"Beryl" in Dundee Docks - Ref: WC0780
The "Beryl" was built as an iron, single-screw steamer by W. B. Thompson in Dundee (Yard No. 35) for the Dundee Gem Line Steam Ship Company, in 1881. She had a gross tonnage of 1190 and measured 234 feet in length.
She made regular trips to the Baltic Republics and Russia, most of which are chronicled in the Dundee Yearbook. Regular ports of call included Riga and St Petersburg, where she picked up flax and hemp, which would be processed in Dundee's factories.
This photograph by Alexander Wilson shows signs of steam exhaust activity, suggesting that the cargo is being winched on to the quayside. There are also sails for both masts.
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.