“Steamboat Traffic on the Clyde
“Article V
“In our last article, we reviewed very briefly the history and growth of what may be called the West Highland trade. In the present, we propose saying a word or two about the Largs and Millport traffic some thirty or forty years ago. At the time we speak of there were two lines of steamers contending for the Ayrshire trade, owned respectively by what were known as the “Young” and the “M‘Kellar” companies. Few Clyde skippers were better known than Captain M‘Kellar, of whom we have already spoken and of whom we should say in passing we are largely indebted and to Captain M‘Farlane, the able and energetic superintendent of marine constabulary, for much of the information here presented on this branch of our subject. Captain M‘Kellar was all through the Peninsular war, and fought at Waterloo before he came to settle in Glasgow in 1816. He also sailed in the first vessel that ever came direct from Liverpool to Glasgow. This was in 1826 under Captain Williamson. When Captain M‘Kellar went in the Largs line as captain successively of the Hero and the Victor, he had to contend with the formidable opposition of the Albion and the Largs under the charge of his rival Captain Houston. So successfully, however, did he conduct his boat that the opposition, in order to run him completely off the ground, had the Largs completely overhauled, fifteen feet being added to her length. It was taken up to the Black Quarry to get fitted with a new cylinder, which was done, as it turned out, unfortunately—for the new cylinder matched ill with the old gearing, realising the truth of the scriptural proverb about new wine in old bottles. The consequence was that when the ship was relaunched and started, the machinery was constantly giving way. On one occasion, in particular, everything went wrong, and the unlucky Largs was compelled one Monday morning to come to a standstill in Inverkip Bay. In this predicament she was overtaken by Captain M‘Kellar, who at once took the passengers on board his own vessel. These gentlemen were, of course, glad to get free from the disabled ship but when they were called upon to pay for their passage, some of them demurred on the ground that not only that they were shareholders in the Largs, but that they had already paid their fare and were entitled to travel free. They found, however, that they had mistaken their man and to their disgust were forced to pay like ordinary travellers.
Victor
“24th July, 1835, was signalised by the first explosion in connection with the steam traffic, when the boiler of the Earl Grey exploded with terrific force at Greenock Pier, a few minutes before 8 p.m., on her return trip from Dunoon to Glasgow. The explosion was so terrific that the deck of the vessel was blown completely off from the funnel to within eight or nine feet of the stern. Some passengers who had been in that part of the ship were blown onto the pier and into the sea, and in all six persons were killed and 15 severely injured.
“In 1836, the Fairy Queen was started on the Largs line—being the first iron passage steamboat ever launched. It was built at the Black Quarry by Nielson, taken down in pieces to the river side at York Street, and hoisted into the water by means of a large crane. The event attracted immense crowds of people curious to see the wonderful spectacle of an iron ship that could float. In 1838, the Victor was started on the same line, and was followed by the Warrior—the latter being sent soon after to Ireland on Coast guard service, and ultimately sold to a foreign company. These were succeeded by the Invincible and the Mars, the latter of which, under Captain Gillies, was wrecked in 1846. Its shaft broke when between Skelmorlie and Largs, and sail being set to steady the vessel, with the intention of getting anchorage at Fairlie Roads, it went to pieces on the Gogo Burn, immediately south of the Largs Quay.
Invincible
Mars
“Some years before this, Captain Houston, or, as he was familiarly known, “Tom Houston,” commanded the Lady Brisbane (now the Balmoral), and subsequently the Kelburne. In 1840, an immense impetus was given to the traffic by the opening of the Greenock Railway, shortly after which the fares to Rothesay were reduced to 1s 6d. The railway company lost no time in starting a line on the Helensburgh route, comprising the Rothesay, the Pilot, the Pioneer, the Petrel, and the Countess of Eglinton, the last of which was totally lost on the Ailans, opposite Millport Quay, in 1845. The same company also chartered the Isle of Bute and the Maid of Bute, which were commanded by Captains Johnston and “Sandy Shields,” both deceased. It was about this time that Young built the Lady Brisbane to compete with the Largs.
Lady Brisbane
“Both this ship (launched in 1843) and Lady Kelburne (1844) were owned by a number of Largs gentlemen, including Messrs Caldwell, Blair, Glen, and others, the shares being small and distributed over a large number, in the attempt to secure a monopoly of the custom. The further to stimulate the popular sympathy, boys were bribed to hurrah for the Lady Brisbane and the Lady Kelburne on their arrival at Largs Pier. At one time when the competition between the Victor and the Lady Brisbane was peculiarly hot, the former lowered its fares from Glasgow to Largs and Millport to 3d. Her ladyship, however, refused to follow suit, and the feud gave occasion to the wits for not a few caustic verses. Among these, some of our older readers may remember the lines, which were posted up in a conspicuous part of the Brisbane:—
Largs with Lady Brisbane and Lady Kelburne
“While on the subject of steamboat competitions, we may as well tell the story related of Captain Gillies, whose name has already figured in this paper. The captain, so runs the tale, was sailing down the river one day when a new opposition Helensburgh craft overtook him and shot rapidly ahead. A gentleman on board the vanquished ship went up to the captain and asked him why the other ship had passed him. “Ech, sir,” was the reply, “the brute had the tide in her favour.”
