Laxey Mine ton, and this would be used to glaze lower end earthenware. During the height of prosperity of the Great Laxey Mine, the Laxey Wheel was erected. The wheel was named the Lady Isabella, after the wife of Sir Charles Hope, who at the time was the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man. During its working life the wheel was capable of pumping 250 gallons of water a minute from a depth of 200 fathoms. By the beginning of the 20th Century the yield from the mine had begun to decline dramatically. During the first six months of 1900 the
SS Ellan Vannin (1854) of Scarlett, another at the old pier-head and a third on the quay. Work had also been undertaken by the Commissioners of Harbours in order to deepen the harbour so as to accommodate the new vessel. The "Ellan Vannin" departed Liverpool at 08:00hrs and made good time during the passage. Just after 14:00hrs she rounded Langness Point and entered Castletown Bay, amidst the booming of the cannon and the cheering of the crowd, arriving off the pier at 14:20hrs having made passage in 6 hours 20 minutes. After landing her passengers and the directors who had been on board, the