The Voyage Alone in the Yawl "Rob Roy" Part 21

The expenses in 1877 were about 6800.

Donations and subscriptions about 1700.

'MOUNT EDGc.u.mBE.'-(SALTASH, _Cornwall_.)

Established June, 1877.

An Industrial School Ship for boys from Devonshire and Cornwall. The boys admitted up to July, 1878, were 201; 1 had been discharged, 6 transferred, and 2 died. The number of "voluntary cases" (from 12 to 14 years old) was 3, and the number of all on board 195. Half of these could read "fairly."

'SHAFTESBURY.'-(GRAYS, _Thames_.)

Established 1878.

The School Board for London has found it necessary to have a training ship of its own. More than 500 boys sent at the instance of the Board were in training on board the 'Formidable,' 'Wellesley,' 'Southampton,'

&c., at distant ports, where visitation and supervision could not be readily exercised. After more than six years of experience in regard to training boys for sea, the Board decided to establish their own ship in the Thames. The Admiralty was unable or at least declined to lend one of the few old hulks at their disposal, so the School Board purchased for 7000 the P. and O. iron steamship 'Nubia,' and at an additional expense of more than 30,000, she was fitted up and moored in a berth prepared for her in July, 1878, close to the Poor Law ship 'Exmouth,' so as to accommodate 450 boys to be sent under the Industrial Schools Act at the instance of the Board. She is 'certified' for 350 boys, of whom 70 may be Roman Catholics. The first 6 boys were sent on board her on August 15, 1878. The vessel was rechristened with the name of 'Shaftesbury,' in honour of one who is everywhere known as the friend of the hapless and the patron of everything good. The vessel is longer and narrower than those of the old "man-of-war" type, and her four decks are lofty, giving plenty of light and air for educational and sanitary purposes, although the wider s.p.a.ce for drill above all is necessarily curtailed. The cost of the vessel (including purchase) is repayable in 50 years by annual instalments, with interest at 3 per cent.

The Shaftesbury has now her full number of 500 boys (May 1880.)

'SOUTHAMPTON.'-(THE HUMBER.)

Established 1868.

The management is amalgamated with that of "The Hull Ragged and Industrial Schools." At the beginning of 1877, 234 boys were on board (all of them under the Industrial Schools Act), and 62 were admitted during the year (30 from 10 to 12, and 32 from 12 to 14 years of age), while 56 were discharged, of whom 27 went to sea, and 23 were returned to friends. Up to the end of that year 426 boys had been finally discharged from the ship. Half of these on entry could not read, write, or cipher, but all learned to do so. Many of the boys were sent at the instance of the School Board for London and eight other School Boards. The expenditure for the year was 6000.

'WARSPITE.'-(CHARLTON, _Thames_.)

The Marine Society established its first ship the 'Beatty,' with a crew of 40 boys, 120 years ago, and it has since sent to sea about 60,000 boys trained for sailors' life. The new ship, a fine two decker (late 'Conqueror'), in subst.i.tution for the old 'Warspite' (which was burned), and rechristened with that name, had 156 boys on board in January, 1877.

304 were afterwards admitted, 43 were sent to the Royal Navy, and 137 to the Merchant Service, leaving 269 on board at the beginning of the year 1878. Most of these are orphans or boys deserted by their parents. Out of 123 boys who returned in that year from first voyages, 117 had "very good" on their certificates. The age for admission is from 13 to 16, height from 4 feet 8 inches; 93 boys learned to swim last summer. The expenditure during the year was 11,000, including 3000 for fitting up the new ship.

'WELLESLEY.'-(SOUTH SHIELDS.)

Established 1868.

This vessel is for homeless and dest.i.tute boys unconvicted of crime, but who are sent under the Industrial Schools Act, at the instance of one of the ten or more School Boards which have agreements with "The 'Wellesley'

Training Ship Inst.i.tution," or who come individually. From the report in June, 1877, it appears that in the twelve months preceding, 91 boys had been received, and 59 were discharged, of whom 45 went to sea. This left 307 boys on board. Of the boys discharged during 3 years, 83 per cent.

were "doing well." Since the commencement of the Inst.i.tution 702 boys had been received. About 1000 had been contributed by the School Boards during the year, and 90 for "voluntary boys," each of whom is received for 20 _per annum_. The maintenance account for the year was about 5000.

'WORCESTER.'-(THAMES.)

This vessel was moored at Greenhithe in 1862; a larger vessel, a 72-gun frigate of 5000 tons, and rechristened 'Worcester,' was subst.i.tuted in 1877. The 'Worcester' provides properly qualified officers for merchant vessels, and accommodates 200 boys. The terms are, for boys from 13 to 16 years old, 50 guineas, and for boys from 11 to 13 years old, 45 guineas per annum.

The Board of Trade allows two years pa.s.sed on the 'Worcester' to count as one year's sea service, and Her Majesty gives annually a gold medal to the boy most noted for good conduct. About 30 boys pa.s.sed through the ship last year.

SUMMARY OF TRAINING SHIPS DESCRIBED.

_Ships_ _Boys_

Royal Naval (besides those for young 5 3400 Officers, see page 306)

Voluntary, including two for Officers and 7 1500 one land ship

Poor-law ship 1 600

Industrial School ships, including one 11 2800 "School Board" ship and two "land ships"

Reformatory ships 3 640

Total 27 8940

[In this estimate the 'Fame' is reckoned for 250 boys.]

THE ROB ROY CUISINE.

This has been designed after numerous experiments with the various portable cooking-machines which I could procure for trial, and, as it succeeds better than any of them, and has been approved by trial in five of my own voyages, and in another to Iceland, besides shorter trips, and in the Abyssinian campaign, &c., &c., it may be of some use to describe the contrivance here.

The object proposed was to provide a light but strong apparatus which could speedily boil water and heat or fry other materials even in wet and windy weather, and with fuel enough carried in itself for several days'

use.

Fig. 1 is a section of the Rob Roy cuisine as it is made up for carrying.

There is first a strong waterproof bag about one foot high, and closed at the top by a running cord. At the bottom is the cuisine itself, _a_, which occupies a s.p.a.ce of only six inches by three inches (when of smaller size), and has the various parts packed inside, except the drinking cup _b_.

Provisions, such as bread and cold meat or eggs, may bestowed in the bag above the cuisine, and if the string of it be then attached to a nail fixed in the boat, the whole will be kept steady.

For use, when it is desired to boil water, the cuisine being opened, the lower part is a copper pan, _c_, fig. 2, with a handle, _e_, which can be fixed either into a socket in the side of the pan, or another socket in the side of the lid, as represented in figs. 2 and 6.

Three iron legs also fix into sockets and support the pan over the spirit-lamp, _f_, by which the pan, two-thirds full of liquid, will be boiled in five minutes.

The lamp is the main feature of the apparatus, and it is represented in section in fig. 3. It consists of two cylinders, one within the other.

The s.p.a.ce between these (shaded dark) is closed at top and bottom, and a tube _b_, fixed through the bottom, rises with one open end inside, and another (a small nozzle) curved upwards in the open internal cylinder.

Another tube, _h_, opens into the annular chamber between the cylinders, and it has a funnel-shaped mouth at the outer end, through which the chamber may be filled, while a screw in the inside allows a handle, fig.

4 (in section), to have its end, _i_, screwed in. A small hole in the upper surface is closed by a little cork, which will be expelled if the pressure within is so high as to require escape by this safety-valve.

The hole may be in any part of the annular cover (but is not shown in the sketch), and in such case the hole shown in the handle is omitted.