State Battery, Marble Bar

Statement of Significance

The Marble Bar Battery has historic and scientific heritage significance. It is still working today as a private concern. It is the only one operable, of the forty to fifty constructed in the East Pilbara around the beginning of the century.

Physical Description

This is the first building seen when one enters Marble Bar from Hedland or Nullagine. It is situated on the side of a hill just outside the town limit. It is constructed almost entirely of corrugated iron and has a corrugated iron roof, and iron walls on a concrete pad. There is evidence of an old stone wall behind the shed that may go back a long way in the history of the battery. Inside the shed are various items of mining equipment.

History

The Marble Bar State Battery was requested by the Marble Bar Progress Association in 1909. After some negotiations the government granted the request and tenders for the carting of the battery machinery were called for in November of that year. The engineer responsible for putting the Battery together was a Mr Dave Messingham. It took over 6 months to build the Battery, which opened for its first crushing on 12 August 1910. In a letter to the local press, the new Battery was described as, "a five head stamper mill, with a high box and open front and driven by a producer gas plant". Messingham stayed on to manage the Battery for a short period and was then replaced by the first of a series of 'Battery Browns': AJG (Silent) Brown, A (Talking) Brown and Desmond (Fighting) Brown.
The arrival of the Battery was said to be a boost to the mining people in the Marble Bar district. The Battery's managers and families were accommodated in a nearby residence, which in early years was lined with painted hessian to keep the house cool. The Marble Bar Battery extended in the 1930s to include a cyanide treatment plant for the sands accumulated at the mill and a new 10 head Battery.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.