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LEADER

Craft

Fleet No

Built at

Hull

Cost

Type

LEADER

STEAM TUG

Owners

Address

Source for

First Date

SURCCo (cost £160)

NWMIN 80

Steamer Registrations

Owner

Place

PH No

As

Date Inspected

Date Registered

SURCCo

Chester

502

Steam tug ,wide

16.7.1896

24.7.1896

Steamer Gaugings

Owner

Place

Gauging Number

Notes

Date

Boiler

Wilkinson & Co, Holme House Foundry, Wigan

Engine

Wilkinson .

Steamer History

Minute 20052 Canal Tug Avoca was worn out and that it was necessary for her to be replaced. A new boat was ordered to be put in hand, cost £160, and Messrs Wilkinsons tender for engines and boiler, £398 was ordered to be accepted Minute 20197 Trials of the new replacement “Leader” £398 boiler and engine. Only used on the Wirral length. Later maintenance craft Photographed at Grub Street clayhole (NWMIN 81) (WW 1/1983 p63) Minute 23960: The hull of the tug Leader having been condemned, it was reported that her boiler, No 34, had been taken out and put into stock Minute 25519: Tug Leader on condemned list had been dismantled and the hull sold to B. D. Bate of Chester for £25

15.1.1896 12.8.1896 C1905-10 19.6.1912 8.12.1920

Fate

See Minute 25519

Date

8.12.1920

Documents on file

WW 1.1983 p 63 pc Photo in Grub St Cutting , Woodseaves SUC c1915 (Illustration)

Letter from T Kavanagh (filed under Dagmar) ts 14.11.2001

Article by H A Illingworth (see under)

CANAL STEAMERS AT CHESTER IN EARLY 20th CENTURY

The "ROCKET" and "LEADER" were tugs belonging to the S.U. Ry & Co and were employed for towing strings of barges and narrow boats on the level between the foot of Northgate Locks Chester and Ellesmere Port. They were I think a little shorter than the steam barges and only 6’ 6’’ beam. They were very heavily built, probably by the Canal Company at Whipcord Lane yard, of 2’’oak planking on closely spaced sawn oak frames about 4’’ square at the head, the bow and stren being heavily armoured with cope irons about 4’’ wide. They had powerful cast iron propellers and were ballasted with about 4 tons of pig iron laid in the bilges between the frames (I know because I lifted it out pf the "LEADER";) ;

The machinery had obviously been built, by the London and North West Railway Company at Crewe they being owners of S.U. Ry & C. Co guaranteeing a modest dividend. The boilers were probably a small standard Crewe pattern, the dome and safety valve covers being pure Crewe. The boilers were double high pressure and laid horizontally athwartships. They carried a cast iron box pinion on the end of the crankshaft gearing into a spur-wheel on the propeller shaft having wooden cogs.

The usual tow was anything up to a dozen barges and narrowboats and perhaps more. As canal traffic fell away,the tugs were laid up, LEADER eventually becoming derelict in Chester Canal Basin. ln the early 1920's the Chester & Liverpool Lighterage Company in an attempt to revive the canal trade, restored "ROCKET” to service and she worked again for a short time.

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