Maskell and McNab

What is a monument to railwaymen doing on the foreshore so far away from trains?

The monument commemorates engine driver Frederick William Maskell and fireman James McNab who, along with three passengers, were killed in a rail accident at Windsor in May 1887. Maskell was 46, McNab 21. One hundred and fifty four people were injured. Mr Maskell was driving an express train when it ploughed into the back of an ordinary train which had broken down just before Windsor Station. Only his presence of mind in pulling on the steam brake of his engine seconds before he was crushed prevented the accident from being much worse. At the subsequent inquest, it was revealed that an untrained station hand was left to apply the steam brake before he and his fireman were killed.
The loss of the two Port Melbourne citizens galvanised a strong local response and fundraising for a memorial soon began.  On Wednesday 16 July 1890, around 350 people, including Mayor Plummer and Councillors, gathered at the unveiling of the monument in Graham St near the the intersection of Station and Princes St.
The monument was re-located to the foreshore when the Graham Street overpass was built. Along with the monument went a mini-community of shops and pubs centred on the rockeries, see image below, which shows that the monument once had decorative features that have since been lost.

PORT PHILLIP CITY COLLECTION

The Maskell and McNab memorial fountain was designed by architect J B Grut. His hand can also be seen in the second storey addition to Chequers/Bay & Bridge as well as the former South Suburban Building Society (currently occupied by SAM Sales and Marketing in Bay St)

Sources and further information
Monument Australia http://www.monumentaustralia.org.au/ lists all monuments in Australia
Railway Rockeries: Tales of the Melbourne and Hobsons Bay Railway Reserves - a Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society publication
Trove

Water according to Walter: A Penny a Day

Picking up on last week's watery theme, this post turns to Councillor Walter's connection with metropolitan water supply.
This week, price increases for water were approved by the Essential Services Commission. The increases were largely attributed to the desalination plant.

The Argus of 28 March 1936 contains an article Story Behind the Tap: Our Water Supply cost millions  written by George S Walter. Walter was a Port Melbourne Councillor for an astonishing 40 years, twice Mayor and also vice-chairman of the Water Supply Committee of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. The article, written towards the end of a life time of public service, takes a sweeping historical overview of water supply to emphasise the value of clean water from both a public health and price point of view - a penny a day. He goes back to antiquity to make his argument, and contrasts London and Melbourne's water supplies on price and consumption per head. When he was writing, the importance of  a clean water supply to public health was perhaps stronger than in our minds today. The Yan Yean and Maroondah dams then provided Melbourne with clean drinking water and the MMBW looked to the Upper Yarra for future water supply possibilities. Since then Melbourne's water supplies have been augmented by the Thomson Dam and more recently, the desalination plant.

Walter ends with the contemporary message: 'It all seems so simple to the consumer, who just turns on a tap and obtains the greatest necessity of life. It is hard for him to realise the story behind the tap, the work entailed, the organisation necessary, the engineering skill involved, and all for the benefit of the consumer and to preserve his health.'
Visit the monument to Walter on the Reserve where Bay and Crockford St part company. Font fans may well enjoy the lettering on the plaque.

Walter lives on in Walter St, and Walter Reserve - part of the Railway Reserves

Source: The Argus Saturday 28 March 1936,p10
The facts and figures
George Samuel Walter 1872 - 1937
Councillor of Port Melbourne 1897 to 1937
Mayor of Port Melbourne 1901-1902, 1934 to 1935