The machine demands a sacrifice: Shannon cranes

Update April 2012

Added some photos of the cranes at the patent slip and dockyard in Killaloe.

Update June 2011

Added some thoughts on the Carrick-on-Shannon crane.

Update October 2010

Added some thoughts (below) on the Banagher, Limerick and Kilgarvan cranes.

Update 16 August 2010

Added more photos and information about the Killaloe and Banagher cranes.

On 3 August 1900 James Kirkland, Secretary and Manager of the Grand Canal Company, wrote to the Secretary of the Limerick Harbour Commissioners about the Company’s trade to Limerick and the likely effects thereon of a dispute with the Board of Works (which managed the Shannon and the “Limerick Canal”). Mr Kirkland’s letter was a series of complaints about the Board of Works and it included a lament for the £30,000 the Company claimed to have spent during the period it managed part of the middle Shannon; even though the arrangement had ended over fifty years earlier, the Company was still bitter about having been paid only £5 for its trouble.

In the course of his letter, Mr Kirkland wrote this:

As an example of the facilities afforded by the Board of Works I may mention that early this year this company wrote to the Board pointing out the condition of their crane at Banagher, and asking them to have it put in proper order, but nothing was done except to supply a new chain. The crane was a very old one, cumbrous to work, and should have been replaced by a more modern one long ago. We had to continue working the crane until May last, when it broke, resulting in a fatal accident to one of the men who had been using it. Even now, notwithstanding this accident, they propose to erect another old patched-up crane which has been removed from Kingstown [now Dun Laoghaire].

It may be that the Grand Canal Company’s complaints had some effect, because the crane at Banagher has a plaque saying (inter alia) 1-8-00, but was that a date? And if it was, was it the date of installation, inspection, refurbishment or something completely different?

The Banagher crane

The crane at Banagher

Banagher’s crane seen from the bridge, with Haughtons Mills (later the Malt House) in the background

Rear view

Close-up

Another close-up

The oval plate in the last photo reads:

Board of Public Works
To lift 3 tons
1-8-00
Shannon Navigation

Is 1-8-00 is the date of installation? There is some evidence that may suggest a different explanation (see under Portumna below) and enlightenment would be welcomed.

Des Fforde (see Comments below) says that:

I think that the crane did use a chain rather than wire rope, judging by the grooves in the barrel. A counterweight would usually only be used on a mobile crane.

And have a look at the “other crane” in Limerick, near the bottom of this page. Hard to say, but it has some points in common with the Banagher crane.

Shannonbridge

I know of only two surviving cranes further upstream than that at Banagher, and the Shannonbridge crane (of which, alas, I have no close-ups) is of a different design.

The Shannonbridge crane 1

The Shannonbridge crane 2

Carrick-on-Shannon

The other upstream crane I know of is at Carrick-on-Shannon (if I have missed any cranes, especially upstream, I would be glad to learn about them). The Carrick crane is above the bridge, and it lacks a jib. Unlike the other cranes, it has been painted green; it bears the number 12.

The Carrick-on-Shannon crane 1

The Carrick-on-Shannon crane 2

The Carrick-on-Shannon crane 3

After prolonged examination, I have made a guess at the wording on the upper plate in the second photo. I think it says

?? Mather Dixon & Co
Bath Street
Foundry
Liverpool

If you would like to have a go at deciphering it, and would like a full-size (3.7MB) version of the photo by email, please say so in a Comment at the bottom of the page. I would be glad to hear from anyone with more information than Google produces about the firm.

If my guess is correct, then this is an old crane. According to Wikipedia, Mather, Dixon & Company, locomotive manufacturers, were at the Bath Street Foundry from 1826 to 1839, when they moved to Bootle. In 1842, John Grantham joined as a partner; I presume that that was the author of Iron, as a Material for Ship-Building (1842), and the son of the John Grantham who brought the first steam-ship to the Shannon. The firm closed in 1843, before the Shannon Commissioners began work at Carrick.

In their seventh annual report, in March 1846, the Commissioners for the Improvement of the Navigation of the River Shannon reported on the Upper Shannon:

At Carrick-on-Shannon, the bulding of a new bridge of five arches, and taking down and removing the old one, constructing a quay, wharf-wall and harbour.

A contract has been made for the supply of the necessary cranes for the quays on the river.

Their ninth report, made in 1848, said that almost all the works at Carrick, except the harbour, were complete, but the cranes were not mentioned.

It seems, then, that the crane at Carrick is older than the quays. In 1832 Thomas Rhodes had reported of Carrick:

Above the bridge, on the Leitrim side of the river, a harbour is now being made by — St George Esq, for the loading and unloading of craft; when completed, it will be of very great convenience and service to the town and surrounding country.

