Clyde Passenger Steamer - 04 - Pages 119 - 140

8/9/2019 Clyde Passenger Steamer - 04 - Pages 119 - 140

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CHAPTER VITHE LIVELY FIFTIES

THE modern type of passenger steamer on theClyde may be said to date from the year 1850.The period then begun was one of great im-provement and development in the design andconstruction of the hull and machinery. Thecompetition was keen, the traffic had increased,and the shores of the estuary had becomepopular and fashionable summer resorts. Itwas at this period that feuing on an exten-sive scale began in some of the now popu-lar resorts on the Firth of Clyde such asKilcreggan, Cove, Blairmore, Dunoon, andRothesay.

During the decade from 1850 to 1859,forty-two steamers were built for the coastservice. Of these, twenty-one were fitted withhaystack boilers, and five with tubular, whileone had a horizontal boiler, one a flue, and onea water-tube boiler. Of the engines, twentywere of the steeple, seven of the oscillator,three of the diagonal, one of the diagonaloscillating, one of the trunk, and one of the


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ioo THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERrotary type. These were all fitted, so far asI can find, with jet condensers, except the" Rotary," described later, and the boiler pres-sure averaged 30 Ibs. per square inch. Theengineers were, as a rule, men trained in theboats as firemen, the more intelligent beingpromoted to the position of engineer. Manyof them were well qualified for the position, andgave their owners satisfaction. It must be said,however, that the boilers got very differenttreatment in those days from the treatmentthey get now, and in consequence the "life " ofa boiler was shorter by 30 to 40 per cent, thanit is at the present day. It must, however, beadmitted that the care exercised at the presentday in the construction of the boilers was notthought of at that time.Previous to 1850, the river craft wereowned principally by companies and merchants.These owners, however, ultimately transferredthe steamers to the men actually working ormanaging the boats. Shipbuilders frequentlybuilt vessels as a hobby, but, after trying therespective merits of the boats, they usuallydisposed of them, and as a general rule indi-vidual ownership prevailed.The first vessel of the decade was the" Queen,'' by Denny. In the same year,1850, one of the few unfortunate steamers ofthe Clyde was launched. This was the" Eclipse." She was built by Wingate, andwas employed for four years on the Kilmunand Dunoon trade. One lovely summer morn-


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 101ing, however, as she left Dunoon, the Gan-tocks came in the way of the genius atthe wheel, and there she remained. Hermachinery was salved and fitted into a newhull built by Thomas Seath. The new boatwas named the " Nelson," and after sailingon the river for many years she went to West

Africa, and ultimately left her bones in theBight of Benin.In 1851 the " Victoria" was built by RobertNapier, and was fitted with the first oscillatingengine made by him. 1852 saw the buildingof the "Glasgow Citizen" by John Barr atGlasgow. After being employed in theRothesay trade for a few years, she was soldto Australian owners. She was taken out


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102 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERunder sail by Captain John M'Lean, of Kirk-maiden. This mariner was better known in histime by the picturesque appellation of " Hell-fire-Jack." He did the voyage to Melbournein fourteen days less time than one of theGlasgow clippers which sailed along with him.The captain of the sailing ship, it is said, hadkindly promised to report the departure of the" Glasgow Citizen" from the Clyde when heshould arrive at Melbourne. He was evi-dently unacquainted with the "go" of " Hell-fire-Jack." As a matter of fact, when theclipper arrived M'Lean was already runningon the station between Melbourne and Gee-long.

He did well out there for his owners,and had a varied and eventful career. Hisnext visit to the Clyde was the result of a tripwhich the writer made through the Australiancolonies in 1886. On his return from Aus-tralia M'Lean took out the passenger steamer" Ozone," which revolutionised the passengertrade in Hobson's Bay.Besides the " Glasgow Citizen" seven othernotable steamers left the stocks in 1852. Theywere the "Venus," "Reindeer," "Rotary,""Mountaineer," "Eagle," "Osprey," and"Gourock."The "Venus," built by J. & G. Thomson,late of Clydebank, for the MacKellars, was avery tender craft. She was employed on theLargs and Millport route for many years, andran ultimately between Wernyss Bay and Mill-port as one of the Gillies & Campbell fleet, in


