ADDITIONAL FOR FIRST MATES. OFFICIAL LOG BOOK. I." Index to Entries in Official Log Book." ENTRIES. 1. Conviction of any member of Crew and Punishment 2. Offence committed by member of Crew for which it is intended to prosecute or to enforce a forfeiture or to exact a fine, together with such statement concerning the reading over such entry, and concerning the reply (if any) made to the charge as hereinbefore required 3. Offence for which punishment has been inflicted on board, and the punishment inflicted 4. ... Statement of the conduct, char- 5. Illness or injury that has hap- 6. Death that has happened on board and cause thereof Reference to any pages: in which the various entries appear. 9 8, 10. 5, 6, and 7. 18 The above is a copy of part of page 4 of the Official Log Book. Explain how it is filled in. T On whatever page of the Log Book an entry is made, the number of that page must be placed opposite the subject matter of the entry above. For instance:-Pages 5, 6, and 7 of the Log Book are dedicated to a list of the crew and their character, &c.; hence, these numbers 5, 6, and 7 must be placed opposite the fourth of the entries. On page 18 a death is recorded; hence, opposite the sixth entry the number 18 is placed; and so on for all other entries. 2.-" List of Crew and Report of Character." Christian and Surname at length, of each member of crew and capacity in which engaged. Report of Character.* If there is any entry in the Log relating in any way to the crew, the page or pages in the Log where the entry is to be found should be For General For ability in written in this column Conduct. Seamanship. opposite the man's name. V.G. "Very Good," G. "Good," M. "Middling," and I. "Indifferent." The Master may also insert particulars of ability or conduct; thus-"Helm" good, or "Sobriety" indifferent. If he declines giving any opinion, he must so state opposite the man's name. The above is a copy of a part of pages 5, 6, and 7 of the Official Log Book. Explain how it is filled in. In the first of the four columns, each space is for a man's name and rank, the second and third for his character, and the fourth, the number of every page of the Log in which his name occurs must be placed in this column opposite his name. The above is a copy of part of page 8 and following pages of the Official Log Book. A man has committed some offence for which you intend to have him punished upon your arrival in port, how would you make the entry in the above? In the 1st column, the day and hour of the occurrence; 2nd column, the port, or lat. and long. if at sea; 3rd column, the man's name and the charge, signed by the Master and the Mate or some other member of the crew. Twenty-four hours before arriving at my port, I should either give the man a copy, or else call him aft and read the charge to him and ask him if he had any answer to make to it; whatever answer he made I should enter it under the charge; and lastly at the end I should write these words, "The above charge has been read to the man, and he has made the above (or no) reply," as the case may be. This note must be signed and countersigned like the charge itself. Q.-What is an official log book? A.-A book supplied by the Board of Trade, in which the master of the ship is required by law to make certain entries, to be returned to the Shipping Office at the termination of the voyage. Q.-State what are the principal entries which are required to be made in the official log book? A.-A list of the crew, offences, convictions, punishments, conduct, character, and qualification of each of the crew, illness and injuries, medical treatment, births, deaths, and marriages, desertion, entering the navy, wages of deceased seamen, sale of deceased seamen's effects, collisions and the circumstances attending the same, order of a Naval court, and survey of provisions and water. Q.-What is the first thing to be entered in the official log book? A.-The draught of water. Q.-Suppose you had to make an entry against one of the crew for an offence, how would you do it? A.-Enter the date, the ship's position, and the charge made against him. Then read the charge to the man, in the presence of the mate, sign it, and get the mate to sign it as a witness; and then call upon him for his defence: if he make any, write it below the charge, sign it myself, and get the mate to sign it as a witness. Q.-Suppose that circumstances arose which prevented you from reading the entry to the man, when must it be read to be legal? A.-If the offence was committed at sea it must be read before arrival in port, or before the ship sails if the offence occurred while in port. Q. When a seaman dies what entry is made in the official log book? A.-The day and the hour, the position of the ship, the man's name, the medical treatment the case has received, how long ill, and the cause of his death, balance of wages up to the day of his death, and list of his effects. Sign it and have it witnessed by the mate or other officer. Q.-What would you do with the effects of a deceased seaman ? A.-If possible, sell them; if I could not, I would deliver them up to the shipping master on my return. Q.-What is to be done with the balance of his wages and the proceeds (if any) obtained from the sale of his effects? A.-The money is to be handed over to the shipping master on the vessel arriving home. Q.-What entry would you make if a man should leave you to join the Royal Navy? A.-The date, port, or position of ship if at sea, man's name, and that he left of his own accord to join H.M.S. "so-and-so," then an account of wages up to the day of leaving. The officer in charge of the boat that comes to receive him and his effects should be paid any balance due to the man, and the officer should sign this entry in the log; or else the master and seaman must sign it. Q.-What entry in the official log book does the Merchant Shipping Act, 1871, enforce? A.-The master of every British sea-going ship shall, upon her leaving any dock, wharf, port, or harbour, for the purpose of proceeding to sea, record her draught of water in the official log book (if any), and shall produce such record to any principal officer of Customs whenever required by him so to do, or in default of such production shall incur a penalty not exceeding Twenty pounds. Q. Where is the ship to be marked so as to show her draught? A.-On her stem and on her stern-post, in Roman capitals six inches in length. Q.-What part of the figures would you take? A.-The lower part. Q.-The Merchant Shipping Act of 1873 requires another entry to be made, what is it? A.-The amount of clear side. Q.-Where are you to measure the clear side ? A.-At the lowest point. Q. How are you to measure it? A.-Measure from the top of the rail to the water outside, and from the top of the rail to the deck inboard; the difference is the amount of clear side. Q.-On your arrival home what is to be done with the official log book? A.-It must be handed over to the shipping master within forty-eight hours after arrival, or when discharging the crew, whichever happens first. TAKING IN HEAVY WEIGHTS. Q. What weight would you lift with a yard-arm tackle ? A.-Nothing heavier than a small cask of water. If compelled to use such a purchase for a heavy weight, untruss the yard, top it well up, and secure it well with lashings to the mast, rolling tackles, and guys. Q. How would you take in a heavy piece of machinery, say a boiler ten tons weight? A.-Protect the side and decks with planks, and shore the beams well up in the between decks, haul the main-yard forward a little on the side I was going to take the heavy weight in, top it well up, untruss it, and lash it to the mast, with plenty of canvas between the yard and mast. Then lash a derrick to the after part of the yard, a little outside where the yard plumbed the rail, placing the heel, with a piece of wood under it, on a beam, and lash the heel to the ring-bolts in the sides. Then pass three or four turns of a good hawser round the lower mast |