Salvage department

[sparrowcycles]

I've seen a couple of bcn boats with 'salvage department' painted on the cabin. Was that actually a real department? Did other canal companies have them too? 

[RLWP]

Rubbish disposal for Birmingham, the traffic going to Holliday Wharf - Salvage Turn

 

Richard

[sparrowcycles]

57 minutes ago, RLWP said:

Rubbish disposal for Birmingham, the traffic going to Holliday Wharf - Salvage Turn

 

Richard

Ahhh, so it was just a nicer title than refuse department then! Im going to look it up now and see if I can find any pictures.. Thanks for the information! 

[pete harrison]

Birmingham Salvage Department operated quite a large fleet of day boats, most of which (if not all) were fitted with a small cabin.

 

Similar operations were carried out by Borough of St. Marylebone who ran a fleet of cabined wide boat between Paddington and Cowley Tip, with this traffic later being taken over by Thomas Clayton (Paddington) Ltd., Grand Union Canal Company (trading as Thomas Clayton (Paddington) Ltd.) and British Waterways. Many of the wide boats were later replaced by redundant narrow boats and this traffic lasted well into the 1950's. When this traffic came to an end the boats were in a deplorable condition, and these form the majority of those sunk in John Hawtrey's Pit, Harefield in 1956.

 

I can produce fleet lists for most of the boats operating on these traffics.

 

This type of traffic was replicated all over the canal system, matched by night soil boats which also existed in quantity.

[sparrowcycles]

15 minutes ago, pete harrison said:

Birmingham Salvage Department operated quite a large fleet of day boats, most of which (if not all) were fitted with a small cabin.

 

Similar operations were carried out by Borough of St. Marylebone who ran a fleet of cabined wide boat between Paddington and Cowley Tip, with this traffic later being taken over by Thomas Clayton (Paddington) Ltd., Grand Union Canal Company (trading as Thomas Clayton (Paddington) Ltd.) and British Waterways. Many of the wide boats were later replaced by redundant narrow boats and this traffic lasted well into the 1950's. When this traffic came to an end the boats were in a deplorable condition, and these form the majority of those sunk in John Hawtrey's Pit, Harefield in 1956.

 

I can produce fleet lists for most of the boats operating on these traffics.

 

This type of traffic was replicated all over the canal system, matched by night soil boats which also existed in quantity.

Thanks again Pete, that certainly gives the full details. I do like hearing about the less glamorous cargoes and largely (in the bcn sense) carried by un named boats. 

Still for some reason I had images of them with jib cranes on or something for actually salvaging stuff.. dream shattered

 

i think it's because I like a bit of salvaging myself. 

Edited October 1, 2018 by sparrowcycles
Spelling

[Chris M Jones]

I've investigated some of the early history of Birmingham Corporation's waste disposal and also that of Paddington Borough, both of whom used boats to transport waste. Also to a lesser extent waste disposal at Wolverhampton and Manchester. Some of my findings were written in an article called Muck and Rubbish and published in NarrowBoat magazine Summer 2017 edition pages 32 to 38.

 

I found it a fascinating and complex research subject, and also funny, especially regarding complaints from the public about the stench of rotting fish offal transported by boat through Birmingham suburbs in the middle of summer, to be spread on local fields. Or boats loaded with night-soil passing along the Bottom Road (no pun intended, with boatmen shovelling some of it over the side to lighten the load, and turning the cut into an open sewer. Added to this is the crooked goings-on of the boatmen trying to defraud the Council. 

[Derek R.]

The Fire Brigade also had a Salvage department, and its fleet of vehicles were marked 'SALVAGE'. Most of their activities was in clearing properties destroyed by fire.

The smell of offal was not only restricted to canals, even today the streets of most cities - certainly London - are serviced by lorries collecting food waste, and the many high rise, futuristic office blocks all have delivery bays wherein waste skips are kept for same - with the accompanying odour. Been there - smelt that.

[Pluto]

Night-soil and street sweepings (human and horse s**t) was a large traffic on the L&LC, with over 150,000 tons being carried annually at its peak. Several towns had small fleets of boats, with Liverpool and Bootle being the main users. If the boats did not pass through a lock, the cargo was toll free to the so-called 'Free lands', those farms whose land had been cut through by the canal. At the end of the 19th century the quality of town manure declined as more and more rubbish was added to the manure. Rubbish was subject to a 0.5d per ton per mile toll, and in the early 1920s one unfortunate canal employee was sent out to check what was actually being carried so the correct toll could be applied. Manure wharves can be found next to virtually all the road bridges between Bootle and Parbold, with Liverpool's nightsoil being responsible for the excellent potatoes and carrots grown in this area.

[mark99]

Not original - but "salvaged" from a boat.

 

 

 

 

[pete harrison]

21 hours ago, Chris M Jones said:

I've investigated some of the early history of Birmingham Corporation's waste disposal and also that of Paddington Borough, both of whom used boats to transport waste. Also to a lesser extent waste disposal at Wolverhampton and Manchester. Some of my findings were written in an article called Muck and Rubbish and published in NarrowBoat magazine Summer 2017 edition pages 32 to 38.

 

I found it a fascinating and complex research subject, and also funny, especially regarding complaints from the public about the stench of rotting fish offal transported by boat through Birmingham suburbs in the middle of summer, to be spread on local fields. Or boats loaded with night-soil passing along the Bottom Road (no pun intended, with boatmen shovelling some of it over the side to lighten the load, and turning the cut into an open sewer. Added to this is the crooked goings-on of the boatmen trying to defraud the Council. 

I certainly remember Moor Lane incinerator in use on the Tame Valley Canal, but I am a little too young to have seen boats being serviced there 

[sparrowcycles]

Wow, thanks all, this is turning up a trove of info.

 

On 02/10/2018 at 09:36, Pluto said:

Night-soil and street sweepings (human and horse s**t) was a large traffic on the L&LC, with over 150,000 tons being carried annually at its peak. Several towns had small fleets of boats, with Liverpool and Bootle being the main users. If the boats did not pass through a lock, the cargo was toll free to the so-called 'Free lands', those farms whose land had been cut through by the canal. At the end of the 19th century the quality of town manure declined as more and more rubbish was added to the manure. Rubbish was subject to a 0.5d per ton per mile toll, and in the early 1920s one unfortunate canal employee was sent out to check what was actually being carried so the correct toll could be applied. Manure wharves can be found next to virtually all the road bridges between Bootle and Parbold, with Liverpool's nightsoil being responsible for the excellent potatoes and carrots grown in this area.

Having been based in liverpool for ten or so years until recently this is particularly interesting, thanks!

[Pluto]

I have written in more detail in my books on the history of the canal, and you can find a guide to the old terminal basin at http://www.mikeclarke.myzen.co.uk/Walks.html.

[Heartland]

The Moor Lane destructor- I remember this working and the Salvage Carts there. It was possible to see this building from the top deck of a No 11 bus.

 

As stated Birmingham Corporation had a number of day boats. It is quite possible the records of their building exist in Birmingham Library Archives. Wolverhampton Corporation also had salvage boats which can be traced through records at Wolverhampton Archives near the Wolves Ground.

 

The movement of night soil was a primary function of the salvage boats. They then moved ashes from the destructors in Birmingham such at Rotten Park Street, Banbury Street and Moor Lane. 

[Rob-M]

I see the National Trust are looking for volunteers as part of the Roundhouse project to do some research in to Birmingham's night soil workers.