Transcriber's Note:
Apparent typographical errors have been corrected.
Archaic and inconsistent spelling and hyphenation have been preserved.
[Illustration: Flag]
TWO CENTURIES
OF
SHIPBUILDING
[Illustration: _H. M. S. Argyll._]
TWO CENTURIES OF
SHIPBUILDING
BY THE
SCOTTS AT GREENOCK.
[Illustration: decoration]
[_Partly Reprinted from "Engineering."_]
[Illustration: decoration]
"Take it all in all, a ship of the line is the most honourable thing
that man, as a gregarious animal, has ever produced.... Into
that he has put as much of his human patience, common sense,
forethought, experimental philosophy, self-control, habits of order
and obedience, thoroughly wrought hand-work, defiance of brute
elements, careless courage, careful patriotism, and calm expectation
of the judgment of God, as can well be put into a space of
300 feet long by 80 feet broad."--RUSKIN.
[Illustration: sailing ship]
LONDON:
OFFICES OF "ENGINEERING," 35 and 36, BEDFORD STREET, W.C.
1906.
Contents.
[Illustration: decoration]
PAGE
PERSONALIA xi
THE ERA OF THE SAILING SHIP 1
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STEAMSHIP 15
Table I. Epoch-Marking Steamers built by the Scotts, 1819
to 1841 31
Table II. Progress in the Economy of the Marine Engine,
1872 to 1901 41
A CENTURY'S WORK FOR THE NAVY 43
Table III. Progressive Types of Warship Machinery, and
their Economy, 1840 to 1905 53
Table IV. Particulars of the Successive Large Naval Guns,
1800 to 1905 56
Table V. Size and Fighting Qualities of British Battleships
of Different Periods, 1861 to 1905 59
YACHTING AND YACHTS 63
Table VI. General Particulars of Principal Steam Yachts
Built by Scotts' Company 69
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 73
Numbers of British and Foreign, and of Oversea and Channel,
Steamers, of over 16 knots speed 75
Table VII. Records of Coal Consumption of Steamship
"Narragansett" 79
EFFICIENCY: DESIGN: ADMINISTRATION 88
THE SHIPBUILDING YARD 94
THE ENGINE AND BOILER WORKS 106
List of Illustrations.
[Illustration: decoration]
PAGE
H.M.S. "Argyll" (Plate I.) _Frontispiece_
PERSONALIA.
Portraits of William Scott (born 1722, died 1769); John Scott (born
1752, died 1837); William Scott, his Brother (born 1765); and
Charles Cuningham Scott (born 1794, died 1875) (Plate II.)
_Adjoining page_ 1
John Scott, C.B. (born 1830, died 1903); Robert Sinclair Scott
(born 1843, died 1905); Charles Cuningham Scott (the present
Chairman); Robert Lyons Scott (Plate III.) _Adjoining page_ 1
THE ERA OF THE SAILING SHIP. (PAGES 1 TO 14.)
The Beginnings (Plate IV.) _Facing page_ 2
Greenock and Scotts' Yard in the Eighteenth Century (Plate V.)
_Facing page_ 4
A West Indiaman 7
A Typical East Indiaman 9
The "Lord of the Isles" (Plate VI.) _Facing page_ 10
The "Archibald Russell" (Plate VII.) " " 12
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STEAMSHIP. (PAGES 15 TO 42.)
Early Steamboats at Greenock, 1820 (Plate VIII.) _Facing page_ 16
The "City of Glasgow" (Plate IX.) " " 20
A Side-Lever Engine of 1831 23
An Engine of 1832 25
Scotts' First P. and O. Liner, the "Tagus" (Plate X.)
_Facing page_ 26
Type of Side-Lever Engine of 1840 29
Double-Geared Engine for Early Atlantic Liner 32
A Pioneer in Water-Tube Boilers (The Rowan Boiler) 35
High-Pressure Machinery in the "Thetis" (Plate XI.)
_Facing page_ 36
The Machinery of the "Achilles" 38
General Arrangement of the Machinery of the "Achilles" (Plate XII.)
_Facing page_ 38
The "Achilles" of 1865, off Gravesend (Plate XIII.) " " 40
A CENTURY'S WORK FOR THE NAVY. (PAGES 43 TO 62.)
Model of H.M.S. "Prince of Wales," 1803 (Plate XIV.)
_Facing page_ 43
The Launch of the First Clyde-Built Steam Frigate "Greenock," 1849
(Plate XV.) _Facing page_ 44
Machinery in H.M.SS. "Hecla," and "Hecate" 1839 (Plate XVI.)
_Facing page_ 46
Machinery of H.M.S. "Greenock," 1848 48
Machinery of H.M.S. "Canopus," 1900 49
H.M.S. "Thrush," 1889 (Plate XVII.) _Facing page_ 50
Engines of H.M.S. "Thrush," 1889 (Plate XVIII.) 52
H.M. Battleship "Prince of Wales" (Plate XIX.) 58
Propelling Engines of H.M.S. "Argyll" (Plate XX.) 60
YACHTING AND YACHTS. (PAGES 63 TO 72.)
The "Erin," Owned by Sir Thomas Lipton, Bart. (Plate XXI.)
_Facing page_ 63
The "Clarence," an Early Racing Cutter (Plate XXII.) " " 64
The "Greta" of 1876; the "Greta" of 1895 (Plate XXIII.)
_Facing page_ 66
The "Margarita"; the "Tuscarora" (Plate XXIV.) 68
The Saloons of the "Beryl," Owned by Lord Inverclyde (Plate XXV.)
_Facing page_ 70
Typical Yacht Engines (Plate XXVI.) " " 72
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. (PAGES 73 TO 87.)
