Donaldson
Shipping Line
Recently
catalogued is material which The Ballast Trust had received from William Lind in connection with the Donaldson
Shipping Line. It contains private papers, legal documents and private and
company photographs, many of which were used in the centenary history The Donaldson Line by Alastair M.
Dunnett (Glasgow
.jpg)
The Donaldson Line
The
Donaldson brothers, John and William, began working together in the 1850s as ship-brokers and eventually turned to ship owners with their first ship the
wooden sailing barque Joan Taylor,
named after the Captain’s niece, in 1858. The brothers were to become very
successful and wealthy as they exploited the new South American trade markets.
As the company expanded they moved into providing both passenger and cargo
shipping, such as opening major routes to  |
| Logging and paper making Newfoundland, Canada. The lower right photo shows rolls of paper being loaded onto the SS Tritonia. Photograph Album TD49/262. |
The company acquired other
lines and developed subsidiary companies. Though after the Second World War
they continued their passenger and cargo lines, decline was beginning to set in
due to the increased passenger air transport and the containerisation of cargo.
Ultimately the Line went into liquidation in 1967.
This
additional material contains many documents related to the forming and merging
of the various Donaldson companies between 1920 and 1949, including the various
proposals, financial summaries and share allocations.
 |
| TSS Saturnia postcard Photograph Album TD49/263 |
Of course there is a good deal of ship information. Original documents are present giving costs and specifications of various vessels between 1860 and 1870; and ship records and log books between 1885 and 1918. There are also specific logs for the Donaldson’s first vessel, Joan Taylor (1858-59), the Astarte (1870-71), and the Colorado
 |
| Menu from the TSS Saturnia 1913 Photograph Album TD49/263 |
Ship events, newspaper cuttings and other ephemera are also in the collection, including postcards that passengers could send during their voyages. The example is from the steamship Saturnia built in 1910. It sailed between the Clyde and Canada - Portland, Me., or Saint John, N.B., and Halifax, N.S. in the winter. It carried 250 cabin passengers and 950 emigrants. It hit an iceberg in 1921 homeward bound off the Newfoundland Coast but was able to complete the voyage. It was sold as a whale factory ship in 1928.
Additionally
there are notes and proof copies of the centenary history, including examples
of the coloured photoengraved plates from Gilchrist Brothers Ltd., printers in Leeds .
Stephen
Hall
 |
| Maranon c1868: Photoengraved image Photograph Album TD49/263 |