The Making of the Tyne: a record of fifty years' progress. Illustrated, etc

Front matter

NEWCASTLE- ON-TYNE, THE MAKING OF THE TYNE HA RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS' PROGRESS. ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS VIEWS AND PORTRAITS OF THOSE CONCERNED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RIVER^ BY R. W. JOHNSON LONDON: WALTER SCOTT LTD. PATERNOSTER SQUARE AND NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE i895 NEW YORK • TORONTO ■ MELBOURNE Contents. PAGE Chart of the River Tyne from the Sea to Wylam. Longitudinal Section on the Centre Line of River from the Sea to Wylam. List of Illustrations ......... vii Preface ........... xi

Introduction

. The Cradle of Nineteenth Century Progress . . . . i A CONTRAST. I. The Tyne As It Was. (In the Forties.) ... 6 II. The Tyne As It Is. (In 1895.) 29 THE HISTORY OF TYNE IMPROVEMENT. III. The Old Conservators of the Tyne . . . . 51 IV. A Great Fight, and What Came Of It . -59 V. The New Conservators of the Tyne .... 73 VI. Making a River 82 VII. Progress and Accomplishment 100 YIII. Dues and Finance 13' IX. Makers of the Tyne (with Portraits of Commissioners) 1.14 v a VI CONTENTS page COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL RESULTS. X. The Sequel to River Improvement . . . . .189 XL A Great Coal Port .194 XII. Trade and Traffic ........ 209 XIII. The Building of the "John Bowes" .... 218 XIV. Great Ruverside Industries (1) Iron Shipbuilding . . . . • .229 (2) Marine Engineering ..... 249 (3) The Armstrong Works ..... 258 XV.

The Inception of the Oil Tank Steamer . . . 2S2 XYI. Victims to Progress ........ 294 XVII. A National Work and a Local Grievance . . 315 XVIII. The Founding of the Life Brigade .... 321 AP PEN DIN. Chronologia .......... 343 List of Tyne Improvement Commissioners, since the Formation of the Commission in 1850 ....... 345 Chronological List of the Principal Shipbuilders on the River Tyne ......... 353 Statement of the Quantities of Dredging Performed in the River Tyne . . . . . . . . . -354 Coals and Coke Shipments from the Tyne during the years 1S59 to 1S94 . . . ■ • 354 Index ....... . ■ • List of Illustrations. PAGE Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1850 ..... Frontispiece. Newcastle from the Teams, 1838 (Carmichael) ... 7 North Shields, 1830 (Carmichael) 11 Mouth of the Tyne, 1827 (Carmichael) . . . . . 15 Lime Staith, North Shields, 1836 (T. M. Richardson). . . 19 Sandgate Shore, 1830 (Carmichael) ...... 23 The River at Carville Shore, 1830 (Carmichael) . 25 The Mouth of the Tyne, 1895 ...... 27 High and Low Lighthouses, North Shields .... 28 COLLINGWOOD MONUMENT ........ 3 1 Shields Harbour .......... 34 North Shields, from the River ...... 35 Glasshouse Bridge .......... 39 Vessel passing through Swing Bridge , . . . . 41 High Level and Swing Bridges ....... 45 Exchange Buildings, Quayside 49 Howdon, from the Boat Landing, 1830 (Carmichael) . . . 75 Scotswood Railway Brudge, U838 .... .84 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page Tyne Bridge, 1830 (Ueslall, A.R.A.) 85 Tyne Dredger No. 5 ........ . 89 Bill Reach, from the S.E., showing Bill Point, 1830 (Carmichael) 93 H. M.S. "Victoria" passing Swing.

Bridge .... 97 Part of Newcastle Quay . . . . . . . .101 Grain Warehouse, Newcastle . . . . . . . 105 Coble Dene before the Dock . . ... 108 Low Lughts and Fish Quay, North Shields .... 109 Opening of Albert Edward Dock . . . . . .113 North Puer . . . . . . . . . . 117 South Pier . . . . . . . . . . .121 North and South Shields Ferryboat . . . . . U25 Captain George C. Coates . . . . . . . U28 Sir Joseph Cowen ......... 14c; James C. Stevenson, M.P. . . . . . . . .147 William Haswell Stephenson ....... 149 Matthew Cay . . . . . . . . . . -151 J- F- • ...

U53 P. J. Messent . . . . . . . . . • 1 S S James Guthrie . . . . . . . . . . 157 Robert Urwun . . . . . . . . . .159 Joseph Green . . . . . . . . . . 161 Edward Stout . . . . . . . . .163 John Lucas ......... . 165 John Price . . . . . . . . . _ .16- Utrick Alexander Ritson . . . . . . . 160 Henry Fawcus . . . . . . . . , .171 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page George Armstrong . . . . . . . . . iyo John Philip Spencer X75 Thomas Richardson . . . . . . . . . 177 William Temple 178 John Robert Lawson ......... 179 Robert Ormston Lamb . . . . . . . .180 William Sutton 181 Joseph Baxter Ellis . . . . . . . . 182 Joseph Toward Eltringham . . . . . . . 183 Walter Willson 1S4 Daniel Stephens 185 John Bowman 186 John Birnie Adam ......... 1S7 Walter Scott ........... 20U Dunston Staiths ......... 205 The "John Bowes" 221 Sir Charles Mark Palmer, Bart., M.P. ..... 223 Dent's Hole, 1830 (Carmichael) ....... 231 Palmer's : Shipyard ......... 233 Palmer's : Shipyard and Engine Works ..... 237 Palmer's: Blast Furnaces and Steel Works .... 241 Lord Armstrong .......... 259 Elswick : Guns Ready for Delivery to the Government . 263 Elswick: Centre Bay of No. 11 Machine Shop .... 267 H. M.S. "Victoria" Leaving the Ways at Elswick . . 271 Broadside View of "Blanco Encalada" 275 Speed View of "9 de Julio" (Built at Elswick) . . .

X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS page Outline Plan and Section of Mr. H. F. Swan's Oil Tank Steamer .......... 289 Benwell Spouts 295 Old Staith, North Shore . . . . . . . . 297 Deck Outline of Keel . . . . . . . . 299 Colliers Loading at North Shields by Night, 1850 . . 305 The Wouldhave Memorial, South Shields ..... 7,2^ The Old "Tyne" Lifeboat ...... 327 Wreck of the "Stanley" . . . . . . . 33 1 John Morrison ...... ... 335 Brigade House, Tynemouth ....... 337 John Foster Spence ......... Preface. AS men measure the distance of a road by milestones, so they unconsciously measure time by events. It is the event that marks the da)-, not the da}- the event ; it is by what happens that men distinguish time and comprehend history. There is always a starting-point ; there must be a goal. In the history of Tyne improvement the starting-point was the formation of the Tyne Commission, in 1850; the goal was the completion of the work that bod)- undertook to carry out.

The goal, if not actually reached, is now in sight. In 1 854, Sir Joseph Cowen laid the foundation-stones of the Tyne piers, and the Commissioners commenced the longest, if not also the most formidable of the tasks they set themselves to do. In the autumn of 1895 the piers were completed, and the work of the Commission in that respect, as in most others, is accomplished. The completion of these piers is an event in the history of the river. Practically, it marks the consummation of the Tyne Commissioners' scheme of improvement, which has taken close upon half a century to realise. It was in anticipation of this event that the author undertook to write, and the publishers to present to the public, the following record of fifty years' progress on the Tyne. What ever else it ma)- not be, under these circumstances the volume is at least timely. Written in the last stage of a century remark able for its industrial and commercial development, and reviewing