Tuesday, Mar 21, 2017 at 17:53
The info board photo may be a bit hard to read so I have posted what it says:
This rare Maritime object was an Illuminated Clock-Faced Tide Guage c1800. Originally located near
the entrance to the
Port Pirie shipping channel at Cockle Spit.
The stand, known as a "Dolphin" was made from Sugar Gum, a local timber. The platform is Red River Gum.
The original Perspex clock face was back-lit by oil or gas lamps, enabling it to be visible at night and in poor weather.
A series of levers and pulleys, on the outside of the stand, rose and fell with the tide. A chain and wheel mechanism inside the main structure directed the clock's hand to the appropriate channel depth measurement.
The guage was invaluable to ships navigating the channels and shoals into
Port Germein. It was removed from its original position in 1989 when new technology made it obsolete. In 2013 it was restored and relocated to its present position.
The only other Clock- Faced Tidal Guage thought to have existed was on the Tamar River in Tasmania.
FollowupID:
879435