Her crew posed for the camera in 1912.
The stewardess is Sarah Mahony Cunningham. To her right is first Officer, William Kearney. Captain Carnie was in charge. The lad at the top of the ladder is Duncan Chisholm, Jnr who later became the ship’s engineer. One man who experienced the transition from sail to steam at first hand was Duncan Chisholm’s father, Captain Duncan Chisholm.
He made beautiful models of the sailing ships on which he had served in his youth and Sidney Martin produced a special postcard of them:
Duncan senior, born at Carlisle in 1857, went to sea at the age of fourteen. Serving aboard the ‘Silloth’, the ‘Albatross’ and, finally, the ‘Kittiwake.’ He became Chief Officer of the ‘Kittiwake’. In October 1900, helped save the crew of the barque ‘Topdale’ which was in difficulties on the Solway. He was awarded an illuminated address and silver medal. Around 1903, he became captain of the Silloth paddle tug ‘Petrel,’ responsible for assisting shipping in and out of the docks:
He also supervised the towing of barges out to sea after dredging operations and attended to the navigation buoys and crew changes on the Solway Light Ship. Much more about the history of Silloth can be seen in my book ‘A Century Around Silloth, ‘ available on my website ‘P3 publications.com’ and in local bookshops.
David Ramshaw.
