Curious how one thing leads to another.......
A recent thread was enquiring about the delivery of coal to the mines in Cornwall, which spurred me to hunt out my album of petty receipts from South Crofty Mine.
I was reminded of one receipt (below) which featured an engraving of a ship and also mention of a ship, the SS Pulteney, delivering the coal from John Vipond & Co. Newport to Hayle.
🔗Personal-Album-342-Image-65880[linkphoto]Personal-Album-342-Image-65880[/linkphoto][/link]
A search for the ship on the interweb thingy came up with the following results;
Built - 1899 by the Ailsa Shipbuilding co. Yard number 81 on the Clyde.
Launched – Saturday 13th May 1899 and named SS Barrow Castle.
Length - 145.2 feet. (145 feet 2 inches?)
Beam – 23.6 feet. (23 feet 6 inches?)
Tonnage – 358 grt.
In 1906 she was sold to Williams, Williams & Company Falmouth, and her name changed to SS Pulteney.
It was sold again 1916 to Harvey & Company Falmouth. (Harvey’s of Hayle fame)
WJ Ireland of Liverpool then bought the ship in 1933 and the following year it sank after a collision with a tanker, the Thelma, off Bardsey Island on passage from Penmaenmawr to London with a cargo of stone.
Sounds like one of the typical ‘Dirty British Coasters’ and no doubt had a salt caked smokestack. I believe that another ship the ‘Ailsa’ was also on this run.
So, it appears that the ship was owned by Williams, Williams & Co, who dealt directly with South Crofty.
The receipt certainly gives the impression that it was John Vipond who was engaged directly in shipping.
Vipond himself appears to have been something of a legend, owning many mines including ;
Big Vein Pit, Elled Pit, New Slope, Rock Slope and Varteg Hill No.2 Mine Pit, employing a total of 1,115 men.
The receipt contains some interesting features, one being the coal set aside -20 tons - for the ship to use. This figure seems to have been amended, or added to as the quantity 14 tons 16 cwt has been written below.
The second receipt below, mentions insurance on a total of £190 as costing 5 shillings.
I doubt anyone would offer 25p insurance on anything worth £190 today, especially if it were going to sea.
🔗Personal-Album-342-Image-65881[linkphoto]Personal-Album-342-Image-65881[/linkphoto][/link]
The other two receipts are from Williams, Williams & Co. The Pulteney’s owners, and Harvey’s the subsequent owners.
🔗Personal-Album-342-Image-65883[linkphoto]Personal-Album-342-Image-65883[/linkphoto][/link]
🔗Personal-Album-342-Image-65882[linkphoto]Personal-Album-342-Image-65882[/linkphoto][/link]
I mentioned to SWMBO that I could pour over these things for ages. She told me I need to get out more 😞 Green Flag! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Sorted!
"You Chinese think of everything!"
"But I''m not Chinese!"
"Then you must have forgotten something!"