INVERCLYDE SHIPBUILDING

Back Rew, I. to r.—A. Logan. A. McDonald. D. Black, J. Mitchell. B. Greenlees, J. ValIance, R. Smith. Front Row, I. to r.—W. Farquharson, A. Mitchell, S. Mitchell, S. Lindsay, S. Crawford, R. B. Tough. R. Hunter, S. McDonald, R. McKinnon, G. Hume.

In the late 19th and early 20th century years, man’s outlook and sense of values differed greatly from what they are today. Immense store was set on the examples of the past which were continually referred to for guidance, and much care, diligence and thought were devoted to compiling reliable records of men and their past accomplishments, and one was considered on a sound footing by how near a parallel they could emulate those who had gone before, and who had left directing footprints for them in the sands of time.

Since those years, man’s outlook and sense of values are measured, not by contentedly emulating the achievements of his forefathers but by how much he can surpass everything which was done before. Factors little known then as they are now — ambition and competition, have so exploited this degree of habitual acceptance, and destroyed the recognition of limits, that now only a few of the old accepted standards have survived and not became obsolete.

“Production” as a word, in those days merely signified that work was being done, but precision modern methods and machinery so consistently guarantee quality, that the word “production” is almost exclusively used today to signify quantity, and man is too busy, even with his super calculating machines, compiling record totals, and straining to reach predetermined goals before the clock, that he has no time to pause, look back and compare.

It can be a tonic, however, to the hustle-wearied mind, just to step off the dizzy endless-belt conveyor for a moment, draw in a long lung full of stationary air and exhaust the static charged draught of perpetual motion from his system and sit down in a quiet place, with a copy of some of those old records, so laboriously compiled by the pioneers of his profession, and - yes, marvel at their achievements, with the equipment and gear then at their disposal. One is shocked and humbled by even a preliminary attempt to assess what THEIR PRODUCTION would have been, with modern tools and machinery.

Of course we’re proud of them, those men who broke the soil and ploughed some of the first furrows in the ever expanding fields of Engineering, and we are privileged to have this opportunity to present to our readers such a fine example of the kind of records they kept so meticulously.

Figure 1 is a reproduction of the front cover of one such record, made up in book form by Mr R.B. Tough, which not only contains a list of the engines built at Arthur Street from 1869 to 1922, but also a photograph, figure 2, of all the foremen employed there, with an accompanying list of their names and years of service—a most interesting document since many of our old hands will remember and recognise quite a few in this group.

Following this, the book contains the eight page list of all engines built in the period mentioned, with the name of the ship and with details of the type, size and number of cylinders, length of stroke, and the year built of each unit from No. 208, which was for the “Australia”, to No. 585 for the “Bendigo.” The last engine built in 1919 by Caird and Co., in Arthur Street Works, was No, 572 for the “Dundrum Castle,” completed just before these works were taken over by John G. Kincaid and Company, Ltd., who from then, until the record was compiled in 1922, built eight sets of engines, respectively, for the following ships:—”Ardmore,” “Dunkerquois,” “Cambraisien,” “Kenmare,” “Trold fos, “Laatefos,” and “Bendigo.” The eighth complete engine, No, 571, was for a ship which was still on the stocks and unnamed.

Inside the front cover, Figure 3, is a uniquely designed method of recording the autographs of each foreman appearing in Figure 2. Each signature as you can see, indicates an overall higher standard of penmanship than prevails today, due, someone humorously suggested, to the fact that more time in school could then be devoted to hand-writing, since there were only the three Rs taught — reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic.

The last page of this literary museum-piece, displays a photograph, obviously the copy of an original, and too undefined for reproduction, of two cut crystal vases flanking a beautiful cut crystal rosebowl (centre-piece) on an ebony stand. Below it appears the caption “PRESENTATION TO JAMES CRAWFORD, ESQ.”, but we regret having no details of the incident, although it is reasonable to assume that they were presented to mark the occasion of his retiral.

Mr R. B. Tough, who after the transfer of Arthur Street Works, came to our Drawing Office was evidently an artist of some note as well as a draughtsman. Inside the back cover he has designed an encircled shield in which the figures 1922 are inscribed at the top, between the handle- ends of two inverted torches (Olympic, not electric), the smoke from which is already shown partly obscuring this date of record, suggesting it would seem, inevitable oblivion. There were, we understand, about twenty original copies of this fine record folio. If you, reader, have one, no doubt you will prize it, but it was designed and compiled to tell a story, so why not trot it out and show it to the friends you can trust to appreciate its value, so that they, too, may learn something of “The Good Old Days.”