You got me ???????

Annette

Hmmmm. I have a hunch. Could this be loosely related to Cynthia's question?

TM

Got me, too, but if TM is right, need to be thinking boats?

Well, I thought it funny that someone mentioned "watermen" yesterday, as they are very much related. "Lightermen" I had to look up, because I thought they were something quite different!!

Nancy.

OK, no nibbles?? I at first thought they were the guys who went out to tend the light stations off of England - not!! They were closely associated with the watermen, who carried passengers, and in 1700 joined the Company of Watermen to form The Company of Watermen and Lightermen.

Nancy.

Still stumped. Here on the mid-Atlantic coast (Chesapeake Bay area in particular) watermen applies to those who make their living on the water, especially those who harvest oysters from the bay. My paternal grandfather's family/ancestors were mostly watermen from Chincoteague Island.

So, your watermen carried passengers and lightermen didn't, but were connected. I was thinking they might be the ones who worked the steam engines, but guess not. Did they handle lighter boats to guide the others into port?

Something like longshoreman?

Annette

There were boats called lighters. I'm not sure exactly what they did, but I think they worked mainly in harbors. It follows from Nancy's hint that they might have ferried freight.

TM

Okay, I'll go with you two! It sounds good to me.

Due to living in several cities along the Mississippi River I know this one as have visited museums and locks to learn the history and watch these water vehicles in action.

Oh, you guys are good!!! "They were one of the most characteristic groups of workers in London's docks during the heyday of the Port of London, but their trade was eventually rendered largely obsolete by changes in shipping technology. " Hmmmm...

Nancy.

Lightermen worked on the barges along the rivers and docks.

I need to come up with ready answer so that I can put the reveal online Sunday night!! Oh well, I will get that figured out.
{{gwi:614467}}
James Abbot McNeill Whistler

The lightermen were a vital component of the Port of London before the enclosed docks were built during the 19th and 20th centuries. Ships would moor in the middle of the River Thames and transfer their goods aboard lighters. Lightermen would then ride the river's currents - upstream when the tide was coming in, downstream when the tide was out - to transfer the goods to quay-sides. They also transferred goods up and down the river from quays to riverside factories and vice-versa. This was an extremely skilled job, requiring an intimate knowledge of the river's currents and tides. It also demanded a lot of muscle power, as the lighters were unpowered; they relied on the current for motive force and on long oars, or "paddles", for steering.

The Guild continues to licence watermen and lightermen working on the River Thames. Watermans' Hall is located at 16 St Mary At Hill, in Billingsgate, it dates to 1780 and is the only surviving Georgian guild hall.

The construction of the docks was bitterly opposed by the lightermen and other vested interests, but went ahead anyway. However, they did win a major concession: what became known as the "free-water clause", first introduced into the West India Dock Act of 1799 and subsequently written into the Acts governing all of the other docks. This stated that there was to be no charge for "lighters or craft entering into the docks ... to convey, deliver, discharge or receive ballast or goods to or from on board any ship ... or vessel." This was intended to give lighters and barges the same freedom in docks that they enjoyed on the open river. In practice, however, this proved highly damaging to the dock owners. It allowed ships to be loaded and unloaded overside, using barges and lighters to transfer their goods to and from riverside wharves rather than dock quays, thus bypassing quay dues and dock warehouses. This significantly reduced the docks' income and harmed their finances, while boosting the profits of their riverside competitors. Not surprisingly, the dock owners lobbied vigorously - but unsuccessfully - for the abolition of this damaging privilege.

The lightermen's trade was eventually largely swept away by the economic and technological changes, particularly the introduction of containers, which led to the closure of most of London's upriver docks in the 1960s.

So, I suspect that everyone got it!! - yes?? So, here you are:

Thanks for playing - maybe I need to find something a little more challenging??

See you next week! Nancy.

Thanks, Nancy for the interesting history lesson. I sort of knew what lighters were, but I didn't know any of the rest. I wouldn't worry about making your questions much more challenging. I like them like this. :)

TM

lol!