surgeon supplies 3
1 2015-11-25T18:37:27-08:00 Alden Terry eda541eb6a8a53055892f3a0c4ae86df6a0c654b 6265 2 Medicine Chest. Digital image. Museum of Victoria. Museum of Victoria, n.d. Web. Nov.-Dec. 2015.This page is referenced by:
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The Master Builder: William Pile
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The story of William Pile Junior, the masterful and renowned shipbuilder that built the Clarence, begins in 1823 when he was born, son of William Pile Senior, also a shipbuilder. William had two brothers, John and William. As soon as William left school...
Monkwearmouth on today's map.
http://www.weather-forecast.com/place_maps/mo/Monkwearmouth.8.gif
Pile continued his apprenticeship with his father until he was about 20, when he was ready to move onto bigger and better things!
William Pile's Shipyard in North Sands, Sunderland.
Courtesy of Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
In 1852, Pile crafted the sailing ship King Richard for John Hay of Sunderland. The creation of this incredible ship was a turning point in his career.
One of these later-requested ships, the Windsor Castle was built by Pile in 1857 for Green, and is pictured here.
Nautical Photo Agency
Pile's ability to create first-class ships for a cheaper price earned him a lot of loyal customers (including His Imperial Majesty Napoleon III-See entry 6 under "Iron and Composite Ships"!) that demanded a multitude of ships; by 1865 Pile's yard employed 3,000 men.
A list of ships built by William Pile, copied from the notebook of Thomas Collie Stamp, first cashier to William Pile.
Merchant and Sailing Ships
Or, if you're more into super-neat excel spreadsheets, we've got that too.
After the creation of numerous ships and garnering quite the reputation, Pile died in 1873.
Quite the sideburns!
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
References:
1. Bowen, F C. "Pile of Sunderland." Shipbuilding and Shipping Record 65 (1945): 69. Print
2. MacGregor, David R. Merchant Sailing Ships 1850-1875: Heyday of Sail. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1984. Print.
Other Sources Utilized
Clarke, J F. Building Ships on the North East Coast: A Labour of Love, Risk, and Pain. Vol 2. Whitley Bay: Bewick Press, 1997. Print.
-Matt Schofield, U Penn Class of 2019
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2015-11-24T21:38:36-08:00
The Most Powerful Man On Board
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It has long been argued by scholars and historians that ship surgeons were, if not the most, one of the most, important individuals on board. The position was one that was taken very seriously; after all they were depended on for delivering the passengers alive. As a result, a very specialized individual would take up the job. Surgeons were commonly either Indians or Eurasians who had been trained in the Calcutta medical school. These individuals more often went on voyages to places like Mauritius and Malaya (these were usually shorter). Sometimes the surgeons were taken from the Indian civil medical service, others were former naval doctors. A surgeon was only invited back if a certain amount of people arrived alive, therefore these individuals were considered very capable and professional. However, because they were responsible for the health and discipline of the passengers, as well as the upkeep of the actual ship ( ensuring that the Coolie’s were keeping their quarters clean), they held much power. As you will read later on, often times this power was unfortunately abused, resulting in acts of misconduct.
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Duties of the Surgeon
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The duties of the ship surgeon ranged from inspecting the Coolies before boarding (he had to sign a certificate that proved the coolie was healthy), to ensuring that there was efficient air circulation throughout the ship. The Instructions to Surgeons Superintendents of Government Emigration Ships (1866) lay out the extensive rules for how a surgeon should appropriately act and what came with the job. Another popular book of guidelines was Handbook for Surgeons Superintendent in the Coolie Emigration Service, by James M. Laing. Whether certain individuals actually followed these guidelines remains very unclear.
According to these instructions, not only were the surgeons responsible for maintaining the health of those on board, but also disciplining them when he saw fit.; this may be where the issues of too much power originated from. In the log of the Arima, one surgeon, Dr. Raheem, reportedly complained about an individual “kicking and pushing” a Coolie, as well as using “abusive language.” The surgeon would also inspect the “Cooking Apparatus” and also carry around a “Water Con-Distilling Apparatus” so that he was able to convert saltwater into something more “fresh.” Surgeons were required to keep a detailed journal and record of the voyage and patients as well as visit the decks at least two to three times a day to ensure cleanliness and preserve dryness (no laundry, washing, or anything that uses water was allowed on the decks).
In 1857 their pay was increased to 10s per every person who arrived alive (an increase from their previous 8s). On every subsequent voyage, this amount per “head” would increase 1s up to 12s. Increasing the surgeon’s pay was a good way to attract more competent individuals for the job.