“On the death of Mr. Young, some time about 1849 or 1850, the M‘Kellar party bought up or amalgamated with the old Young company, and the combined fleet consisted of the Brisbane, the Kelburne, the Invincible, and the Mars, supplemented shortly afterwards by a larger vessel named the Star, a slow but very comfortable boat, and after a time by the Venus, (now on the Wemyss Bay and Largs station), then by the Jupiter, one of the fastest vessels of her day, and lastly by the Juno, the last two of which were ultimately sold to the Confederates.
Jupiter
Juno
Lady Kelburne off Millport
“As an instance of the keenness of the competition between rival steamers, we may mention that on one occasion a bet was made between the owner of the Lady Kelburne and the Engineer to run these ships against each other from a buoy at the Tail of the Bank round Ailsa Craig and back for £500 a side. The money was deposited with the editor of Bell’s Life, but the Engineer, failing to come to the scratch, forfeited the stakes. Innumerable squibs were made on the event, one of which survives in tradition and may bear being quoted:—
The defeated Engineer
“About 1845, Largs began to give way before the rising importance of Rothesay, which had till this period been a secondary station. Kilmun also was called late into existence about this time by Mr. David Napier, who had laid the foundation of its prosperity some five or six years before, when he built the range of cottages called “The Row.” The first boat to run to Kilmun was one of that name built by Mr. David Napier, which was followed two years later by the Luna, built by Mr. William Napier at the Swallow Foundry, half way up Washington Street, whence it was taken down to the bank of the Clyde in pieces. Mr. Napier, at the same time, put a boat of Loch Eck, and ran a coach in connection with it and the Luna, from Kilmun to the Loch, and thence to Inveraray. The Luna was constructed after a very peculiar model, resembling a square box with two sharp ends, which afforded the captains of rival boats an opportunity for indulging in a little bit of caustic humour. On one occasion the Luna coming along side of a certain steamer, the skipper of the latter boat bawled out to the captain of the Luna “to take away that carpenter’s wedge from along his side,” and on another and a similar occasion to “remove that ugly looking coffin.”
Luna
“According to these personalities, let requirements that many of the various improvements were made on the construction of steamboats. Up to the year 1831, the only propelling arrangement was the paddle wheel but about this time, the propellor was brought prominently to the nation. We have already stated that the Fairy Queen was the first iron passenger steamboat ever launched. The first deep-sea iron steamer was the Royal Sovereign which although 200 tons burden, only drew five feet water with the steam up; and when it started on its trial trip to Liverpool, almost everybody prophesied that it would never reach its destination—and this for two reasons. In the first place, the ship was made of iron, and iron can’t float; and for the second, it drew so little water that the sea, if anything heavy, would terribly toss it over, or at least render it unmanageable. In spite of these prognostications tides and forebodings dire, the Royal Sovereign, owned by the Iron Company, or Langland’s “Royal Steam Packet Company,” made a most successful passage, actually beating the opposition steamer the Vulcan, the property of Messrs Thomson & M‘Connell, by two hours. The Royal Sovereign was also the first steamer that could boast three masts, and the boat that was put on to oppose it—namely, the City of Glasgow No 2 (wooden)—was the second steam vessel that owned an equal number.
City of Glasgow
Vulcan
“Shortly after the Royal Sovereign had commenced sailing, it was passed in a heavy storm, when on its way to Liverpool, by the Vulcan. Two miles ahead of it was the rival boat the City of Glasgow, which apparently was fast leaving the Royal Sovereign behind. The latter boat also seemed to be shipping great seas of water, and on the storm increasing it suddenly disappeared from sight, and the people on board the Vulcan believed it had sunk. Accordingly, on the Vulcan’s arrival at Greenock, the report was circulated that the great iron steamship had foundered at sea; and when the Vulcan reached the Broomielaw the crew and passengers were met by crowds of weeping and despairing mothers, fathers, children, and lovers, anxious to learn anything concerning the fate of their relatives, who were reported to have gone down. A day or two afterwards, however, news came that the iron boat had made a splendid passage, and had wholly beated its wooden opponent. In addition to the royal sovereign, the “Iron Company” owned the Royal George, and then the Princess Royal, the latter of which is now their representative boat.
Princess Royal