The history of steam navigation

by John Kennedy

Early in the year 1836 several Waterford merchants determined to run steamers between Waterford and Liverpool in opposition to the steamers owned by the Messrs. Pope, of the former port. Accordingly, on the 11th January, 1837, there was launched from Mr. John Laird’s yard, Birkenhead, the Duncannon, a small iron paddle-steamer of 200 tons burthen, to the order of the Waterford Commercial Steam Navigation Company, represented in Liverpool by Archer, Daly & Co., of 2, Cook Street. Three years later (1840) a second steamer, the Wm. Penn, was added to the service. The new company was so successful in its venture that in a short time the Messrs. Pope either abandoned the trade, or were absorbed by their rivals, who thereupon appear to have adopted the title of the Waterford Steamship Company. There had been for years keen rivalry between the St. George Steampacket Company and the City of Dublin Steampacket Company, and when the business of the former was transferred to the Cork Steamship Company, the directors of the City of Dublin Company were by no means favourably disposed to the new management. This unfriendly feeling was extended to the Waterford Steamship Company, because Mr. Joseph Malcomson (chairman of the latter company) was offered, and accepted, a seat on the board of the Cork Steamship Company, and his firm (Messrs. Malcomson Brothers) invested largely in the Cork Company’s shares. The following year the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway was opened from Waterford to Thomastown. The directors asked the Waterford Steamship Company to change their loading berth from the south side of the River Suir to the north side, adjacent to the railway company’s terminus. This the steamship company refused to do. In consequence of this refusal, the Waterford and Kilkenny Railway Company induced the City of Dublin Company to put on steamers between Waterford and Liverpool. But, as the City of Dublin Company had no steamers of their own available, they chartered steamers from the British and Irish Steampacket Company, which they placed on the Liverpool and Waterford station. Meantime, the Waterford Steamship Company had not been idle. The late Liverpool agent of the company (Mr. George K. Payne) was detailed to organise an opposition to the railway company, with emphatic instructions not to permit a single passenger to be carried by the railway company between Waterford and Thomastown, or vice versa. The distance was only twelve miles, and an efficient car service was at once established between the two towns. Not only was the service an efficient one, but, rather than permit passengers to travel by the railway company, the drivers of the cars would take them for nothing. Of course, there were not wanting those who prophesied that the Waterford Company and the Messrs. Malcomson (who had acquired the whole of the steamship company’s shares) would be ruined by the opposition. Malcomson Brothers, however, referred inquirers as to their stability to Messrs. Overend, Gurney & Co., then at the zenith of their power, whose reply was:—“We guarantee Messrs. Malcomson Brothers to the extent of two million pounds sterling.”

Clodagh s.s. (new 1903). Waterford Steamship Co., Ltd.

Equally fierce was the opposition in the cross-channel service. Passengers were frequently carried without charge between Liverpool and Waterford, as well as between Liverpool and Dublin. A story is told of a passenger going into the Dublin Company’s office in Waterford, and asking what the cabin fare was to Liverpool. He was told he would be taken for nothing, to which he replied, “That is not good enough; you must feed me as well.” A similar tradition exists with regard to the Liverpool and Dublin service, namely, that when one of the rival companies advertised its willingness to carry passengers for nothing, and to give them a loaf of bread, the other company capped the offer by the addition of a bottle of Guinness’ stout. Not content with carrying the war into the enemy’s country by running horsecars between Waterford and Thomastown, the Waterford Steamship Company placed their steamer Lion on the Liverpool and Dublin station, and chartered a steamer from the Cork Steamship Company to run in opposition to the British and Irish Company between Dublin and London. Thereupon, the British and Irish Company chartered a steamer from Langtry’s Belfast Steamship Company to run between Liverpool and Cork, and the Cork Company, as a counter move, placed their steamer Minerva on the Liverpool and Belfast station. The opposition was maintained with unabated fierceness for about three years, at the end of which time the City of Dublin Company and the Waterford Company arrived at an amicable settlement, each company agreeing to cease opposing the other. The Belfast Steamship Company and the British and Irish Company having now to bear the brunt of the opposition, without the support of the City of Dublin Company, deemed it wise to make the best terms they could with their opponents. Accordingly, the Belfast Company divided the Liverpool and Belfast trade with the Cork Company, and the British and Irish Steampacket Company shared their London and Dublin trade with the Waterford Steamship Company. The Cork Company continued to run steamers between Liverpool and Belfast for several years, but were eventually bought off by the Belfast Steamship Company. The Waterford Company ran two steamers regularly between London and Dublin until the year 1870, when they also were bought off by the British and Irish Steampacket Company. Prior to the City of Dublin Company’s opposition, the Bristol Steam Navigation Company and the Waterford Steamship Company had maintained a joint service between Waterford and Bristol. The Bristol Company’s boat left Waterford on Tuesday to catch the Bristol cattle market, and the Waterford Company’s boat left Waterford on Friday. As a consequence of the low rates which were in force during the opposition, a great deal of traffic was diverted from the Bristol route to the Liverpool route, and the Bristol Company suspended their sailings to and from Waterford. The Waterford Company thereupon took up the Tuesday sailings to Bristol. When the Liverpool opposition ceased, the Bristol Company wished to resume their Tuesday sailings from Waterford. The Waterford Company, however, refused to withdraw their Tuesday steamer, but agreed to let the Bristol Company have the Friday sailing. The close and friendly relationship which had formerly existed between these two companies became somewhat strained, and ultimately ended in so wide a breach that the Waterford Company purchased the paddle steamer Victory from the Cork Steamship Company, and placed her on the station between Bristol and Dublin, in opposition to the Bristol Steam Navigation Company. This opposition was withdrawn upon the Bristol Company undertaking to pay the Waterford Company an annual sum of £1,000, which sum they continued to pay for a great many years. About the year 1847, Malcomson Brothers (the owners of the Waterford Steamship Company) purchased the steamer Dublin, for employment in one of their London trades. She was the first screw steamer owned by any Irish company or firm, and she proved so successful that her new owners had all their subsequent steamers fitted with screws, except one boat for a special trade. Being shareholders in the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, Malcomson Brothers induced the directors of that company to introduce screw steamers into their fleet. It was also by the advice of Messrs. Malcomson that Richardson Brothers, the promoters and first managers of the Inman line, built screw steamers for the Atlantic. The Messrs. Malcomson were no mere theorists in steamship construction; they decided to build the steamers they owned. For this reason they established (in 1847) an iron shipbuilding and engineering works at Waterford, under the style of the Neptune Iron Works. They were fortunate in securing for their manager a talented shipbuilder, the late Mr. John Horn, who was succeeded by his son, Mr. Andrew Horn, an engineer of very exceptional abilities, and who is the present superintendent engineer of the company. About 40 steamers were built at the Neptune Iron Works before they were closed, several of which became famous, and all of which were noted for their strength of hull and engines.

