In my Times Past feature in the Examiner I have been recalling a so-called convict ship, pictured below, which was a popular visitor attraction in Douglas harbour in the summer season of 1911.
She was called Success and she toured the world to be visited by thousands of people.
Exploring a floating Victorian prison hulk, with all its attendant horrors, had enormous appeal. She made a lot of money for a series of entrepreneurial owners before she ended her life in a fire in America in 1946.
She has a perhaps minor place in Manx history but it is a vivid one worth remembering.
At the same time I have been having an interchange of emails with Paul Weatherall, library and archive services officer at Manx National Heritage, in relation to the so-called Masterplan for Douglas (there is still no such word as masterplan).
He thinks the changes planned for Douglas harbour could include the display of replicas of vessels of Manx historical significance like the Bounty and the Victory.
Inspired by this, I told him that something similar could be done with a replica of the Success with all its prison horrors. But where to put her?
Paul emailed: ‘Jurby.’
I told Paul he should be doing this column. He even had an answer for this.
‘I’m not old enough.’ he said.
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This week’s Manx crossword clue, sent in by Barbara Taylor and Richard Hetherington, is: ‘Picturesque view, they say, adjacent to Manx prison (6).
As suggested last week by Geoffrey Clark, the answer will be found elsewhere in this column.
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In this month’s Oldie magazine there is a report that a lady living at Sulby, Jane Morris, had a letter from Assessor of Income Tax Nicola Guffogg relating to a penalty charge she was asked to pay.
It said: ‘Based on the information available a revision is required to the penalty charge previously issued. The amount of the revised penalty charge is £0.00. The balance shown below is nil therefore no payment is required.
‘You are entitled to make written appeal within 30 days of the charge date shown above stating why you consider the charge to be incorrect.’
There’s no answer to that.
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Fred Newton says Manx Radio’s coverage of the stormy weather on Wednesday of last week included: ‘It seems Steam Packet sailings are up in the air.’
Well, there are such things as flying boats.
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Andrew Kerr-Phillips emailed me to say he had not, apparently to his sorrow, received a Christmas advent calendar. He asks: ‘Do you think their days are numbered?’
I think my days doing this column are certainly numbered.‘Scenic’
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Manx Telecom has told me to stop paying my telephone bills by posting them a cheque. I now have to make my cheque payable to Isle of Man Post and then deliver it to a Post Office who, I presume, will post it to Manx Telecom.
Sliding down the razor blade of life in the early 21st century yet again.
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Out of the depths of my Funnies File I have retrieved the Manx independent offering for sale ‘a 13 bedroom guest house in Douglas – with or without 10 lodgers.’
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Texting for Seniors: TTYL – Talk to you louder.