Chapter XXI.
Adelaide Steamship Co., Limited.—John Bacon, Limited.—R. Burton & Sons, Limited.—Fletcher, Woodhill & Co.—T. & J. Harrison.—W. S. Kennaugh & Co.—Lamport & Holt.—H. & W. Nelson.—R. & J. H. Rea.—J. S. Sellers.—Henry Tyrer & Co.
The following firms hold a prominent position in their respective trades—Foreign and Coastwise—and most of them have been established for many years:—
The Adelaide Steamship Co., Lim., was established in October, 1875, its nominal capital being £100,000. In November, 1882, the capital of the Company was increased to £300,000, and in December, 1900, a further reconstruction of the Company occurred, the capital being increased to £750,000. The first two steamers built for the Company were the South Australian and the Victorian. Each was slightly over 400 tons register, making a total of 900 tons; whereas the present capacity of the Company’s fleet (consisting of 25 steamers) is about 50,000 tons. The steamers, on their various routes, trade to and from nearly every port on the Australian seaboard. Amongst the vessels owned by the Adelaide Steamship Co. is the Ferret, whose romantic story is told in the first part of this volume. (See ante, page [137]).
John Bacon, Lim.—This firm was established about the middle of the last century by the late Mr. John Bacon. Mr. Bacon died in 1886, and three years later the business was formed into a Limited Company. The fleet of the Company at the present date consists of the steamers Eden Vale, Edith, Heptarchy, Prestonian, Stuart, Sunlight, Talbot, Tudor, Vigilant, and Wexford. These steamers maintain regular sailings between Liverpool and Wexford, Liverpool and the Bristol Channel Ports, &c.
R. Burton & Sons.—The firm of R. Burton & Sons was founded by the late Mr. R. Burton, of Newport, Mon., over one hundred years ago, and since 1840 has been carried on by his three sons. In 1898 the business was transferred to a Limited Company, with a capital of £100,000, the major portion of the shares being retained by the Messrs. Burton. The Company maintains regular services between Liverpool and various ports in the Bristol Channel, a daily service between Bristol and Cardiff, and a daily service between Bristol and Newport, Mon.
Fletcher, Woodhill & Co.—This firm was established at Manchester, in 1893, by Mr. H. A. Fletcher (of Liverpool) and Captain T. J. Woodhill (of Sunderland). Since the opening of the Ship Canal Messrs. Fletcher, Woodhill & Co. have taken an active part in the steamship business of the port of Manchester. Their present services are between Manchester and France; Manchester, Portugal and Spain; and Manchester and Italy.
T. & J. Harrison.—This important Steamship Company maintains regular sailings from Liverpool to Calcutta, New Orleans, Galveston, Brazil and West Indies, and South of France; also joint sailings of Ellerman-Harrison Line from Glasgow and Liverpool to South and East Africa. The fleet at the present date (1904) consists of 36 full-powered steamships, exclusive of two steamers building, with an aggregate gross tonnage of 179,166 tons:—Actor, Barrister, Capella, Chancellor, Civilian, Cognac, Collegian, Colonial, Comedian, Counsellor, Craftsman, Custodian, Dictator, Director, Electrician, Explorer, Historian, Inventor, Jarnac, Logician, Magician, Mechanician, Mira, Musician, Navigator, Orion, Patrician, Politician, Senator, Statesman, Tactician, Traveller, Wanderer, Wayfarer, Workman, Yeoman.
W. S. Kennaugh & Co. commenced business of steamship owners at a time when sailing vessels were being displaced in the general coasting trade by steamers. The first boat built for the firm was the Scale Force, famous in her day for her large carrying powers on a low net register. She was designed by a brother of the senior partner of the firm, by whom all the succeeding steamers have been designed. The names of the steamers at the present date owned by this firm are the Aira Force, Birker Force, Holme Force, and Stanley Force.
Lamport & Holt Line.—The Liverpool, Brazil and River Plate Steam Navigation Co., Limited, better known as the “Lamport & Holt” Line, was formed in 1865, the first Managers of the Line being the late Mr. William James Lamport, and Mr. George Holt. This Company is one of the largest of the Steamship Companies of Liverpool, at which Port its headquarters are situated. It owns a fleet, of thirty-nine full-powered modern cargo steamers, ranging from 1,671 tons to 6,508 tons, the average per steamer being 3,375 tons and the aggregate tonnage 131,654 tons gross register, representing a total dead weight carrying capacity of about 200,000 tons.