Outfitting and supplies

In the weeks following the Wimmera‘s launch goods began arriving from ships chandlers and other firms from across Scotland and England to kit out the bare vessel with everything necessary for use by her officers and crew and for future passengers.

There were paints and varnish, cutlery for her saloons, bed linen and blankets, carpet runners, admiralty charts and almanacs…

On 14 September, in preparation for her forthcoming trial trip and sailing without a pilot, she received on board charts of the Firth of Clyde, Irish Channel and Sailing Directions for the Irish Channel and West of [England].

On 16 September she received from the firm of Walker & Hall of Sheffield, a delivery of badged saloon cutlery and other wares including [a] bread knife, fish and fruit knives, table knives, steels, butter coolers, cake baskets, candlesticks, cheese scoops, chutney spoons, cold water jugs, cream jugs, desert spoons, egg f…, eggs spoons, fish carvers, nut crackers, napkin rings, ink stands, pickle forks, salt spoons, sauce boats, sauce ladles, sauce tureens, soup ladles, soup tureens, sugar basins, sugar tongs, table spoons, desert forks, table forks, tea pots, coffee pots, teaspoons, toast racks, vegetable dishes, [a] wine strainer, gravy spoons, meat dishes, spirit labels, and toddy labels.

From the firm of Bainbridge & Co. of Newcastle on Tyne, 20 bales of manchester were delivered on or about 19 September and which contained 400 Christys brown linen bath towels (30″), 200 Christys white Turkish bath towels (30″), 100 blue alhambra quilts, 250 white quilts, 300 mattress covers, 1000 Huckabuck towels 3’3″ x 2′ (with name woven in), 93 dusters, 145 glass cloths, 134 pantry cloths, 72 roller towels, 48 lavatory towels, 1200 linen sheets 92″ x 54″ (with name woven in), 48 silver sheets, 232 cream damask tabling for second saloon made into 24 cloths for 12′ table 63″ x 162″ plus 24 cloths for 4′ table 63″ x 186″, 30 yards loom damask for 12 cloths 54″ x 90″ for Mess Room, 750 table napkins (with name woven in), 400 linen pillow slips (with name woven in) 408 bleached damask tabling made into cloth for Saloons, 67 cloths for 6′ table (72″ x 96″), 32 cloths for 8′ table (72″ x 180″), 16 cloths for 20′ table (72″ x 274″), 12 bags for dirty linen, 300 bolsters’ covers (of unbleached calico), 24 meat cloths, 300 pillows slips (“Finlay Cotton”). All of the above were received and signed off by the Chief Purser Miles. The cost to Huddart Parker being £530 3s 6d less a 2½ % discount bringing the amount paid to £516 18s 5d.

Also supplied from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was a consignment of ‘Saloon hardware’ from the firm of Emley & Sons. This comprised 3 bottle brushes, 6 paint brushes, 24 scrubbing brushes, 3 sets of shoe brushes, 3 cushion brushes, 2 clothes brushes, 3 crumb brushes, 4 plate brushes, 8 bannister brushes, 3 cribbage boards, 3 draught boards (and men), 3 chess boards (and men), 1 table spring bell, 4 hair brooms and handles, 6 corn brushes, 3 bass brooms, 12 galvanized iron buckets, 6 galvanized slop pails and covers, 6 Japanese Oak foot baths (18″), 2 cash boxes, 9 dust pans, 12 Majolica ware jardinieres, 1 earthenware filter, 1 gong and beater (18″), 50 tins with hooks and without covers, 6 toilet cans (Japanese Oak 3 gallon), 6 H W cans (Japanese oak), 2 dusting brushes, 2 butter pats, 3 knife baskets, 6 bottle baskets (for 12 bottles each), 6 strong tumbler baskets (for 12 tumblers), 1 spring balance (to weigh 30lb), 1 pair of champagne nippers, 9 cannisters (to hold 4lb each), 3 cold meat tins with wire drawer 2 ft square, 3 egg whisks, 1 tin funnel (8″), 1 billy can (6 pints), 6 enamel jugs (3 pints), 3 enamel jugs (2 pints), 2 lever knives, 1 knife board (36″), 3 lemon squeezers, 1 lamp for storeroom with guards over glass (6″ sq) to burn mineral oil; Saloon Gear comprising 1 copper spirit measure, 1 strong block tin coffee pot, 1 set of scales & weights to weigh 28 lb, 2 enamel milk cans & lids, 1 [polished] copper tea urn with earthenware lining jacketed & fitted with 2 taps (3 gallon), 1 packing case opener, 24 enamel meat dishes (18″);  Galley gear comprising 1 bread grater, 4 galvanized iron buckets, 3 paste brushes, 1 copper whisking bowl (16″ diameter), 2 extra strong collanders (16″), 1 meat chopper, 1 poultry chopper, 6 tin dippers, 2 fry baskets (12″), 1 fry basket (10″), 1 large gallery with guard, 2 toasting forks, 1 flue brush, 6 conical gravy strainers, 3 soup strainers, 2 gambrels, 48 polished meat hooks, 1 fish kettle (22″), 4 butcher knives (10″ blade), 3 French knives, 2 Mincing knives, 2 palette knives, 2 gally ladles, 1 mincing machine, 24 mess tins with handles (black tin), 18 jelly moulds (copper tinned), 12 pudding moulds (coppered), 2 raised pie moulds (copper tinned), 1 ice cream machine, 2 strong galvanized boilers with lids & taps (capacity 10 gallons each, square in shape to fit gallery range, 2 steel fry pans (12″), 2 steel fry pans (15″), 2 steels (15″ long to shoulder), 36 patty pans, 1 rolling pin, 2 iron saucepans & covers, 1 steel yard (to weigh 300 lb), 1 pair of steak tongs, 6 wooden gallery spoons, 3 soup cans with handles & lids (block tin 2 gallons each), 1…

 

On 24 September 2208 tons of Aitken Navigation unscreened coal were loaded into her bunkers by crane at James Watt Dock.

On 26 September additional navigational and other nautical aids were delivered. These included Admiralty charts, Seaman’s wages book, Azimuth tables, a pair of dividers, copies of Lighthouses of the World, Brown’s Nautical Almanac for 1904/5, the Admiralty Nautical Almanac for 1904/5, the African Pilot Part I, the Australian Directory Vol. I, and the New Zealand Pilot.

Following her return to Greenock, further deliveries of goods continued to be received.

On the 30th September she received a consignment of blankets as part of her outfit, delivered via the Glasgow & South Western Railway Co.

On that day also she received spares for her Linde refridgerating plant, in the form of a cylinder & case, compressor parts and anhydrous ammonia.

The following day, cargo in the form of glass plates for the Dining Saloon dome of SS Victoria were delivered.

Several deliveries of goods were made on the 3rd of October and included engine stores for the 2nd Engineer W. Bateman comprising 4 bags of lime, 2 casks of soda, guage glasses, steel wire and tube brushes; also deck stores for the Chief Officer, W. H. South, comprising 12 rolls of lampwick, lamp globes, twine and even a pair of handcuffs.

On the 4th October sporting equipment was delivered, comprising one cricketing set (bats and stumps in a case) plus 30 yards of netting.

On the 4th of October also, she received an order of stationary items, including a large bible, 24 small bibles, 17 prayer books and 41 hymn books.

On the 5th October a small delivery of galvanized buckets, a butcher’s cleaver and chopper, a waffle plate and two glass lemon squeezers was made.