the importance of allowing for the time delay when calibrating a chronometer using an audible signal. Fingers crossed that a good picture of the time ball will turn up too.

[Mike]

Hello Roger
Not sure if these scans are the 1 O'Clock gun. Perhaps Ross can help here.





Is this near the gasworks / wharf area?. I can not read the writing at base, except the work Hobart.
Postally used 1/7/08 Launceston



Is this Bellerive ?

[Ross Ewington]

Nothing definite here I'm afraid

The canon in the Franklin Square was of Crimean War origin, "liberated" from the Russians.... it can now be seen outside the Anglesea Barracks in Davey Street. A
"companion" gun is/was in City Park Launceston. The "One O' Clock Gun" was situated on the Queen's Domain ..... I'll try and pinpoint the
location from the photo when I get a chance.

The second card definitely a view from near the Hobart Gasworks ..... we would need a better picture of the "One O' Clock Gun" to
make a comparison.

The third card is a view from the battery at Kangaroo Point, Bellerive (on the other side of the river roughly opposite to the Mulgrave Battery)
... the gun pictured is still there.

[RogerKinns]

Thanks Mike and Ross for the extra photos. It's hard to be sure from the first photograph of the gun with smoke, but the right-hand cannon in the photograph taken near the Hobart Gasworks (I think the word before 'Hobart' is 'cannons' - which doesn't add much! - but I can't make out the first words) looks most similar to the one o'clock gun.

[Ross Ewington]

Still no luck with any information about or a picture of the time-ball I'm afraid, but here's a
little clipping about the companion "One O'Clock Gun" I found in The Mercury whilst searching for information
about the Derwent Ferry "S.S. Rosny". (I never found what I was really looking for!!)
[attachment=0]1pm gun.jpg[/attachment]

I think we can now assume the canon pictured near the Gasworks (on postcard above dating from 1908) was not the
"gun in question" as it was still in use at least 10 years later at a slightly different location.

[RogerKinns]

Thanks Ross. That certainly shows that the time gun was still in use in 1918.

The only newspaper article I have seen which mentions the time ball was actually headed 'THE ONE O'CLOCK GUN'. It was printed on Page 2 of the Tasmanian News of Tuesday Evening. August 31, 1886. Changes were being introduced to improve the accuracy of the time signal, although the ball was still going to be dropped by hand.

Article:Tasmanian News, 31-Aug-1886

HobartTimeBall,31-Aug-1886.jpg (170.08 KiB) Viewed 9850 times

I have seen a poor copy of a photograph with the reference NS 16S/177 (I don't know the date, but I believe it is in the Hobart library), which should show the time ball hoisted up the semaphore mast, but I can't make out the ball.

[Ross Ewington]

I have just purchased a copy of "The People's Park - Historical Overview of Queens Domain Hobart" by Ian Terry & Austral Archeology, published by the Hobart City Council (1999)

On page 69, paragraph 8.3 there is mention of the one o'clock gun which gives us a final year of use.

queens battery gun.jpg (42.3 KiB) Viewed 9845 times

[RogerKinns]

That's another great marker, Ross - thanks for that. The history is falling into place. If only a good picture and complete story of the time ball would turn up. I'm hoping to be in Australia at the end of May - a couple of focused days in Hobart library might uncover something.

[Ross Ewington]

Hi Roger,

I just found this book listed in the State Library catalog ..... if I get a chance I'll try to have a look at it (my office is a whole 100m from the front door of the library)!!

http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.a ... &id=553919

Also, I found this reference to the gun used in some "Derwent River Cruises" literature'

A gun once situated on the flank facing Hobart was originally at the Queens Battery near the Domain cenotaph. It was brought to Bellerive from Brighton Army Camp in 1970. Made in 1866, the barrel weighs 4.2 tonnes and it was able to fire a projectile of 31.8 kg. From the early 1900s, it served as a time gun for Hobart Town, carrying on a sixty year tradition (dating from 1863) of a one o'clock gun fired as an accurate check for watch or clock.

Well, the trail is 40 years "cold" but this information indicates that the gun may still be at the old "fort" on Kangaroo Bluff ..... "I shall try and visit with camera in hand".

[Ross Ewington]

Another "newspaper find" and this time it's about the time-ball (sorry, still no photo).

Here's a link to page 4 of The Mercury from Tuesday June 12th 1894 containing a report of a meeting of
the Royal Society in Hobart where a Mr. H.C. Kingsmill M.A delivered a paper outlining "some practical suggestions
for working the now irregular one o'clock time ball and gun by electricity"

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/841590?zoomLevel=1

[Ross Ewington]

Jonothan Davis reports that "the time ball mast stood behind Lenna so any photo of the new wharf showing Lenna enlarged in photoshop should show the black ball on the mast"

This is the best view that I can find of New Wharf and Lenna (from 1890) but unfortunately, the resolution is not good enough for some good magnification to be of use.
[attachment=0]lenna.jpg[/attachment]

I have seen many photos of New Wharf and Lenna over the years ..... if you can locate an image that has "the potential" to include the time-ball, please post it here.

[Ross Ewington]

I may have found it this time!!

time ball.jpg (102.26 KiB) Viewed 9367 times

Link to large photo (from c.1880) at State Library of Tasmania

http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.a ... &id=645003

[RogerKinns]

Ross and Jonothon. Many thanks for all those leads. I'll follow them up as soon as I can. I couldn't have asked for better help.

[Ross Ewington]

...and a better one still!
[attachment=0]time ball 2.jpg[/attachment]

Full image available at: http://catalogue.statelibrary.tas.gov.a ... &id=675844

[Ross Ewington]

...and finally, here is a chapter from the book by Michael Sharland
"Once upon a time .... TASMANIAN TALES" published by The Mercury (Davies Bros.) in 1976



Now to find a picture of the time ball on Mount Nelson!!!!