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 103company with the " Largs " and "Argyle."She ended her career in the scrap heap.The " Rotary" was built by Henderson, ofRenfrew, and engined by Wingate to theorder of David Napier, and it embodied anumber of the ideas of that remarkable man,

which proved him to be far in advance of his

' VENUS '

time. She was furnished with a surface-con-denser in the form of a tank placed underthe machinery. This tank was filled withtubes, to which sea-water was admitted anddischarged through apertures in the shell plat-ing. The boiler was of the "water-tube" type.It had double rows of tubes placed diagonally,and wrought, under the forced draught prin-ciple, at the pressure, remarkable in those days,of 1 20 Ibs. per square inch. The furnace bars


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104 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERwere also circulating tubes, and each was fittedwith a cock to draw off any deposit. Thesewater-tube fire bars, together with the forceddraught, were patented by Napier in 1851.The rotary engine, from which the boat tookits name, proved hardly so great a success.It appears to have consisted of one long cylin-

WRECK OF 'MOUNTAINEERder in two compartments, " through which thepaddle shaft passed." After a short time thisengine was replaced by a pair of diagonaloscillating engines, made by Henderson ofRenfrew. This firm retained the boat, re-naming her the "Gareloch," and ran heron the Garelochhead route for several years,until she was sold to German owners.The " Mountaineer" was a very smart, flush-deck little steamer. She was built by J. & G.


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 105Thomson to the order of David Hutchison &Co., for the Glasgow and Ardrishaig service.Under Captain John M'Callum she sailed suc-cessfully for many years, and proved a popularsteamer, well suited in those days for the ser-vice in which she was employed. Placed ulti-mately on the Oban station, in charge of

":

EAGLE'

Captain D. M'Callum, she was at last wreckedin the Sound of Mull in September, 1889,through her machinery becoming disabled.The " Eagle," built by Messrs. Denny, andengined by M'Nab & Clark, Greenock, wasowned for a time by the builders. She wasafterwards acquired by Williamson & Buchanan,who employed her successively on the Rothesay


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io6 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERand Arran and the Kyles of Bute stations,and ultimately sold her in 1862 to run theAmerican blockade. As a blockade runner shehad a most eventful and successful career, butwas at last sunk by the Federals.The " Osprey " was built by Barclay, Curie,& Co., and engined by the Messrs. Inglis.

1 LOCH GOIL '

Under Captain Neil M'Gill, who was partowner, she was employed in the Rothesaytrade until sold to go to the River Plate. Onthe voyage out, after leaving Bermuda, shewas lost with all hands.In 1853 the "Wellington," "Baron," "Chan-cellor," " Vesta," and " Loch Goil " were addedto the list.The " Wellington," built by Barr for Hender-


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 107son & M'Kellar, sailed in the Glasgow, Kilmun,and Dunoon trade for seven years. As she was avery slender craft, however, she was then brokenup. Her machinery was fitted into the "Sultan "in 1 86 1. This vessel was ultimately re-namedthe " Garelochy," and is now running as one ofthe MacBrayne fleet on the Caledonian Canal.The " Baron " was built by Henderson ofRenfrew, and engined with oscillators byHobey. She had squareboilers. These, however,proved a failure, and werereplaced with a steeple en-gine and haystack boiler byBlackwood & Gordon, Port-Glasgow. After sailing for afew months on the Rothesaystation in charge of CaptainJames M'Kinlay (ultimatelyof the North British Com-pany's steamers), she was J HN WILSONsold to Russian owners. Misfortune, however,seemed to follow her. On her arrival at theRussian port of delivery, no cash was forth-coming. She accordingly returned to the Clyde,where she was re-christened the " Diamond.''Finally she went to Copenhagen.The " Chancellor" was built by the Messrs.Denny for the Loch Long and Loch LomondSteamboat Company, and sailed on theArrochar and Glasgow route under CaptainJohn Wilson (the inventor of the knocker)till sold to run the American blockade.


