Fire Bridages and the Supply of Water
Written by Graham Wilson
Australian Theme: Building settlements, towns and cities.
State Theme: utilities.
Local Theme: Activities associated with then provision of services, especially on a communal basis.
Windmill, culvert, reservoir, bridge, water hydrants, water pipes, galvanised iron water tank and well.
Fire was a major threat to country towns. Many buildings were wooden, there was no permanent Fire Brigade Service and often there was no water supply with good pressure. Apart from house fires, major fires occurred in both Bingara and Warialda. Council took action to ensure that buildings were constructed of fire retardant materials. Thus in the period after the 1920s, shop premises were constructed of brick and today few timber premises can be seen in the central business districts. Community pressure was also exerted for the formation of Fire Brigades.
In March 1907 Fader and Company’s bulk store in Cunningham Street was destroyed by fire. Although there was a plentiful supply of water from elevated tanks over a well within a few feet of the building, little could be done to save the building. The store, the property of William Finkernagel, containing stock valued from ₤1400 to ₤1500 was completely destroyed.[1] In response to the tragedy, the Bingara Telegaph again called for the establishment of a Fire Brigade by calling a public meeting as had happened at Inverell.[2]
On Thursday 6 May 1926, a building at the rear of W.A. Steel’s bakery was burnt to the ground. Owned by John Byrnes, the building was used as a store and harness room by Mr Steel.
On Friday 15 March 1929, a major fire occurred in Maitland Street, Bingara. The fire was first noticed in J.D. Melick and Company’s Store and spread to other wooden buildings in the Pastoral Chambers block. The premises destroyed included J.D. Mellick’s drapery store; J. Kannear and Son, auctioneers; C. Hancock, hairdresser’s shop; W. Reading, Baker’s shop; Dr Macinerney, surgery; A.W.H. Bull, MacInnes and Company, auctioneer’s office; Ryan and Ryan, solicitor’s office and Mr Hunt’s private residence.
In the early hours of 12 April 1935 a major fire broke out in Bingara when the Commercial Bank and three other buildings were destroyed. These buildings included the Duck Inn, the Owl Store and a dwelling at the rear of the Owl Store.
A disastrous fire occurred early on 19 August 1937 in Maitland Street when the old Bingara Picture Theatre, the former Bingara Telegraph office and two adjoining cottages were destroyed. Walter Cecil Rhodes had used the theatre as a motor garage since December 1936 and William Camden owned the two cottages. A bucket brigade saved the Druid’s Hall on the southern side and Ritter’s Garage on the northern side. The heat of the fire cracked windows in Faders and Leggs’ buildings situated directly opposite.[3]
On Tuesday morning 4 November 1913, a major fire occurred at the ‘Commercial Hotel’. In all seven bedrooms, the parlour and billiard room were destroyed. Alongside, the unoccupied shop and dwelling owned by Mr Andrew Hoy, were also destroyed.
On Saturday 17 February 1917, three business places in Warialda were destroyed by fire. The outbreak occurred in the western portion of Hoy’s Store near the rear of Durkin’s saddlery shop. On the other side, F.C. Cartwright’s chemist shop was also destroyed. All the windows in the Bank of New South Wales building on the opposite side of the street were broken. Apart from Mr Hoy, Mrs W.H. Crane owned the two other buildings.[4]
A disastrous fire occurred when a block of buildings opposite the ‘Royal Hotel’ were destroyed in a matter of minutes in April 1925. The fire started in the office of R.A. Fernon and spread to the offices of J.A. McGregor, P.P. Board, McPherson’s shop and a dental surgery. Minute Books from the P. and A. Association, the Jockey Club and the Amateur Race Club were destroyed. The premises occupied by the P.P. Board, Mr Fernon and Mr McPherson belonged to D.D. Long of Sydney.[5]
Tragedy struck Warialda on the morning of Wednesday 10 August 1927. In two hours the whole of the business block, with the exception of the Commercial Bank building was a mass of ruins. At that stage, Warialda had no fire brigade but a bucket brigade saved the bank building. A conservative estimate of the damage was between ₤20000 and ₤25000. Eight businesses were gutted including: C.S. Pyrke’s store and residence, Yallaroi Shire Office, Warialda P.P. Board Office, G.A. Slack’s store, P. Crithary’s Refreshment Rooms, P. Crithary’s Hairdressing Saloon, S. McPherson, tailor and the School of Arts and Hall.[6]
In response to the fire, Yallaroi Shire Council determined that within the area from Market Street to Plunkett Street, ‘all buildings erected in the future must be of fire-resisting material’.[7]
John Smith and Co’s. store and residence in Stephen Street, just north of the Warialda Creek bridge, were reduced to ashes in a short space of time on the morning of 27 March 1931. Within half an hour, the building and thousands of pounds of stock were destroyed. The stock was the assigned estate of Colin Smith, trading as John Smith and Co.; recently Eizenberg and Diamond had purchased the stock. The building was the property of John Smith and was insured for ₤1000.[8]
Mansours Prop. Ltd.’s brick store was destroyed by fire on Tuesday 12 July 1938. This was the third occasion that fire had demolished the building on that corner allotment. The adjoining building J.A. McGregor’s office, was not damaged. The building was the property of Mansours of Moree.[9]
Fire destroyed a home owned by H. Meyer and occupied by Mr and Mrs Watson Parker on what was known as Stehr’s slaughtering paddock on the Bingara Road, on the night of Saturday 4 March 1939. The home had only just been purchased from E. Stehr.
