James Wilson, Maritime Engineer S.S. Platea

[Walter Christ]

Hello,
My name is Walter Christ, a Yank living in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.. I've been looking to fill in someof the gaps in the life of my wife's great grandfather. His name is James Wilson. He was born in
Birkenhead,Cheshire, England in 1857. We know he was a Steam Engineer and he was associated with the
S.S. Platea around 1905 - 1907 sailing between Liverpool and New York (not 100% sure but fairly certain). He emigrated from England to Canada in 1891 and we think he continued to sail on the Platea.
The Platea was builtin Glasgow, Clyde works in 1897. I've looked on the National Archive U.K. site for his Certificate and other info but no luck UNLESS I was clicking all the wrong things - which is possible.
I'm looking for some way to fill in the blanks and any help doing so is greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much
Walt

[Neil Wilson]

Hello Walt and welcome to the Forum

I have just Googled SS Platea and the information you have does not tied in with that on the Clydesite.co.uk web site.
They have it built in 1897 and listed as working in Greece in 1910, where it was scrapped in 1939.

Good luck with your research

[Walter Christ]

Thanks for the welcome Neil. I'll keep chasing……….
I'm coming close to confirming he had been an Engineer. I do have significant info on the Platea see below- BUT
I'm missing that key official piece actually putting him on the Platea. We've got a letter from my wife's great grandfather to his
daughter from Liverpool indicating he was on the S.S. Platea around 1905 (ltr not dated)

LLoyds of London Shipping entry #499
Official # 106879
Code Ltrs PVPJ

Built 1897
Classification Cargo Ship
Owned by W. Thomson & Co. 1897 to 1910
Master G.N. Purdy
Buit by Russell & Co. Port Glasgow Clyde Shipbuilders
www.
clydesite.co.uk/clydebuilt/

Notes:
Listed in http://www.icedata.ca/Docs/ice_report3a.pdf
entry - March 25, 26, 1907
Mentioned regarding bow damage from ice in North Atlantic.

Listed in Shipping. Notes (news.google.com/newspapers?nid) St John Sun Newspaper
March 26, 1907 under
“Shipping News”

“Halifax, March 25, the Battle Line steamship Platea, Capt. Parker, from London to New
York, put in here this morning, short of coal. The Platea left London March 3rd, and
encountered a succession of gales all the way out. When 60 miles South of Cape
Breton, ice was met, and when forcing her way through it, the Platea started some of her plates , which caused the ship to leak of the forepeak. A survey will be held to ascertain the extent of the damage. The Platea will take 50 tons of coal at this Port."

Brief mention again in St. John Sun Apr 22, 1907. “Shipping News” column

[Coromandel]

Hello Walt and welcome to the forum

A search on the Maritime History Archive site at

www.
mun.ca/mha/

shows that they have crew agreements for Official Number 106879 for 1897, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1906 , 1907, 1908 and 1910. All are coded as type E2. There's an illustration of a typical document of this type. It doesn't appear to have the names of crew members on it, though it does say 'The several persons whose names are hereto subscribed, and whose descriptions are contained on the other side or sides, and whom [space where number of crew is inserted] are engaged as Sailors, hereby agree to serve on board the said Ship...' so it's possible that there are names on the reverse of the document. Or perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Searching the National Archives' catalogue using the Platea's official number, 106879, brings up two references in BT 99 ('Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists, Series II'):

BT 99/2062 (covering 106879 and eight others), dated 1898
BT 99/2340 (covering 106879 and seven others), dated 1903

I am not sure whether these will give the names of crew members either. Since the dates fill some of the gaps in the sequence of records held at the MHA, the documents may well be of the same type.

Some crew list indexes are now on the pay/subscription site Findmypast.

There's more advice on finding crew lists here:

http://www.
crewlist.org.uk/findingoncrewlists.html

Good luck!

[Walter Christ]

Thanks, Coromandel !

I have touched on the Maritime Site but didn't score any useful information. Probably read instruction incorrectly.
I will followup on the crewlist.org site.

I'm finding that half the fun is in the chase.

Earlier information and research of James led me to his POSSIBLE crewing on a Nile river Steamboat before the Platea. What is
interesting is his donation of a mummies head to the Museum of Salford in 1891 he obtained in an earlier year. We again have
a letter from another family member to "authenticate". But we're looking for "official" third party confirmation.