Contributed by Jane Campbell
Liverpool Echo 1908
I have never seen any place like Liverpool Liverpudlians are proud of
their birth place, not only for its history, supremacy as a sea port,
delightful situation and surroundings, but because of its preminence of
its merchant princes and citizens stability, integrity,progressiveness
and humour.
My business career started in 1860 for a carting and forwarding agency
in Regents Rd not far from Clarence Dock. My duties involved polishing
the handles of the big front door, tending to fire grates and cleaning
desks.
I was then given the job of attendant to the arrival of the Irish boats
to list assignments, five or six per morning. I would arrange for carts
to take stuff away.. I worked from 5am to 9 or 10 pm for 4 shillings a
week and was allowed sixpence a week to spend.
I can see myself now standing at the gang way of the Dublin boat Royal
William keeping tally on the stock, cattle, pigs and sheep. It was not
easy matter to count sheep black and white heads jumping over each
other.
In those days the Dublin boats were , Royal William, Ballinasloe,
Prince, Princess, Duke of Kent, Trafalgar, Iron Duke and Windsor.
The Dogheda boats were the Faugh-a-Ballagh and the Brian Boroihme. The
Dundalk boats were the Earl of Erne [dear old Capt Williams] and Pride
of Erin [Capt Kelly].
The Londonderry boats were the William McCormick and the Enniskillen.
The Cork steamers were all named after birds.
The principal Belfast steamer was the Semaphone [a screw].
Captain Campbell who had only one eye, on one occasion finding that his
boat was late and the gates closing, gently poked her nose in and opened
the gates, getting into dock safely.
There could have been a serious
accident but he took his chances..
One of the Glasgow boats was a fine looking paddle-wheeler, Princess
Royal [Capt M'Cleery] and a screw steamer called the Silloth sailed to
Whitehaven.
From the Huskisson north to the Brunswick south the docks presented an
unbroken forest of masts, from ships from every known corner of the
world.
In those days Messers Laird at Birkenhead , were busy building blockade
Funnels, one the Alabama. They caused so much havoc on the high seas and
came close to causing war between England and America
They also built a Paddle Wheeler named Let-Her-Be she exceeded her
contract speed on her first trial . She ran the blockade successfully
and after the war was shortened to half to fit through the lochs on the
Canadian Canals and was run on Lake Superior as a passenger boat her
name changed to Chicora. She is still going strong today.
I remember the Great Eastern sailing down the Mersey on her first trip
decked in flags from stem to stern with Capt Harrison on the bridge.
Myriads of people on both sides saying good-bye. She took 2000 soldiers
to Halifax.
Those were the days to of the magnificent full rigged clippers, it was a
delight to see, the Red Jacket, the Blue Jacket, the White Jacket,
Lightening, Donald Mc'Kay, Dreadnought and others built for racing with
sails as white as snow and decks you could eat from. They were berthed
in the Waterloo dock.
James Barnes and Co sailed the Black Ball Line to Melbourne, two of
their ships James Barnes and Marco Polo which was brought back before
her owners had thought she had reached Melbourne, too crowded with
canvas. That was before the days of the Ocean Telegraph..
Gibbs Bright and Co had two grand auxillary screw steamers, Great
Britian and the ill fated Royal Charter which went ashore off the coast
of Angelsey within hours of her destination ,450 lives lost.
The British North American Co then Cunard had the Asia,Africa, Europa,
and America later the Persia and Scotia sailing to New York, their screw
steamers then came in and Capt Judkins was made Commodore.
Inman and Co had another line of steamers to New York and J and A Allan
had steamers to quebec and Montreal.
Other companys I recall are John Bibby Sons and Co, T.J Brocklbank, S.R
Graves and Co,F. Shand and Co, Horsfall and Son, Lamport and Holt,
Papayanni, Mussabini and Co.
Principal vessel owners had their offices in Water St, Chapel St, James
St, Rumford Place, Regent St.
Waterloo Rd from Chapel St north were filled with packet offices and
Sailors' shipping offices. William Tapcott and Co and Ginon and Co
being the two principal firms in the buisness.
Each ship sailing to Melbourne, Tasmania and New York were full of
immigrants who had to provide there own bedding, tin cups, plates and
cutlery , their boarding was a sight to see.
The Brunswick Dock South end was given up to timber ships, the timber
firms fronted the dock. Bland and Co and Ewing and Co.
Edward Challoner did commission sales and would wine and dine his
customers at a warehouse in Park St.