The first comprehensive history of Clyde steamers was Captain James Williamson’s “The Clyde Passenger Steamer,” published by James Maclehose & Sons, Glasgow, in 1904, and has been followed by many others, brief and extensive. However, there are a few other early attempts that are generally overlooked. In May and June of 1872, a series of eight articles appeared in the Glasgow Herald, and a few days later in the Greenock Telegraph, relating some anecdotes and remembrances of Clyde steamers—a history that is not generally recognized. The articles are anonymous and unillustrated. Over the next few weeks, I will present these articles together with some relevant illustrations.

“Steamboat Traffic on the Clyde

“Article I

“The history of the steamboat traffic of the Clyde has yet to be written.  Why it has remained unwritten so long it were hard to say for the subject is one of great interest and literally, national importance.  For the brief series of articles to which the present paper will introduce our readers, we have not aimed at compiling a complete, historical account of Clyde steamboats, which would necessitate more space and research than either our space or time will enable us to bestow upon it, but have contented ourselves with giving a rough outline of the more salient points in the story.  Our main object, indeed, is to enable the public to realise in a measure the immense progress that has been made in the passenger steamboat traffic of the Clyde since that January morning, in 1812, when the little Comet first steamed out of Port-Glasgow Harbour, amid the fears and astonishment of the community; and to give a few sketches of the early pioneers of the present magnificent fleet of Clyde steamboats, and of the manners and customs of the captains, crews, and passengers by which these vessels were manned and plied half a century ago.  The thousands who now travel daily between Glasgow and the Coast, and take their steamboat and train as regularly, and with no more thought, than they do their breakfast, can have little conception of the difficulties their ancestors of seventy years ago had to encounter when forced to travel to Rothesay, Largs or Inveraray.  The goods packet, with a fair wind and “luck,” contrived to reach the Isle of Bute in three days, though not unfrequently, it took as many weeks.  Even after the river had been so far restored and deepened as to admit of fly-boats trading between Greenock and Glasgow, the distance between these towns was seldom accomplished under ten hours.  These craft constituted the principal means of conveyance, and were either rowed or sailed, or both, as the wind and tide suited best.  But the great obstacle to traffic at the time we speak of was the shallowness of the river.  Twelve miles below Glasgow, on Dumbuck Ford, there was in summer but two feet depth at low water level, and the same at Newshot Isle and other points; up to a sand bank at the lower end of the harbour, on which there were only about thirteen inches of water.  The first proposal was to deepen the river by means of locks, but it was not till 1805 that the construction of parallel dykes or jetties, and the employment of dredging machines, had so improved the channel that the Swallow, a brig of 60 tons burthen, was able to come up to the Broomielaw.  The people, never having seen a square-rigged vessel before, thronged to the wharf in thousands for several days to gaze on so remarkable a sight.  Indeed at this time, the port was chiefly one for gabbarts, coasters and herring skiffs.  Even in 1821, the Broomielaw was frequented mostly by coasting smacks, sloops, lighters, and steam-boats.  A flight of steps close to the Bridge marked the station of small open boats which brought fresh herring from Lochfyne, and oysters, eggs and dried cod-fish from the Hebrides and Barra.  This portion of the quay extended westwards from the Bridge 360 feet, and the next 900 feet were devoted to the accommodation of Liverpool and foreign traders, and at the extremity of the lower end, steamboats.  Encouraged by their success in deepening the Clyde, the Trustees prosecuted their work with great energy, and every successive year the river brought up vessels of a larger tonnage.  So late, however, as 1841, an old captain informs us, the stones could be distinctly seen in the bed of the river below Dalmuir, and the same gentleman remembers having seen boats shoved up the river at the bends with poles, the time taken between Dumbarton and Glasgow being usually seven hours.  Even in 1849, boys were in the habit of wading across the stream at Govan.  As the traffic increased, it was found necessary from time to time to make additions to the West Broomielaw, or as it used to be called, the Brummielaw, which was extended successively westwards from the old Glasgow Bridge to the foot of York Street, then to Royal Burn, and so on to Clyde Street, Hydepark Street, &c., &c.

The Clyde at Glasgow in 1820

“Having now in a manner cleared the way, we are in a position to commence our account of the steamboats.  We need not stop to narrate the experiments of Fitch, Miller, Stanhope, Symington, Fulton, and others.  It is sufficient for our purpose to know that in January 1812, the first steamboat for the conveyance of passengers in this country began to ply between Glasgow and Greenock.  This was the Comet, 38 feet long by 11 feet 6 inches wide, built by John Wood & Company, Port Glasgow, and engined by Henry Bell, Glasgow.