Dining-Saloon in a Mail Steamer; Drawing-Room in the Steam Yacht
"Foros" (Plate XXVII.) _Facing page_ 73
The Donaldson Liner "Cassandra" (Plate XXVIII.) " " 74
The Holt Liner "Achilles" of 1900 (Plate XXIX.) " " 76
The Largest Oil-Carrying Steamer afloat--the "Narragansett"
(Plate XXX.) _Facing page_ 78
The Launch of a China Steamer (Plate XXXI.) " " 80
The China Navigation Company's T.SS. "Fengtien" (Plate XXXII.)
_Adjoining page_ 81
The British India Company's SS. "Bharata" (Plate XXXIII.)
_Facing page_ 82
One of Twenty Thames Steamers Engined by the Scotts
(Plate XXXIV.) _Facing page_ 84
Engines and Boilers for Twenty London County Council Steamers
(Plate XXXV.) _Adjoining page_ 85
Typical Propelling Machinery (Plate XXXVI.) _Facing page_ 86
EFFICIENCY: DESIGN: ADMINISTRATION. (PAGES 88 TO 93.)
Shipbuilding (Plate XXXVII.) _Facing page_ 88
The Launch of H.M.S. "Argyll" (Plate XXXVIII.) " " 90
Engine Construction (Plate XXXIX.) " " 92
THE SHIPBUILDING YARD. (PAGES 94 TO 105.)
The Moulding Loft (Plate XL.) _Facing page_ 94
Beam Shearing Machine; Bevelling Machine; Hydraulic Joggling
Machine (Plate XLI.) _Adjoining page_ 95
In one of the Platers' Sheds (Plate XLII.) _Facing_ " 96
Punching and Shearing (Plate XLIII.) " " 98
The Fitting-out Dock (Plate XLIV.) " " 100
The Graving Dock (Plate XLV.) _Adjoining_ " 101
The Saw Mill (Plate XLVI.) _Facing_ " 102
Two Views in the Joiners' Shops (Plate XLVII.) _Adjoining_ " 103
Electric Generators in the Power Station; Hydraulic Pumps and
Air-Compressors in the Power Station (Plate XLVIII.)
_Facing page_ 104
THE ENGINE AND BOILER WORKS. (PAGES 106 TO 116.)
View in Main Machine Shop (Plate XLIX.) _Facing page_ 106
Vertical Planing Machine; Multiple Spindle Drilling Machine
(Plate L.) _Facing page_ 108
Surfacing and Boring Lathe (Plate LI.) _Adjoining_ " 109
Brass-Finishing Shop (Plate LII.) _Facing_ " 110
Tool, Gauge, Template and Jig Department
(Plate LIII.) " " 112
In the Boiler Shop (Plate LIV.) " " 114
Hydraulic Plate-Bending Machine 114
[Illustration: decoration]
Personalia.
[Illustration: decoration]
JOHN SCOTT (I) founded the firm in 1711, and engaged
in the building of herring busses and small craft. There
is, unfortunately, no engraving of him extant, so that our
series of portraits on Plates II. and III. adjoining page 1,
is to this extent incomplete.
WILLIAM SCOTT, his son, born 1722, died 1769, succeeded
him, and, with his brother, extended the business alike as
regards the extent of the works, and the types of vessels
built. His first square-rigged ship--of 1765--was the first
vessel built on the Clyde for owners out of Scotland.
JOHN SCOTT (II), born 1752, died 1837, son of William,
greatly developed the works and built the dry dock and
basin now included, with the original Yard, in the establishment of
Messrs. Caird and Co., Limited. Under his _régime_ many ocean-going
sailing ships were constructed, ship-work for the Navy was undertaken,
the manufacture of steam machinery commenced in 1825, and Admiralty
orders undertaken for engines for dockyard--as well as Greenock-built
frigates. He built the Custom House Quay in 1791, bought Halkshill, the
family seat, in 1815, was a partner in the Greenock Bank, and otherwise
promoted the industries of the town.
His brother, WILLIAM SCOTT (II), born 1756, migrated
to Barnstaple, where he carried on an extensive shipbuilding
industry, obtaining engines for the most of his steamships from the
Greenock Works.
CHARLES CUNINGHAM SCOTT, born 1794, died 1875, son of John Scott (II),
along with his elder brother, John Scott (III), born 1785, died
1874, carried on the business as "John Scott and Sons," developing
still further the progressive policy of his father, who had been
responsible for the works for about half a century. The Cartsdyke Yard
was commenced in 1850 by Charles Cuningham Scott, and his son John,
under the style of "Scott and Co.," and this firm is the one which has
maintained the continuity of the Scotts' association with shipbuilding.
JOHN SCOTT (IV), born 1830, died 1903,[1] and ROBERT SINCLAIR SCOTT,
born 1843, died 1905, sons of Charles Cuningham Scott, were responsible
for the progress for nearly forty years, and the former was created a
Companion of the Bath (C.B.) in 1887. During their _régime_ the firm
took a large part in the introduction of the steamship for over-sea
voyages; in the development of high steam pressures and of the
multiple-expansion engine, which greatly improved the economy of the
steam engine; and in naval work, with its incidental advancement. They
completely reconstructed the Cartsdyke Works, and greatly improved what
is now known as the Cartsburn Dockyard, modernising the equipment.
The co-partnery was, for family reasons, registered in 1900 under the
Limited Liability Company Law.
CHARLES CUNINGHAM SCOTT, son of John Scott, C.B.,
is now the head of the concern and Chairman of the
Company (Scotts' Shipbuilding and Engineering Company,
Limited), and with him on the directorate are his brother
ROBERT LYONS SCOTT, C. Mumme, and James Brown.
