Nowhere near as strange as Bessemer's four wheeler or Knapp's roller but interesting enough and a bit more practical were the Wapping to Rotherhide ferries that ran in the late 1800's.
The two Paddle Boats were called the Jessy May, and the Pearl built by Edward and Symes, the Cubbit Town ship builders.
They were both 82ft long with 42ft wide decks so no problems with stability there!!!
They had two sets of steering gear, worked from the top of each paddle box, working rudders at each end. This was in order to keep the decks clear. The funnels were placed on the sponson near the paddle boxes to keep the decks clear for pasenger vehicles.
Both ferries could hold twelve two horse carts.
Each end had a hinged ramp that could be raised and lowered by chains and winches. These ramps formed the end bulwarks and also served as the landing stage ramps.
The engines were 30hp, driving a pair of paddle wheels, via disconnecting apparatus - one paddle wheel could be disconnected while the other wheel was still in motion.
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