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Family Excursion Unearths PastQueensland Maritime MuseumJanuary 2004 -- A recent family excursion with relatives out from England to the Queensland Maritime Museum resulted in an interesting find and as a result uncovered some further local family history. On the walls of the museum was an old photograph dating back to the turn of the 20th century of a tugboat named "Beaver". In a plaque below the photograph, it mentioned that it was owned by a W & A Webster. This was my Great Grandfather and his brother. Their company, Webster & Co. was a merchant firm that took an interest in towage in the early 1880's, and in 1884 ordered the OTTER. She was to be the first twin screw tug on the river. Arriving at Brisbane in November 1884, she was purchased by the Queensland Government early in 1885, due to one of the periodical "Russian scares", and armed with a cannon. Together with the gunboats GAYUNDAH and PALUMA she was sent off down the river to defend the port. She never fired a shot in anger; nor did she ever return to commercial service. When the scare was over the Government retained OTTER as a "maid of all work" until the early 1940's. Some of her duties during these many years, included carrying Government supplies to the lazaret on Peel Island, the quarantine station at Dunwich and the prison on St. Helena Island. To replace OTTER, Websters went back to the same yard- Ramage and Ferguson of Leith - and ordered the BEAVER. The latter measured 221 tons against 271 for OTTER, but the BEAVER was seven feet longer. The pair had identical engines, of 99 h.p. The BEAVER arrived at Brisbane on June 25th, 1886 and remained in Webster's service until sold to the Brisbane Tug Co. in 1903. James Munro, the first manager of the B.I. & Q.A. Co., joined Websters about 1890 to take control of their shipping business, including towage. He resigned from that firm in November 1902, and as he was recognised as an authority on the needs of Brisbane, his retirement might well have influenced Websters in the decision to join in a merger. The Beaver was one of three tug vessels, Boko, Beaver and Greyhound, which in their own small way laid the foundations for a full time excursion steamer, as when not employed on towage duties they ran excursion trips, usually on holidays and at week ends. Beaver was liable to be found anywhere at weekends and up to 1898 when the Pacific broke through Stradbroke Island at Jumpin Pin, she made several trips to Southport. After this break through, channels in the area silted up and any further visitations by a vessel a reasonably deep draft were impossible. For a few years until 1913 or 1914, Beaver ran Sunday and holiday excursions to the Southern end of Moreton Island (opposite Amity Point). A Jetty and pavilion were erected there, the jetty vanished many years ago. The pavilion was moved to Bribie Island and utilised by the Bowling Club and is now is a part of the Clubhouse. Beaver was the largest of the trio and had a really colourful career having and took part in several ocean rescue tows. She was a twin screw, steel steamer built in March 1886 by Ramage & Ferguson Ltd. of Leith (Scotland) and arrived in Moreton Bay on the 25th June 1886 after a 77 day passage. The "Brisbane Courier" reporting her arrival, had this to say - "She is furnished with a particularly shrill whistle known as Cran's Patent siren and its unearthly sound rather startled the inhabitants of Kangaroo Point as the vessel came round the point last evening". It is believed that the ship retained this whistle until her end and still continued to scare the daylights out of children living anywhere in the vicinity of the river. When she arrived in Brisbane the ship had two raking masts and a Spacious bridge deck, with Passenger seats, the tow hook being well aft, However after experience in towing the mainmast was removed and the bridge deck shortened by some 16 feet to bring the tow hook forward to a better towing position. She was an entirely different Beaver however from about 1920 onwards, retaining only a very small bridge deck, where passengers were carried when she was required to relieve on the Brisbane to Bribie Island run. Ship Dimensions: Gross Tons: 222 Net Tons: 93 Length: 135.2 feet Beam: 21.6 feet Depth ; 10.6 feet Draft 8 feet. Engines by Ramage & Ferguson Ltd., Leith 2 sets compound, Cylinders 17 and 34 inches. Stroke 18 inches The following are details of two of Beaver’s towing feats: Between October-November 1917 she towed the full rigged ship Dunsyire (2056 tons) from Port Alma (Rockhampton) to Townsville and thence to Sydney via Moreton Bay, a total, distance of 1570 sea miles. On the 25th March l9l8, the tug proceeded to Fraser Island to assist the disabled Japanese steamer "Ujina Maru", After receiving a terrific battering during a severe storm Beaver towed her charge into Moreton Bay on the 31st March. On the 1st October l940, Macdonald Hamilton & Co. purchased Beaver from The Brisbane Tug & Steamship Company Ltd., and she saw service in Brisbane during the 1939-1945 war, In 1941 in company with the Carlock she towed a 2000 ton naval floating dock to Darwin and in July 1942, with the tug St. Giles towed the war damaged American ship Portmar from Thursday Island to Brisbane, a severe test for engines in their 56th year of service. In 1948 the ship was abandoned as a working proposition and in September of the same year it was decided to strip the vessel. The work was completed at Peter's Slip, Kangaroo Point. The engines were removed and broken up for scrap whilst Wm. Collin & Sons Pty. Ltd. purchased the hull for use as a sand and gravel barge.
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