Comet shown here as a drawing and above as a lithograph passing Dumbarton

“The engine, originally of three horse power, but subsequently increased to six, was constructed with a vertical cylinder on the bell-crank principle, the engine being placed on one side of the boat, and the boiler (of wrought iron) on the other.  The Comet was propelled with two small paddle-wheels, one on each side, each wheel having only four boards.  Mr. Tennyson, years ago prophesied the invention of aerial ships that would sail across the heavens, laden with costly bales; and years before the appearance of the Comet, Dr. Darwin, the laureate of science and botany, anticipated the idea which has rendered famous the name of Bell—

“Soon shall thy arm, unconquered Steam, afar—Drag the slow barge and drive the rapid car.“

“The trial trip of the new boat took place on the 18th of January, 1812, on which day it made a successful passage from Glasgow to Greenock, doing the 22 miles against the tide in about 3½ hours.  On 5th August of the same year the following advertisement appeared in the Glasgow papers:—

“The Comet proved a great success and her field of operation was ultimately extended as our next quotation, also an advertisement, shows.

“In spite of the wise prognostications of the many, who thought it impious of Bell to attempt, as they said, to fight against Nature and God, the Comet continued to run until 1820, in the October of which year, it was wrecked in the Dorus More, when rounding the Point of Craignish.  A new Comet was built by subscription in 1821, and after running for some years, came into collision with an Ayr steamer, off Gourock, on 20th October, 1825, and went down with the loss of no fewer than 70 lives. In the following year the hull was raised by Mr. Brown, Aberdeen, and taken to Gourock.  Bell’s was the first really successful attempt at steam navigation in Europe, and marks an era in the development of the traffic, not only of the Clyde but of the world.  Owing to the novelty and supposed danger of the passage in the Firth below Dumbarton, in vessels which had so small a hold of the water, the number of passengers at the outset was very small.  By degree, however, the public gained confidence, and the little ship was so well patronised that another of larger size was built and launched in November of the same year by John Wood & Co.  This was the Elizabeth, of ten horse-power, which was engined by John Thomson & Co., Tradeston, and two years later went to Liverpool.  Previous to the starting of the Comet, the number of persons who travelled daily between Glasgow and Greenock did not exceed 40, and so rapidly was the traffic developed by the introduction of steam boats that before three years had elapsed, the number of daily passengers had increased to fully five hundred.  Other boats followed in rapid succession.  In 1813, the Clyde and Glasgow were turned out from Wood’s yard, engined respectively by John Robertson and Henry Bell.  The Glasgow was the largest steamer then afloat, its engine being 14 horse-power, and was long regarded as a model ship—the Iona of her day.

The Glasgow at Custom House, Greenock by Robert Salmon (Reproduced with permission, Watt Institution, Greenock)

The first Argyle, later Thames

The Princess Charlotte

“These were followed in the succeeding year by the Trusty, Princess Charlotte, Industry, Prince of Orange, the first Argyle, and the Margery; in 1815 by the Britannia, Dumbarton Castle, Caledonia, Greenock, and the second Argyle; and in 1816 by the Waterloo, Neptune, Lord Nelson, Albion, and Rothesay Castle.  Of these, the largest, except the Caledonia, were the Dumbarton Castle, Greenock, and Rothesay Castle, of 30, 32, and 34 horse-power respectively, all built by Archibald M‘Lachlan, Dumbarton, and engined by Duncan M‘Arthur & Co., Camlachie.  The Caledonia was still larger, having been built by Wood and engined by the Greenhead Foundry Company, with two engines of 18 horse-power each.  The first vessel constructed with two engines was the Princess Charlotte, by James Munn, Greenock, and engined by Bolton, Watt & Co., Soho, who were the first to apply two condensing engines, connected by cranks, set at right angles on the shaft.  Another experiment was made by James Cook, Tradeston, in the case of the Argyle (No. 1), which was launched in June, 1814, and fitted with a side-lever engine of 14 horse-power.  This vessel ran for a short time only on the Clyde, having gone to Dublin in 1815, from which place it was despatched round the Land’s End to London in May of that year, to ply between the metropolis and Margate.  This it did with some success, in the teeth of a most bitter opposition from the Thames watermen.  At first almost no one would venture on board of it, but before the end of the season the same packet sailed each day with 350 passengers.  Of the boats built before 1815 only one, so far as we know, is still in active service, namely, the Industry, of 10 horse-power, launched at Fairlie in May, 1814, and engined by George Dobbie, Tradeston. This—the oldest steamboat in the world—was constructed as a luggage boat, to run between Greenock and Glasgow, in company with another vessel of similar size, called the Trusty, built by Archibald M‘Lachlan, Dumbarton, and engined by Mr. Dobbie.  The Trusty was launched in February, 1814, and both boats were owned by Mr. Cochrane, at one time a tanner near the Spoutmouth, Glasgow, who died about 53 years ago.  Curiously enough, it was as a clerk to these two luggage-boats that our townsman Mr. David Hutcheson, whose name is so intimately associated with one of the finest fleets of river steamboats in Europe, first came to Glasgow in 1817.”

Industry around 1870 (Robertson)