[Mike]

Views of the Mount Nelson Signal Station.

No1 Real Photo c1910, no photographers name, unused.

No 2 Real photo GMB, c1950 unused.

[Ross Ewington]

UPDATE:

I recently visited the Kangaroo Bluff Battery at Bellerive and found that the One O'Clock Gun had indeed been there ..... there was a plaque verifying this. Unfortunately though, the gun had been vandalised in recent years and the carriage totally burnt. The cannon has now been placed in private storage.

While on the site I was fortunate to meet a local military enthusiast who indicated that two guns had been used "for the job" over the period of use and he may send me some information if I'm lucky. He did also mention the existence of a time-ball at the Mount Nelson Signal Station (but he may have been just quoting the Sharland text).

The most interesting fact to come out of my discussion however is that the chronometer used for the time-ball exists and can be viewed at Narryna Heritage Museum at 103 Hampden Road, Battery Point. I'll be on my way there with a camera soon and hopefully they will let me take a photo of said device!!!

[RogerKinns]

Thanks Ross. The overall story is falling into place. I must have a look at the chronometer when I get to Hobart!

[Peter Allan]

Looking through a recent find of R. C. Harvey real photo cards, this image of the Hobart Time Ball came to light.The image below is of S. S. Victory and shows Hobart Time Ball in the background.

ss-victory.jpg (51.52 KiB) Viewed 9912 times

Here is an enlarged section of the card showing that the time Ball is positioned to face the Port.

Pete.

timeball.jpg (343.41 KiB) Viewed 9912 times

[RogerKinns]

Pete. Many thanks for those. it strikes me that the ball was smaller than most. 1.5 metres was the preferred diameter (Sydney, Newcastle, Semaphore and Lyttelton, for example), but the Hobart ball looks to be barely half that.

Walch's Tasmanian Almanacs between 1876 and 1927 include a short description, which changed over time. In 1876: Black Ball over red pennant drops daily at one o'clock p.m ftrom the topmast-land at the Prince's Battery. This was changed in 1880: Black ball drops daily at one o'clock from the gaff at the Albert Battery staff. Mention of the gaff was dropped in 1884. The entry was changed again in 1888: Black ball on flagstaff; ball half way up at 12.50 pm, ball close up at 12.55 p m, ball dropped at 1 pm. The time gun was always recorded as being at the Queen' Battery.

The 1880 Admiralty list of time signals for mariners merely states that the time ball was on a flagstaff at Fort Mulgrave and that the gun was also at Fort Mulgrave (this appears to be incorrect). The 1898 list reports that the ball was hoisted half way up at 10 minutes and close up at 5 minutes before the drop at 1 pm. The gun was then noted as being at the Queen's Battery.

The early arrangement may be shown on the postcard, whereby the ball stayed in its raised position on the gaff for most of the time. Later, the ball would only have been in its raised position for five minutes per day. That would put the probable date of the postcard photograph as being between 1880 and 1888. I shall continue to scatch my head! it would be great if you could establish the date of the photograph. Do you know when SS Victory was built?

[Peter Allan]

Roger,
I am virtually 100% certain that the post card was taken on 25 June 1904. It is so recorded on the photographers note book on that day. Real Photo cards hardly existed before about 1899 or so. How does this tally with other facts regarding the time ball ?

[RogerKinns]

Pete. I must have misinterpreted the Walch's Alamanac description. I should have realised that the card had to be later than 1900. Thanks for clarifying that. It was hardly likely to have used an old image!

I saw a picture at "Narryna" when I visited the Museum on 1 June 2010, which shows the time ball in a higher position. "Lenna" is prominent, as usual. It was painted by Haughton Forrest in 1884. I have cropped the image to show the relevant parts.

Picture at Narryna

Narryna,painting.jpg (63.96 KiB) Viewed 9905 times

It looks like a small ball, possibly made of wickerwork for lightness, which had a larger drop than the usual 3 metres. In 1904, the ball was hoisted half-way up at 12.50 pm, close-up at 12.55 pm and dropped at 1 pm. Although not stated in Walch's Almanacs before 1888, this was probably the procedure in 1884 too. I'm not sure whether the position shown in the Narryna picture is half way or close up. Your 1904 image almost certainly shows the ball in its rest (lowered) position.

[RogerKinns]

The paper has been a long time in gestation. With help from Ross Ewington, tps members and many other friends, the story has at last come together and will be published soon in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. Thanks to all - it's turned out to be a fascinating story!

The following abstract will give an idea of the content.

Discussion at the Royal Society in Hobart in 1865 and acoustic experiments in 1868 led to a combined time ball and time gun service in Hobart from March 1875. Complaints from residents led to relocation of the gun a month later, but it was then fired from Queen’s Battery in the Domain for half a century. The drop of the ball at Battery Point was always the master signal; the gun was fired when the ball was seen to drop. During the early years, private citizens in Hobart provided the time reference. From September 1886, an electric telegraph signal from Hobart Observatory was used to provide correct time to the ball operator, but signals were of questionable accuracy. During February 1910, the source of the telegraph signal was changed from Hobart to Melbourne Observatory, but the service was still unreliable and there was pressure to re-equip Hobart Observatory. Finally, automatic dropping of the time ball by telegraph from Melbourne was introduced in November 1910. The time ball service ended in February 1927, but the time gun had probably ceased to operate by the end of 1923. There were sometimes long gaps in the time gun service, particularly on Sundays, before that date.