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1 08 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERThe "Vesta," built by Seath for Duncan

M'Kellar, formed one of the latter's Largs andMillport fleet for many years. She was after-wards engaged in the Kilmun trade, and wasburnt at Ardnadam in 1888.The " Loch Goil " was built and engined byJ. Barr for the Loch Goil Co., and sailed onthe Glasgow and Loch Goil route. She had asteeple engine and haystack boiler.The other vessels of the fleet built duringthis decade must still be fresh in the memoriesof frequenters of the Firth who themselves were"registered" during the fifties. Two of themare still doing duty under Mr. MacBrayne'sflag, namely, the "Loch Goil " and the " Hero."The former is now sailing as the " Loch Ness "on the Caledonian Canal, and the latter, datingfrom 1858, is now the "Mountaineer," whichsails out of Oban during summer.The following year, 1854, may be consideredthe beginning of the lively period. Caird'sfirst " Rothesay Castle," and Henderson, Col-borne, & Co.'s first " Ruby," were placed intheir natural element in that year. Bothsteamers were in the Rothesay trade. Theformer, commanded by Captain Neil M'Gill,was a beautiful little boat. She was famousfor speed, and in respect of symmetry and finishseemed more a shipbuilder's model than a craftfor commercial purposes. I am satisfied thatmore gold decorated her paddle-boxes, etc.,than lined the pockets of her owner from thatventure. The "Ruby" was not such a grey-


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 109hound, but her commander, Captain RichardPrice, improved upon that defect. At the sametime, unfortunately, he increased his reputationfor clever manoeuvring and racing to such anextent that he was obliged to retire from thefield in July, 1861.The only other steamers built in 1854 werethe "Gem," " Express," and " Vulcan."

1 ROTHESAY CASTLE '

The " Gem," built by Henderson for Hender-son & M'Kellar's fleet of Helensburgh steamers,and commanded by Captain M'Aulay, endedher career, like many others, as a blockaderunner.The "Express" was built by Barr for theKilmun trade. After ten years' service shewent into the scrap heap, while her machinerywas fitted into "Vesper" No. 2. She was soldfor blockade running, and was lost off LambayIsland.


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no THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERThe " Vulcan," built by Robert Napier, had

fitted into her a beautiful little pair of oscillat-ing engines, and a boiler of the square shapewhich was then being tried. The latter wasreplaced with a flue boiler, and the littlesteamer did yeoman service between Glasgowand Rothesay, summer and winter, for many

1 VULCAN '

years. Latterly she did duty between Glas-gow and Clydebank as a conveyance for theworkmen of J. & G. Thomson until the railwaywas opened, when she was relegated to thescrap heap.Many will doubtless remember amusingincidents and anecdotes connected with thissteamer, and with the brothers Alexander andThomas (Homish) NTLean so long associatedwith her. During their period on the river


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES inthese two splendid men did more than theaverage share of practical benevolence. Not-withstanding their somewhat gruff manner, theylet many a poor soul travel free, in many caseswith food thrown in, and in some cases, Iam sure, with a little " Samuel Dow " to helpit over. They v/ere generous to a degree, andwere often taken advantage of. In those daysthe dinner in the "fore cabin" was not theindividual table arrangement of the presentday. It had more of the family party character,and " hail fellow well met " was the rule. Therewas always a chairman, who said grace and didthe carving, throwing in a good story or two tohelp digestion. One occasion I remember, thesea was by no means "like a lake," and thecook coming down the circular stair with " thejoint," made his entrance head foremost. Con-sternation seized Homish, but only for amoment. He was equal to the emergency, andin a voice loud enough to be heard by all thecompany, ordered the cook to bring down "theother roast." This, when it appeared, was, ofcourse, simply the unfortunate one, wiped upand basted afresh. Toddy usually wound upthe repast. In fact, it usually wound up everybanquet on board, tea generally concluding with" a cinder" in the last cup. This latter customrecalls an incident of which I was a witness.The cook on this occasion had by mistake(a real treat for some) put a jug of whiskyinstead of water into the tea kettle. The effectwas very peculiar and very amusing, and I need


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112 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERscarcely say there was no need for " a cinder "in the last cup that night.When business was good " down below" inthe steward's bar, Homish had the reputation ofquietly giving the engineer a hint not to hurry,punctuality being a matter of less account inthose days. Of the many stories told abouthim was one of his going to his tailor for a newpair of trousers. He explained his object, itis said, by declaring that he wanted " a strong,warm pair o' breeks to fit a steamboat" He isalso credited with the indignant retort to apassenger who complained about the condi-tion of the towel he had to use: "A hunnerhave used it afore you, and you're the firstto complain." Lavatory arrangements, it isneedless to say, were then only in their in-fancy.The year 1855 saw five steamers put intothe water "Superb," " lona" No. i, "SirColin Campbell," "Alma," and "Nelson." Ofthese the

