Chain steam shipping
Encyclopedia
Chain steam shipping (also chain shipping) is a little known chapter in the history of shipping on European rivers. The chain steamers pull themselves upstream
along a fixed chain lying on the ground of a river. The chain was raised from the riverbed to pass over the deck of the steamer. The chain was moved by a heavy winch powered by a steam engine. A lot of different companies operated also on the rivers Elbe
, Rhine, Neckar
, Main, Saale
, Havel
, Spree
and Saône and some companies also existed in Belgium, Holland and in the USA.
The practice fell out of favour when more modern steam ships with more powerful engines and higher boiler pressures [able to react to the force of the river current] became common.
Source (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
along a fixed chain lying on the ground of a river. The chain was raised from the riverbed to pass over the deck of the steamer. The chain was moved by a heavy winch powered by a steam engine. A lot of different companies operated also on the rivers Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, Rhine, Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
, Main, Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
, Havel
Havel
The Havel is a river in north-eastern Germany, flowing through the German states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe river and in length...
, Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
and Saône and some companies also existed in Belgium, Holland and in the USA.
The practice fell out of favour when more modern steam ships with more powerful engines and higher boiler pressures [able to react to the force of the river current] became common.