"Nile" in Dundee Harbour - Ref: WC0873
The "Nile" was a four masted barque with a gross tonnage of 2163 and measuring 283.5 feet in length. She was built in 1886 by Russell and Co., of Port Glasgow, for the Glasgow company, W Douglas.
The "Nile" visited Dundee at least twice according to the Dundee Yearbook. She arrived on 31st March 1888 and 22nd July 1889 with cargoes of jute from Calcutta. It has clearly recently been repainted after a voyage.
The jute was distributed among Dundee's major mills, including Fleming, Douglas and Co., W Cleghorn and Son, W and D Watson, and Peter Matthew. Jute processing was the city's major industry, bringing considerable wealth.
Alexander Wilson who took this photograph, was a supervisor in a Dundee jute mill for over 20 years. He bequeathed much of his collection and £50, to cover the costs involved, to the Free Library Committee of Dundee in 1923.