948
12.
G. Harper & Co., Queen's Road West. George Harper's assistant was D. Gow and others on the staff were A. McDonalda (foreman) and J.G. and A.F. de Jesus (clerks).
John Lamont had now commenced operations at Aberdeen, on the south side of Hongkong island. He is listed as having his business at "East Point and Aberdeen. Assisting him were G. Humphrey (superintending engineer), John Jack (shipwright) and M. Macfarlane (clerk).
At the same period we find two sailmaker's establishments M. and M. Cook, at Lane, Crawford & Co.'s Wharf; and William Dolan, in Queen's Road.
If we take a slight jump to the close of 1863 we have further changes, with J. McDonald newly on the scene. The list of shipwrights for that period is given as:
J.S. McDonald, with his address at Queen's Road.
Russel, Mitchell & Co., Queen's Road West.
Fergusson and Brant, West Point.
Harper & Co., Queen's Road West.
John Lamont (East Point and Aberdeen), with a bigger staff, consisting of - at East Point, John Jack (carpenter) Jas. McConnachie (blacksmith), George Ironside (bookkeeper), and J.M.E. Campos (clerk); at Aberdeen, Robert Hunt and Joseph Dey (boilermakers), John Short (carpenter), and W.M. Rosa (sawyer)
W. Dolan was still doing business as a sailmaker, in Duddell Street; and his only business rival now was William Harding, of the store shop "Hornet", off Pedder's Wharf.
It is interesting to note that the "Celestial" was being used by Mr. Douglas Lapraik as a receiving ship. Mr. Lapraik, who had been an assistant to the pioneer watchmakers of Hong Kong, L. Just, sr. and L. Just, jr., in 1845, had commenced on his own in 1846, having bought the Justs' business, and in the late Fifties had also taken up interests in shipping (see 8-11-34).
Constant changes were evidently taking place among the less substantial of these dockyards (the smaller ones consisting of single slipways). We find that later in the Sixties, J.McDonald (now McDonald & Co.) was doing well at Wanchai, and in 1867 he took over a slipway at West Point. At that time Jno. Riach & Co. had become established in West Point as shipbuilders, succeeding to the shortlived firm of Logan & Co.; but destined to become absorbed themselves ere long. It is here, indeed, that we find the tendency to combinations which eventually led to the formation of the Hongkong and Whampoa Dock Co. In fact, the pioneering Kowloon yard, the Union Dock Company, had already come into existence. We might, therefore summarise some of these progressive stages of early local shipbuilding.
The Aberdeen enterprise of Captain Lamont commenced in June 1857, in which year, with the co-operation of Mr. Douglas
2