Jules Verne Forum

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Captain of the "Columba"

From: Ian Thompson <ithompson~at~ges.gla.ac.uk>
Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2006 21:21:50 -0000
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>

In July 1879, Jules Verne sailed from Glasgow to Oban on the west coast of Scotland. The first stage, from Glasgow to the Crinan Canal ,was aboard the paddle steamer "Columba" (in Le Rayon vert this becomes the Columbia....probably a typographical error since Verne, having visited Iona, Columba's isle, would have been aware that the vessel was named after this early christian saint).
The captain of the Colomba was a remarkable sailor, Mr John McGaw. Born on the west coast of Scotland, he went to sea in 1848 and sailed to both the West and East Indies then spent several years on the Pacific, trading between California, China and Australia before joining the Clyde steamer fleet in 1861. A portrait and character description of him was published in July 1877 in "The Bailie" (a Glasgow journal) which described him as "cool, watchful and collected. He doesn't mix with his passengers. When off duty he is a genial, pleasant gentleman; but on the bridge of his vessel, he is a somewhat stern seaman, looking carefully after the lives and limbs of the people who have been entrusted to his keeping". We will probably never know whether Verne met him, although Verne, by now famous, and his French companions, must have been conspicuous even amongst the huge Glasgow Public Holiday crowd on the boat. Verne would have occupied the First Class saloon and restaurant, which extended the full width of the Columba and thus would have given him perfect visibility to observe the estuary and make notes, to be exploited in Le Rayon vert". However, as the boat made frequent moorings to land and pick up passengers, McGaw would probably have been too fully occupied navigating the massive 301 feet long steamer through the dense holiday traffic on the river and negotiating the narrow sea passage through the Kyles of Bute to spend time making the acquaintance of his distinguished passenger. Nevertheless, it is very likely that Verne would at least have seen the captain, who encapsulated the kind of Scottish seaman that Verne admired - strong , calm, skilful, experienced in seamanship across the globe , but underneath a stern exterior, having a human and sentimental side.
Ian Thompson.
Received on Sat 18 Feb 2006 - 23:20:33 IST

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