19th-Century Manufacturing Site Uncovered in New Zealand

DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND—According to an Otago Daily Times report, 12 brick tanning pits belonging to the Coombs & Son Tannery were unearthed at a construction site in New Zealand’s South Island city of Dunedin. Research conducted by New Zealand Heritage Properties found that the tannery was destroyed by fire in 1875 and then rebuilt with an internal drainage system. Traces of nineteenth-century soap and candle manufacturing, and a foundry, including a furnace, paved surfaces, pits, and foundations, were also uncovered. Monique Fouwler of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand said testing had revealed that some of the soil in the area had been contaminated with arsenic and other harmful substances, which are commonly detected in areas where tanneries and iron foundries once stood. The contaminated soil was removed from the building site, she concluded. To read about nineteenth-century settlers in New Zealand, go to "Kiwi Colonists."