It was in 2004 when Pascoe Durtanovich contacted Bert to see if he was still interested to part with his brainchild. There were plans for a new multi-functional Denmark Visitor Centre in which a tower could be built especially for the water barometer. At the first stage, Bert had been thinking of a permanent loan, but after some consideration he felt that it would be better to donate the instrument to the Shire of Denmark. One of the conditions is that the barometer should be considered as a monument, carrying the name of The Bert Bolle Barometer. Furthermore the tower should be dedicated to the water barometer and the history of weather instruments in general.
The new Denmark Visitor Centre in June 2007
In the middle of the tower, which measures 4 x 4 meters, a solid pedestal of 50 cm high is the base of the water barometer. Bert had promised to take up the task of installing the barometer and guide the craftsmen where needed. He assisted the electrician in designing and setting up the relay cabinet that will make the vacuum pump remove the air out of the top of the pipe every six minutes. Visitors can climb the stairs until they reach a platform, which is at 9.5 metres from the ground floor. Standing on the platform, they will be face to face with the water reaching its highest point in the glass pipe, about 11 metres above the ground floor. The guests can see the strange physical phenomenon of cold boiling water every ten minutes, and of course they can take a barometer reading. There is a huge register plate in centimetres water column, as well as in hectopascals. Directions are given how to make a vapour pressure correction. When there is a lot of wind in Denmark, another phenomenon can be watched at the platform. The water in the pipe will slowly ’dance’ a bit up and down, depending on the strength of the wind outside of the tower. Visitors who won’t climb the stairs, will be invited to watch a monitor, showing the top part of the pipe and the relevant part of the register plate. For that purpose a camera was installed in the top of the tower.
Bert and Ethne have enough items left from their Dutch museum to equip the whole tower. A selection of these items have been given on loan. There is a collection of displays. Most of them are large reproductions of engravings from the 17th, 18th and 19th century. They show all sorts of antique barometers and thermometers, physical experiments and other highlights of the history of weather instruments. A collection of antique barometers will cover the tower walls as well. There are also two showcases with fine antique weather instruments and old weather houses. These showcases adorn the entrance of the tower. There will be captions in big letters, which proved to be a success in the Barometer Museum in the Netherlands. Especially older eyes cannot cope with small sized text boards. No squinting for the guests in the Barometer Tower.
When entering the tower, there will be a so-called calibration cabinet on show on the left hand side. This 2.2 Metres tall steel cabinet is a unique item. It was built in 1905 for the department of the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute near the harbour of Rotterdam, and was used to calibrate the barometers used on board ship.
Visitors will also see the extremely accurate Vaisala digital barometer, one of the showpieces of the Barometer Museum. It was acquired by Bert and Ethne Bolle in the early nineties. The instrument has been re-calibrated in the Vaisala headquarters in Finland, and the instrument passed the severe accuracy tests with flying colours. It can be considered as one of the most accurate barometers in Western Australia. The Vaisala barometer will enable visitors to compare its reading with e.g. their own domestic aneroid barometer. Directions for adjustment are given.
Another showcase houses the oldest type of barometer, the so-called Dutch ‘Donderglas’ (‘thunder glass’). This glass instrument is the size of a hand, and is filled with water and air. During the first half of the 17th century they were the only available weather forecasting instruments, as the first mercury barometers came on the market around 1660. The ‘donderglas’ was also used on board ship, as they were small and easy to use. Skippers were more dependent on the weather than anybody else, and it is not unlikely that skipper Francois Thijssen and commander Pieter Nuyts had a ‘donderglas’ on their ship ‘Het Gulden Zeepaerdt’ (The Golden Seahorse), when they were the first ones to map the coast line between Cape Leeuwin and Ceduna in 1627.
After the Denmark Council had adopted the plans for the new Visitor Centre, Bert Bolle checked all parts of the water barometer. He started to negotiate with the removalist in the Netherlands about a new pipe, and how to get it transported to Down Under. Bert found the manufacturer in Germany prepared to get one 3 metre pipe specially made, and purchased it. The removalist, feeling guilty about the damage during former transport, promised to take care for free transport to Western Australia. Meanwhile the huge 10 Kg glass pipe has been made. The pump that had been stolen during the removal, was another major problem. But Bert still knew his sources in the Netherlands, and soon the Dutch branch of the worldwide operating German pump manufacturer Busch proved to be so generous to donate a reconditioned rotary vane vacuum pump. Bert sent the money for packing and postage of the 25 Kg machine which meanwhile arrived in Denmark, and made a successful test run in Bert's workshop. Final hiccup was the top part of the pipe, i.e. the hood with a tailpiece where a vacuum hose is connected to the barometer. Bert had a Pyrex glass hood left from the installation job in 1985. He sent the hood to his former glass blower in the Netherlands, who blew a tailpiece on it for vacuum hose connection. It was Bert's wish to donate a complete working instrument.
The Importance for Denmark
Bert and Ethne Bolle are feeling blessed and grateful to live in the pristine area of Denmark, and they are happy to donate the water barometer to the Denmark community. The instrument brought them a lot of luck in the sense of massive publicity and many, many visitors in the 12 years they ran their barometer Museum in the Netherlands. School children and adults came to admire the water barometer they had heard about. In other words, that barometer had proved to be a lucky shot. Considering the experience from the past, Bert realizes that his brainchild will be good for Denmark too. It will attract people from miles away, and it will make people stop, people who perhaps otherwise might just have passed the town on their way to Albany or to the Tree Top Walk. Now they will notice the barometer tower, inspect the Visitor Centre, and eventually they might pay a visit to the local shops, galleries, restaurants and the many other things that Denmark has to offer. Some of them will decide to stay longer and book accommodation. Those new tourists will bring business and employment into town, and will enable many hard working local business people to bridge the slow winter period. Besides all that, the water barometer is a non-religious and non-political item, as the weather is on its own independent level. The instrument is just beautiful, it is the largest glass artwork in Denmark and shows in a glorious way what can be done with wood and glass. It will remind the visitors how important the weather was for the old Denmark pioneers, whose lives were inextricably entwined with the weather, and how important it still is for people like farmers, wine growers, surfers and so forth.
Bert made a website on his Water Barometer. Please surf to www.bertbolle.com and read more about the history of this fascinating instrument.
Contact: Bert prefers a quiet lifestyle, so if you have a question, please write to him rather than using the phone, if you can. Bert's postal address: RMB 1021 Denmark WA 6333. Or send him an E-mail through his website.