[Illustration: decoration]
[Illustration: _William Scott_ (_1722-1769_)]
[Illustration: _John Scott_ (_1752-1837_)]
[Illustration: _William Scott_ (_born 1756_)]
[Illustration: _Charles C. Scott_ (_1794-1875_)]
[Illustration: _John Scott_ (_1830-1903_)]
[Illustration: _P. Sinclair Scott_ (_1843-1905_)]
[Illustration: _C. C. Scott_]
[Illustration: _R. L. Scott_]
FOOTNOTE:
[1] This date is incorrectly given as 1904 at the end of the third
paragraph on page 66.
[Illustration: decoration]
The Era of the Sailing Ship.
[Illustration: decoration]
The maintenance of an industry for two hundred years by one family, in
the direct line of succession and in one locality, is almost unique
in the history of western manufactures. Such a record proves that
the successive generations have displayed diligence, prudence, and
enterprise; otherwise it would not have been possible for them to have
held continuously a foremost place in the face of incessant competition
consequent upon the general advance in science, the introduction of
superior constructional materials, and the invention of new machinery.
It indicates also the maintenance of a high standard of workmanship
as well as integrity and business capacity; because time is the most
important factor in proving efficiency and in establishing credit for
durability of work, without which no reputation can be retained for
such a long period.
The Scotts began the building of ships in Greenock in 1711. To-day,
their descendants of the sixth generation worthily maintain the high
traditions which have accumulated during the intervening two hundred
years. It is impossible to form an adequate conception of the service
rendered by this one firm to the science of marine construction and to
Britain, the leading maritime nation of the world. We should require
to review in detail the successive steps: firstly, in the perfection
of the sailing ship, from the sloops and brigantines of the eighteenth
century, to such beautiful clippers as Scotts' _Lord of the Isles_,
which in 1856 made the record voyage from China, and did much to wrest
from the Americans the "blue ribbon" of the ocean; and, secondly,
in the development of the steamship from its inception early in the
nineteenth century to the leviathans of to-day. In successive epochs in
the history of naval architecture the Scotts have played a creditable
part, and to some of the more important improvements initiated or
advanced by the firm reference will be made in our brief survey of the
work done during the past two centuries. Unfortunately, some years ago,
most of the old-time records were destroyed by a fire at the shipyard,
so that our review of the early work is largely from contemporary
publications, and is unavoidably incomplete.
[Illustration: Plate IV. _From an Engraving by E. W. Cooke, R.A._
THE BEGINNINGS.]
The beginnings were small, for Scotland had not yet attained to
industrial importance, and had little oversea commerce. The first
trans-Atlantic voyage made by a Clyde ship was in 1686, when a
Greenock-built vessel was employed on a special mission to carry
twenty-two persons transported to Carolina for attending conventicles
and "being disaffected to Government."[2] American ships were most
numerous on the western seas, and the East India Company had a monopoly
of the eastern seas, so far as Britain was concerned, and preferred
to build their ships in India, although many were constructed on the
south coast of England. This monopoly checked progress. There was
little or no incentive to improvement in merchant ships, and the
naval authorities were too busy fighting Continental nations to risk
extensive experimental work. We have it on the authority of Sir
Nathaniel Barnaby, K.C.B.,[3] that neither Government nor private
builders made much progress in improving methods of construction. The
first letters patent granted for improvements relating to ships bear
the date January 17th, 1618, but the result of a thorough investigation
of all patents between 1618 and 1810 discloses no improvement worth
recording, except in the manufacture of sheathing and the construction
of pumps.
The Scotts, like a few other shipbuilders on the Clyde, were concerned
for the greater part of the eighteenth century in the building of
fishing and coasting boats. There belonged to Greenock, in 1728,
as many as nine hundred of such fishing boats, locally built, each
carrying from twenty to twenty-four nets and manned by a crew of four
men. For many years the business of the firm consisted almost entirely
in the building of herring busses and small craft employed in the
fishing trade, the first establishment being at the mouth of the West
Burn, on land leased from the Shaw family. The shipbuilding industry
was carried on intermittently, and the Scotts were the first to give
it stability and continuity. In 1752, the Greenland whale fisheries
were engaged in, and this led to a development in the size of craft.
The first square-rigged vessel built in the port was a brig, named
_Greenock_, constructed in 1760, for the West Indian trade. In 1765,
William Scott, who had succeeded the original founder--his father, John
Scott--built a large square-rigged ship for some merchants of the town
of Hull, the timber for which came from the Ducal woods at Hamilton.
This ship is notable as being probably the first ship built on the
Clyde for owners out of Scotland.[4] To take a fairly representative
year (1776), eighteen vessels, ranging up to 77 tons, and of a total of
1073 tons burden, were constructed in Greenock, and of the number six
were built by the Scotts.[5] Although the work could be more cheaply
done on the Clyde than at London or Bristol, there was for a long time
a strong prejudice against English owners ordering vessels from the
north, and against Scotch vessels taking any part in the oversea trade.
