Page 8 - City of Cessnock Water Supply and Sewerage Service Utility

7

This had been a 'travelling stock route area and watering place'.
T.S. Reserve 9519 was Gazetted on 17th August, 1889 and the other part T.S.
reserve No. 38282 was notified 17th September, 1904. The dam had been
built within this reserve in the last years of the last century.

Eric Delaney, (Note: No relation to this writer John Delaney), recalls
in a dry spell in 1907, as a boy, he obtained two kerosene tins of water from
a rail water tank hauled by the railway company to Cessnock Station and his
taking this water in the tins in a 'Billy-Cart' to his then home in Charlton
Street. The supply of water by the local railway hauling in water tanks was
very limited and restricted, due to the extent of the spread of the mining
villages on the South Maitland field. Nevertheless it formed an important
part of the early water supply. Other old residents of the area and of that
time, recall when water was carried in tins and drums from water-holes in
Deadman's Creek. This was thought to be on William Picton's Property.
Another recollected that one of these deeper holes was known as the 'Ace of Hearts'.

Most of these older people remember their joy and excitement, when the
actual water supply was connected to their home allotments. Dorothy Avison
said when the water supply was connected to her father's (Henry Avison) premises
in Edwards Street, she was nine years old. The water supply was not connected
to the house in the manner of our internal water plumbing of today. Instead
it was a 'stand-pipe' tap that stood some short distance apart from the building.
Dorothy recalls that the year '1904' was embossed just above the front of the
spout on the tap itself. The practice of indicating the year of connection on
taps was continued by the Water Board for quite a number of years.

The extension of the water mains to the Cessnock region required the
reservoir to be built on the previously selected site at Pelaw Main. The
reservoir is at the corner of Hebburn Street, Pelaw Main and the entrance to
the old Pelaw Main Colliery workings. It is on part of portion No. 76,
Parish of Stanford. This reservoir is constructed of re-inforced concrete and
of circular design ~ - It is of sixty-five feet (65') diameter and had a depth of
twenty-four feet six inches (24~') when full. It holds 501,530 gallons.
Work was commenced in February 1907, but due to delays caused by shortage of
materials supply, it was not completed until early 1908. It cost £2330.0.0.
($4660.00)

The scheme for the Cessnock Water Supply included the extension of
the six-inch (6 11 ) pipeline from Abermain to a pumping station at Neath, where a
concrete pump well of 101,186 gallons capacity was to be constructed.