Abstract
In the days of sailing ships, life was rigorous, very hard and dangerous. Ships were not checked prior to sailing although there was a Merchant Shipping Act, unfortunately not enforced until 1854 when the Board of Trade was formed.
Highlights
Ship preparation and cleaning before and during the voyage included 'tar rigging', a filthy, hot and gruelling process
Coarse sand from the hold was spread on decks for 'stoning'; slabs of soft red sandstone were dragged across the wood by ropes washed down with sea water
The surveyor had painted a loading line limit on her hull, but she was loaded until that line was 6 inches below the water, another 120 tons of coke were loaded in another dock
Summary
Ship preparation and cleaning before and during the voyage included 'tar rigging', a filthy, hot and gruelling process. Coarse sand from the hold was spread on decks for 'stoning'; slabs of soft red sandstone were dragged across the wood by ropes washed down with sea water. Clothes and bodies had to be cleaned afterwards. "Lifeboat", the journal of RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute still operating today) reported the loss of the Utopia (Liverpool to Bombay).
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