The Jacobite risings had also affected the industry, but the War of
Independence in America had far-reaching beneficial results. It is true
that prior to this the rich fields of the English colonial possessions,
as well as the English markets, had been opened to the commerce of
Scotland, and that the merchants of Glasgow had developed extensive
commercial operations with the West Indies and British North America;
but, although there was thus a considerable oversea trade between the
Clyde and the Western hemisphere, all the large vessels trading to the
Clyde were built in America.[6] The shipbuilding industry in the States
was thus a very extensive one; and, in 1769, there were launched, in
the North American Colonies, three hundred and eighty-nine vessels
of 20,000 tons burden, which was far in excess of the annual British
output.[7] This was largely owing to the limitless supply of timber in
America, and to the import duties on constructional material imposed
in this country to suit the English growers of oak, the price of which
advanced in the eighteenth century from £2 15s. to £7 7s. per load.[8]
The _Brunswick_, of 600 tons, carpenters' measurement, to carry 1000
tons real burden, built by the Scotts in 1791 for the Nova Scotia
trade; and the _Caledonia_, of 650 tons, built by the Scotts in 1794,
for the carriage of timber for the Navy yards--each the largest ship in
Scotland of its respective year--signalised the beginning of a period of
greater activity, especially in respect of large ocean ships. Some
years before--1767--the Scotts had feued ground for a building yard
on the shore east of the West Burn. They added a graving dock of
considerable size, and the inaugural proceedings included a dinner held
on the floor of the dock.
[Illustration: Plate V. _From an Old Engraving._
GREENOCK AND SCOTTS' YARD IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.]
Other developments contributed to the prosperity of the port of
Greenock, the chief of the establishment being John Scott of the third
generation, who was born in 1752, and died in 1837. His brother,
William Scott, also the second of that name, migrated to Bristol,
where he carried on an extensive trade as a shipbuilder. The latter
was the father of James M. Scott, who is still remembered by some old
inhabitants as the founder, about 1847, of penny banks in Greenock
and of the Artisans' Club. John Scott, after his brother's departure,
carried on the business under the name of John Scott and Sons, and
did great service not only for the town, but also for the advancement
of the business. In three successive years, 1787, 1788, and 1789,
he bought three large plots from the ninth Lord Cathcart, for the
extension of the works.[9] These then extended almost from the West
Quay to the West Burn. He also, in 1791, constructed the old steamboat
or custom-house quay,[10] and played a large part in developing the
banking facilities of the town. He bought, in 1815, Halkshill, near
Largs, which has continued the residence of the family. In view of the
association of the firm with the town, it may be worth interpolating
here a statement of the growth of the population of Greenock, with the
sources from which the figures have been taken.
Year. Population. Source.
1700 1,328 Campbell's History, page 23.
1801 17,458 Weir's History, page 120.
1901 68,142 Census Returns, vol. i., page 212.
Shipbuilding work, however, was still in craft which to-day would
be considered insignificant. The increase of the mercantile fleet
of England throughout the eighteenth century was only fivefold in
respect of numbers, and sixfold in tonnage; the average size shows
an augmentation from 80 tons to only 100 tons, and there was no
improvement in labour-economising appliances for the working of the
ship, as the ratio of men to tonnage was at the beginning of the
century practically one to every 10 tons, and at the close one to 13
tons.[11]
In the nineteenth century, the tonnage increased eightfold, but in view
of the adoption of steam the actual carrying capacity was augmented
nearly thirtyfold; the average size of ship increased to 760 tons.
Practically, every ship in the eighteenth century carried guns, the
average being two per vessel. It was not until 1853 that there was
omitted from the mail contracts the clause which provided that each
mail vessel must be built to carry guns of the largest calibre in use.
[Illustration: A WEST INDIAMAN. (_See page 12._)]
The nineteenth century brought every incentive to the development
of shipbuilding. Nelson taught the lesson, never to be forgotten,
that sea-power is essential to the commercial expansion--even to the
existence--of our island kingdom, with its corollary, that the merchant
fleet is as necessary to this mastery of the sea as fighting squadrons.
The sea became our home; there arose a renewed love of exploration,
and an ambition for colonisation. Success brought the chastening
influence of responsibility, with a higher appreciation of the
advantage of a conciliatory policy towards foreign nations.
Contemporaneously with the growth of this conception of empire there
arose a war of retaliation in shipping with the newly-formed United
States of America, which continued for half a century. Although not
without its regrettable incidents, it stimulated a rivalry in the
shipping and shipbuilding industries which was ultimately as beneficial
as it had been pronounced. The monopoly of the East India Company in
the Eastern shipping trade terminated, so far as India was concerned,
in 1814, and as regards China in 1834. This removed an influence which
had hitherto retarded enterprise in naval construction--especially on
the Clyde--due to the Company's preference for building their ships in
India, and in the south of England ports. Private owners, too, entered
more vigorously into competition with American clippers which had first
commenced trade with China in 1788.
With the widening of the maritime interests and the intensification
of competition there was awakened a general desire to increase the
strength of ships. In this respect, as in others, there had been
little advance either in the Navy or in the mercantile marine. It was
exceptional for a ship of the eighteenth century to continue in service
for more than twelve or fifteen years. This was due partly to defective
constructional details, and partly to the ineffective methods of
preserving timber.
[Illustration: A TYPICAL EAST INDIAMAN. (_See page 12._)]
Ships were then built up[12] of a series of transverse ribs, connected
together by the outside planking and by the ceiling. There was no
filling between the ribs. The ship's structure thus suffered severely
from hogging and sagging stresses. The French tried to improve this by
introducing oblique iron riders across the ceiling, or by laying the
ceiling and the outside planking diagonally, while in other instances
the whole was strengthened with vertical or diagonal riders; but none
of these systems gave complete satisfaction. The Sepping system was
introduced about 1810, and was early adopted by the Scotts. The bottom
of the ship was formed into a solid mass of timber. The beams were
connected with the side of the ship by thick longitudinal timbers below
the knees, and by other stiffening members. A trussed frame was laid
on the inside of the transverse frame in the hold of the ship, and
the decks were laid diagonally. These members bound the ship in all
directions, so as to resist the stresses due to the ship working in a
seaway.
