Down the Water—and weekly chit-chat

on Apr 13, 2016

A strange little newspaper published on Saturday June 4th, 1887 was aimed at providing the public with a “pleasant hour in the wearisome tediousness of a steamship or railway journey” down the water. The editorial statement indicated that it was to be issued every Saturday morning at 47 Oswald Street, Glasgow  but that “owing to an accident, we are a little behind this week.” There are no advertisements in the first issue but they offered to carry advertisements at the rate of 1/6 an inch. Many of the articles have a strange feel for the most part and look to have been lifted piecemeal from an American publication although there are a few domestic “gems”: “Papa” asked a young hopeful the other day. “Is Queen Victoria’s other name Lize.” “No my son, why do you ask?” “Why, you know, I’ver just heard...

Sunday Steamers at Dunoon

on Mar 31, 2016

The pier at Dunoon is one of the most important on the Clyde, the major approach to the Cowal peninsula and an important hub for the major tours. The original pier, dating from about 1835, was built by a joint stock company but the rights to the pier and the ferry belonged to the Hafton Estate. This original pier was replaced by a new structure in 1845 and again in 1865 but by the end of the century, the single berth was a major source of congestion for the expanding steamer services on the Firth. The Trustees of the Hafton Estate, who owned the pier had proposed extensions as early as 1880 and had offered the pier to the Burgh on a number of occasions. Agreement on a price was finally reached and the Burgh purchased the structure on 31st December 1895 for £27,000 with an immediate plan to extend and reconstruct the pier for a further £15,000 that was put into action. Glasgow &...

Malwa—Messrs Caird & Co.,1908

on Mar 11, 2016

The P&O liner, Malwa, was launched from the yard of Messrs Caird & Co., Ltd at Greenock on October 10, 1908. As order number 315, she cost just almost £310,000 and was 540 ft long by 61.3 ft in the beam and a depth of 24.6 ft, giving a gross tonnage of 11,600. Her power plant was two quadruple-expansion steam engines, supplied by her builders and they developed 15,000 hp, driving the twin screws to achieve a speed of 18 knots. She was completed just before Christmas in 1908, and after being fitted with Marconi telegraph equipment, made her maiden voyage from London to Australia by way of the Suez Canal and Colombo. Malwa entering the water at Greenock Malwa afloat for the first time Initially she could accommodate 327 first-class passengers and 280 second-class and carried a crew of almost 350. She was the first P&O liner to visit Auckland, New Zealand, in 1910, and the...

City of Paris—Messrs Barclay, Curle & Co. 1907

on Mar 10, 2016

New City Liner—Launch of the City of Paris—Glasgow Herald, August 12, 1907 The new steamer City of Paris, which was launched on Saturday by Messrs Barclay, Curle and Co., Whiteinch, is the largest vessel yet built for the Ellerman Lines. She is, generally speaking, a sister ship to the City of London, built at Belfast recently, but she is slightly larger. With the exception of a few mail steamers, she will be the largest vessel running to India. She is 569 feet in length, 57 feet 9 inches in breadth, 36 feet 6¼ inches in depth, of about 9,000 tons gross, and she will have single-screw quadruple-expansion engines, by the builders, of about 9000 i.h.p., capable of giving a service speed of fifteen knots. She will carry about 300 first-class and 100 second-class passengers. The first-class passengers will all be berthed in two and three berth state-rooms on the upper and bridge decks. On...

The Sinking of the Comet

on Mar 6, 2016

“Melancholy Catastrophe.—Loss of the Comet Steam-Boat, (from the Greenock Advertiser of Friday, 21st October, 1825)— The Comet steam-boat, on her passsage from Inverness to Greenock, had reaches the point of Kempoch, at nearly two o’clock, when she was met by the steamboat Ayr, M‘Clelland, of Ayr, which was on her way to that port, from Greenock. The two boats going with considerable velocity, were very near each other before mutually observed. As soon as perceived, the person on the look-out, on board the Comet, cried to the pilot to pat the helm a-starboard, which order the pilot of the Ayr understood to be meant as instructions to him:—both vessels were in consequence directed towards each other, and before the unfortunate mistake could be remedied, they came in contact with such violence, as to stave in the starboard bow of the Comet, which vessel, in a few minutes, went down, and...

North British Steamers

on Feb 28, 2016

The North British Railway Company had taken over the Helensburgh Railway in July 1866, a subsidiary, the North British Steam Packet Co., formed to run steamer services with their new well-appointed saloon steamers Meg Merrilies and Dandie Dinmont, immediately pressured the Helensburgh authorities for improved steamboat accommodation and a railway connection with the pier. The failure of this initial venture to attract a greater portion of the coast trade with steamers so obviously superior to those on other routes with the exception of the Iona must have been a tremendous blow to those involved. At the end of the season, Meg Merrilies and Dandie Dinmont were laid up in Bowling and offered for sale. The former was sold in 1868 to Turkish owners. Meg Merrilies Dandie Dinmont was moved to the Forth and tried on ferry services there. Her deck space was unsuitable for the requirements of...