Furness Miner

Official Number 18927

The Furness Miner was built by Thomas Smith at the shipyard of Messrs.Watson & Allsup, at Strand Head, Preston, and was launched on Wednesday, 22nd November 1854. She was a dandy-rigged schooner and was built for James Fisher & Co., of Barrow, for use in the iron ore trade between Barrow and the Bristol Channel. The local newspaper reported that her figurehead was a "well-executed representation of a mariner with a pick in his hands", but I assume mariner was a mis-print for miner. Her keel was 75 feet 6 inches long and her overall length was 89 feet 6 inches.

Through 1855 and 1856 the master of the Furness Miner was Capt.George Preston Anyon, who then transferred to take command of the George & Mary.

The Furness Miner stayed with the Fisher fleet until she was wrecked in 1867.

Name	Year Built	Gross Tons	Length (feet)	Breadth (feet)	Depth (feet)	Masts	Figurehead	Stern	Lloyd's Classn.
Furness Miner	1854	87	89' 6''	19' 6''	9' 10''	2	Male		8 years A1.

Sources :

1. Launch reported in the Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser, Saturday, 25th November 1854, page 5.
2. Crew agreements for the Port of Lancaster 1845 ( from BT 98/4510 at the Public Record Office, Kew - research by Len Barnett).
3. Mercantile Navy List 1867: Furness Miner, 88 tons, registered at Lancaster, official no.18927, belonging to James Fisher, of Barrow
   
4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1867-8: Furness Miner, schooner, 94 grt, owned by Fisher & Co., belonging to the port of Barrow, master Capt.G.Ball - entry annotated "wrecked".