Carlo and the safety of the Patterson River bridge

In the Colony of Victoria, until 1884 all the military or defences forces were volunteers. This changed in 1884 with the introduction of the Victorian Military Forces. These men were paid, enlisted for a fixed period but were part time. Every so often they would attend training camps at various locations including the Langwarrin Military Reserve.  In 1894, this encampment lasted six days.

I came across this article from The Argus, March 22, 1894 (see here) about the 1894 encampment -

The disappearance of a number of new field-guns and artillery men in the Patterson River - named after the Premier - would be a disastrous prelude to the Easter encampment at Langwarrin. The condition of the bridge over the river at the outlet from the Carrum Swamp is such that the disaster might have happened were it not for the solicitude of Mr Cooke, M.L.C., the Acting-Minister of Defence, and Major General Tulloch, the military commandant in taking the precaution to have the bridges on the route carefully examined before allowing the batteries to cross them. Mr Davidson, the inspector general of public works, and Mr Catani, engineer of roads and bridges, inspected the bridge in question on Tuesday at the request of Mr Cooke. Immediately after the inspection they telegraphed from Mordialloc to the secretary of Defence that it was possible the guns might be transported across the bridge in safety, but that there was an undoubted risk, and they would not take the responsibility of advising that the route was a safe one. Major-General Tulloch gave instructions that every care was to

be taken in crossing the bridge, and that only one gun at a time was to be allowed on it.

In the end, there was no disastrous prelude to the Easter encampment and Carlo's professional reputation remained intact!

The Carrum bridge

The Argus,  March 24 1894 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8732367

There was another report of the inspection in The Age, March 22, 1894, see here.

Doubts having been raised as to the stability of the wooden bridge built 12 years ago across the Patterson River, the outlet from Carrum swamp, and fears expressed that it would not carry the heavy guns of the field batteries or the commissariat waggons on the journey to Langwarrin, the Inspector- General of Public Works, Mr. Davidson, with Mr. Catani, engineer of roads and bridges, inspected the bridge on Tuesday at the request of Mr. Cooke, Acting-Minister of Defence. They found that the reports as to the decayed condition of the bridge were not in the least exaggerated, and Mr. Davidson at once telegraphed from Mordialloc to Commander Collins, the Secretary for Defence, to the effect that whilst it was possible for the guns to be taken over the bridge in safety, yet there was an undoubted risk, and he would not take the responsibility of advising that that route be adopted. Last week the bridge was inspected by two military officers at the request of the commandant, and as the result of their report instructions have been issued to the battery officers to exercise the utmost caution when crossing the structure. The commissariat waggons left yesterday for Langwarrin, and it is presumed that they crossed in safety.

Carrum bridge inspection 

The Age, March 22, 1894, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article192193316

If you are interested in the Langwarrin Military Reserve then you might want to read Australia Aldershot: Langwarrin Military Reserve Victoria 1886-1980 by Winty Calder (Jimaringle Publications 1987)