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Side-Wheeled Paddle Steamers
China : Yangtse and Pearl RiversInland
shipping services were dominated by foreign-owned trading companies and
ship management companies. Inland river services were primarily on the
Yangtse, a major river passing through Shanghai on its long length
into central China, and the Pearl River, from the coastal cities of
Kong Kong and Macau to the inland city of Canton (now Guangzhou)
Perarl River
The
need for links up the Pearl River was prompted by the establishment of
Kong Kong as a colony under UK possession in 1842 and it was the newly
established trading houses which began to operate
primarily cargo services. Jardine, Matheson & Co introduced the
first paddle steamer (Corsair, 1846) which ran in conjunction
with the screw ship Midas and the operation was formalised in 1848 into
the short-lived Hong Kong & Canton Steam Packet Company. The
Peninsular & Oriental Steamship Company, which had won a
mail delivery contract with the British government commencing in 1845
operated a feeder service between Canton and Hong Hong for a short time
with vessels Pekin (1847-1866) and Canton (1848-1859, wrecked). The
American-owned trading houses of Augustine Heard & Co. and Russell &
Co became the dominant players.
The first major company to be
established was the Hong Kong, Canton & Macao Steamboat Company
(1865, operating on the Pearl River) with Heard as major shareholder
and as company managers. The company was soon able to come to an
agreement with Russell & Co leaving the new company in a virtual
monopoly position but with the agreement of not competing elsewhere in
China. This position was to prove temporary
Other
major companies emerged in the 1870s particularly from Yangtse
River based operators. Competition from the China
Navigation Company led to a market sharing acreement between the
Shanghai-based company and the established Hong Kong company effective
from 1879
The Hong Hong company
took over a number of US-built paddle steamers which had been in
service locally, brought in kit form by trading company Augustine Heard
and these were to provide the template for most subsequent paddle
steamer purchases by all the operators. Glasgow-based shipbuilder A
& J Inglis entered the mushrooming market by becoming suppliers to
the two main emergent companies but to do this they were required to
follow the design principles which were significantly different to
their normal paddle steamer output. This included providing walking
beam engines, commonly in use in the USA but not adopted in
Europe.
Yangtse
Developments
on the Yangtse River which penetrated deep into mainland China
from Shanghai came later than on the pearl River becuse it was not
opened up for foreign companies to operate until 1861. It was the
trading companies such as Jardine Matheson and Russell & Co who
were quick to take advantage, but it was Englishman John Swire and a
group of Chinese-led investors who created the two main players in the
early 1870s, especially after the latter, the China Merchants' Steam
Navigation Company bought out Russell's Shanghai Steam Navigation
Company in 1877.
Above
: Pekin, built in 1873 at Glasgow was the largest paddle steamer in
gross registered capacity terms built at at UK yard for river and
inshore work. She served for almost forty years. Photo : Published on the internet by the Scottish Built Ships shipbuilding database (ex - Old Ship Picture Galleries) Hong Kong, Canton & Macao Steamboat Company Founded in 1865
Fei Seen Built
by JC Couper at Hong Kong in 1860. Engine by J&G Thomson of
Glasgow. 178 ft. Originally built for Lyall, Still & Co. Sold
in 1866, ending up in Japan as Kusoku Maru
Fire Dart Built
by T Collyer at New York in 1860 for Augustine Heard. 200.9 ft. Single
cylinder beam engine. Previously operating on the Yangtse. Sold for use
in the Philippines in 1870. Lost in a typhoon in 1874 en route from
Honk Kong to Manila after a refit
White Cloud(Pak Wan Yun) Built
by T Collyer at New York in 1859. Single beam engine. Taken over from
Russell & Co. Wrecked during typhoon at Macau but the engine was
recovered for re-use in White Cloud of 1875
Kiu Kiang Built
by John Englis & Son at New York in 1864. 231.6 ft. Single cylinder
beam engine. Built for the Shanghai Steam Navigation's Yangtse river
services but sold to HC&M, entering service at Hong Kong in 1866.
Out of service from 1890 and scrappedt
Kinshan Built
by Roosevelt & Joyce at New York in 1863. Reassembled in by Thomas
Hunt & Co at Hong Kong and launched on 30th October 1863 under the
ownership of Augustine Heard & Co. Originally built with twin
funnels (spaced abreast) with boilers on the sponsons but refitted with
a single funnel and boiler located centrally. Scrapped in 1882
Poyang Built by Roosevelt & Joyce at New York in 1865 233
ft. Engine : single cylinder beam engine by Allaire Works, New York.
Sold to the Shanghai Steam Navigation Co but entered the pearl River
Trade on behalf of Russell & Co. With the HC&M from 1866.
