For many years the Charlotte Dundas (a success from an engineering point of view, but a failure commercially), lay idle and corroding at Lock 16 on the Forth and Clyde Canal. She was regarded by the majority of those who saw her there, as a monument of Symington’s folly—the embodiment of a “fad.”
Bell, however, throughout these years, retained his faith in the ultimate success of the Marine Steam Engine. There seemed to be no probability of steam being utilized as a motive power for vessels in British waters, but the Americans were more enterprising, and Fulton, who accompanied Bell to inspect the Charlotte Dundas in 1803, gave the latter to understand that he had influential friends in America, whom he could induce to build steamers. Bell had good reason to consider himself badly treated by Fulton in this matter, yet, undoubtedly, indirectly Bell was benefited by Fulton’s success. It is more than probable that during the five years that succeeded the building of the Clermont, frequent reports regarding both this vessel and her successors in the United States and Canada, reached Scotland. And as a consequence of the success of these boats, Bell succeeded in getting a small steamer built to trade on the River Clyde. The following is a copy of Mr. Bell’s advertisement of the sailing of his steamer:—
“The Comet, between Glasgow, Greenock and Helensburgh, for passengers only. The subscriber having at much expense, fitted up a handsome vessel to ply upon the River Clyde, between Glasgow and Greenock, to sail by the power of wind, air, and steam, he intends that the vessel shall leave the Bromielaw on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, about mid-day or such hour thereafter as may answer from the state of the tide; and to leave Greenock on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in the morning to suit the tide. The terms are fixed for the present at 4s. for the best cabin, and 3s. for the second; but beyond these rates nothing is to be allowed to servants or any other person employed about the vessel.”
The Comet was a steamer of 25 tons burden, 40 feet long, and 10 feet 6 inches broad, and she steamed about 5 miles per hour.
A correspondent of the “Steamship” (1st January, 1883), relates regarding one Dougal Jamson, a Clyde skipper, of the time of the Comet, that whenever the steamboat passed his slow going sloop, he invariably piped all hands—a man and a boy—and bade them “Kneel down and thank God, that ye sail wi’ the Almichty’s ain win’, an’ no’ wi’ the deevil’s sunfire an’ brimstane, like that spluttery thing there.”
The following year there were three additional steamers constantly plying on the Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. One of these was probably the steamer (whose name has not been recorded), which came from the Clyde to Liverpool in 1815. The second of this trio was the Industry, whose remains were to be seen more than half a century later at Bowling. And the third was the steamer Argyle, afterwards re-named the Thames.
All these boats were faster than the Comet, and were twice as large, being 75 feet long and 14 feet broad. Against such competitors the Comet could not compete successfully. In his later years Bell received a small annuity from the Clyde Trustees, who, after his decease, erected an obelisk to his memory, which may still be seen standing on a rock a little below Bowling.
For two or three summers Glasgow was the only City in Great Britain or Ireland whose citizens enjoyed the advantages of steam packet communication with the coast. But, in the summer of the year 1815, the citizens of London and of Cork were given equal facilities.
Ireland has always occupied a most honourable position in the Annals of Steam Navigation. Cork had a steamship service certainly as early as Liverpool; the pioneer of the Liverpool coasting steamship trade was a Belfast steamer; from Cork, sailed the first steamer with passengers from Europe to America; the first Trans-Atlantic Liner from Liverpool was a Dublin steamer; and in this year of grace 1903, the steamers built in Belfast, which carry the White Star flag across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, have a reputation unsurpassed by any steamships afloat. But Cork anticipated Belfast in shipbuilding and ship-owning. Messrs. Michael O’Brien and Christopher Owens, of Cork, were the first to introduce steamers to the merchants and travelling public of the South of Ireland. They built, in 1815, the river steamer City of Cork. She was a wooden paddle steamer of 50 tons register; and of slightly larger dimensions than the Clyde-built steamers referred to, being 86 feet long, 13 feet broad, and 9 feet deep.
The steam fleet of the Thames consisted at this date of the three steam-packets Marjory, Defiance and Thames, which steamers plied between London and Margate. The Defiance, probably a locally built vessel, was commanded by William Robins, and sailed from near Summer Quay, Billingsgate, every Sunday and Wednesday morning, at 7 o’clock, returning from Margate every Tuesday and Friday morning.