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RISE AND PROGRESS
OF SILVERTON
TRAMWAY CO.
Silverton Memories
OWING its foundation to the refusal of the South Aus-
tralian Government to construct a railway line
further than Cockburn to link Silverton with Port Pirie
and Peterborough, the Silverton Tramway Co. Ltd. has
a history which rings with, the determination which
marked the eárly pioneers of Silverton and Broken Hill.
The company has a proud record and has proved almost
as rich a investment as the Proprietary mine itself. At
one time the company paid more than £1,180,877 in
dividends in 18 months.
On November 11, 1884, the Silver-
ton Railway Bill was passed by the
South Australian Government. The
bill provided for the construction of
a line from Petersburg (Peter-
borough) to the border. The tender
of Messrs. McGuire and Co. for
£153,569 was accepted in May, 1885.
It provided for the laying of 149
miles of 3ft. 6in. gauge line.
After much agitation for the line
to be extended to Silverton, a depu-
tation of Silverton residents headed
by Mr. W. P. McGregor waited on
the Commissioner for Public Works
in South Australia and requested that
the line be built.
The deputation was informed that
it was not the intention of the Gov-
ernment at that time to extend the
line beyond Cockburn.
Dissatisfied with the position, a
meeting of Silverton residents, and
those interested in small holdings,
was called and on May 30, 1885, a
prospectus for the formation of a
company to construct the line from
the border to the new town was
issued.
It gave the proposed name of the
company as the Silverton Tramway
Co. and the proposed capital as
£50,000. The prospectus stated that
shares would be issued at £1 each.
and 6d. was payable on application
for the share.
Provisional directors named were
Messrs. W. P. McGregor, K. -E. Brod-
ribb, W. R. Wilson, John Penrose
and J. S. Reid.
Mr. T. E. Johnson was named as
solicitor, and the bank as the Com-
mercial Bank of South Australia, Sil-
verton. The object of the company,
it was stated, was to connect Silver-
ton with the South Australian border
town by railway line. Thirty-five
miles of lines was proposed.
Those agitating for the construc-
tion of the private railway line saw
a means of providing much cheaper
transport for their products. At
that time it was very costly sending
ore to Port Pirie and arranging for
the transport of goods.
There is bitter irony in the history
of the few years which intervened be-
tween the issuing of the prospectus
and opening of the line. It was
Broken Hill and not Silverton that
secured the benefit of the line which
was carried through a then decay-
ing Silverton.
The line did not, as many had
hoped, stop the decay of the little
town which had planned to be con
nected by railway to the South
Australian colony.
Eyes Turned to Barrier
In 1886 it was estimated that the
population of Silverton was 2000
people, but with the closing of the
Day Dream smelters many were
thrown out of employment, and
sought a living on the new field at
the Barrier.
There were still those, however,
who had faith in the town of Silver-
ton and predicted it would again be
the centre of the district.
In February, 1889, the foundation
stone of the Silverton Town Hall and
Public Library was laid, but like
many other towns which were the
centre of early mining industries finis
had been written.
A decade saw the rise and fall of
Silverton. Its final blow was the sale
by auction of the Municipal Council
furniture and the removal of prac-
tically, all the houses. Streets, which
had once been lined with houses,
were reduced to vacant blocks as by
horse and camel teams and jinkers
the homes were removed to Broken
Hill.
Conflicting dates have been given
in the historical records recording the
official opening of the railway line.
A Bill was passed in 1886 by the
New South Wales Government to
authorise the Silverton Tramway
Co. Ltd. to construct the 35-mile
line from Broken Hill to Cockburn
via Silverton.
An official history of the company,
supplied by courtesy of the business
director (Mr. L. H. M. Avery) in
1933, gives the first board of direc-
tors as Messrs. A. R. Blackwood,
Jenkin Collier, C. G. Lush,. H. Byron
Moore, W. P. McGregor, M.P., D. E.
McBryde, Murdock McLeod, J. S.
Held, W. R. Wilson, and William
Knox (secretary)
This states that Miller Bros. secured
the contract for the construction of
the line, which took about 12 months
to lay. The cost was £126,000 or about
£26,000 more than had been antici-
pated.
According to the history supplied at
that time the official opening date of
the Silverton Tramway Co. Ltd.'s
line was January 2, 1888, and the
ceremony was performed by the
Duke of Manchester, who with a
number of Parliamentarians, arrived
by special train.
"Thc Barrier Miner" directory
for 1888, however, gives no out-
standing event as having occurred
on January 2, and has a blank for
that date.
However, alongside the date Sep-
tember 9, 1887, it just has the note
"Silverton Tramway Co." and for
September 16, 1887, "Silverton Tram-
way Banquet."
"The Barrier Miner" directory
gives September 10, 1887, as the date
of the visit by Lord-Carrington, who
was presumably the same gentleman
to whom Boy Bridges refers in his
"History of the B.H.P."
Bridges states that on September
10, 1887, the Duke of Manchester
with an official party arrived in Bro-
ken Hill and opened the terminus of
the Silverton Tramway Co. Ltd. here
MR. T. C. GUN. Superintendent of thc Silverton Tramway Co Mr. V. J. SADDLER, chairman of directors of the company. Help
MR. T. C. GUN. Superintendent
of thc Silverton Tramway Co
MR. T. C. GUN. Superintendent of thc Silverton Tramway Co Mr. V. J. SADDLER, chairman of directors of the company. Help
Mr. V. J. SADDLER, chairman
of directors of the company.
The extension of the narrow
gauge line to Tarrawingee, 40 miles
north of Broken Hill, gave the Sil
verton Tramway Co. Ltd. a further
source of revenue. This line was
actually by the New South
Wales Government but was con-
trolled by the private company.
Tarrawingee line was opened in
1891, and reports of that time state
that a special train carried a large
number, of officials and guests to
Tarrawingee. The reports add that
at no other time in the history of
Broken Hill had champagne been con-
sumed so freely or quickly and in
such quantities.
Those who had visualised the line
were not by any means wrong in
their estimates as to the successful
operation, of the company.
Here are some of the dividends paid
by the Silverton Tramway Co. Ltd.
in the early days of its activities
The companv paid away more than
$1,180,877 in dividends in 18 months.
1889— £29,654 1893-£70,000
1890— £68,683 1894-£40,000
1891— £82,419 1895-£84,067
1892— £59,341 1896-£98.903
The company laid a network of lines
to connect the various mines with its
main line and thus reduced even more
the cost of the transhipping of the
ore.
The record of the Silverton Tram-
way Co. Ltd. is one which few rail-
ways or even companies in the Com-
monwealth can claim. Although at
times it has been forced to economise
it has always maintained its strict
business policy, and at no time has
the service to the public it, serves
lessened. It has an outstanding re-
cord of safety for public travelling.
Passing years bring with them many
changes, and the Silverton Tramway
Co. Ltd. has experienced many since
it began operations under such un-
usual conditions. Now in seeking to
modernise their service to the public
the Board of Directors has provided
for the erection of a new and ultra
modern headquarters for, its staff at
Railway Town Station.
Many of the buildings which were
among, the original offices and sheds
of the company have been demolished
to make way for the new structure
which is now almost completed. It
will be ready for occupation this
month.
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