Historical information

This wooden cardholder was made from the wood of the screw steamer S.S. Edina, most probably after she was broken up in 1957, but could have been made after one of several renovations during her lifetime. The slotted design of the cardholder allows a card to stand vertically, and the base is made wider to stabilise the holder. It could be used for holding items such as place cards, menus, and table numbers.

ABOUT THE SS EDINA: -
The three-masted, iron-hulled screw steamer SS Edina was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1854 by Barclay and Curle and launched on the Clyde on May 4th, 1854. The 322-ton, three-masted ship was 171 feet long, 23 feet 6 inches broad, and 12 feet 7 inches deep (52.12 L x 7.16 B x 3.84 D metres). The traditional figurehead of Edina, the ‘fair maid of Judea’, adorned its bow. The Edina later became famous worldwide for being the longest-serving screw steamer. (The term screw steamer comes from being driven by a single propeller, sometimes called a screw, driven by a steam engine.)

During its long working life, SS Edina had its accommodation enlarged for war service, was completely overhauled and serviced several times; boilers were replaced, masts were reduced to one, and later added then reduced, a Poop Deck, Forecastle and additional accommodation were added, the hull was gutted completely, new decks and bulwarks, saloon was redecorated and upgraded, and several changes of commander. The busy vessel also survived several mishaps at sea.

SS Edina’s interesting history includes English Channel runs, carrying stores and horses to the Black Sea in the Crimean War as HMS Edina 1864-55. The vessel then sailed to Europe and the UK before being sold and used for further service in 1861 as a blockade runner in the American Civil War. The vessel later served as a coastal trader in the western district of Victoria and Queensland, then carried gold, currency, and gold prospectors from Australia to New Zealand. SS Edina was an escort vessel to H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh during his visit to Australia in 1867.

SOME EVENTS in the life of SS EDINA: -
The SS Edina had voyaged to Australia under sail. Owners Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Co. sold the SS Edina in March 1863 at Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, to Stephen Henty of Portland, Victoria; Edina was perfect for working the West Coast cargo and passenger run between Melbourne and Portland, via the Port of Warrnambool, and Port Fairy. It first visited Warrnambool on April 4, 1863. SS Edina briefly worked the run from Australia to New Zealand, then returned to the West Coast run; the cargo included bales of wool produced in the western district of Victoria.

In 1867-68, Stephen Henty sold SS Edina to the Warrnambool Steam Packet Company to continue trading along the coast of western Victoria. Captain John Thompson was the commander, and John Davies was the Chief Engineer.

In 1870, SS Edina was in Lady Bay, Warrnambool, when a gale sprang up and caused a collision with the iron screw steamer SS Dandenong. SS Edina’s figurehead was broken into pieces and was never replaced. The Edina was refitted that year for use as a coastal trader in Queensland for a period, named R.M.S. Edina. It then went to Melbourne and carried cargo and passengers between there and Geelong from 1880 to 1938, with modifications in 1917; the ship was extensively overhauled, radically changing its appearance. It returned to having two masts, and the funnel, bridge, engines, and promenade deck were upgraded, and the saloon reupholstered. By 1924, Edina had made over 12,000 journeys, carrying over one million travellers between Melbourne and Geelong. In 1937, Australian Steamships Pty Ltd advertised in The Argus its Bay Excursions on the SS Edina from Portarlington and Geelong; it promoted, “Splendid Beaches, Excellent Bathing Facilities, and Light Refreshments available on board”.

After several collisions, the SS Edina was taken out of service in 1938 and sold by its owner, Howard Smith Ltd., to a Williamstown shipbreaker, Mr George Burton. The Melbourne Harbour Trust permitted Burton to strip the hull and sell all parts at auction. The fittings were sold by auctioneers J.W. Styles & Son, c. 1938, on site at the Port of Melbourne and became widely dispersed. Victorian Lighterage Pty Ltd. purchased the hull, removed the engine and superstructure, and repurposed it as a ‘lighter’ named Dinah. It was loaded with wool and general cargo, then towed behind small tugs around the bay between Melbourne and Geelong.

In 1957, after 104 years of activity, the SS Edina was broken up on the banks of the Maribyrnong River, Footscray, Melbourne, and used as landfill. A piece of the hull with Victorian Heritage significance is buried in the river.

Significance

This card holder is made from wood from the SS Edina and is significant for its association with that vessel.
The SS Edina is heritage listed on the Victorian Heritage Database VHR S199. She had endeared herself to the people of Port Phillip Bay as a passenger ferry, part of their history and culture. She played a significant role in the Crimean War, the American Civil War and the gold rush in New Zealand. She also served Western Victoria for many years in her cargo and passenger runs.
The SS Edina is famous for being the longest-serving screw steamer in the world. After spending her first nine years overseas, she arrived in Melbourne, and her work included running the essential service of transporting cargo and passengers between Melbourne and the western Victoria ports of Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland.
The SS Edina was purchased in the late 1860s by local Warrnambool business, the Warrnambool Steam Packet Co. and continued trading from there as part of the local business community.
The SS Edina’s original ‘fair maid of Judea’ figurehead was broken to pieces in a collision with another vessel (the SS Dandenong) in a gale off Warrnambool, Victoria, in 1870.

Physical description

Card holder, made from the wood from the SS Edina (screw steamer ship). Holder is cylindrical shape, wider turned wood base. Top is divided with a space in the centre tor inserting a card. Rectangular metal plaque, gold-coloured, has a printed inscription within black border. Made c. 1854 - 1957.

Inscriptions & markings

Printed on plaque "MADE FROM / THE WOOD OF / S.S. EDINA"