Secret Capsule Goes Back In Time At Baths
Newcastle Herald
Monday February 18, 2008
A PAIR of concreters working on the restoration of Newcastle's Ocean Baths say they have found a time capsule in the building, buried in cement, and probably dating back to about 1928.
Jamie Palmer and Craig Stephens said the pottery container was embedded in the tower above the main entrance to the baths, which is now shrouded in shadecloth and scaffolding as the baths' restoration project continues.Mr Palmer said the container included a piece torn from a page of the Newcastle Sun newspaper and a time sheet from HC Jones, Builder and Contractor, of Steel Street, Hamilton.The company's telephone number was Hamilton 53.On the back of the time sheet, DH Petersen, foreman and carpenter, recorded the date as August 2, 1928, the same as that of the newspaper.Mr Palmer said the container was broken when he and Mr Stephens used a jackhammer on the site on Saturday.It is still where it was found but Mr Palmer has kept the pieces of paper."It is a once-in-a-lifetime for me," Mr Palmer said.The piece of newspaper was torn from the sports pages.On one side, there was a headline ". . .Anticipations for the Maitland Cup . . ".Top odds for the Shorts Handicap, over six furlongs, was King Medallist, followed by Lady Thurza and Condamine.On the flip side, parts of a headline "English Atta . . ", and Larwood for Te. . .", can be seen.In 1928 Don Bradman made his test debut and on August 11, 13 and 14, England met the West Indies for The Oval test.Mr Palmer has tried to track down the building company but without success. Mr Stephens said the capsule would have been put in place as the workers were pouring the concrete, which he said was now as chalky and crumbling.Mr Palmer said he would continue to check on the baths' history. The Ocean Baths were opened in 1922.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald
