A Remarkable Survivor - Part 7

In this the concluding article of the series, I do not propose to give a ‘blow by blow’ account of the operational life of the ‘Daniel Adamson’ following her 1953 modifications.  There are amongst our membership, several former crew members whose first hand knowledge of this period and the operations of the vessel provide them with far superior qualifications to write on this period of the vessel’s life, so I will not attempt to do so.  I do hope to persuade one or more to contribute to the site in due course and believe an account of a typical trip would be of interest for those, like me, not having experienced what was involved.

Instead I hope to conclude this series with some observations concerning the past, present and future of the ‘Daniel Adamson’ and in the process, to identify some of the elements that I believe justify the vessel as a truly ‘Remarkable Survivor.’

In Part 6, I remarked that the adoption of the pale green upperworks to the promenade deck, dated roughly to the early 1960’s, so that my earliest recollections of the vessel, as described in Part 1 of the series, would date from about the same period. I recalled how this distinctive feature caused the vessel to ‘stand out’ from her companions moored along the ‘Old Quay’ wall at Runcorn.

I cannot remember my first sighting, but the chances are, it was the more leisurely view afforded from the suspended road-deck, of the long dismantled ‘Transporter Bridge’ no doubt while en route to visit relatives in Crewe. The crossing on this amazing structure was the highlight of what then seemed an ‘eternal journey’ and well worth the long queues of traffic on either bank. It also provided time for a breath of much needed fresh air (In Widnes? Well okay, you know what I mean!) as one could alight from the car during the crossing, a great relief to someone such as myself (and my parents!) being prone to carsickness as I was.

I would also visit the area quite frequently when I accompanied my father on business. He was a ship repairer based in Liverpool, predominantly engaged in the maintenance and repair of small coasters, so that we often attended ships in the docks at Widnes, Runcorn and Weston Point.

As a result I would naturally take notice of the various vessels seen on these trips, though my sightings of ‘Daniel Adamson’ must by then, have been viewed from the ‘new’ road bridge opened in July 1961.

An abiding thought about my sightings of the ‘Daniel Adamson’ was that ‘she looked old’ to my eyes then and of course she was, at around sixty years of age! That was over forty years ago and she’s still with us!  It is a truly remarkable stroke of luck that she has survived to this day, moreover, in largely original condition.

When one considers that the amazing ‘Transporter Bridge’ which I have just recalled did not open until 1905 and was replaced by 1961, it not only speaks volumes for the ever increasing demands on our road system, it is another indicator of the longevity of this vessel and the quality of engineering of that time.

While the Edwardian engineering of the ‘transporter’ can only be recalled from a few faded photographs and equally faded memories, the ‘Daniel Adamson’ is very much still with us and when restored, will be available to all, hopefully for many years to come.

Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge

The principal Mersey bridges, I would suggest, remain to this day some of the major landmarks of the region. There can be few people from the North West who do not consider themselves ‘nearly home’ as these readily identifiable structures come into view, be it from a train, road vehicle or aircraft. Like me I am sure there will be many people who will remember the distinctive MSC Co. tugs that once moored, or were viewed towing ocean going ships beneath these bridges. Of these, none evokes memories of this era more so than the ‘Daniel Adamson’, which, with sufficient support will soon renew her long association with the waters of the Manchester Ship Canal and the Mersey.

I cannot claim that ‘Daniel Adamson’ is of such antiquity as to pre-date the existing rail bridge which links Runcorn and Widnes, crossing both the Mersey and the Ship Canal. This dates from 1868 when it was built for the London and North Western Railway, the company which through it’s subsidiary, the Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company were the original owners of ‘Ralph Brocklebank’ and her two consorts, all of whom were named in honour of L&NWR Directors!

From the outset, these three vessels provided a means to cross the Mersey between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool, thus providing another link between Cheshire and Lancashire.

The delivery of ‘Ralph Brocklebank’ aside, 1903 was quite a significant year, for example, Liverpool and Manchester gained their own Universities, the building of Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral began, the ‘Suffragette’ movement was formed and in the USA the Wright Brothers briefly took to the air. Britain had an ‘Empire’ so large as to warrant the quotation, ‘upon which, the sun never set’

There have been an amazing number of changes over the intervening years. We need only look once again at the remarkable photograph (Historic Pages) of ‘Ralph Brocklebank’ as she steams past Liverpool’s Pier Head with her train of canal barges in tow. We estimate the photo’s date to about 1905 judging by the extent of building work ongoing to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board building in the background. Tenders for the construction of the building had been invited in 1903 and the Manchester firm of William Brown & Sons were awarded the contract at a price of £277,000! The building was completed and the first offices occupied in July 1907

The vessel behind ‘Ralph Brocklebank’ has been identified as the ‘Winefredian’ (10,405GRT. B.1899) of the ‘Leyland Line’ which by 1902, along with others including the ‘Dominion Line’ ‘Red Star Line’ and the ‘White Star’ all came under the control of the International Mercantile Marine Company. It is likely that she is preparing to sail on a voyage to the USA, calling at Boston and/or New York, a journey in those days of at least a week’s duration.  In my own short seafaring life, I recall the fact, that it took us about six days from the UK to Las Palmas (for bunkers). A fact that never ceases to amaze me now, as I restlessly squirm about in the seat of our ‘holiday jet’ covering the same distance in a little over four hours! A journey, which I know, is nearly over, as the familiar arch of the Runcorn/Widnes Bridge appears through the clouds and inevitable rain as we descend to land!

In my opinion, I believe that the ‘Daniel Adamson’ might be considered like ‘a bridge’ crossing not only a river, but literally ‘spanning time’!

As she now enters her 103^rd year, she represents a continuous link with the river of her birth, even today whilst awaiting her restoration; she lays no more than a mile or two from the place where her hull took shape. Not only the hull, but also those same Liverpool built engines remain to this day, patiently waiting to turn once more.

In this series I have described in detail the changes ‘she’ has undergone over the years, to her structure, her role, her owners and even her names, one commemorating a Liverpool Ship owner and the other a great Manchester (based) Engineer. She has served both Great Cities and witnessed amazing changes, not only to these places but the world in general. Technically a product of Victorian innovation, she has witnessed man’s first powered flight, two World Wars, man’s first steps on the Moon and countless other events in her lifetime. With our help she can continue to do so, not as a lifeless, static museum piece, but restored to ‘life’ and providing a rare glimpse of history in action.

It’s about people too, as I’ve mentioned in past articles, the development of the steam engine changed Britain, it also changed the world. Developments such as the compound engine and the opening of the Suez Canal affected not only world trade, but drastically changed people’s lives as well. For example the ancestors of many of Liverpool’s Chinese Community first came to the town as crewmembers aboard ships of Alfred Holt’s, ‘Blue Funnel Line’. As we know Holt, was a pioneer Liverpool Engineer/Ship owner, who played a major part in opening up the China Trade with early steamships.

(See also, http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lcba/ba/history.html )  The same story applies to many other ports where ‘foreign crew’ settled and made Britain their adopted home.

The domestic ‘migrations’ of the ‘Industrial Revolution’ can in many cases, be directly linked to the development of the canals and later the ‘Age of Steam’ whereby thousands who had lived ‘off the land’ in rural communities, moved into developing industrial towns and cities to seek work. My own ancestors provide a typical example, on my mother’s side, the family can be traced along the length of what is now the Shropshire Union Canal, where they worked as blacksmiths and lock keepers, my grandfather moving to Liverpool in the early 1890’s. On my father’s side, the move from Derbyshire’s ‘Peak District’ came about in the early 1870’s when a large number of the family moved to Liverpool. Until that time they had been tenant farmers, or had worked in rural trades for around 300 years. Virtually all those who made the move to Liverpool found work with the railways, including my paternal grandfather who became a locomotive driver with the London North Western Railway!  It is therefore obvious to spot the link that the ‘Daniel Adamson’ provides in my own genealogy, however, I believe in an educational sense; she can represent a vehicle for many people to learn a great deal more about their history, origins, the localities in which they live and work, as well as a host of other subjects of interest. In short, the restoration to operating condition of the ‘Daniel Adamson’ will provide something for everyone and above all a unique experience.

For the present, as we fast approach the second anniversary of the formation of ‘DAPS’ we need only look back through the pages of this web-site to see what changes have taken place aboard.

From a flooded ‘derelict’ awaiting the scrap man’s torch, to a much improved, well-conserved vessel about to undergo the first phase of her restoration. From a semi abandoned and largely ignored ‘relic’ to a well loved ‘friend’ bringing together hundreds of like-minded supporters, determined that she will not only be restored to her former glory, but that for years to come she will continue to be ‘A Remarkable Survivor’!

To close this article, one last picture, composed using the skills of my talented daughter, Jennifer. A ‘new view’ depicting a vision of how things could look in a year or two, with luck, a lot of hard work and above all, your support.  Thank you.