Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/368

 

“From the naval officers being unacquainted with the numerous and tedious forms required in the drawing and returning of stores (which are not even the same in all the dock-yards), much delay is caused to the party sent from the ship, and to those who issue the stores.

“Seamen sent to the dock-yard are deprived of their best meals; as it is impossible for men of different messes to take beef with them; or could it be cooked at the yard, if they did; on banyan days, pease only are boiled; and the privation of substantial food is often the cause of unintentional drunkenness; as a small quantity of strong beer will intoxicate a man whose stomach is empty.

“The men, in the winter months, frequently get wet early in the day; and not only remain so, but are obliged to sleep in wet cloaths, when prevented by bad weather from returning to their own ships, which causes desertion, drunkenness, and discontent.

“To prevent these and many other irregularities, all demands, after being ’ approved,’ and warrant officers’ remains, should be lodged at the dock-yard, and the stores shipped by the dock-yard people, as in the ordnance and victualling departments; by which a ship would be completed in one-third of the time now taken by her own boats and their crews, whose daily labour frequently amounts to the loading one boat, which, after attempting to get off to the ship, is obliged to return with the stores damaged, and sometimes destroyed. I have seen eighty guineas’ worth of oil and paint completely destroyed in one boat; but the loss of valuable lives is a much more serious consideration.

“Bills of lading and a counterpart should be sent off with the stores, to be signed by the commanding and warrant officers; those papers are printed, and now in use as warrants, and might in a very short time be filled up as bills of lading.

“The dock-yard stores are the most valuable part of a ship’s equipment; and as sails, cordage, twine, &c. are materially injured by wet, or even by being put away in a damp state, their being taken on board the ship dry, without damage, and at a suitable time, is of great consequence, both in the preservation of the sea-store, and the expediting of the ship’s equipment.

“The yard-vessels, to prevent embezzlement, may be each under the command of warrant-officers of good character, being in ordinary or borne on the check, the boatswain and carpenter of the ship fitting attending as the gunners are directed to do at the gun-wharf, by the 39th and 47th articles of the Port Orders; viz. ‘Gunners only to attend at the shipping their stores at the gun-wharf, and sign indents, before the ships to which they belong proceed to sea. When gunners’ stores are returned, the captain or commanding officer is to cause the hatches of the hoy to be safely locked, the key sealed up, and given to the master for delivery to the officer of the department on shore.’

