Mount Pleasant Sugar Mill
1883 - 1887
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Mount Pleasant Mill
circa 1883. |
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W.S.C. Adrian built Mount Pleasant mill close to Jane's Creek, near its entry to the Gooseponds. Most of the machinery arrived in July 1883 and he hoped to start crushing in October that year. However on 16th August as the men were hoisting the vacuum pan into position, the tackling broke. The pan fell onto the freshly laid engine bed and caused £2,000 damage. Despite the setback the mill started later that year and crushed for four seasons, crushing cane from neighbouring farms as well as its own. Mount Pleasant mill produced small grained bright white sugar. It last crushed on 20th January 1887 at the finish of the1886 season. Wet weather in 1886 meant that Adrian had to pay his hands, many of whom, due to the shortage of islander labour, were white, for 70 wet days in addition to the 74 days the mill actually crushed. Under direction from head office in Sydney, and against the wishes of the local bank manager, the Commercial Bank foreclosed and ordered the estate to be sold up. Adrian's prosperity as the proprietor of Tattersall's hotel in Mackay was not matched at Mount Pleasant. The mill broken up and sold over the next three years, many small items being sold at bargain prices to Racecourse mill. Adrian remained at Mount Pleasant until the early 1890's before retiring to his selection at Louisa Creek, where he died in 1893. In 1898 a brewing and ice making factory was operating in the old mill building. The site is now occupied by the Windmill Motel on the corner of Hicks Road and Highway Plaza and during renovation work in 2004 workers found bricks from the original foundations on the site. References - Manning,
K.W. (1983). In Their Own Hands. Farleigh, QLD: Farleigh Co-op Milling
Association Ltd. If you can
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© Glen Hall 2001-2017.
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