"Superb" was built by Denny forthe Helensburgh and Gareloch route. The" Sir Colin Campbell" only sailed for the short

period of two summers in the Kyles of Buteand Loch Fyne trade, till she was disposed ofto Hull owners. She ran on the Clyde undercommand of Captain Alexander M' Lean (betterknown by his connection with the "Vulcan"),and she was popularly known as " the two-bowed steamer," from the fact that she had arudder at each end. This peculiar feature wasnot repeated on any other steamer, except the


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 113" Kingston," which may be taken as conclusiveproof that it was not a success.The " Alma," built to the order of DuncanStewart, ran, first on the Helensburgh andafterwards on the Rothesay route, and was nota bright specimen. She struggled along, how-ever, for ten years. Then a new hull wasbuilt for her machinery. This, named the

'SUPERB'" Argyle," was afterwards one of the WemyssBay fleet, and at the present day is doing dutyat Dundee.Of the quintet by far the most famous wasthe " lona." This steamer, the first of afamous fleet, was built by J. & G. Thomson, tothe order of David Hutchison & Co., for theirGlasgow and Ardrishaig service. She was arepetition, enlarged and improved, of the" Mountaineer" already referred to, which had


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U4 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERrun so successfully with the mail and touristtraffic on the first stage of the Royal route tothe West Highlands. The successive " lonas"were the only excursion steamers of first-classdescription on the Clyde for a period of twenty-two years, and this fact so firmly established

' IONA ' NO. I

their reputation that they are still spoken ofall over the world as the premier passengersteamers. The honour was well deserved, forthe appointments of the whole series were, inevery respect, superior to those of other boats."lona" No. i made her first run in June,1855, and continued on the station till theautumn of 1862, when she was sold for


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 115blockade running. She did not, however, getbeyond Fort Matilda. There has been a gooddeal of controversy as to the fate of thisfavourite steamer, but the following authenticaccount of the incident should finally dispose ofany doubt on the subject. It has been fur-nished to me by an eye-witness, Mr. PeterFerguson, late of the firm of Fleming &Ferguson, Paisley, to whom I have beenindebted for other valuable information. The" lona," Mr. Ferguson says, had her compassesadjusted in the Gareloch immediately previousto her departure for America in October. Thisbeing done, she was crossing to Gourock Bayfor the night without lights, when, off FortMatilda, she was run down by the new screwsteamer " Chanticleer," which was returning toGlasgow from her trial trip. Mr. Fergusonwas the engineer in charge of the new steamer.He witnessed the final plunge of the " lona,"and he says she still lies at the bottom of thefirth off Fort Matilda, where she sank.The only two steamers recorded in 1856are the " Jupiter" and "Mail." The formerwas built by Tod & M'Gregor, to the order ofDuncan MacKellar, for the Largs, Millport,and Arran service, and was in every respecta notable addition to the MacKellar fleet. Hercareer on the Clyde, however, was short. Shewas sold for blockade running, an occupation inwhich she proved very successful.In 1857 three rather famous steamers werebuilt the " Alliance," the " Spunkie," and the


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ii6 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMER" Kelpie." All three were the production ofTod & M'Gregor. The first-named plied onthe Loch Goil and Arrochar route, and was ofa most peculiar design. She had a doublehull, with a trunk engine and a central paddle-wheel. She was also the first steamer to havesaloons built on the main deck, and was, conse-quently, the original " saloon steamer." Herdesigner was young George Mills.The late Dr. Hedderwick, in his BackwardGlances, refers to Mills and his father. Thelatter was at one time Lord Provost ofGlasgow. The son's career, according to Dr.Hedderwick, was from first to last as interestingas it was varied. He was, in turn, a steamboatagent, a shipbuilder, a newspaper proprietor,and a chemist. The shipbuilding firm in whichhe had a share was probably that of Hedder-wick & Mills, at Bowling. Like so many othersteamers of that time, the " Alliance" was soldto Liverpool, and ultimately became a blockaderunner. She appears to have got across theAtlantic safely enough, but I have no record ofher performance in American waters.The building of the " Spunkie" and" Kelpie" created an undoubted sensation onthe river. Until they also were sold for the moreexciting work of running the blockade, theycertainly infused vitality into the traffic on theFirth. Employed chiefly in the Largs andMillport trade, they were among the last of thewell-finished type of flush-deck steamers, withsteeple engines and haystack boilers, which


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 117were run on the motto of the shipbuilders ofthat period ''speed regardless of expense."

