Colliers on the Thames, London, 1873.

Plate taken from the 'Illustrated London News'. Coal was transported up the Thames, originally in sailing colliers, from which it was uploaded manually into lighters. By 1860, Wm Cory and sons, the main coal importers at the time, had begun using a floating derrick, which discharged coal into the lighters using hydraulic cranes. The tug for the lighters is also visible on the left.