Chapter VIII · FLEETWOOD-ON-WYRE. (continued 2)

£ s. d.

Charges on Ship 66 0 0

” on Cargo inwards 96 8 4

” on Cargo outwards 8 6 8

Total saving £170 15 0

Supposing the cargo to have been consigned to parties in Preston, a further advantage, amounted to £230 0s. 0d. in carriage would be gained, raising the entire saving to £400 15s. 0d.

During late years, the business firm just alluded to, whose interests in, and efforts for, the welfare of the port have so long been unflagging, has made a vigorous attempt to revive the American cotton importations. For the last few seasons several of their shipments, about ten, have annually arrived, and there is every prospect that when the dock is completed many more vessels will be chartered. A large shed for the reception of cotton was erected in 1875, in Adelaide Street, by Messrs. B. Whitworth and Bros., who have also established a permanent office in the town.

In 1859 the trade between Fleetwood and Belfast had developed to such an extent that a larger covered area for the temporary warehousing, loading, and discharging of goods was urgently called for, and towards the close of that year a space of about 190 feet in length, by 30 feet wide, was walled in and roofed over on the quay, adjoining the building then in use for the same purposes. Four years later, in 1863, two steam cranes were placed on the wharf by the North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company. Subsequently other cranes, working on a similar principle, have been added to those experimental ones, and gradually the old system of hand-labour at the quay-side has been superseded by the adoption of this more expeditious and economical plan. Shortly before the last-named facilities had augmented the conveniences of the wharf, a fresh description of mooring appliance was laid down in the harbour, and consisted of two longitudinal ground chains of 1,000 feet each, attached at intervals of 50 feet to two sets of Mitchell’s screws, which were worked into the clay in the bed of the stream. The bridle chains, shackled above to the mooring buoys, were secured below to the ground links between the attachments of the screws, the buoys being so arranged that each vessel was held stem and stern, instead of swinging round with the tide, or stranding with one end on the large central sandbank, as heretofore.

From 1862 to the present date, the story of the haven, with the exceptions of the trawling fleet and the Belfast line, which will be treated of directly, is not one which will awaken envy in the breasts of those whose interests are bound up in rival ports, nor indeed can it be a source of congratulation to those whose interests might ordinarily be supposed to be best promoted by its prosperity. It is true that the foreign trade for seven years after 1862 was in a state of fluctuation rather than actual decline, but the three succeeding years were stationary at the low figure of 21 imports each, after which there was a slight improvement, raising the annual numbers to 24, 32, and, in 1875, 33, due more to the staunch allegiance of Messrs. B. Whitworth and Bros., whose cotton again appeared on the wharf, than to any inducements offered to them or others by increased facilities or more appropriate accommodation. The coasting trade has already been referred to, so that there is no necessity to recapitulate facts but just laid before our readers. It is proper, however, to mention a few statistics respecting the trade in exports of coal, the chief business, and below are given the numbers of tons shipped, mostly to Ireland, in each of the specified years:—

1855 31,490

1860 23,652

1865 16,225

1866 12,315

1867 10,912

1868 6,809

1869 24,741

1870 43,653

1871 51,473

1872 54,794

1873 55,447

1874 56,939

1875 71,353

The large and sudden increase from 1869 is mainly owing to several screw steamships having been extensively engaged in the traffic, and there is every probability, from the addition within the last few months of a new and handsome coal-screw, and other indications, that this branch of commerce will continue to develope with equal, if not greater, rapidity. Again, it should be remembered, when considering the falling off in the numerical strength of the coasting vessels trading here, that those now plying are of much greater carrying capacity than formerly, and consequently the actual exports and imports have not suffered diminution in anything like the same proportion as the ships themselves. A series of tabular statements of all the most important and interesting matters connected with the harbour from the earliest obtainable dates has been prepared from the official returns made to the custom-house during each twelve months, and subjoined will be found a list of the vessels retained on the register as belonging to the port at the end of the years indicated, with their tonnages and the number of hands forming the crews:—

Year. Steam Vessels. Tonnage. Hands. Sailing Vessels. Tonnage. Hands.

1850 3 739 49 15 560 54

1851 3 739 49 21 856 77

1852 3 739 49 24 1495 104

1853 4 806 54 31 4002 196

1854 2 560 32 41 5337 261

1855 3 586 35 49 4933 267

1856 4 978 52 51 5458 280

1857 3 952 49 71 7839 391

1858 4 968 54 79 8168 427

1859 4 968 54 76 6930 392

1860 4 968 54 84 12075 570

1861 5 1508 74 93 14760 640

1862 4 1249 62 89 13957 602

1863 4 1249 62 85 12147 567

1864 5 1355 71 81 10338 513

1865 6 1372 74 83 9757 479

1866 6 1372 74 80 8831 454

1867 6 1779 90 77 9265 451

1868 6 1779 90 85 11226 515

1869 5 1239 70 99 12601 587

1870 7 1797 93 104 12546 609

1871 7 1571 81 115 13642 690

1872 7 1571 81 133 15161 789

1873 7 1994 92 150 19379 947

1874 7 1994 122 162 22598 1045

1875 9 2671 160 165 22655 1061

The foregoing tables, taken by themselves, would seem to imply that from the year 1868, the business of the place had been characterised by a rapid and most satisfactory increase, but unfortunately for such a deduction, the ships registered as belonging to any port afford no clue to the number actually engaged in traffic there, hence it happens that many vessels hailing from Fleetwood, as their maternal port, are seldom to be observed in its waters.

The following are the annual records of the foreign and coasting trade of the harbour, in which the Belfast and all other steamships are included under the latter heading:—

VESSELS WITH CARGOES.

Foreign Trade. Coasting Trade.

Year. Inwards. Outwards. Inwards. Outwards.

1844 8 1 436 327

1845 23 2 580 473

1846 24 13 799 927

1847 6 1 752 913

1848 15 5 873 857

1849 36 15 1247 1059

1850 38 14 986 1014

1851 35 13 943 932

1852 32 12 951 823

1853 22 7 1093 919

1854 23 6 1119 983

1855 21 4 1101 971

1856 10 4 1181 1120

1857 18 7 1130 1150

1858 26 13 1020 986

1859 38 20 1023 865

1860 71 30 1123 813

1861 68 28 953 713

1862 41 7 884 560

1863 27 10 795 615

1864 35 6 783 610

1865 29 2 868 623

1866 39 2 762 612

1867 37 4 737 573

1868 26 3 689 512

1869 28 3 730 512

1870 21 4 694 573

1871 20 6 545 526

1872 21 3 697 621

1873 24 3 696 670

1874 32 6 703 587

1875 33 2 659 589

The particulars given below, concerning the vessels belonging to Fleetwood, will form an interesting and useful accompaniment to the foregoing:—

New Vessels[86] Registered. Lost at Sea. Broken-up (condemned). Transferred to other Ports.

Year. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons. No. Tons.

1850 — — — — — — — —

1851 — — 1 83 — — 1 27

1852 — — — — — — — —

1853 3 199 2 62 — — 1 44

1854 1 128 — — — — 8 1003

1855 2 104 1 595 — — 5 562

1856 3 484 1 23 — — 4 294

1857 8 364 1 26 — — — —

1858 5 239 4 1050 — — 1 54

1859 3 97 5 739 — — 3 726

1860 3 865 — — 1 29 2 74

1861 8 1012 — — — — 7 518

1862 5 534 1 416 — — 12 1844

1863 2 226 4 1308 — — 4 318

1864 2 201 9 3363 — — 3 666

1865 2 273 1 538 — — 2 517

1866 4 520 5 1449 1 16 2 64

1867 3 439 6 605 — — 2 214

1868 5 588 — — — — — —

1869 6 512 1 518 — — — —

1870 8 1610 2 683 2 65 1 424

1871 10 991 — — — — 2 339

1872 15 1588 3 427 — — 1 42

1873 19 2921 6 1966 — — 2 120

1874 15 2928 5 2304 1 32 — —

1875 9 2410 4 2021 1 16 4 300

Now that the dock is no longer a mere word and promise, but has at length a definite signification and a material existence, there is every appearance that those into whose hands the fortunes of the port may be said to have been entrusted have no intention of any dilatory action in furthering the interests of their charge. Already, in 1875, a powerful steam dredger has been purchased at a cost of £12,000 and set to its labours in the channel and harbour. This dredger, which has superseded the older and much smaller one, launched in 1840 and used until recently, was built by Simonds and Company, of Renfrew, on the Clyde, and is of 100-horse power, being capable of raising 250 tons of sand, shingle, etc., in an hour. In addition it is able to work in twenty-six feet of water, whereas the original one was obliged to wait until the tide had ebbed to fourteen feet before operations could be commenced, so that really the work which can be accomplished by the new machine is out of all proportion to that which its predecessor could effect. Several iron pontoons, or lighters, furnished with false bottoms to expedite the business of discharging them, formerly performed by hand and spade, have also been obtained; and the bed of the river seaward from Fleetwood is rapidly being relieved of its superabundance of tidal deposits and scourings, which is carried by the lighters beyond the marine lighthouse at the foot of the Wyre and deposited in the Lune.

Steamboat traffic was, and is, the most important branch of shipping connected with the port, but notwithstanding the support and encouragement which has been so freely extended to the Belfast line, sundry attempts by the same company to establish sea-communications between Fleetwood and other places have invariably ended in complete failures. In the context we have endeavoured to trace a brief outline of the steamship trade of the harbour from its earliest days up to our time. The North Lancashire Steam Navigation Company was established in 1843, and commenced operations by running the “Prince of Wales” and the “Princess Alice,” two large and fast iron steamships for that date, between this port and Belfast on each Wednesday and Saturday evening, the return trips being made on the Monday and Friday. In that year, however, the number of trips was increased to three per week, the fares for the single journey being, saloon, 15s.; and deck, 3s. Another steamship the “Robert Napier,” of 220 horse-power, sailed also from Fleetwood in 1843, every Friday morning, at 10 a.m. for Londonderry, calling at Portrush, and returned on Tuesday, the fares being, cabin, 20s.; and deck, 5s. In 1844 we find that communications, through the exertion and enterprise of the above company, were open between Fleetwood and Belfast, Londonderry, Ardrossan, and Dublin, respectively. The Ardrossan line consisted of two new iron steamboats, “Her Majesty,” and the “Royal Consort,” each of which was 300 tons register, and 350 horse-power, the fares being, cabin, 17s.; and deck, 4s. The Dublin trip was performed once, and afterwards twice, a week each way, by the iron steamship “Hibernia,” which called off Douglas, Isle of Man, to land passengers, but after a year’s trial this communication was closed. In the summer of 1845, an Isle of Man line was opened by the steamship “Orion,” which ran daily, except Sundays; and at the same season the Belfast boats commenced to make the double journey four days a week, whilst the Londonderry route was abandoned. As early as 1840, on the completion of the Preston and Wyre Railway, a daily steam communication had been established to Bardsea, as the nearest point to Ulverston and the Lakes; and in the month of September, 1846, on the completion of Piel Pier, it was transferred to that harbour, and continued by the steamship “Ayrshire Lassie,” of 100 horse-power, the fares being, saloon, 2s.; and deck, 1s. In the following year this boat was superseded by a new steamer, the “Helvellyn,” of 50 tons register and 75 horse-power, which continued to ply for many years, in fact, almost until this summer line was closed, at a comparatively recent date, about eight or ten years ago. The Fleetwood and Ardrossan steamers discontinued running in 1847, and at the same time an extra boat, the “Fenella,” was placed on the Isle of Man route, whilst the Belfast trips were reduced to three double journeys per week. After a few years experience the Isle of Man line, a season one only, was given up; but the Belfast trade, continually growing, soon obliged the company to increase the number of trips, and step by step to enlarge and improve the boat accommodation. We need not trace through its different stages the gradual and satisfactory progress of this line, but our object will be sufficiently attained by stating that the two steamships were shortly increased to three. Afterwards larger and finer boats, having greater power, took the places of the original ones, and at the present day the fleet consists of four fine steamers of fully double the capacity of the original ones, which cross the channel from each port every evening except Sunday.

In the year 1874 the whole of the interests of Frederick Kemp, esq., J.P., of Bispham Lodge, in the Fleetwood and Belfast steam line were acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire and London and North Western Railway Companies, at that time owners of the larger share, and now practically sole proprietors. Up to the date of this transaction the vendor had been intimately and personally associated with the traffic as managing-owner from its first institution, in addition to which he was the chief promoter of the Ardrossan and Isle of Man routes.

With the solitary exception of the service whose progress has just been briefly traced out, there is perhaps no single branch of industry which has assisted so ably in maintaining and stimulating such prosperity as the town of Fleetwood has enjoyed, throughout its chequered career, as the fishing traffic. In the earliest years of the seaport, shortly before the Belfast steamer communication was established, a second pilot boat, named the “Pursuit,” arrived in the river from Cowes, but finding little occupation the crew provided themselves with a trawl-net and turned their long periods of vigil to profitable account by its use. This sensible plan of launching out into another field of labour when opportunities of prosecuting their more legitimate avocation failed them was not of long duration, probably no more than a few months, for on the Irish line of steamships commencing to ply the pilots secured berths as second officers, and their boat was laid up. The “Pursuit” soon became a tender to a government ship engaged in surveying; and about ten or twelve months later was purchased by some gentlemen, denominated the Fleetwood Fishing Company, and, together with four more boats, hired from North Meols, Southport, sent out on fishing excursions. At the end of one year the hired sloops were discharged, and five similar craft bought by the company, thus making a fleet of six smacks belonging to the place, connected with the trawling trade. In the course of three or four years the whole of the boats were sold, as the traffic had not proved so remunerative a venture as at first anticipated; and one only remained in the harbour, being purchased by Mr. Robert Roskell, of this place. Shortly afterwards a Scotch smack arrived from Kirkcudbright, and in about twelve months the two boats were joined by three or four from North Meols, owned for the most part by a family named Leadbetter, which settled here. Almost simultaneously another batch of fishing craft made its appearance from the east coast and took up a permanent station at Fleetwood. The success which attended the expeditions of the deep-sea trawlers was not long in being rumoured abroad and attracting others, who were anxious to participate in an undertaking capable of producing such satisfactory results. Year by year the dimensions of the originally small fleet were developed as new-comers appeared upon the scene, and added their boats to those already actively prosecuting the trade. To trace minutely each gradation in the prosperous progress of this line of commerce would be wearisome to the reader, and is in no way necessary to the object we have in view. It will be sufficient for the purpose to state that in 1860 the number of fishing smacks on the Fleetwood station amounted to thirty-two, varying in tonnage from 25 to 50 tons each and built at an average cost of £500 each, the lowest being £400 and the highest £1,000. The following will illustrate the plan by which men in the humble sphere of fishermen were enabled to become the proprietors of their own craft: A shipmaster supplied the vessel on the understanding that £100 was deposited at once, and the remainder paid by quarterly instalments, no insurance being asked for or proffered regarding risk. The arrangement entered into by the smack-owners for the conveyance of fish to shore, when they were engaged out at sea in their calling was most simple and business-like. The boats kept company during fishing, and on a certain signal being given one of the number, according to a previous agreement, received the whole of the fish so far caught by her fellow craft and returned home, for which service her men were paid 2s. each by the other crews, who continued their occupation and arrived in harbour generally on Friday. For the next week another smack was selected, and thus all in turn performed the mid-week journey. At present there are no less than eighty-four sloops belonging to this port, pursuing the business of fishing, and the arrangements both for their purchase and the landing of the captured fish have undergone a revolution. All boats are now paid for when they leave the shipbuilder’s yard, and the former custom of a mid-week relief, has been relinquished, each sloop returning and discharging as occasion requires. A fishing boat’s crew usually consists of four men and a boy. In conclusion it should be noticed that a special warehouse, about 90 feet long, was erected in 1859, solely for the use of the fishermen and agents, or dealers, connected with the trade.