In 1858, the only steamers launched werethe "Hero" and " Dumbarton." The former,built by Wingate, was the first steamer with aflat floor. This enabled her to carry a fullcargo without listing to the rail. Her boilerwas the first of the haystack type to be built ofsteel, and her steeple engine was one of themost successful of its kind. As has beenalready stated, she was afterwards re-named the" Mountaineer," and was running out of Obanlast summer (1903).The "Pearl," "Loch Long," and "WindsorCastle " were the only steamers launched in1859. The "Pearl," by Henderson, Colborne& Co., Renfrew, was not considered a success.She was of the usual flush-deck type, but hermachinery was of a most unusual design fourdiagonal cylinders oscillat-ing with one crank. Afterbeing employed on theRothesay station for a fewyears, she was sold as ablockade runner.The "Loch Long," builtand engined by Denny forthe Loch Goil Company,was a smart flush-decklittle steamer, and wasCommanded by William CAPTAIN WM. M'INTYREM'Intyre. A few years later she was dis-posed of to Copenhagen owners.


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n8 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERThe last of the fifties, the "Windsor Castle,"

by Caird & Co., was built of mild steel, withdouble diagonal engines and one haystackboiler in front of the paddle-boxes. Her speedwas remarkable for a short spin, and altogethershe was a very smart boat, somewhat similarin design and finish to the same builders'" Rothesay Castle," already referred to. Asingle summer, however, on the Rothesay stationended her career on the Clyde, and she wassold to go to the Bombay district. She leftthe Clyde under sail, but was stranded in theEnglish Channel, and became a wreck. For-tunately her machinery had been shipped byanother vessel, and a new hull was sent out.Among the most memorable of the lateraccidents was that which occurred in 1850, offthe Cloch, between the " Duke of Cornwall "and the " Duntroon Castle," as follows:The " Duntroon Castle" when coming upthe Firth of Clyde on Saturday, 26th October,1850, in fine weather and calm sea, and whensomewhat over half a mile south of the ClochLighthouse, saw the "Duke of Cornwall"rounding the Cloch, the " Duke" steering so asto pass outside of the " Duntroon Castle," andabout three quarters of a mile off the ClochLighthouse. When, however, the

" Duke ofCornwall " was about one hundred and fiftyyards from the Cloch Lighthouse she suddenlystarboarded her helm to pass inshore of the"Duntroon Castle," and as the "Duntroon"must have ported at the same time, the two


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THE LIVELY FIFTIES 119vessels came into violent collision, the " Duke "being struck on the starboard side nearly amid-ships, the

"Duntroon

"going right through theafter hold, and shewing her bow name-board," Duntroon Castle," almost immediately on the" Duke's " port side. The hold being fortu-

nately full of grain, bags of meal, flour, etc.,

' DUNTROON CASTLE '

deadened the impact. The ladies' cabin beingonly separated from the hold by a wood bulk-head, those in it had a narrow escape from fatalinjury. A trading sloop was the first rescuevessel alongside, to which the "Duke's" pas-sengers were transferred. The first over thesteamer's side, on to the sloop's deck, was a" Black Coat " from Southend, Arran, with hissermon bag, evidently in a "funk," and regard-


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120 THE CLYDE PASSENGER STEAMERless of the safety of the ladies. The " Dun-troon Castle," when she saw that the " Dukeof Cornwall " was sinking, kept her enginesgoing full speed ahead, and thus succeededin beaching the "Duke" close to the ClochLighthouse in a little sandy bay without mishapto anyone.The " Duntroon Castle " could easily haveavoided the collision, had not her Captain'sbetter judgment foolishly given way to theemphatic order of an owner then on board," Keep your course," which led to the disaster.

Captain M'Lean of the "Duke" was triedbefore the High Court of Justiciary. The firstwitness was Captain MacDonald of the " Dun-troon Castle," who admitted by " a slip " hisowner's order, when the President of Court, itwas said, remarked, "You should now be inthe dock, and the prisoner in the witnessbox." The jury unanimously acquitted CaptainM'Lean.The only other serious collision recordedduring the fifties was that between the " Duchessof Argyle " and the " Emperor " off West Shan-don in September, 1852, when the latter wassunk.

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Clyde Passenger Steamer - 04 - Pages 119 - 140