P.S. Pyap
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BRIEF FACTS
The Pyap was built by W. Westergaard
and Sons for Captain Charles Oliver. The Pyap was made with wood and iron. It began
as a barge in 1896.
As a hawking boat she sank on two occasions with the loss of all stock. In 1908 the Pyap was sold to Eudunda Farmers' Co-op Society Ltd. The original steam engine was removed and sold for 200 pounds. Some machinery from the P.S. Victor was removed and installed in the Pyap-presumably the 1892 Garret 16 horsepower steam engine. As a "floating store" she travelled weekly (Monday through to Saturday) from Murray Bridge to Morgan and return, visiting 60 landings. Captain Sladen was Master for 23 years followed by Thomas Davis.
The Pyap as a Hawking Boat In 1931 with the arrival of road transport, the Pyap
was no longer required and was sold for 100 pounds to L. H. Silver. The 1932
Register of Shipping recorded
Silver as owner. In the mid 1930’s it appears that Les Mewett bought the Pyap for
the use
of carting wood and general cargo. In the early 1940’s the Pyap was owned by Bill Collins. He used the boat for carting wood from Euston and Trentham Cliffs to the Psyche Bend Pumping Station near Mildura. Near Monak, the Pyap’s winches were used to operate a punt enabling trucks to cross the Murray. In the late 1940’s the Pyap was retired and tied up near Mildura. Bill Collins (junior) and his wife lived on board until about 1953.
In the late 1960’s wheat farmer E.W. ‘Toby’ Henson purchased the Pyap from the Collins' family minus its engine which went to Wilson’s Salvage yard in Merbein. This Engine is now installed in the P. S. Mundoo which operated for many years from Goolwa, South Australia and is now in Mildura, Victoria. The steam engine was not required as a diesel engine was intended to be installed to allow for one man operation. A Ferguson engine was installed to provide motive power to get the Pyap to Swan Hill. (Note the original engine and tow pole in the above picture. The old engine was slid forward and then a derrick crane removed it.)
This view shows the open hull area at the stern of the vessel. It took 13 days to travel from Mildura to Swan Hill. There was a number of problems that had to be solved along the way. Because the new engine was lighter, the Pyap floated higher and the paddles just flapped on top of the water. The old engine weighed 9 tons and so concrete had to be used to lower the vessel in the water. The next problem was with the height of the Mildura Bridge. Sixty-one cm was cut off the tow pole of the Pyap to allow it to pass under. The last major problem was with the drive rope which kept stretching. It was replaced by a chain. A few days after arriving at the Pioneer Settlement, Swan Hill, the Pyap sank.
The reason the Pyap sinking was water entering through cracks that had opened up between the planks in the hull. Due to age, the caulking material used to seal between the planks had broken down with the force of water against it during the voyage to Swan Hill.
A rising Little Murray River (Marraboor) didn't help! It took eight months to turn the Pyap into a tourist vessel. A new G. M. Gray Marine Diesel Engine was fitted, as well as a four cylinder diesel engine to drive a generator. The wooden hull was replaced with steel. The cabins were removed and handrails were installed for safety. The Pyap then operated from the Pioneer Settlement all year round. The Pyap can carry 200 passengers.
Conversion of the Pyap into a tourist vessel. On the 28th of September 1978 the Pyap caught fire and was burnt to the water line. After much effort the Pyap was fully rebuilt within six weeks with many sections prefabricated in Melbourne.
The cause of the fire was reported as unknown.
Reconstruction of the Pyap took only six weeks- a remarkable effort! The Pyap was sold to Victour Properties in 1984 and leased to the Pioneer Settlement, Swan Hill. The Captains at this time were Shane Till, Dennis Kerr and Paddy Hogg. In 1988 the Pyap was given to the Swan Hill City Council (now Swan Hill Rural City Council). Bill Hogg (son of Paddy) was Captain of the Pyap. In 1995 after 25 years of service the Pyap’s motor was replaced with a six cylinder Gardiner motor. From 1995 the Pyap had 3 captains: Shane Till, Kathy Noble and Brian Hogan. In 1996 the Pyap celebrated its 100th birthday.
P.S. Pyap in dry-dock for repairs and maintenance - 08.08.2003 Chronology of P.S. Pyap's Captains Captains of the Pyap 1898-1908 Captain Charles Oliver *Captain Bayles *Captain Dixon *Captain H.Dodd 1908- Captain Sladden. 1920-Captain Thomas Davis. 1932- Captain L.H. Silver Mid 1930s Les Mewett Early 1940s Bill Collins Late 1960 Captain Paddy Hogg 1970 Captain Toby Henson 1976 Captain Eddie Hazelman Early 1980s Captain Shane Till 1984 - 1988 Dennis Kerr * Captain Paddy Hogg 1988 Captain Bill Hogg. 1995 Captain Shane Till *Captain Kathy Noble *Captain Brian Hogan 1996 relieving masters -Captain Andrew Cook -Captain Alan Bartch Captain Frank Tucker 2004 relieving masters -Captain Alan Bartch * = Relieving Captains
BY WAYNE BLACKMORE On the 10th of November, the Grade Five Library Extension Group went on an excursion to the Pioneer Settlement. After looking at the Gem we walked to the Offices to look at a model of the P.S. Pyap that was made by Wayne Blackmore. There was an article in the Guardian about Wayne and his model. Wayne showed us the model and told us all about it. It was amazing! It is in EXACT scale size – 1/40, that is 40 times smaller than the real Pyap. He took it apart to show us the insides. It has EVERYTHING the real Pyap does! It even runs by remote control! |