The method of preserving the timber adopted at the beginning of the
eighteenth century was to char the inner surface of the log, while
the outer surface was kept wet; but this was superseded early in the
century by the stoving system, which consisted in placing timber in wet
sand, and subjecting it to the action of heat, for such time as was
necessary to extract the residue of the sap and bring the timber to a
condition of suppleness. This process continued until 1736, after which
the timber itself was steamed. Copper sheathing was first employed
on warships in 1761; prior to this lead had been used, but only
occasionally.
American shipbuilders held an important position, even in the British
trade, for some time after the Declaration of Independence; but there
was then developed a pronounced spirit of emulation amongst the British
firms, which had a marked effect on competition in western seas. At the
beginning of the nineteenth century much of the oversea work done by
the Scotts was for the West Indian trade. The vessels were not often of
more than 600 tons, but the firm continued steadily to develop their
business.
[Illustration: Plate VI. THE "LORD OF THE ISLES." (_See page 13._)]
Between 1773 and 1829, the period of expansion under the second John
Scott, to which we have already referred, the output was 16,800
tons.[13] This output included a succession of fine ships for the
West India trade, to the order of some of the old Glasgow companies,
amongst the number being Stirling, Gordon and Company; J. Campbell and
Company; James Young and Company; and Muir and Fairlie. We may mention
as typical ships, the _Grenada_, of 650 tons burden, and the _John
Campbell_, of 446 tons, built in 1806, the first ships launched on the
Clyde with all rigging in position.
Thus early, too, the Scotts had entered upon the construction of
that long series of yachts, sailing and steam, which has brought
them considerable repute, and even more pleasure, since they were in
successive generations noted yachtsmen. In 1803 they launched the
45-1/2-ton cutter for Colonel Campbell, of the Yorkshire Militia, which
was pronounced one of the completest of the kind ever built in Scotland
up to that time. It may be incidentally mentioned, that the Scotts also
showed thus early their practical sympathy with the auxiliary forces of
the Crown by being at the head of the volunteer Sea Fencibles formed on
the Clyde in the stormy years of the Napoleonic wars.
As soon as the monopoly of the East India Company was removed in
1814, private shipowners entered the lists, and the Scotts were early
occupied in the construction of Indo-China clippers. In 1818 they built
the _Christian_, and in 1820 the _Bellfield_, the latter, of 478 tons
register, for the London and Calcutta trade. She was one of the first
of a long series. The _Kirkman Finlay_, of 430 tons, built in 1834,
suggests the name of a firm long and honourably associated with the
development of trade in our great Eastern dependency. The effect of
competition was a reduction in the average rate of freight per ton from
India to Britain from £32 10s. about 1773 to £10 in 1830.
The East India Company about the year 1813 paid £40 per ton for
their ships, as against about £25 per ton by other traders; the latter
sum was about the same as that paid in America. The East Indiaman had
a crew in the ratio of one to 10 or 12 tons, while one to 25 tons
sufficed for the West Indiaman. The speed of the western ship was
greater, largely by reason of the difference in proportions and lines.
The clipper built on the Clyde and in America had a length equal to
five or six times the beam, against four times the beam in the case of
the East India Company's ships. In the design of these clippers the
Scotts took an important part. Charles Cuningham Scott was then at the
head of the concern. An ingenious method of making model experiments
in the graving dock at the works was evolved in the 'forties, whereby
the firm were able to arrive at the most satisfactory form of hull to
give the minimum of resistance, and at the same time a large capacity
for cargo per registered ton. In this latter respect they were more
successful than the designers of the East Indiamen, notwithstanding the
bluff form of the latter.
As rapidity in answering the helm was a most important element in
tacking, and therefore in speed, the firm about this time prepared
full-rigged models, about 5 ft. long, for experimental trials as to the
ship's form and rudder, on Loch Thom, on the hill above Greenock, in an
exposed place where the conditions of wind were analogous to those at
sea. The results proved satisfactory. In fact, in these years, when the
_Minerva_, _Acbar_, and other noted clippers were built, the care used
in design and construction was almost as great as that now devoted in
the case of racing yachts.
[Illustration: Plate VII. THE "ARCHIBALD RUSSELL." (_See page 14._)]
The Scotts, in the first half of the nineteenth century, continued to
produce a long series of successful sailing ships, while at the same
time taking a creditable part in the evolution of the steamship. Steam,
however, was not possible in long-distance voyages until pressures had
been increased, and coal consumption reduced to moderate limits; and
thus it came that, although the steam engine was used in the early
years of the nineteenth century in river, and later in coasting,
craft, the sailing ship continued supreme almost until the middle of
the century. We do not propose, however, to refer to all of the later
sailing ships built by the Scotts, but it may be interesting to give
some details of the construction.
