The Shijjbuilding Industry in Beljast 1 



present era in Belfast shipbuilding reallj^ dates from 1841, the 

 year in which the Belfast port authorities commissioned a Co. 

 Carlow engineer, William Dargan, to cut a wide, straight, and 

 deep channel, 4 miles long, from the city, through the sloblands 

 at the mouth of the river, to deep water. Dargan utilised the 

 excavated material to make an island, Dargan's Island as it was 

 at first called, which was laid out as a public pleasure ground, 

 with trees, a green-house, walks, pools and bathing places. Soon 

 after, on the occasion of Queen Victoria's visit in 1849, it was re- 

 christened " Queen's Island," a name which is still retained as the 

 official address of Messrs. Harland iK: Wolflf"; but the names which 

 are in the mouths of all Belfast citizens are simply "The Island" 

 and " The Islandmen." 



But the Queen's Island was not destined to remain long in 

 its original character of a public pleasure garden. I do not know 

 whether he himself knew what he had done, or not, but William 

 Dargan created an almost ideal site for a shipyard. If you plant 

 a wood, birds will come to nest in it. Six years after the so called 

 Island was finished, iron sailing ships were already being built on 

 a corner of it by Messrs. Hickson & Co., and, just one year later, 

 in 1854, Messrs. Hickson engaged a lad from Tyneside, 23 years 

 old, as manager of their diminutive yard, which gave employment 

 to about 100 men. This lad's name was Edward James 

 Harland. Never did circumstances bring time, place, and man 

 more fortunately together. The time was the opening of 

 the era of great ships : Brunei was already designing the 

 " Great Eastern " ; the place has proved itself capable of 

 adapting to every call that has been made upon it ; while the 

 man himself. Sir Edward Harland as he afterwards became, in his 

 life-work of forty years on the Island, has stamped his name 

 indelibly upon the history of shipbuilding. 



In 1859 Mr. Harland bought his employers out. We have 

 it on the authority of Mr. Wolff, already his colleague, and after. 

 wards his partner, that before deciding upon the purchase of the 

 Belfast premises, Mr. Harland and Mr. Wolff applied for suitable 



