Category Archives: Transport

East Lothian Man perishes on the Titanic

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The Titanic

 

On 14th April 1912 the jewel of the White Star Line, the ‘unsinkable Titanic, hit an iceberg. The massive hulk scraped the starboard side of the ship leaving a large gash. Water began to flood in, pouring over the bulkheads. It was soon clear that the ship could not be saved and the lifeboats were brought into action. But there were not enough spaces on the lifeboats, and some were even put to sea half empty. The Titanic sunk at 2.20am on 15th April. Repeated attempts to signal nearby ships were in vain, and those that did respond were too far away. And so 1,517 people died in the icy-cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

Colonel John Weir

John Weir was born in 1852 in Scotland. Married, divorced and re-married, he became a soldier and rose to the rank of Colonel. During the Spanish-American War he was appointed Quartermaster-General by no less a man than President McKinley. He later became president of Nevada-Utah Mines & Smelters Corporation and was highly regarded in Nevada. One newspaper would write of him:

His heart was young, and his strong body … bore the straight lines of the typical soldier.

Although he worked internationally he always retained his link with Scotland and lived at a house called Ingleholm in North Berwick.

Ingleholm in North Berwick built for Colonel Weir c1902

 

In April 1912 Weir had to suddenly return to America on business. He was originally booked on a ship called Philadelphia, but the sailing was postponed due to a coal strike. Unfortunately for Weir he was transferred to the Titanic. On 10th April he boarded at Southampton on a £26 11s first class ticket. Four days later he went down with the ship.

 

East Lothian reacts

Haddington Advertiser

When news of the disaster reached East Lothian the reaction was one of shock. Condolences were quick in coming; many church sermons mentioned the event and closed their services with ‘Nearer, My God, to Thee’. A performance of The Mikado at North Berwick Foresters’ Hall raised £19 10s, whilst a benefit concert was held by the Haddington Amateur Dramatic Society.

Colonel Weir’s dispute

Unfortunately for Colonel Weir’s family, he had not made a will. Before the estate could be divided a man came forward claiming to be Weir’s son. It was proven that he was indeed a relative and entitled to part of the estate. His intervention meant that the case was not settled until 1914.

Trams

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A Horse Drawn Tram, Edinburgh City Archives

There can be few people in Edinburgh today who are unaware of the problems encountered with the construction of the new tram system.  Nevertheless, in days gone by, the former tramways network evolved into a reliable and well-used method of transport within Edinburgh and the  City Archives hold a wonderful collection of photographs showing how we’ve travelled around the capital over time. Some of these photographs include images of the three stages of trams which moved through the city: horse drawn, cable and electric.   

Trams have been a fixture in major cities around the world since the early nineteenth century. Locals and visitors to Edinburgh in the early 1870s would have witnessed the ongoing construction of the Capital’s first horse drawn tram system. As today, tourists and residents alike would have been navigating the diverted streets of Edinburgh as great chunks of roadway were ripped up in readiness for a brand new tram system.    

The 1871 Edinburgh Tramways Act provided for the construction of tramways in certain streets and the first service, from Haymarket to Bernard Street, ran on 6 November 1871. By 1873, the tramways hosted 37 tram cars and 300 horses. The low rolling resistance of metal wheels on iron or steel rails allowed horse drawn trams to carry large numbers of people and industrial materials with relative ease and efficiency. The success of the tram services in Edinburgh can be measured by their rapid expansion. By 1893, an astounding 1,100 horses hauled large fleet of tram cars around the city.   

Innovation guided the future development of tramways in Edinburgh.  Horse drawn tram cars had the disadvantage of being limited to streets without steep inclines. The hilly routes along Hanover and Frederick Street were unsuitable for the operation of horse drawn trams.  The Northern Tramways Company, formed in 1884, saw possibilities for the use of cable trams to these areas. The new trams were introduced in January 1888. Known as the ‘cable crawl’, in the late nineteenth century, the system was one of the largest in the world with 36 miles of track. The cables were driven by three different power stations and the length of cable needed to move the cars totalled 48 and a half miles.   

Leith corporation acquired horse tramways in 1894 and converted the system to an electric traction- the first electric tram car route was opened in Leith in 1905. When Leith joined  Edinburgh in 1920, it became part of the Edinburgh Corporation system.  Musselburgh also had its own electrified tram system from 1904 which joined up with the Edinburgh system in the 1920’s. After the end of the Edinburgh District tramways company lease in 1919, the City Corporation took control of the tramways and opted for overhead electric equipment.  Despite public objections to the ‘unsightly’ overhead wires and cables, the electric tram and overhead wires prevailed.   

Following the First World War, internal combustion engines had improved by leaps and bounds and buses took to the roads to service areas trams didn’t reach.  By the end of the Second World War, scarce  resources halted extensions to tram tracks and buses gained appeal.  Throughout WW2, the maintenance of tram tracks and cars took a back seat and the system fell into a state of disrepair. The final decision to remove the 85 year old tram system became a financial one. The cost of a total overhaul of Edinburgh’s tram system would come at a cost of £8 million. Converting to bus only transport was priced at £2 million. Large numbers of people gathered to bid farewell to Edinburgh’s last tram on 16 November 1956; just exactly when the next one will arrive still remains to be seen…   

To have a look at photos of Edinburgh’s historic trams, browse the gallery below.