A Difficult Transport Task.
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Much interest was aroused amongst visitors to the recent Shipping and Engineering Exhibition concerning the means of transport adopted for getting the large motor cabin cruiser which was shown from Messrs. Thornycroft's building yard at the Hampton Launch Works to Olympia. In the first place, the boat was taken down the river to Putney Bridge, where it was moored at high tide immediately over a specially prepared truck which had been placed in position at low water. As the tide receded the ship was allowed to settle down on the truck, which was eventu
ally left high and dry on the foreshore. A steam tractor was used to haul the truck up the slipway from the foreshore on to the road, where,' owing to the great length of the vessel, it had to be drawn backwards down the road by another vehicle until it could be pulled forward again over Putney Bridge en route to Olympia., The haulage of the ship was undertaken by Pickfords, Ltd., and, in view of the fact that the ship measured 55 ft long and had a beam of 11 ft., the work had to be very carefully performed, as its width necessitated continual shunting to prevent the progress of faster traffic being impeded. Upon arrival at Olympia the truck, after a deal of shunting, was skidded sideways over oily steel plates into the position in which it was exhibited.