He listed the partly-made harbour at Carrick as one of only fourteen on the Shannon, of which “scarcely one is furnished with a crane”. It is conceivable (but I have no evidence either way) that this crane was installed my Dash St George Esq at his new harbour and repositioned by the Shannon Commissioners when they extended the quays.

Portumna

Most of the surviving cranes are on the lower Shannon, from Portumna down. Here is the crane at Connaught Harbour, Portumna.

The Portumna crane

This is Crane No 8, but rated for only 1 ton as opposed to the 8 at Banagher. Note that the date (if date it be) is the same: 1-8-00

Starboard side

Rear view

Note that the rectangular plate seems to say “Shannon Commission”. I would have expected that phrase to have fallen out of use once the Board of Works took over the Shannon, and that might suggest that this crane is older than 1900. Could the 1-8-00 be a date of inspection or refurbishment rather than a date of installation? Or might it be something other than a date?

Here is another piece of evidence.

Portumna crane: builders

You probably can’t read that, but I think the words on the side say

Courtney
&
Stephens
Dublin

In The Post Office Annual Directory and Calendar for 1843, Courtney & Stephens, of 1 Blackhall Place, Dublin, is described as “agricultural implement factory and iron works”. But according to the Dictionary of Irish Architects, the firm of Courtney & Stephens, of Blackhall Place, Dublin, became Courtney, Stephens & Bailey in 1865. That suggests that this crane may be original Shannon Navigation equipment.

Kilgarvan

I have but one poor photo of the remains of the crane at Kilgarvan on the east side of Lough Derg.

The Kilgarvan crane

This is the only crane that has what might be called imitation cursive. I wasn’t able to read the first line; the second seems to say

Warranted to carry 25 cwt

I am not at all sure of the number, and I note that the final word seems to read “cut” rather than “cwt”, the usual abbreviation for “hundredweight” (one twentieth of a ton).

I looked again at this photo recently, and I now think that the upper line reads “Shotts Iron Works”: Shotts, half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow, had an iron works from about 1802.

If you would like to have a go at deciphering the text, I can supply a 1.4MB version of the photo.

Williamstown

We pause on our way downstream to note that the crane at Williamstown (formerly Cow Island) is of a different pattern from those we have seen so far, which would not be surprising as Williamstown was not a Shannon Navigation harbour. I understand that this crane was fitted to the canal-boat Peter Farrell (operated by John Weaving) before it got hydraulics.

The Williamstown crane

Scarriff

The crane at Scarriff seems to match that at Portumna.

The Scarriff crane

I should have shifted those barrels to check the manufacturer’s name.

It has the familiar plate …

… and says Shannon Commission on the back

Killaloe

The cranes at the patent slip and dockyard will be covered in more detail on a different page; here are five photos as a temporary measure.

Killaloe dockyard cranes

The crane at the quay

The Killaloe crane, which is not of the same design as the Portumna and Scarriff cranes

The Killaloe crane from the far side of the canal

Crane with cheese

This crane has a geared mechanism for turning (slewing?)

Manufacturer’s plate

There is a similar plate on the far side. It is undamaged, so I could read the full address, but my photo is less good. The manufacturer was:

William Jones, 154 Upper Thames Street, London

Googling has produced no information about the firm or its years of operation; I would welcome information.

Limerick

There were two cranes at the canal harbour in Limerick.

The downstream crane, photographed before the harbour was tarted up

The crane has now been partially buried

Rather less remains of the other crane.

Industrial heritage bits

More heritage bits

However, it has some points of resemblance to the Banagher crane. I must take more photos ….

Saleen pier

I’ve written about Saleen Pier here. As far as I can see, it is the only one of the estuary piers constructed by the Shannon Commissioners that still has a crane.

Saleen Pier and crane

The manufacturer’s plaque is at the bottom of the crane

The design differs from that used at Portumna and Scarriff

The manufacturer’s plaque says

Clarke
Ringsend
Dublin

According to John D’Alton’s The History of the County of Dublin (1838)

Mr. Clarke has an iron foundry here [Ringsend], where about fifty men have daily employment [...].

Envoi

Now that I know what to look for on Shannon Navigation cranes, I must revisit some of them and take more photos …. In the meantime, if anyone can add to the store of knowledge, do please leave a Comment below. From the GCC letter, it appears that the cranes could be operated by persons not employed by the Board of Works, but what were the commercial and working practices that governed their use? What other cranes are still around? And, if Carrick-on-Shannon is No 12, how many were there altogether and where were they located?

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Oh, the title of this page? Clue: Pete Brown.