Hello List I'm new to the List and really happy to be here. I found the history of Port Elizabeth really interesting and am wondering if there is similar historical information re the port at The Cape ? My interest lies in that my ancestor was William Bridekirk born Yorkshire UK who was Deputy Port Captain in 1806, Tide Surveyor in 1809 and in 1808 was Port Captain & Tide Surveyor. From Peter Philip's book "British Residents at The Cape" details of which kindly sent to me by List members of Sth African British List: his address was 14A Keerom Str. and 4 Strand Str. Would anyone be able to tell me where these streets were or are now ? He died in 1826, buried Somerset East. Is there a map of Cape Town in the early 1800s accessible to the Net ? I believe there was (and perhaps still is) a "Bridekirk Way" in Cape Town also. Would anyone be able to tell me more about the Port at this time, and/or his duties, responsibilities, or "set the historical scene" for me at this time ? Anything relevant would be very much appreciated as I virtually know nothing about the Port at that time in SA history. Thanking you in advance, Helen Woodward New England Australia >From: SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D-request@rootsweb.com >Reply-To: SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-L@rootsweb.com >To: SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D@rootsweb.com >Subject: SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D Digest V04 #85 >Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 22:01:43 -0600 > >Content-Type: text/plain > >SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D Digest Volume 04 : Issue 85 > >Today's Topics: > #1 Early Development of the Port Eliz ["Becky Horne" ><beckyjh@telkomsa.ne] > >Administrivia: >To unsubscribe from SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D, send a message to > > SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D-request@rootsweb.com > >that contains in the body of the message the command > > unsubscribe > >and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software >requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. > >To contact the SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-D list administrator, send mail to >SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-admin@rootsweb.com. > >______________________________ >X-Message: #1 >Date: Sun, 5 Sep 2004 11:16:16 +0200 >From: "Becky Horne" <beckyjh@telkomsa.net> >To: SOUTH-AFRICA-CAPE-TOWN-L@rootsweb.com >Message-ID: <026401c49329$00886ee0$6899ef9b@TelkomSA2156> >Subject: Early Development of the Port Elizabeth Harbour - Part IV >Content-Type: text/plain; > charset="iso-8859-1" > >This is the forth and final part of the follow-up material on the >Breakwater >Project extracted from Looking Back, Sept 1992 Vol. 31 No. 2. > >The Early Development of the Port Elizabeth Harbour >Avinash Govindjee and Darshan Daya >Grey High 1992 > >SIGNIFICANT WORKS (1871-1899) >A new jetty at the bottom of Jetty Street was approved. Stone from the old >breakwater was used for the masonry approach to the new jetty. The ironwood >piles from the breakwater were not able to be used as they were badly >worm-eaten. >Therefore the resident engineer at that time, James BISSET had to obtain >sneezewood from the Alexandria forest. In January 1870 the construction of >the timber jetty began and it was eventually completed in April 1872. Sir >John COODE who had been appointed Consulting Engineer to the Harbour Board >in February 1868, submitted his report on the Harbour in which he >agreed with the steps that had been taken. In the report he recommended >that a 1600 feet long retaining wall be constructed from the new jetty to >the Baakens River to induce a scour and thereby remove sand. The widening >of the jetty commenced in May 1874. The construction of a second jetty at >the bottom of Fleming Street also commenced. During the same year sand >began to accumulate at the bottom of both the jetties and it decided that >the second jetty, which was still under construction at that time, was to >be discontinued. The Cape St. Francis Lighthouse was commissioned on 4 July >1878. > >In December 1876 Sir John COODE arrived in Port Elizabeth to make a >personal inspection over a period of five weeks. The Number One timber >jetty was replaced by an iron-piled jetty which became known as the North >Jetty. COODE also authorized the building of an 800 foot iron-piled jetty >in December 1879. This was to be known as the South Jetty and it >was completed in July 1884. The retaining wall which COODE had recommended >in his report in 1870 was built in the same period from the North Jetty to >the Baakens River and it extended to beyond the South Jetty. The North and >the South jetties were of COODE's design. By 1884 the South Jetty had been >completed. The North Jetty was lengthened and widened and it was completed >in July 1894. The five old steam cranes on both jetties were also replaced >by modern hydraulic cranes. > >THE DOM PEDRO JETTY >The story of how the Dom Pedro Jetty got its name is a very interesting >one. In 1839 the Queen passed the Slave Suppression >Act. This meant that the trading of slaves was forbidden. In the Mozambique >Channel, Her Majesty's brig the CURLEW, was hunting down the salve traders >who were violating the recently passed act. The commander of the brig. >Lieut. ROSS had seized the ship YARUGA when he came upon another >suspicious-looking vessel. He sent a party over to question the Arab >skipper as to his cargo and destination. The vessel in question was the DOM >PEDRO. On board 19 slaves were discovered. She was taken over by the >British brig and together with the YARUGA set sail for the South African >station. > >It was soon discovered that the YARUGA was unseaworthy and she could never >have made the voyage. The crew and cargo were transported to the DOM PEDRO. >The second officer in charge of the CURLEW, Mr H.C. LEW, was promoted to >captain of the DOM PEDRO. The next day, the YARUGA was sent to the bottom >of the sea. > >As they were travelling, the DOM PEDRO lost sight of the CURLEW which was a >superior ship. It eventually took 49 days to make it to Algoa Bay. The >reason for this was that she struck a severe storm and lost all her masts >and sails. She drifted into Algoa Bay on May 20th, 1840. There she lay for >three months at anchor awaiting the decision of the Prize Court at >Simonstown as to her ultimate fate. News came through that the slaver was >not worth repairing for passage to Simonstown. Orders were given that all >it carried was to be sold by public auction. Her motley cargo was disposed >of by John Owen >SMITH on 10 Aug 1840. The ship did not fetch a bid so it was decided to >beach her near some protruding rocks near the mouth of the Baakens River. >Her timbers must have been strong for she lay there over 40 years. The >outline could still be seen when the jetty due to bear her name was being >designed in 1898. On the site of the remains the Dom Pedro Jetty was >erected. > >In 1899 works began on the 840 by 60 feet Dom Pedro Jetty. It was >originally intended to be completed in 1902, but a further extension of 620 >feet was decided on. This by 1902 sailing vessels were being berthed >alongside the jetties. At long last a modest sailing port had been >provided. > >BIBLIOGRAPHY >Sources used: >Literature >1. Leigh, Ramon Lewis: The City of Port Elizabeth, 448-453, 1966. >2. Redgrave, J.J.: P.E. in Bygone Fays, 33, 233-250, 1947. > >Literary Sources: >1. Inggs, E.J.: Early P.E. Harbour >Development, Wits. Dept. of Economic History. 1983. (Unpublished thesis) >2. Huisman, H.: Port Elizabeth: Harbour Engineers. Port Elizabeth, 1985 > >Best wishes >Becky _________________________________________________________________ Protect yourself from junk e-mail: http://microsoft.ninemsn.com.au/protectfromspam.aspx