In 1849 the Waterford Steamship Company (Malcomson Brothers) built at their Neptune Iron Works, Waterford, the steamer Mars. Her original plans, which were for a paddle-boat, were altered while she was on the stocks, and she was launched a screw steamer. She was the first screw steamer placed on the Liverpool and Waterford station, and at first the cattle shippers did not like the idea of shipping by her, especially as on one of her early voyages she heeled over on leaving Waterford Quay, and killed a large number of cattle; but the late Captain Burns was put in command, and she proved herself to be a safe carrier, and speedily became a favourite boat in the trade. Two years prior to this date (1847) Malcomson Brothers built at the same yard the steamer Neptune—this was the first steamer built at the Neptune Iron Works, and she was also the first steamer to run to St. Petersburg. It happened in this way. The Russian Government were very anxious to get a line of steamers established between England and St. Petersburg, and made overtures on the subject to Malcomson Brothers. As a result, the latter agreed to start a line from London, of which the pioneer steamer was wrecked in the Baltic on her first outward voyage. The Neptune was then despatched. When she arrived at Cronstadt the Mayor of St. Petersburg came on board in state, and as she steamed up the Neva, H.I.M. the Czar Nicholas met her in his state barge; the forts and warships fired salutes of honour, and all the merchant ships were covered with flags. To commemorate this important event, his Majesty the Czar commanded that whenever the Neptune came to St. Petersburg she was to be free of port and pilotage dues.

At the time of which I write, it was impossible to over-estimate the influence of Malcomson Brothers in the commercial steamship world. We have seen how they were consulted by the directors of the P. and O., and by the promoters of the Inman line. In addition to their coasting fleets they had steamers in the Eastern trade, one of which—the Una—was one of the first steamers to pass through the Suez Canal. They were also the pioneers of the Liverpool and River Plate trade, and were, I believe, the predecessors of Lamport and Holt. Amongst the large fleet of steamers built for the Waterford Steamship Company at their own shipbuilding and engineering works was a screw steamer, the William Penn. This steamer was sold by the Waterford Steamship Company, and her new owners, having lengthened her and given her a fourth mast, renamed her the European. As the European she ran for a number of years in H. N. Hughes and Nephew’s line between Liverpool and Bombay. She afterwards was transferred to, or chartered by, Geo. Warren and Co., and while in their Boston and Liverpool service, in the early seventies, she had the proud distinction of being the first steamer to bring to Liverpool an importation of American live cattle, consigned to Geo. Roddick and Co., Chapel Walks. Since the withdrawal of the Malcomsons from the active control of the company, the management of the Waterford Steamship Company has been vested in Mr. C. Morley, under whose able management the steamers have been maintained in a state of thorough efficiency and up-to-dateness. The fleet of the company at the present date consists of the following powerful steamers, which make their passages to and from Liverpool and Waterford with unfailing regularity in about 18 hours, summer and winter, viz.:—Lara, Comeragh, Reginald, Dunbrody and Menapia.

The Dunbrody has a complete installation of electric light, including the holds, and her lower holds for the entire length form a refrigerator. A further and larger addition, the Clodagh, now building, will shortly be added to the fleet, embracing all the above improvements, with an increased speed, and increased first-class passenger accommodation.

The Waterford Steamship Company were amongst the first steamship owners to discard the bowsprit and figure-head, and to adopt the straight stem. They were also amongst the first owners to build steamers with saloons amidships, and it is their proud boast that in the Liverpool and Waterford service, extending over sixty years, they never lost a ship or a human life.

The late T. H. Ismay, Esq.