Competition between Dutch skippers, German ship-owners, and the transition to steam

Abstract

From the late nineteenth century, Rhine shipping regained its position as the (at least quantitative) most important way of transport between the German industrial regions in Westphalia and Rhineland, and the North Sea ports. During the 20th century, Rotterdam, at the Rhine estuary thus would develop into the largest port of Europe. In the 1840s, railways became important and in the following decades their strong competitiveness gave this new mode of transport an increasing portion of the vastly growing cargo. As from 1843 Antwerp became the railway port of the region, while Rotterdam, the port at the Rhine estuary, was dependent on barging, the Dutch port had to fight back against its Belgian competitor. For that reason, in the 1860s and 70s, the Netherland invested in the Nieuwe Waterweg, a new and direct canal, connecting Rotterdam with the North Sea. From the second half of the 1880s, however, Rhine shipping regained a growing part of the cargo, especially bulk, from the train. This was completely contra the tendency anywhere else. Almost everywhere, inland shipping seemed to disappear, a development also feared for the Rhine. However, between 1870 and 1913, freight rates decreased (corrected for the price level) with no less than 81%, while German railway tariffs dropped with 36% and Dutch railway tariffs with only 11%. As a consequence, Rotterdam became overwhelmingly competitive, at least for bulk transport. Rhine shipping obtained a growing share in a growing amount of cargo and increased twelvefold in 43 years. Transport costs, and thus the high railway tariffs to Antwerp, could easily be prohibitive for the huge quantities of such low value cargo like coal or iron ore. As it is seen before that the normalization (canalization) process opened the Rhine for steam tugged barges, here the central question is not how it was possible that Rhine shipping regained its competitiveness. Iron, steam tugged barges each with a loading capacity numerous times that of traditional wooden sailing barges resulted in much lower tariffs. Here the question is how traditional Rhine skippers, confronted with these lower freight rates, coped with the consequences. To survive they had to make huge investments in new, large iron or steel barges and adjust to the new technology of steam tugged trains of barges. This had enormous consequences for their incomes and their way of living.
To understand why and how Rhine skippers adapted to the new technology, the period in which this adaptation process took place should be cut in three. In the first period, that started in the 1820s and 30s, steamers appeared on the Rhine. In reaction traditional skippers reorganized the horse stations to increase their speed and diminish the cost of their way of transport. Between 1850 and 1860 towing horses were replaced by steam tugboats, as towing kept barges small and their speed low. Nonetheless, small self-employed skippers only used steam tugs in upstream direction. Until the early 20th century they sailed, at least downstream. Then, 25 years later, when the completion of Rhine canalization made it possible to multiply the scale a number of times, small, wooden sailing barges disappeared. In future, in both directions, up to 400 meters long steam tugged trains of huge iron or steel barges became common. These developments demanded enormous investments, also from small self-employed, often Dutch skippers. One way or another they had to find money for such investments. In the lower Rhine area, these small, self-employed skippers had to economize on everything to pay off their debts and survive in the new, competitive transport market. To do so somewhere between the 1870s and 1900s, they gave up their houses on the shore and took their families on board. Skipper’s families started to live on the water. Sometimes, single (unmarried) skippers lived on board before, now families started to live on board. The decision to give up their houses on the shore and live on their ships – and thus become persons without a permanent residence – had enormous implications, not just for their economic, but also for their social position. Although compared to other skippers, Rhine skippers were relatively well-off, in the eyes of the people of the shore, as inland skippers called the rest of the population, they became wandering people and as such were socially qualified amongst people working on vanity fairs, gypsies and tramps.

Full text

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
•B! "
•CD %).?%!!!!#*
!#
•:!!E

Average cargo per ship in ton passing the
German (Prussian)-Dutch Border near Emmerich,
1860-1913
*
?*
**
?*
0**
0?*
/**
/?*
9**
9?*
!F<

!F
!F

5
•!#!
#))*
•+
•

•$  
•&#7
#
•!#! 
•8!
!+
!%7
•G!!)**
))*9**)*
0****
•6##!
%)1).*/
•6#
#

'#
•H!

•6!!
%
#

•$! 
##!
 
!
•5 !

#9!/
))0/@*)/@
•5

**9@A1
#

•5!!

+
$
#
!
6+




H
***
Freight per
shipload-
km in
cents
))0 0.0* ?9 90 493
** 90A* 00 90 349
9 9*** 99* .A 308
%Dutch Rhine #eet, 1882-1914

:+#
•5#
•#
 !
•#

#

• 

•8#


•$!

•;
!!

•*%#
D
#

•G

•6
#


•57
!
! 

0Rail, Rhine and inland shipping tari's in
guilder cents per ton-kilometre, adjusted for price
development (GDP de#ator) 1870-1913. Prices 1913
= 100
*@**
*@?*
@**
@?*
0@**
0@?*
/@**
/@?*
9@**
9@?*
!
!