Lost in a typhoon in 1875 with the loss of 100 lives
White Cloud(Pak Wan Yun) Built
by Westpoint Slipway, Hong Kong in 1875 incorporating the beam engine
ex-White Cloud (I). Sold for use in Manila, Philippines in 1899 but
lost on the delivery voyage
Honam Built by A&J Inglis at Glasgow in 1882 270 ft : 2363 GRT Two cylinder compound walking beam engine : 40 and 72in x 120 in Scrapped in 1926
Notes created with the help of source authors : www.oldchinaships.com h.dick@unimelb.edu.au
skentwell@hotmail.com
China Navigation Company (and antecedents)
Trading
house Jardine, Matheson & Co were quick to enter the Yangtse river
trading business in association with their existing coastal operations,
but stepped back in 1873 after operations were
bought out by John Swire who was intent on developing trade on the
Yangtse
and Pearl rivers. Swire's Union Steam Navigation Company was reconstituted into the China Navigation Company, mostly financed by the London and Hong Kong-based Swire, in 1873. The new company embarked on a massive expansion programme. Jardine,
Matheson re-entred the Yangtse trade in 1879 under the guise of the
Yangtse Steam Navigation Company but with screw steamships
Express
Rona Glengyle Built in 1864 by Wm Denny & Bros of Dumbarton 297.3 ft : 1903
GT 2 cylinder diagonal engine by Denny & Co Lost in 1875 when wrecked
at Namoe Island on a costal voyage in a tragedy which claimed 210
lives
Tun Sin Built in 1863 by Samuda Bros.of Poplar, London 241.3 ft : 773 GT 2 cyl oscillating engine : 46 and 46 in x 50 in by John Penn of Greenwich Built for the Shanghai- Ningpo - Hankow service of London-based George Barnet & Co Hulked at Shantou (Swatow) in 1885
Three sister ships built by A&J Inglis of Pointhouse, Glasgow
in 1873 and 1874 for the China Navigation Company were Pekin, Shanghai and Hankow. At
3076 Gross tons they were the largest inland and inshore
paddlers built by a British yard, although not the longest at 290.9 feet in length. Their
design drew on US paddle steamers, a number of which had already been
delivered to Hong Kong owners and featured beam engines
but unusually with twin cylinders 68 and 68 in (Pekin), 72 and 72 in
(Hankow) x 144 in
- Pekin (1874-1912) Later used as an accommodation ship at Wuhu. Captured by Japanese forces in 1942 and lost after a tow to Shanghai
- Shanghai
(1874-1890) Lost on 25th December 1890 when she burned out en route from
Shanghai to Hankow with the loss of over 200 lives. The hull
was hulked, surviving until 1935
- Hankow
(1874-1892) In 1882 she moved from the Yangtse to Hong Kong to run to
Macao and
Canton. She was lost on 14th October 1906 to a fire at the quayside in
Hong Kong with 130 lives lost. The hull was hulked and towed to
Shanghai and used later at Hankow, Shasi, and from 1939,
Ichang. Sunk during World War II
Inglis also supplied :
