MIZEN SAWMILL STUDY
Copyright       David Mizen  2021
Images Added & Published by Gordon Freegard 2021

WALDECK SMITH   1885

In August 1885 the timber license and associated property was listed for sale by Waldeck Smith (Unknown, Great sale of property, 1885).  Given the property had previously been listed with James Morrison it is not clear why Morrison was not given the new listing to sell the business. However, it appears that he was involved in Shaw’s trial and testified against him (Unknown, Thursday April 2nd , 1885). 

Waldeck Smiths advertisement is notable for a number of things, firstly it contains a substantial inventory of the mill and its outbuildings, the second, that the sale also includes Canning Locations 159 through to Canning location 166 ( in other words the sale included what became known as Canning Mills), thirdly the sale included a license over 100,000 acres of forest for 42 years dating from 1882 (collectively all of the sweeteners extracted by Shaw) , and finally that the related parties to the sale were Leake and Harper solicitors (Leake having held Shaw’s mortgage over Location 75) and perhaps more importantly Forrest and Angove, land agents and surveyors. Angove having conducted the survey of Locations 159 to 165.

By early 1885 Shaw was bankrupt and the whole of his estate was listed for sale (Leake and Harper, 1885). Slee and Shaw state the business was broken up and sold in August 1885 (1979, p. 39). This is incorrect. The business was sold by auction which took place on Thursday 1 October 1885, it is reported a Mr E Howard was the winning bidder at 5,900 pounds, the report also notes that Mr. J. Keane was a bidder, however he withdrew when bids passed 3,000 pounds. The advertisement notes that there were plans to extend the Racecourse Railway up the hill to the mill (Unknown, Sale of Canning Timber Station, 1885). It is not clear what Howard had in mind when he purchased the mill, there does not appear to be any subsequent activity in his name. Howard’s name does not appear on the titles to Locations 75, 160,161, 162 or 164, if the newspaper report is factually correct it is highly likely that the sale fell through, as the next newspaper reports that Stevens and Atkins had arranged to carry on the business under lease from the trustee in bankruptcy (Unknown, News of the day, 1885).

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Extract of report on the Canning Timber Station (Forrest and Angove, 1885, p. 3). This is one of three reports published as part of the campaign to assist  the sale conducted by Waldeck Smith. It appears that it was prepared for Joseph Shaw mid-March 1883. Angove surveyed Canning Locations 160-166 in late 1882 early 1883, the listed Locations were added to District Plan Canning 155 at some time in 1883.
 

Section of Lands Department Map Sourced from State Records Office item No 506237 (Department of Lands and Surveys)
 

The location of” Baker’s Swamp” or “Barbers swamp” is not known.

It is possible that the swamp is towards the end of the tramway through Pickering Brook shown on State Records Office item No 506237 reproduced above. There is no evidence that there was a Mill in Pickering Brook prior to 1904

Footnote:  The position of Barber's Swamp has been found since this article was researched.
 

References:     Article:      David Mizen

Copyright : Gordon Freegard      2008 - 2021