In March 1928 the residence of Jas. Tomkins of Gravesend was completely demolished by fire.
Railway Hotel, Warialda Railway
For the second time in a few weeks, the hotel had a narrow escape from fire when part of the roof was removed to extinguish a blaze in an upstairs room on Friday 23 March 1928. An unoccupied cottage belonging to Reuben Riley was destroyed by fire in February 1933.
Prior to the push for the provision of water services in urban areas, much concern was often expressed about the provision of water for travelling stock. By March 1906 a petition with many signatures was prepared for presentation to the Minister for Works urging that the Boobah Well be improved by slabbing. It was the only watering place between Warialda and Coolootai in dry seasons.[10]
In August 1938 the Pasture Protection Board received a report concerning stock routes, reserves and watering points. Fisher’s Dam was erected prior to 1887 on the Warialda Yetman stock route about four and a half miles from Rocky Dam. In 1914 problems emerged with damage by rabbits to the wall. Because of problems with this dam, it was decided to investigate bore site in the vicinity of Kurrajong Crossing. At Miller’s dam equipment had been erected at the watering place but a silt dam needed to be completed. At the Rocky Dam, topping of the bank had been completed; boring of the Highland Plain Bore had ceased because of the poor water and at the Church Paddock Bore, cementing of the troughs had been completed by the Board’s employees.[11]
Once galvanised iron was available to be placed on roofs of buildings in towns and district properties, water was collected and stored in galvanised iron tanks. Square ship’s tanks were also readily available for water storage. When tanks were emptied, water was carted from nearby rivers and creeks in small tanks on carts and drays. In dry weather water carters were kept very busy. The sinking of wells and bores was another solution. Water could be obtained from wells by bucket or pumped by windmills; hence that small winmill in Hope Street Warialda.
A special meeting of the Bingara Municipal Council was held on 27 August 1937 to consider ‘the advisability of obtaining an adequate water supply for the town’.[12] It was also decided to seek a grant for the provision of water, sewerage and a grandstand for the showground. In July 1938 ₤600 was made available by the government for preliminary expenses in respect of the proposed water supply but the Council decided to apply for a further grant of ₤600.[13] A further special meeting held on Friday 8 October decided to accept the offer for the government to provide money for the three projects. The cost was to involve ₤9500.[14]
In October 1939 Council approached Fire Brigade Headquarters concerning conditions for the creation of fire brigades. It was in October 1917 that the Warialda Municipal Council considered formation of a voluntary fire brigade.
Mr E.S. Spooner, ex-Minister for Works and Local Government supported by the Hon. Colin Sinclair officially opened the Bingara Water Scheme on Thursday 2 November 1939. The official opening was held in Maitland Street between the Commercial and Imperial Hotels and an official dinner was held in the Imperial Hotel that night. McKenzie and Son of Manilla the successful tenderers for laying the pipes from the mains to the building allotments, commenced work during November. Water connections commenced in 1940 and water was supplied to the Bingara District Hospital that year. The first supply reticulated to Bingara was pumped from an infiltration well in the Gwydir River.
In January 1941 the engineer of Bingara Municipality and Gwydir Shire C.D. Williamson reported to Bingara Municipal Council that the annual pumping requirements for Bingara was 46,000,000 gallons requiring an average pumping run per day of 51/2 hours.[15]
In 1968 Bingara established a sewerage system by installing a conventional trickling filter type.
Photograph 49: Bingara Fire Hydrants, Maitland Street
. Blake & Wilson 2006
Although Warialda is situated on a creek, there had always been water supply problems. The Secretary for Public Works was authorised to build, water, irrigation and sewerage works in country town under the Water and Drainage Act (1902). He created the Warialda Water Trust to maintain and supply the water supply of the village in May 1903. At that time, a pump and windmill supplied water from a well situated at the corner of Plunkett and Geddes Streets, now the Fire Station.
In response from a letter from B.M. Wade, M.L.A. a public meeting convened by the Progress Association was held on 4 February 1938 to consider steps towards providing an adequate water supply. It was moved that a proposal for a water supply be put to the Yallaroi Shire Council[17] and in June 1938, Council decided to appoint a consulting engineer in connection with the proposed water supply. Despite this optimistic move, the advent of war and a change of government prevented completion of the scheme. The 1938 proposal included provision of money for installation of the pumping machinery, establishment of a reservoir and reticulation of the area. Council decided to reapply for the scheme in April 1943.
Yallaroi Shire Council reported in December 1940that the town well was not making sufficient to supply requirements during the previous month. Residents were now dependent on domestic water supply and it was suggested that Council consider deepening the base of the well.
It was not until 25 June 1954 that the Governor of NSW, Sir John Northcott opened the Warialda Water Works. At that stage, C.S. Pyrke was President of Yallaroi Shire. The water supply, estimated to cost ₤14,000 in 1937 had cost ₤54,000 when completed.
Warialda introduced sewerage in 1969.