An Historical Timeline

See also the Restoration Timeline and the Ruby Specifications

P.S. Ruby 1907 to 1938 - The Early Years

The paddle steamer ‘Ruby’ was built at Morgan, South Australia, by Mr. David Milne in 1907 for Captain Hugh King. She was the fourth riverboat of that name to be used on the Murray River. Her owner had also another vessel called ‘Ruby’, of 1876 vintage. On acquiring the new steamer he had the old ‘Ruby’ converted into a barge, renamed her ‘Radia’ in October 1908 and used her to transport sheep and cattle.

The new ‘Ruby’ was of two hundred and five tons gross, one hundred and thirty feet nine inches in length and a beam of eighteen feet nine inches. ‘Ruby’ also carried thirty passengers in style and comfort. She had three decks, the top deck had the wheelhouse and Captain’s quarters. Later in her career female crew quarters and a music room were added. The second deck housed the passengers, saloon and bathrooms. The lower or cargo deck contained the Engineer’s cabin, galley and crew quarters. The ‘Ruby’ was built with a whaleboat stern, a straight stern and was of carvel design. She was of light draught at six feet but she would only draw between two foot six inches and three foot six inches when fully laden with around eighty-five tons. This enabled her to operate on much lower river levels when the other passenger steamers were tied up.

It would seem that in her early days the ‘Ruby’ was plagued by engine weaknesses. The twenty-horse power engine of Robey and Co. Lincoln, which was put into her when she was launched, did not prove altogether satisfactory. In 1911 she was fitted with a narrow gauge locomotive boiler from the South Australian Railways and the direct action engines from the P.S. Industry. Again in 1918 these were removed and the engine and boiler from the P.S. Lancashire Lass were installed.

In 1909 the ‘Ruby’ became one of the fleet of the newly formed Gem Navigation Company, a union of the Ben Chaffey Steamboat Company and Captain King’s Gem Line of steamers, with head quarters in the Adelaide office of Messrs A.H. Landseer Ltd. This Company was later to become the Murray Steamship Co. She was fitted at this stage with all modern conveniences for passenger traffic, including fly wire screens on the windows and doors. Electric lights and fans were later fitted in the cabins. The ‘Federal Standard’, the Wentworth Newspaper, spoke of her in that year as being as fast as any vessel on the river. The ‘Gem’, now at Swan Hill, the ‘Marion’, at Mannum, and the ‘Ruby’ were passenger and cargo steamers of the same fleet.

The ‘Ruby’ proved to be a valuable member of the fleet and she was transferred from one route to another depending on the water in the rivers. ‘Ruby’ travelled the Morgan to Swan Hill route for most of her working life. She was a ‘bottom ender’ in every respect and never ventured further up the river because of her length.

P.S. Ruby 1938 to 1996 – The Retirement Years

‘Ruby’ was taken off the run in the early thirties and tied up at her home port of Morgan until she was purchased in 1938 by Mr. Mervyn Collins, who brought her to Mildura as a houseboat. Two years later, stripped of most of her superstructure she was sold to Mr. V. Robbins who also used her as a houseboat.

By 1968 she had deteriorated substantially and through the foresight of a Wentworth Electrical engineer, the late Mr. Frank Fotherby, the Wentworth Rotary Club were encouraged to purchase her for $1,600.00. She was towed to Wentworth and placed in a park opposite the wharf that she had tied up to so many years before. She was a feature of Fotherby Park for thirty years, however, she deteriorated rapidly.

P.S. Ruby 1996 to 2003– The Restoration Years

In 1996 the Wentworth Rotary Club gave the ‘Ruby’ to the community of Wentworth under the trusteeship of the Wentworth Shire Council. It was then that a Committee, made up of both local groups and townspeople, was formed to commence the complete restoration program of the ‘Ruby’.

The first Chairman of the Restoration Committee was Mr Gilbert Hanson, the second was the late Cr. Reg McKenzie. It was under their guidance that the project began. Captain Leon Wagner, a registered shipwright and the third chairman, led the long and arduous task of replacing the hull. Replacing each plank, pinning the planks and then caulking took the best part of six years and you must remember that none of this work could begin until all the surrounding land had been excavated and steel girders placed beneath the original hull. Three hundred and sixty planks had to be replaced and each of these planks had to be first steamed for at least three hours before they could be shaped and set onto the boat’s ribs. There could be up to thirteen kilometres of oakum hammered into the seams!

Finally, on Australia Day, 2002, we floated the ‘Ruby’ off the steel girders and towed her into the deep part of the docking pond to begin the next stage of restoration. Since that date virtually all of the superstructure has been either replaced or totally restored. Both the upper and middle decks were replaced with tongue and groove planking, then overlaid with sheets of ply and finally covered with shade cloth painted with a heavy coat of dura flex in order to ensure water proofing. The wheelhouse and the Captain and First Mate’s cabins were rebuilt on the top deck, the passenger cabins, crew cabins and McKenzie saloon are completed. The passenger amenities and galley are well under way to completion.

The 1926 twenty-horse power Robey boiler, the, shafts, shaft mountings and paddle wheels have been installed. This steam engine is presently being refurbished and made ready for installation.

On Sunday 11th July, this year, the P.S. Ruby was recommissioned; this ceremonial handing over to the people of Wentworth took place at the Wentworth wharf.

P.S. Ruby 2004 onwards – The Future Years

After countless hours over the past eight and a half years the Restoration Committee is about to be disbanded and replaced by the ‘P.S. Ruby Board of Management’. This Board will then oversee the implementation of the newly developed Business Plan, which will ensure the future commercial viability of the boat.