The British Ship Toxteth -- January 29, 2015

The drawing is from the 26-September-1897 San Francisco Call. William A Coulter did many maritime drawings for the newspaper. Click on the image for a larger view.

Toxteth is an area within Liverpool. 

WAS RECALKED AND RIVETED
The British Ship Toxteth Was Twice Placed on the Drydock.
Her Damages Found to Be Greater Than Was at First Suspected.

The British ship Toxteth came off the Merchants' Drydock yesterday, after a thorough overhauling. Including a small amount of ballast the ship weighed 2200 tons, and a force of engineers watched her night and day to make .sure that the huge mass did not take a list. Had she done so both vessel and floating-dock would have been wrecked. All's well that ends well, however, and the Toxteth is now
safely moored at Harrison-street wharf.  Besides being one of the largest vessels that has ever been handed on the Merchants' drydock she has the distinction of being the first iron or steel vessel that has been recalked here in the ordinary course of events. All of her bottom to the seam above the turn of the bilge has been attended to, and also the decks and the cement in the lower hold. The Toxteth is
now as good as new, and as soon as she is out of the hands of the marine surveyors will be ready for a charter.

The Toxteth has been a very unlucky ship of late. She left Newcastle, N. S. W.. for Panama in charge of Captain Dunn with a cargo of coal. On March 8 last she went ashore in Parita Bay at low water.  When the tide made she was kedged off, but went on again next day at 5 a. m. at the top of high water. On this occasion she remained on the beach with over 4000 tons of coal in her hold for a fortnight.  Captain John A. Bromley was in Panama and the owners of the ship cabled him to take charge of affairs. He at once sent a schooner with thirty-five men aboard to the scene to lighter the ship and was proceeding to Parita Bay with the steamer Ancona when the news came that the Toxteth was off the beach and on her way to Panama. On her arrival Captain Bromley took command and Captain Dunn returned to England via San Francisco.

At Panama the crew of the ship deserted in a body and Captain Bromley had to get men to supply their places the best way he could. They were a motley crowd and only lasted for the trip to this port. The Toxteth arrived here on August 11 last and a few days later went on the drydock. The marine surveyors looked her over and decided that all she needed was a cleaning and a coat of paint. This was quickly done and the vessel was then supposed to be ready for a charter. She was given another overhauling in the stream, and when the cement in the hold was removed it was found that the vessel was more severely strained than was at first suspected. Many of the rivets were sprung, some of the beams were bent and it was evident that the vessel would leak in a seawav.

Wednesday last she was put on the drydock again and over 100 men were put to work on her. During the three days she has been on the dock over $20,000 has been spent on her, nearly all of which went out in wages. Ever since the first survey men have been at work on the vessel, and now Captain Bromley considers his ship the equal of any vessel afloat as far as seaworthiness is concerned.

Captain Bromley is well known in San Francisco, having been here in a number of vessels, his last command being the clipper ship Conishead.