stoker

[joyce]

i have my gg.grandfather as being ship stoker but dont know what on he was at sea in 1841 census living at 36 cable wynd south leith midlothian,his name andrew morgan and it says stoker steamboat,can anyone tell me anthing about this thank you
joyce from holland

[Rockford]

Joyce,

In the days before diesel engines etc., when boats and trains were steam powered, it was the stoker's job to feed the boiler with coal to keep the fire burning steadily enough to generate enough steam to keep the power up. My great uncle was a stoker in the Royal Navy as recently as WWII.

It would have been a tiring, strenous and dirty job I imagine, as it would have been extremely hot and relentless - I read somewhere about the amount of coal a steam locomotive used to travel a mile - it was a phenomenal amount - especially when you consider it was shifted by a man with a shovel.

Best wishes

Brian

[joyce]

hi brian
thank you for the information but how can i find out what he served on i know it says steamboat but that means nothing to me
joyce

[Hugh Stevely]

Hi Joyce
Have you seen this link Steamers Resoures.

you might find some thing if you can come up with a ships name later-Good Luck with your search.

Hugh.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/tramways/ClydeCompanies.htm

[Rockford]

Hi Joyce,

Sorry if I've misinterpreted your question.

In terms of what he served on, it might be very difficult to find out for definite, as in 1841, there were probably a large number of steamboats and other steam vessels in an around Leith,as it was the main port for the City of Edinburgh. Some boats would have been passenger services connecting Edinburgh with Fife and other coastal parts of the UK and some might have used the Forth and Clyde Canal. Others would have been for transporting goods.

If you google for 'Steamboat, Leith, 1841', you'll get some information on the types of services using steamboats at that time.

Best wishes

Brian