Sprostons Dry Dock of October 26, 1867
Steamers of British Guiana
And so have disappeared over the horizon that regal age of the Steamers of Guyana, what some of us might have experienced and also what our fore-parents spoke so fondly of.
By Dmitri Allicock
The cautious introduction of steam propulsion to vessels in British Guiana brought the golden age of sailing ships and the reliance on the currents of the wind to an end in the 1800s and launched an era of both commercial and passenger steamships in early Guyana.
The steamer service in Guyana dates back to the early 19th century when the colonial government contracted a few privately-owned steamers to provide transportation for commuters and for shipping of produce.
The first official documentation of a steamer service can be traced to the establishment of a Local Steamer Navigation Company, which appears to have been founded in 1825. This company commenced operations in 1826 with the Cambria, an immigrant ship, which was purchased for the sum of $50,000.
[Read more – Go to the Dmitri Allicock Website]
