The Mary Gordon
The
Mary Gordon electric riverboat is the oldest electrically powered craft still in
existence. Having been saved many times from destruction, she is now being
restored, to carry passengers on Britain's oldest canal, the Fossdyke, in
Lincoln.
Frank
Baines, Esmond Bates and Mark Woodcock brought the Mary Gordon to Lincoln in
1943. The middle of World War II, this trip took five days and was complicated
by paperwork, 26 different bits of paper were demanded by the War Department.
The Mary Gordon
was missing windows and doors. Frank Baines added these and a new deck canopy.
The cabin was, like the hull, built from teak with clerestory skylight and
stained glass panels featuring birds and fish.
The Mary Gordon
was fitted with a new engine, a marinised Model T Ford engine, running on
petrol, later modified to run on paraffin.
For
annual maintenance, Frank Baines constructed a slipway on the side of the
Fossebank.
The Mary Gordon
took parties of up to 36 passengers between Gainsborough, Lincoln and Boston -
wherever they wished to go.
Figure
1: This is
the Mary Gordon docking at Gainsborough
She
also took many children and families on holiday trips between Lincoln and
Gainsborough. VE Day 1945 was celebrated with free trips for all.
.
To
work on the tidal River Trent, Frank Baines fitted a second Model T Ford engine
and the wing mountings are still evident.
Eventually,
the sandy Trent River took its toll on the prop shafts and trips were restricted
to the Fossdyke canal with just the one engine. A Kelvin 40hp motor was fitted.
In
1948 Frank Baines sold the Mary Gordon to the legendary William 'Skipper' Ross
Hendry and it is during the period of his ownership that most people remember
her, taking thousands of Lincoln folk between the Brayford Pool and the Pyewipe
Inn or Saxilby.
The
Mary Gordon was purchased from Graham Mackereth for the nominal sum of one
pound. KDJ Haulage brought the boat back to Lincoln. It arrived at the Pyewipe
and was craned into position by Abba Plant Hire Ltd.
For more information go to http://www.marygordon.org.uk/
