Page 22 - SAFFER 03

Feeding the Monster

(from Ireland’s Waterways)

As the Winter lay-up is still in progress, sold off to private owners (bye traders) 2010 the Heritage Boat Association were
my plan to write about our 2020 voyaging but 10.M remained with the Grand Canal given access to view these fairly derelict
will have to wait another month. The Company and carried mixed cargoes looking craft and to offer some advice
story of 92.E deserves to be told and how on the River Barrow and Grand Canal and guidance regarding their future. In
she is now saved from the scrapyard and system for the majority of her working the Autumn of 2013 Waterways Ireland
is being used and the plans to bring her life. During the Second World War and offered for sale by public tender a group
back to her former glory. for some years afterwards, 10.M was of these redundant craft with the closing
rented out to two individual private date for salvage plans and tender bids to
92.E started life as horse boat Number 66 operators. When transport on canals be submitted in January 2014. Our bid of
in 1905 when she was built in the Dublin was discontinued in 1960, the majority roughly 75% of scrap value was accepted
Dockyard Company, Ringsend for the of the canal boats were sold off. A small and plans were made for the salvage and
Grand Canal Company. She was weighed fleet was retained by the Engineering moving of 92.E.
and her hull marked at the Killaloe Section for canal maintenance work and
station in February 1906. Riveted iron these were generally de-engined and man Over three days in mid-May along with
canal horse boats with timber decks were hauled along their designated section. another successful purchaser, the two
gradually replacing wooden boats and in 10.M was re-numbered 92.E and worked old sunken horse boats were refloated,
1912 the company began to convert these the section of the Grand Canal between relieved of a large amount of sludge
more modern craft to motorised barges. Lowtown and Edenderry. In 1980 she and moved out of the harbour area.
A single cylinder Swedish Bolinder was laid up at Ballycommon with some The nearest usable dry dock was two
E-type 15 bhp engine with shaft and other surplus canal boats. Within another days travel away and one boat had a
propeller was installed in Number 66 and few years they were all brought into bracket and rudder installed and used
she was given the number 10.M (the “M” Tullamore harbour for safekeeping and an outboard engine. 92.E was to be
designation related to motor barges). allowed to slowly sink which would help towed by our own ex horse boat 4.E. In
in their preservation. July the dry dock was secured and 92.E
The Grand Canal Company continued to after a very minor amount of patching
convert horse boats to motorboats until I would have become aware of the barge was power washed and tarred and again
30 had been adapted by 1923 and in 1925 graveyard in Ireland’s midlands nearly refloated looking a lot better than she had
the company embarked on a program fifty years ago and at the time I was done for many years. She was covered for
of having motor barges built which saddened to see these fine examples of the approaching Winter, but work was
continued until the late nineteen thirties. old cargo boats lying unwanted and with started to organise an engine and shaft
Most of the converted horse boats were little prospect of survival. In November for the following season.

In June 2015 the dry dock was again used
for the installation of the propeller and
shaft in 92.E and with altered engine beds
a modern diesel engine was installed
and commissioned. A Leyland 4/98 was
the unit of choice which came from a
scrapped JCB and apart from it being a
good workhorse, 4.E had the same engine
for over thirty years. Spare parts for these
engines are readily available at reasonable
prices.

92.E spent a couple of months cruising
the River Shannon and travelled the
Royal Canal to the outskirts of Dublin
for the Winter lay-up. This period was
used to put some much-needed steel
decks on her and some further above the
waterline, patches. The barge has been
used extensively since then travelling
the canal and river system and attending

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