Just thought to show a bye gone era, when motor barges with a two man crew would work the Thames and Medway estuary area, no radar, vhf and only a magnetic compass and manual lead line. They ranged in 110 ton to 240 ton lift to a load line with the majority fitted with a 66 to 88 hp diesels started by hand crank on petrol then swing over to diesel. Load 220 ton of wood pulp at Dagenham deep water jetty then run the tide down and pick up the flood into the Medway and discharge at New Hythe. Or load grain at Tilbury Grain terminal and run the tide down and flood upto Rochford, Maldon, Colchester or Ipswich. The cargo was a mix bag of various things, if you went to Faversham with bagged Hoof and Horns, then you would wish for the next freight to be grain to clear out all the various bugs. But progress was that the 32 ton lorry took over the work.