American rock elm was largely used. The frames were in three sections
with scarfed joints, bolted together, the scantlings being reduced
towards the top, so as to lower the centre of gravity. Inside the
frames there were at various heights longitudinal timbers, to add to
the fore-and-aft strength. The top sides were of greenheart, the beams
of oak or greenheart, with wrought-iron knees; the height between the
beams was made to admit of two hogsheads of sugar being placed in the
hold. There were side-stringers, sometimes 10 in. thick, between the
floor and the beams, which were half-checked into the stringers. On the
top of the beams there were deck-stringers. There was a most effective
transverse and longitudinal binding, brass bolts being extended right
through the knee, stringer, frame, and skin of the ship. The decks
were of yellow or Dantzig white pine. An 800 or 1000-ton West Indiaman
occupied about nine months in construction. The last wooden ship built
in Greenock was the _Canadian_, completed by the Scotts in 1859.[14]
The highest conception of the iron sailing ship, as built by the
firm, was probably embodied in the _Lord of the Isles_, completed in
1856. She had a length between perpendiculars of 185 ft., a breadth
of 29 ft.--the proportion being thus 6.4 of length to 1 of beam--with
a depth of hold of 18 ft. Her registered tonnage was 691 tons, and
her builders' measurement 770 tons. Although a fine-ended ship she
carried a large cargo on board, and made her first trip to Sydney in
seventy days, which had not then been surpassed.[15] She made the
passage from Shanghai to London in eighty-seven days, with 1030 tons
of tea on board. In one trip she averaged 320 nautical miles for five
consecutive days. When engaged in the celebrated race for the delivery
of the season's teas from Foo-chow-foo to London, in 1856, the _Lord of
the Isles_ beat two of the fastest American clippers, of almost twice
her tonnage. She "delivered her cargo without one spot of damage, and
thus British ships regained their ascendency in the trade which their
American rivals had far too long monopolised."[16] From that time the
British sailing ships gradually gained a complete superiority over the
American vessels, and carried all before them, until they in turn were
supplanted by the British steamship. From time to time an occasional
sailing ship was constructed of steel; the latest, the _Archibald
Russell_, is illustrated. Built for Messrs. John Hardie and Company,
this vessel has a length, between perpendiculars, of 278 ft., a beam
of 43 ft., and a depth, moulded, of 26 ft., and carries 3930 tons of
deadweight cargo on a draught of 21 ft. 7-1/2 in. But less than 1 per
cent. of ships now constructed depend upon the unbought but uncertain
winds, and then only for special trades. On regular routes the steamer
is now almost paramount, and it was, therefore, appropriate in the
highest degree that the first vessels to steam regularly to China,
_viâ_ the Cape, should, like the _Lord of the Isles_, be built by the
Scotts; but that belongs to another story.
[Illustration: decoration]
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Campbell's "Historical Sketches of the Town and Harbour of
Greenock," vol. i., page 18.
[3] Sir Nathaniel Barnaby's "Naval Development in the Century," page 23.
[4] Brown's "Early Annals of Greenock," page 136
[5] Williamson's "Memorials of James Watt," 1856.
[6] "The Gazetteer of Scotland," 1842, vol. i., page 709.
[7] "Journals of the House of Commons," 1792, page 357.
[8] Holmes' "Ancient and Modern Ships," page 152.
[9] Williamson's "Old Greenock," page 148.
[10] Campbell's "Historical Sketches of the Town and Harbour of
Greenock," page 68.
[11] The following figures are taken for 1701 from "Chambers'
Estimates," pages 68, 69, and 90; for 1793 from Lindsay's "History of
Merchant Shipping"; for 1803 from "Porter's Progress of the Nation,"
page 626; and for 1901 from the "Statistical Abstract for the United
Kingdom."
1701. 1793. 1803. 1901.
Number of ships 3,281 16,079 20,893 20,258
Tonnage 261,222 1,540,145 2,167,863 15,357,052
Seamen 27,196 118,286 -- 247,973
The Scottish fleet, which is not included for 1701 and 1793, was much
smaller, alike in the size of units and aggregate tonnage.
[12] Holmes's "Ancient and Modern Ships," page 130.
[13] Weir's "History of Greenock."
[14] Brown's "Early Annals of Greenock," page 138.
[15] Murray's "Shipbuilding in Iron and Wood," page 60.
[16] Lindsay's "Merchant Shipping," vol. iii, page 294.
[Illustration: decoration]
The Development of the Steamship.
[Illustration: decoration]
A close association existed between the Scotts and the family of James
Watt, the inventor of the steam engine: the founder of the Scotts'
shipbuilding firm and the father of Watt were identified with several
schemes for the improvement of Greenock; and the signature of John
Scott, of the third generation, whose portrait is the second reproduced
on Plate II., is taken from a document in connection with some
intromissions of town's funds, to which also is adhibited the signature
of Watt's father.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the Scotts were early close
students of Watt's inventive work, and among the first to enter upon
the building of steamships; while at the same time, as we have shown
in the preceding pages, building many of the fine sailing ships which
established British shipping supremacy in the early half of the
nineteenth century, and raised Greenock by 1829 to a port having trade
with every part of the world.
Miller and Taylor commenced their experiments at Dalswinton in 1788,
with a steam engine driving paddle-wheels in boats[17]. Symington's
steam tug, _Charlotte Dundas_, by its success in 1802 on the Forth
and Clyde Canal[18], removed any remaining doubt; but it was not until
1812 that Henry Bell, with his _Comet_, proved the commercial utility
of the steam system, although without profit to the promoter.[19] The
building of steamships, evolved by experiments by various workers
in Britain--and in America also--was readily adopted on the Clyde.
Within four years of the completion of the _Comet_, it was not
unusual for five hundred or six hundred passengers to enjoy in the
course of one day water excursions on the river.[20] The fares were
practically five times those prevailing to-day. Among the earliest
of the Clyde steamers were the _Active_, of 59 tons, and _Despatch_,
of 58 tons, built by the Scotts. In calculating the tonnage in those
early days, an average allowance of one-third was deducted for the
machinery. In 1816 the firm built the _Shannon_, of a length between
perpendiculars of 77 ft. 7 in., of a beam of 15 ft. 3 in., and of a
depth moulded of 9 ft. 1 in. She had fore-and-aft cabins. Her engines
were of 14 horse-power nominal. She plied on the Shannon between
Limerick and Kilrush. By 1818--six years after the completion of the
_Comet_--thirty-two steamers were running on the Clyde, and some of
these were sent ultimately for traffic on the coast and on other
rivers.[21] The largest of these was of 112 tons, with engines of 40
nominal horse-power.
