Wigan Album

I don't speak any German, but from the words which are common to English it appears the writer had come by diesel-engined barge from Liverpool. Is there more writing on the other side, Ron? Perhaps a German-speaker could translate all the text for it - it looks more interesting than "Wish you were here".

I have never seen this exact view before, very good Ron.

It seems to be addressed to someone called Faugs – a German surname or nickname – and the first six lines read something along the lines of:-
“Faugs – here is a card. A letter will follow soon.
Belinde and I arrived here in Wigan yesterday, which is 60km from Liverpool, in a Diesel motor barge. The barge is used for trading on the canal, and goes from Liverpool to Manchester and Leeds.”
The writer seems to have given the distance by canal between Liverpool and Wigan.
At the foot of the message there is what appears to be a forwarding address – Mr Rowley, Canal ???, Wallgate, Wigan.

Mick, Is the second line not: "I find myself since yesterday..." "(Ich) befinde mich seit gestern" ?
It is quite difficult to read the handwriting.

That could well be the case, John.
My knowledge of German isn't all it could be, and I was trying to report the general gist of the message.

I'm no expert Mick. That was more or less the only bit I could make out!

The card is addressed to "M.L.!", i.e. "Meine Lieben!" (My dear ones)
Because of the limited space on the postcard the writer has abbreviated quite a lot. I think "Fangs" is supposed to be "Anfangs" - "A postcard to begin with, a letter will follow".
"(Ich) befinde mich..." is correct. "Since yesterday I've been in Wigan, approximately (ungefähr) 60 kilometres from Liverpool."
It seems he's doing a job. He has to equip a barge with a diesel engine. "Muss hier einen Diesel Motor in einer Barke aufstellen."
The line about the barge being used for trading on a canal that goes from Liverpool to Manchester and Leeds is right.
The writer then adds "Jetzt habe ich dann Gelegenheit, mich wieder ein wenig auf dem Wasser zu bewegen." It means that he will then have the opportunity of going on a boat again. Literally "of moving on the water."

The card ends with "Freundlicher Gruss an alle von Eurem ??? (presumably his name, which I just cannot decipher). Loosely translates as "Kind regards to all of you from your ???" Then c/o Mr Rowly (sic), Canal Bank (I think), Wallgate, Wigan.

It might interest you to know that at this time in Germany it was only allowed to write on the picture side of a postcard. The other side was reserved for the address.

Gruß aus Berlin!
LEP1950

Ah well, at least I got a bit of it right!
Many thanks LEP1950 !

Many thanks, LEP1950, for your translation. Mike Clarke, who wrote "The Leeds & Liverpool Canal - A History and Guide" ( Carnegie Press, 1990), found a record of the first diesel engine to be installed in a boat on the L&L, in 1903. The engine was supplied by the Diesel Co, and cost £400. He goes on to say the trial of the engine continued until 1906 when it was taken out to be used to power the sawmill at the Burnley maintenance yard. A contemporary engine, probably quite similar to it can be seen running here:
http://www.funnydog.tv/video/altester-lauffahiger-man-dieselmotor-der-welt-1903-oldest/XJf2bZqxYL0
Diesel's first engine ran in 1899 - so these were very early models - no gearbox or reverse-running.
Mike goes on to describe the history of diesel installations, stating that Gardners supplied an engine for trials in 1906, but it wasn't successful and large-scale diesel installations only began in 1921.
So it looks as if he didn't find a record of this 1905 installation, which makes it very interesting historically.
Ron - do you have the card, to see to whom and to where it was sent?

That's extremely interesting. So Diesel was the name of the company. I should have written it then with a capital letter in English. I grew up in Wigan but now live in Germany and find stories like this fascinating.

Just to clarify - Rudolf Diesel (born Paris, 1858, of German parents) invented the compression ignition engine, now known by his name, in France, but developed it with MAN in Germany. He tried to market it himself, but this gave him a nervous breakdown as the engine still needed to be perfected. Presumably the installations on the L&L were of his early, self-marketed machines, sold under his own name, which increases the interest in this episode. (At least for the anoraks still reading....)
He disappeared from a ferry from France to England in 1913, presumed to have thrown himself overboard.

Can't see all of the address but it was sent to an address in Switzerland Posted in Wigan 9.15pm 9th Feb 05 and stamped BERN 02-11-05

Stamped at Wigan on Thursday night, arrived at Bern on the Saturday! Not bad for 1905.