Within a few years a second paper mill was built on the River Yarra. Samuel Fieldhouse built a paper mill in the early 1870's on land adjoining Ramsden's paper mill. Fieldhouse first arrived in Victoria in 1863 but made a return visit to Europe following the death of his first wife in 1870. While in Europe he remarried and is also thought to have made preparations for his paper mill. He is believed to have purchased a sixty inch papermaking machine from the firm of Redfern, Smith and Law of Bury, Lancashire, England and recruited staff. Fieldhouse arrived back in Melbourne in March 1872 and by the end of the year his mill was approaching completion. In 1873 William Ross Noble, William McGowan and Robert Watt arrived in Melbourne, presumably to act as his papermakers. However by 1874 Fieldhouse was insolvent and his mill was up for auction. A merchant from New Zealand named Edward McGlashan, having heard of Fieldhouse's difficulties, arrived in Melbourne in December 1873 hoping to acquire his papermaking machine to take back to New Zealand. McGlashen was seriously injured in an accident soon after arriving and the papermaking machine, together with the mill buildings were acquired by Samuel Ramsden.

In April 1874 the mill was auctioned by Gemmell, Tuckett and Co. It was described as being on Government Allotment L 1, parish of South Melbourne, containing 1 rood and 34 perches (or thereabouts), held on lease at an annual rent of £ 30. The mill consisted of a large range of most substantially built two and one storey brick buildings, on bluestone foundations, above highest flood mark, slate roof, and containing boiler and engine rooms, rag engineroom, preparing house, bleach house, boilingroom, and machine house, with machinery, of the most approved and modern description:-

1 - two flued boiler, 24 feet x 7 feet 6 inches, with Galloway tubes
1 - 19 inch cylinder horizontal high-pressure steam-engine
3 - beating-engines
1 - centrifugal pump
1 - hoist to lift 17 cwt.
1 - conical willow
1 - conical duster
1 - rag chopper
2 - large wooden cisterns
2 - rag-boiling-machines
1 - 10 inch cylinder high-pressure horizontal engine
1 - paper making machine, to make 60 inch paper
1 - paper-cutting machine
1 - three-horse horizontal high pressure steam-engine
1 - large cistern, on top of mill
& all the necessary shafting, piping, and plant in thorough working order.

Sources:

Amcor Archives (University of Melbourne Archives, Baillieu Library, Melbourne)

Newspapers:

Victoria "The Age"; "The Argus:; "The Herald"

Papermaking in Victoria to 1900  |  Back to Home Page