- Ichang
(1874-1891) 242.6 ft : 1782 GRT and also with a twin
cylinder walking beam engine
(62 and 62 in x 132 in). Initially placed on Yangtse but unsuccessful
and moved quickly to the Pearl River. Returned to Shanghai service in
1881. The ship was wrecked near Ningpo in 1891 with 43 deaths.
- Moning : The
China Navigation Company took over an older Inglis-built paddle steamer
in 1894. It was Kiang Teen, of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Co,
originally the Hupeh of the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company until her
sale in 1877. She was 277
ft long and with a gross tonnage of 2746. She was renamed Moning, the name she was launched with and held only very briefly before returning to China Merchants as Kiang Teen
China Merchants' Steam Navigation Co. (of Shanghai) Founded in 1872, unusually for the time with majority Chinese ownership
Tahyew Built as Nanzing in Scotland. Purchased in 1875. Converted to screw propulsion in 1880
Kiang Kwan Built in 1876 by A&J Inglis at Glasgow 230.1 ft : 1637 GT : Compound engine. Lengthened and reclassified as 2200 GT. Sank after a collision in 1918
Kiang Yung Built in 1876 by A&J Inglis at Glasgow 250.1 ft : 2118 GT : Destroyed after an ammunition explosion in 1926
Vessels taken over from the Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in 1877
Kiang Chang (ex- Szechuen) Wrecked in February 1878 Kiang Foo (ex- Nanking) Scrapped in 1925 Kiang Teen
(ex- Hupeh) Reengined by SC Farnham & Co at Shanghai in 1890. Sold
to the China Navigation Company in 1894 and renamed Moning but reverted
to China merchants as Kiang Teen in 1895. Sold in 1938. Scuttled in 1941 Haesan (ex- Kiangse). Hulked Hwei Yuen (ex- Fusiyama) Scrapped Kiang Ching (ex- Hirado). Hulked Kiang Piau (ex- Fychow). Laid up in 1888 and briken up shortly afterwards Kiang Tung (ex- Honan). Converted to screw propulsion. Burnt out near Wuchow during a voyage from Shasi to Hankow Kiamg Wei (ex- Fire Queen). Scrapped in 1878 Kiang Yuen (ex- Plymouth Rock). Scrapped in 1878 Hae An (ex- Shinking). Converted to screw propulsion in 1892. Scuttled as a blockship in Shanghai in 1937
Second-hand purchase
Kiang Ping Built by Thomas Wingate & Co at Glasgow in 1864 177.2 ft : 368 GT. 2 cyliner diagonal 36 and 36 in x 42 in by builders Originally intended for a Brazilian buyer, but bought by Japanese interests Purchased by China merchants in 1878 from HB Endicott at Hong Kong where she had been named Ngan King Used both on the Yangtse and Pearl Rivers until converted for use as a landing pontoon in 1893
New build : the last large paddler built for Yangtse service and featuring a compound diagonal engine
Kiang Yu Built in by A&J Inglis at Glasgow in 1883 300 ft : 3098 GT. Compound diagonal engine by the builders Sunk as a blockship in 1938
Shanghai Steam Navigation Company Formed in 1862 by Russell & Co, the company was bought out by the China Merchants company in 1877
Kiangse Built by Lawrence & Foulkes in Brooklyn, New York in 1862. 204 ft. Beam engine built by Essler & Co. Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Haesan
Fire Queen Built by J Englis & Son at New York in 1864 317.4 ft : Beam engine by Allaire Works, New York Purchased by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in 1865 Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Wei
Plymouth Rock Built by Westerveld & Son at New York in 1864 284 ft : beam engine by Allaire Works, New York ex- Plymouth Rock, 1854, a steamer on Lake Erie) Sailed to Hong Kong and entered service under US flag for Russell & Co on the Pearl River Purchased by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in 1866 Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Yuen
Purchased by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in 1866 Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Yuen Fusiyama Built by Collyer & Lambert at Shanghai 270 ft. Beam engine built by the Neptune Iron Works, New York Built
for Dent & Co but purchased by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in
1866. From 1868 to 1877 she sailed for the US Consulate General in
Shanghai Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Hwei Yuen
Hirado Built by Collyer & Lambert at Shanghai 265 ft. Beam engine built by the Neptune Iron Works, New York Built for Dent & Co but purchased by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co in 1866. Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Ching
Fychow Built in 1867 by Jeremiah Simonson & Co at New York 253 ft. Beam engine by Fletcher, Harrison & Co of Hoboken NJ Originally named Nautilus then Koyonoga, sailing in Japan Purchased by Shanghai Steam navigation Co in 1872 Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Piau Hupeh Built in 1870 by A&J Inglis at Glasgow as Moning but renamed on arrival 273.2 ft : Beam engine Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Teen
Honan Built in 1871 by Shanghai Steam Navigation Co 218 ft. Engine ex- Tah Wah Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Tung Nanking Built in 1873 by TF Rowland at New York and assembled at Hongkew. 295.5 ft. Beam Engine by Morgan Iron Works New York ex- Chekiang. Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Foo
Shinking Built in 1874 by A&J Inglis at Glasgow 219.2 ft : 1249 GT. Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Hae An
Chusan 1874 Wrecked shortly after departure from builders John Elder &
Co of Govan, Scotland on return for attention to her hull plating
Szechuen Built by John Elder & Co at Govan in 1875 300 ft : 1471 GT.
Engine ex- Kiang Loon (built in New York). Taken over in 1877 by
China Merchants as Kiang Chang
Yangtse Trading Company
Pioneer (1900) was built byBlackwood
& Gordon, shipbuilders at Port Glasgow and supplied in kit form for
local reassembly in 1900. Smaller than the big Inglis
steamers (180 ft) and of shallow draught to negotiate the river, it was
fitted with more traditional European-style compound diagonal engines
of 18.5 and 32 in x 60 in and was destined for work in the upper
reaches of the Yangtse at Chongquing. Almost before she could enter
service she was requisitioned and bought by the British Admiralty and
converted to a river gunboat, renamed Kinsha
in anticipation of action against the so-called Boxer rebels who were
in uprising against foreign presence in China agreed only under duress.
Records suggest that she survied until 1937 named Shukong.