The Scotts had built many sailing craft for the Clyde and Belfast
trade, for the Glasgow and Liverpool service, and for the Liverpool and
Drogheda, and other coasting routes; and it was natural when steam was
introduced that the same firm should supply the side-paddle boats.
[Illustration: Plate VIII. _From an Old Engraving._
EARLY STEAMBOATS AT GREENOCK.]
In three successive years--from 1819 to 1821--the largest steamer
in the kingdom came from Scotts' Works. The record was marked in
1819 by the _Waterloo_, of over 200 tons, with engines of 60 nominal
horse-power; in 1820, by the _Superb_ of 240 tons register, with
engines of 72 nominal horse-power, which cost about £37 per ton, and
steamed 9 miles per hour, using 1670 lb. of Scotch coal per hour; and
in 1821, by the _Majestic_, of 345 tons register, with engines of 100
horse-power, which cost over £40 per ton, and steamed 10 miles per
hour for a consumption of 2240 lb. of Scotch coal. Although the modern
steamer is fifty times the size of these pioneers, with a cost per ton
of less than one-fourth, and a fuel consumption per unit of work done
of not more than a seventh, the records of these and other early ships
are worthy of full reference.
The advantage of steam navigation for channel service was at once
recognised. A Parliamentary return issued in 1815 showed that for the
space of nine days in the previous year only one mail packet could sail
between Holyhead and Dublin owing to adverse winds, and even then the
average passage was twenty-four hours. Lord Kelvin, in his memorable
Address as Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, in 1905, recalled
the fact that early in the century his father often took three or
four days to cross from Belfast to Greenock in a smack, as she was
frequently becalmed. With favourable winds, rapid passages were made, a
revenue cutter occasionally doing the Belfast and Greenock run in ten
hours.
The Greenock and Belfast route was among the first around the coast to
come under the influence of the mechanical system of propulsion. The
_Rob Roy_, which was the outcome, so far as form of hull was concerned,
of probably the first model experiments ever made--undertaken by David
Napier in the Canal at Camlachie[22]--was in 1818 the pioneer in the
Glasgow and Belfast steam service, and later in the Dover and Calais
steam service.
There followed in 1819 three notable vessels from Scotts' Works: the
_Waterloo_,[23] the _Robert Bruce_, and the _Sir William Wallace_. The
particulars and performances of these vessels, taken from contemporary
records, principally the "Greenock Advertiser," which faithfully
reported each incident in the development of the steamship, are
especially interesting as illustrative of early work.
The _Waterloo_, which, as we have already said, was the largest steamer
of her year (1819), had a beam equal to one-fifth of her length, the
measurement between perpendiculars being 98 ft. 8 in. In addition to
a large number of passengers, she carried under ordinary conditions
a cargo of 100 tons, on a draught of 8 ft. 6 in. against 7 ft. 3 in.
without cargo. Three months were required, between the launch of the
ship and her trials, for the fitting on board of engines each of 30
nominal horse-power, which gave her a speed of between 8 and 9 miles
per hour. Sails, however, were still carried to assist in driving the
ship, and this vessel was of schooner rig. She inaugurated the steam
service between Belfast and Liverpool.
The _Robert Bruce_ was the first steamer to trade between the Clyde and
Liverpool.[24] She was followed by the _Sir William Wallace_. Both
were built by the Scotts, and had engines of 60 nominal horse-power.
They began service in the summer of 1819; and the record of the maiden
voyage of the former, in August, 1819, showed that two and a-half
hours were occupied in the run from Glasgow to Greenock, about 22
miles; and within 26 hours thereafter the vessel took on her pilot at
the north-west lightship outside the Mersey Bar. The return voyage
was equally satisfactory. To quote again from contemporary records,
"the passengers, both out and home, were so highly gratified with the
performance of this vessel and their treatment on board that they
unanimously expressed their entire satisfaction with Captain Paterson's
exertions to render them comfortable and happy, their conviction of the
seaworthiness of the vessel, and their admiration of the powers of the
engines, capable of propelling so large a body at the rate of 7 knots
per hour, in the face of a strong north-northwest wind and high sea for
at least two-thirds of the way from Liverpool, her rate thither being
nearly 9 knots."[25]
In 1820, the _Superb_, of 240 tons and 72 horse-power, followed the
_Sir William Wallace_, and marked a still further improvement. She had
a copper boiler, and in the three cabins sleeping accommodation was
provided for sixty-two passengers. She was "the finest, largest, and
most powerful steam vessel in Great Britain.[26] The average duration
of the passage from the Clyde to Liverpool did not exceed 30 hours."
The _Majestic_, also for the Clyde and Liverpool service, was built
in 1821, and was 134 ft. 11 in. long between perpendiculars, 22 ft. 8
in. beam, and 14 ft. 5 in. depth, moulded. Her draught, 10 ft. 6 in.
forward and 12 ft. aft, was too great for the upper reaches of the
Clyde, and passengers were brought from Glasgow to Greenock in a
tender. In her four cabins there was greatly-increased accommodation
for the passengers. She was probably the first steamer with a
sleeping apartment exclusively for ladies. The copper boiler worked
at a pressure of 4 lb. per square inch, and the engines ran at 56
revolutions. The fares[27] to Liverpool in those days were £2 15s., as
compared with 11s. to-day; of course, very much better accommodation is
now provided.
The _City of Glasgow_ was built in 1822 for the Liverpool service.
