114 THE SEA. 



"It is much to be regretted that ship-owners, when they leave their captains to 

 provide their own charts (instead of supplying them) do not stipulate that they are to- 

 be the best and the latest, I remember a ship and cargo (numerous other instances- 

 could be produced), valued at 70,000, lost near Boulogne from the master mistaking 

 the two lights at Staples for the South Foreland lights; and this, as appeared from 

 the Board of Trade inquiry, because his Channel chart, which was thirty years old, 

 had not the Etaples lights marked on it." The terrible wreck of the Dentsclilaud 

 steam-ship, on the 30th December, 1875, was caused, with hardly the shadow of a 

 doubt, from the use of an old chart. 



Mr. Plimsoll in a most remarkable and vigorous book,* published in 1873, puts the 

 matter of " coffin-ships " forcibly before his readers. He says, " No means are neglected by 

 Parliament to provide for the safety of life ashore; and yet, as I said before, you may 

 build a ship in any way you please, you may use timber utterly unfit, you may iise 

 it in quantity utterly inadequate, but no one has any authority to interfere with you. 



" You rnay even buy an old ship 250 tons burden by auction for 50, sold to be 

 broken up, because extremely old and rotten; she had had a narrow escape on her last 

 voyage, and had suffered so severely that she was quite unfit to go to sea again without 

 more being spent in repairs upon her than she would be worth when done. Instead 

 of breaking up this old ship, bought for 4s. per ton (the cost of a new ship being 

 from 10 to 14 per ton), as was expected, you may give her a coat of paint she- 

 is too rotten for caulking and to the dismay of her late owners, you may prepare to 

 send her to sea. You may be remonstrated with, in the strongest terms, against 

 doing so, even to being told that if you persist, and the men are lost, you deserve to- 

 be tried for manslaughter. 



"You may engage men in another port, and they, having signed articles without 

 seeing the ship, you may send them to the port where the ship lies in the custody of 

 a mariner. Y'ou may then (after re-christening the ship, which ought not to be allowed), 

 if you have managed to insure her heavily, load her until the main deck is within two- 

 feet of the water amidships, and send her to sea. Nobody can prevent you. Nay, more, 

 if the men become riotous, you may arrest them without a magistrate's warrant, and take 

 them to prison, and the magistrates, who have no choice (they have not to make, but 

 only to administer the law), will commit them to prison for twelve weeks with hard 

 labour, or, better still for you, you may send for a policeman on board to overawe the 

 mutineers, and induce them to do their duty ! And then, if the ship is lost with all 

 hands, you will gain a large sum of money and you will be asked no questions, as no- 

 inquiry will ever be held over those unfortunate men, unless (which has only happened 

 once, I think) some member of the House asks for inquiry. 



" The river policeman who in one case threatened a refractory crew with imprisonment, 

 and urged them to do their duty ( ! ) told me afterwards (when they were all drowned) 

 that he and his colleagues at the river-side station had spoken to each other about the 

 ship being dreadfully overloaded as she passed their station on the river, before he went 



* " Our Seamen : an. Appeal." 



