Kowloon Ferry and Hong Kong Club
Dublin Core
Title
Kowloon Ferry and Hong Kong Club
Subject
HK: Central - Blake pier
HK: Central - HK Club
HK: Central - HK Club
Description
Parsee immigrant Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala needed to transport his bread. He initially acquired a steamboat to ferry his baked goods and his co-workers between Kowloon and Central. But Mithaiwala soon discovered a far more lucrative opportunity in transporting passengers and established the Kowloon Ferry Company in 1888.
Within a decade, the demand for service quickly expanded the quaint ferry business into a small fleet of four vessels: the Morning Star, Evening Star, Rising Star, and the Guiding Star. Mithaiwala‘s ferrying service proved groundbreaking: Not only was the hour-long ride considered an express back then, but cross-harbour commuters can now build their days around a regular schedule instead of relying on the more irregular and scattered sampans from before. This ultimately helped develop the then-sparsely populated Kowloon.
Upon his retirement in 1898, Mithaiwala sold the company to British businessman Sir Catchick Paul Chater of The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company. The Kowloon Ferry Company was then renamed the Star Ferry Company after the steamboats’ names, and ownership of the Star Ferry has not changed since.
New ferries were commissioned, with a design that designated the top deck and its separate seats as first-class seating. Passengers on this level were expected to abide by a dress code; for example, men had to wear a collar and tie. On the contrary, passengers on the third-class lower deck had to sit on backless benches or stand and may even be subjected to a splash in the face when the seas were rough. The ferry shown in the postcard is categorised as the second generation of Star Ferry.
Within a decade, the demand for service quickly expanded the quaint ferry business into a small fleet of four vessels: the Morning Star, Evening Star, Rising Star, and the Guiding Star. Mithaiwala‘s ferrying service proved groundbreaking: Not only was the hour-long ride considered an express back then, but cross-harbour commuters can now build their days around a regular schedule instead of relying on the more irregular and scattered sampans from before. This ultimately helped develop the then-sparsely populated Kowloon.
Upon his retirement in 1898, Mithaiwala sold the company to British businessman Sir Catchick Paul Chater of The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company. The Kowloon Ferry Company was then renamed the Star Ferry Company after the steamboats’ names, and ownership of the Star Ferry has not changed since.
New ferries were commissioned, with a design that designated the top deck and its separate seats as first-class seating. Passengers on this level were expected to abide by a dress code; for example, men had to wear a collar and tie. On the contrary, passengers on the third-class lower deck had to sit on backless benches or stand and may even be subjected to a splash in the face when the seas were rough. The ferry shown in the postcard is categorised as the second generation of Star Ferry.
Creator
Turco-Egyptian Tobasco Store
Date
1900s
Type
Postcard
Files
Collection
Citation
Turco-Egyptian Tobasco Store, “Kowloon Ferry and Hong Kong Club,” Local landscape shown in photos and postcards, accessed May 17, 2024, https://imagesofhongkong.omeka.net/items/show/80.