Richard Cory and Cory Brothers
The founder of the Cory Bros. empire, Richard Cory (1799-1882), started business in the early part of the 19th century with a small ferry boat, plying his trade between Bristol, Cardiff and Ireland. He expanded his business to include ship's chandlery in 1838, brokerage and the sale and export of coal.
In 1844, he was joined by his sons, John (1828-1910) and Richard (1830-1914, and traded as Richard Cory and Sons. Richard Cory (the elder) retired in 1859, handing over the business reigns to his two sons. John and Richard II re-named the business Cory Brothers & Co. and it became a limited liability company in 1888.
John and Richard Cory became coal owners in their own right with the purchase of several collieries in Wales, Welsh coal being widely accepted as the finest in the world. The brothers also became the largest private wagon-owners in the United Kingdom, with 5,000 wagons, the largest fleet in U.K. They opened coaling stations around the world, and by 1908 had 118 agencies and depots on all the major shipping routes, including Aden of course, which traded as The Aden Coal Co. Ltd. The coaling stations were supplied with coal from the brothers collieries in Wales.
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They amassed a huge fortune and as their wealth increased, the Cory brothers became philanthropic, supporting the Salvation Army, the temperance movement, Dr Barnardo's Homes, sailors' associations and humanitarian and cultural organisations.
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After provisioning at Port Said on 12th May 1921, USS Yacona passed through the Suez Canal on the 13th, heading for Aden enroute to Bombay for the King's Birthday on 3rd June. Arriving in Aden a week later, on 20 May the Yaconatook on fresh water and coal, and sailed during the first watch the same day.
However, it was soon suspected that the coal supply was substandard, which was confirmed by a board of investigation convened during the mid watch on 21st May.
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USS Yacona turned around and returned to Aden. Lt. George M. Snead (SC), Yacona’s supply officer, went ashore to discuss the problem with the Cory Brothers firm. A representative of Cory Brothers visited the ship shortly after Lt. Snead returned, remaining on board for only a quarter of an hour, but long enough to confirm the complaint! The Yacona moved berths the following day and a tug brought two lighters alongside for the laborious and dirty task of un-coaling ship, a process that lasted from the afternoon watch on the 22nd to the forenoon watch the following day – the inferior coal was later taken out to sea and dumped.
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From 1881 until the mid 1930s Aden was locked in a bitter battle for coal bunkering supremacy with the rival Perim Coal Company. Perim Island’s sheltered deep water harbour could accommodate the biggest ships within a few hundred yards of its onshore bunkers whereas Aden’s was so shallow that ships had to be anchored two miles offshore. Only when Aden dredged its harbour and oil replaced coal did the Perim Coal Company collapse leaving the market solely for Aden.
