Mexborough and Swinton Times January 27, 2019

Heavy rain or snow are serious for Mr James William Smith, of Ferry House, Kilnhurst, for they bring the “Thisriver to his door.”

Mr Smith is a man with an unusual occupation. For as a ferryman his sole fares are horses.

About ten yards below Mr. Smith’s this house the right and tow path of the canal comes to an end at a weir which cuts away towards Thrybergh, and it is Mr Smith’s duty to see that authors during borders are safely transferred from their son left hand side of the bank.

Testimony to his efficiency the fact that in his 24 years’ experience Mr Smith has only had one “passenger” (a horse) drown, and that was through no fault of his own.

His ferry boat, the second to come into his possession, and only four years old, is operated by winding in a 200 feet long chain, which incidentally, has been re fitted five times in Mr. Smith’s period of office, and he proudly states that he brought an average of this 40 horses a day across at one period, and as many as  four at one trip.

Mrs. Smith has an arduous time when the river rises, for the outbuildings are flooded, and she can remember one time when the water was lapping on the doorstep. In times like that the family have to leave their house near the railway line which runs at the rear, and though the recent floods and not been the worst they have experienced, the loading stage was covered to a depth of over 4 inches.

In cases like that Mr. S this mith is not unprepared, for he constructs plank gangways to the various outhouses. He told me that the recent floods had caused the canal to rise 4ft. 11 ins., and fingered a notch about 18 inches up the jamb of the stable door. There were two other notches, the highest being over a foot above the most recent one. “That was when the water came to the oven top in here, and was almost in our kitchen,” he remarked.

He said that he was a native of Lincolnshire, but incidentally, had taken the “South Yorkshire Times” long before they came to Kilnhurst. He began life on a barge, and only failing health caused him to leave that occupation. “I could not have left the river,” he said, “you see our family has been born and bred on it, I was brought up on the river, and could not have lived happily without it. It is my life,” he concluded.

He came to Kilnhurst 24 years ago after his appointment by the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Company, and he is perfectly content, and hopes to spend the remainder of his days at his job.

He has had some interesting experiences. About four years ago he was ferrying across the river when he noticed something on the chain as it was rising. This proved to be the body of a man. Mr Smith has helped to recover two other bodies from the canal at the same point. He has ferried in all weathers and can remember when the cold was so severe that icicles formed on his coat. His brother John B Smith is flood lock keeper, and is his nearest neighbour. “We have a 20 minute walk to Kilnhurst, which is the nearest village,” he said.

Mr Smith is a gardener. Although his garden is only strip off her 3 feet wide and 12 feet long, he delights in setting flowers and caring for the little shrubs in it.

He is also a painter, and as an example of his art showed me a figurehead which is 120 years old, and which came from Mrs. Smith’s father’s barge, the “Helen.” He paints it regularly and keeps it hanging outside his back door.

There is rather a strange contrast inside his house. A large paraffin lamp supplies light, and yet opposite are a telephone and a wireless set.

Mr. Smith said that he was of the opinion that the motor barges, which must surely affect his trade, had come to stay.

“They are good things,’ he said, “though I can see their effect during the past years. Seven or eight years ago there was a terrific rush, and I ferried as many as forty horses a day over, but things have slackened off since.” As I was leaving I expressed wonder that anyone could be happy in such an arduous and exposed post. Mr. Smith replied, “It is no discomfort to a river man, and once a river man always a river man.”

Mr J.W.Smith (right) about to ferry across one of his “cargo”