This vessel, which cost £15,000, had a speed of over 10 knots, and was
reputed the fastest afloat. Her length was 110 ft. 4 in., beam 22 ft. 4
in., and depth, moulded, 13 ft. She was arranged like the _Majestic_,
and the two were long the most important vessels in the Clyde and
Liverpool trade. She was subsequently bought by McIver, and inaugurated
the competition with the Burns line, commenced in 1829.[28] The McIver
and Burns lines were subsequently combined.
The Scotts rendered similar service in the development of the mail
route between Holyhead and Dublin. The first vessel built by them for
this service was the _Ivanhoe_, constructed in 1820. The steam service
had been opened between these two ports in 1819 by the _Talbot_, the
first steamer fitted with feathering floats.[29] The _Ivanhoe_,[30] a
larger steamer than the _Talbot_, was of 170 tons burden, her length
between perpendiculars being 97 ft. 4 in., beam 19 ft., and depth,
moulded, 14 ft. 6 in. She had various improvements in her machinery,
which was of 60 nominal horse-power. She left Scotts' yard in May,
1820, and made the voyage to Howth (200 miles), in 26-1/2 hours.
[Illustration: Plate IX. _From "The Life of Robert Napier."_
THE "CITY OF GLASGOW." ]
Thus the Scotts continued to improve on each successive ship, and to
widen the area of their influence. The Clyde continued to largely
monopolise the industry of steam shipbuilding, and it was not until the
summer of 1822 that a steamer--not built in Scotland--appeared on the
Clyde. This was the _Saint George_, from Liverpool, and the _City of
Glasgow_, already referred to, her competitor in the Liverpool trade,
raced her and greatly excelled.
One of the first steamers to trade in the Mediterranean was the
_Superb_, sent thither in 1824, and the _Trinacria_, also built by the
Scotts, followed in 1825. These ran between Naples and Palermo. The
last-named vessel was 135 ft. long over-all, and 113 ft. 6 in. between
perpendiculars, 39 ft. 6 in. broad over the paddle-box, and 21 ft.
10 in. net beam, 14 ft. deep (moulded), and of 300 tons burden. The
vessel was especially well-equipped, and cost £15,000. The engines, the
first manufactured by the Scotts at their Greenock foundry, were of 80
nominal horse-power, and the boilers, which were of copper, weighed
40 tons. The speed was 10 miles per hour. Later this steamer became
the _Hylton Joliffe_, and was employed by the General Steam Navigation
Company on their London and Hamburg service.
As to the yard in which these several vessels were built, suggestion
is afforded of the state of efficiency by the following quotation from
a history published in 1829.[31] "The building yard of Messrs. Scott
and Sons is allowed to be the most complete in Britain, excepting those
which belong to the Crown. It has a fine extent of front from the West
Quay to the termination of the West Burn, and has a large dry dock,
which was altered lately to the plan of the new dock. All the stores
and lofts are entirely walled in, and, independently of the building
premises, they have an extensive manufactory of chain cables."
The majority of the engines for these early steamers of the Scotts
were constructed by Napier or Cook, and were of the side-lever or
beam type. In 1825, however, John Scott, who had done so much for the
progress of the firm, decided to commence building machinery, and
acquired for £5000 the works which have since been developed into the
well-known Greenock Foundry. This establishment was begun, although on
a very small scale, about 1790,[32] and in its equipment, which was
considered thoroughly efficient, there was included a large cupola.
Some idea is given of the extent of the establishment by reference to
Weir's "History of Greenock" (1829), page 94, where it is stated that
in the few years that had elapsed since the taking over of the works
by the Scotts "they have manufactured some splendid engines, and--what
is more to be looked for than the appearance--they have wrought well.
They have in hand the largest engine ever made, which is of a size of
200 horse-power, and is intended for a vessel building at Bristol. The
number of men employed amount to about two hundred and twenty, while
the weekly distribution of wages is £180." As a contrast, it may be
said here that there are now four thousand men in the works, earning
per week over £5500 in wages, and that the Scotts are engaged on the
largest set of engines yet constructed by them--for H.M.S. _Defence_.
They are of 27,000 indicated horse-power, to give the immense armoured
cruiser named, of 14,600 tons displacement, a speed of 23 knots.
Since 1825, the Scotts have continued to do very satisfactory engine
work, much of it of an original character, not only for vessels built
for themselves, but for ships constructed on the Thames and other
English rivers, and also for the series of warships built for the
British Navy at their works, and for others constructed at the Royal
Dockyards. This naval engine work began with H.M. ships _Hecla_
and _Hecate_, engined in 1838-9, and the first warships built in the
dockyards to be sent to Scottish works to receive machinery.[33] And
here it may be noted, too, that the first warship built by the Scotts
was the _Prince of Wales_, in 1803, and also that the firm had the
credit of building the first steam frigate constructed at Clyde works
for the British Navy, H.M.S. _Greenock_, launched in 1839. They also
built the first compound engines fitted to a French warship. With these
naval ships and engines we deal in our next Chapter, and may therefore
continue our narrative regarding merchant steamers.
[Illustration: A SIDE-LEVER ENGINE OF 1831.]
We reproduce on the preceding page a drawing illustrating an early type
of engine built by the firm. This is an engine constructed in 1831.
The steam cylinder is 52-1/4 in. in diameter, and the crank-shaft is
actuated, through connecting-rods, from the ends of the levers operated
by the piston-rod, while the air-pump is placed at the opposite ends of
the levers.
A different type of engine, constructed in the following year (1832),
is illustrated on the facing page. In this case the cylinder operates
the opposite end of the levers to that connected with the crank-shaft.
In both engines the lever-gudgeon passes through the jet-condenser.