Iron Barge No.81 ordered in 1876 by Aire & Calder

We have a scan of the Aire & Calder Navigation Company order books for 2 x iron barges, No.80 and No.81 for the price of £795 in 1876 from the 'Baltic Engine Works'. The 'Aire and Calder Navigation Company' placed the order 14th January of that year. We know that Waterdog was known as barge No.81 before she was bought by the British Waterways in the 1940s and we know that she originally had a steam engine. Baltic engine works were a company that fitted steam engines so this all fits with the history that we have heard before from other sources.

This scan of the order books shows that there were a lot of barges being built at that time and the red marker is drawn around the order for Waterdog - aka No.81. Below is an enlargement of the section showing the order for No.81.