rand Hotel had begun trading some months earlier; by the end of the year there were 47 hotels in Broken Hill.                                             Broken Hill was declared a municipality on September 22. Richard Piper, underground manager of the Proprietary Company became first Mayor.        William Sara signed contracts to build the Rising Sun Hotel for J. Crossing, and the Centennial Hotel  for George Strachan.                                               Barnett Harris rebuilt the Duke of Cornwall Hotel as a two storeyed stone and brick structure.                                                                In July, Theodore Bruce, an Adelaide businessman, opened the Broken Hill Brewing Company's premises in Beryl Lane (now Silica Street) off Buck Street at the northern outskirts of the township.                                             Subsequently named the Waverley . this was Broken Hill's first Brewery.            Nine banks were in operation-the Commercial Bank of Australsia, the Australian Joint Stock Bank, the Town & Country Bank (later merged with the Commercial),the Bank of Australasia, the Union, the London, the National,the Bank of South Australia and the Bank of New South Wales.                                      The Wesley Church foundation stone was laid by Mrs Charles Drew on July 31.   Tenders were called for the construction of a new court house at Broken Hill to replace the original building situated in Chloride Street, opposite the Grand Hotel. Tenders were called in September for the erection of a new hospital at Broken Hill (on the present site).                                              The first private hospital was established near the Proprietary Dam by Madame Wallenstein, a herbalist, with accommodation for thirty patients, under the care of 'two trained nurses'. A disastrous fire occurred in November which destroyed all buildings on the western side of Argent Street, from Chloride to Oxide Streets.           1889--A dispute involving unionists working with non-unionists began in April and finally erupted on November 7 when all union labor was withdrawn from the mines, resulting in Broken Hill's first strike.                                   The new hospital was opened by Sir Henry  Parkes on June 26, in August the first school of mines was established, the rifle club was formed in the same month.    The Barrier Ice Works, situated at the western section of Iodide Street, began the manufacture of ice from well water, at the rate of one ton per day.          A school was constructed at South Broken Hill and Sara and Dunstan built a new police station in Patton Street.                                                The Gas Company began supplying its consumers, and Argent Street was illuminated by gas in April.                                                                The first electric light plant to operate in the township supplied electricity for the York hotel in September; a 3,000 candle-power arc lamp was erected on one of the hotel's towers, and interior lighting was installed.                      The B.H.P. had introduced electric lighting at the mines in 1887,when Rasp and McCulloch shafts and the smelters, were lit up.                                  The Broken Hill Coffee Palace (now the Palace Hotel ) and the Centennial hotel were opened during the year.                                    Construction work began on Wendt's Chambers at the corner of Argent and Chloride Streets.                                                                         1890--The new Colonial-style courthouse was officially opened on January 6.    The Broken Hill Technical College was established in February.                 Mr Farquar Wallace was the first teacher at the North Broken Hill School which opened earlier in the year. The appearance of Argent Street was improved by the erection of Pirie Chambers. The building included a  'cosy’  little cafe in the basement', which later became a licensed wine saloon.                           In Delamore Street the firm of G. & R. Wills constructed a new warehouse (now occupied by the Adkins Joinery firm).                                            There were three breweries operating in Broken Hill-the Wavely, the West End ,and the South Australian Brewing Company in Beryl Street.                           W.H.Newton rebuilt the Pig and Whistle Hotel (originally opened in 1888.) and the Mulga Hill Hotel was constructed.                                                The population of Broken Hill at the end of the year was estimated at 19,905.   1891--The Commercial Hotel on the corner of Argent and Oxide Streets opened its new two-storey building which replaced the old single storey timber structure.