Cruising 200 years ago

[lknick]

Before Sandhurst became the Royal Military Academy to train British army officers, it was the East India company training school for the private East India Company army and navy. [India did not become a British colony until the mid-1800s. Before that, it was ruled by the East India Company.]

In the museum of the East India Company are instructions to passengers for the trip to Bombay to Portsmouth, which took about 8 months.

1. Cabins are 6 feet by 8 feet in size [except for two ‘suites’ which were larger.]
2. Cabin walls were made of canvas. There were canvas flaps for doors.
3. Passengers were required to bring their own furniture, which they were to nail to the deck. [There was a charge of 1p for each nail used, about $5 today.]
4. Two meals a day were served. Breakfast was barley gruel [called Ragu] with dinner being Ragu plus at times meat or fish.
5. Passengers were expected to provide their own food on the hoof, primarily goats and chickens, and were charged for slaughtering by the East India Company. The only food provided by the East India Company was the barley gruel and hardtack [hard biscuits usually infested with weevils].
6. All male passengers irrespective of age were expected to serve on the gun crews.
7. Passengers were required to take care of their own night soil and to dispose of it on the leeward side of the ship.
8. Passengers were forbidden to bathe except while in Capetown [the one port of call on the voyage] to conserve water.
9. Passengers were forbidden to wash clothing except at Capetown to conserve water.
10. Passengers baggage was restricted to three 'outer' garments. ‘Suite’ passengers were allowed up to 10.
11. Passengers were encouraged to bring their own servants.
12. Smoking was forbidden. Chewing tobacco was encouraged.
13. Gambling was forbidden.
14. Passengers were not allowed on the Quarterdeck.
15. Passengers were required to tip their hats toward the Captain on seeing him.

So the next time your dining steward forgets to refill your ice tea, think of life on an Indiaman during the early 1800s.

[Brandis]

13. Gambling was forbidden.

Hey, no bingo announcements... :-D

Marc

[jhannah]

Gracious! Yes, indeed ... we should be thankful for what we enjoy today. Your post reminds me of the old rules for school teachers. (No makeup, must sweep the floors and bring in coal every night, cannot date, etc.) Only when we consider our past can we be fully appreciative of how far we've come.

[localady]

4. Two meals a day were served. Breakfast was barley gruel [called Ragu] with dinner being Ragu plus at times meat or fish.
5. Passengers were expected to provide their own food on the hoof, primarily goats and chickens, and were charged for slaughtering by the East India Company. The only food provided by the East India Company was the barley gruel and hardtack [hard biscuits usually infested with weevils].
.
Iknick- Great to see you back, I've missed your witty repartee!:cool:

I just hope HAL doesn't get any ideas of a "retro dining experience" as a way of cutting costs!!!!:eek: ;)

[Orcrone]

Ilknick. Don't give HAL any ideas for decreasing costs.:D

Although, I'm pretty certain that they'll never ban gambling.

[Vicar]

Hmmmmmmmm


All these rules and yet no clear dress code for the dining room
Just as long as you have a hat to tip when you see the captain. *LOL*

[RuthC]

Sounds like the one I had on the old Rotterdam; that "stateroom" was awfully small. Shared it with my husband for 33 days without killing each other.

Welcome back, lknick. As always, an interesting post.

[localady]

Sounds like the one I had on the old Rotterdam; that "stateroom" was awfully small. Shared it with my husband for 33 days without killing each other.


It sounds like you and your dearly departed husband passed the ultimate marital test RuthC!!!:D :cool:

[Bill S]

And, I bet that passengers back then were not allowed to post their comments/opinions on a bulletin board and that the Company did not distribute comment cards on the last day of the trip! I wonder what the punishment was, if any, if you offended the Captain?

[localady]

And, I bet that passengers back then were not allowed to post their comments/opinions on a bulletin board and that the Company did not distribute comment cards on the last day of the trip! I wonder what the punishment was, if any, if you offended the Captain?
Bill S-
Depends how upset he was.....You would either be swabbing decks or feeding the fish:eek: :cool:

[The_Hall_Monitor]

I wonder what the punishment was, if any, if you offended the Captain?To not show proper respect for an officer in the Royal Navy during this period warranted the tar 30 to 50 lashes.

Men passengers on an Indiamen received the same. Women, as they were frail, received only half the allotment. If the woman 'pled her belly' [ie was pregnant], the allotment was only one quarter.

Dispite what you may have seen in the movies, 'punishment' was administered by powder monkeys, [8-12 year old boys] as they were not as strong as able seamen. It took 3-5 powder monkeys to 'administer punishment'.

If the disrespect was severe, it was called mutany. Punishment was death.

Bet that kept people from running off at the mouth.

[ekerr19]

Very interesting - gives one food for thought doesn't it?

Haven't seen you here for awhile, Iknick - it's good to see you back. :)

[ArkansasFish]

Can you see all of us on a ship like that today!! They would have to throw over half the passengers overboard within the first few days.
And it would be a great way to go on a diet. HUm.....maybe a ship should do that!! People are paying thousands for dieting now anyway.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

lknick, I too want to welcome you back to the HAL Board. I always find cruising history very interesting, although I like hearing about the Titanic era a little more. I think going back 200 plus years is a bit rustic but still very interesting. It is amazing what these folks did but to them it was probably every day life and probably was a luxury:eek:

[woodofpine]

The book of this name is a great read. It relates the history of sea Captains wives at sea during the age of sail. The economics... young captains often being invested as a part owner of the ship, sometimes a home shoreside was a necessary wait. The women... a soft stomach usually kept them ashore after a honeymoon cruise, a harder stomach kept many at sea for years. The crew and hygiene, hygiene often considered better on "Hen Frigates", discipline less harsh (the captain in a better mood :) less liberally used. Woman sometimes took newborns to sea, but rarely gave birth there and usually went ashore to the better afforded home when school age arrived.

Check it out as a cruise read...

[lknick]

For whatever it's worth, women were on all ships unofficially. Most were prostitutes never officially seen by the ships officers.

When a baby was born, the birthing was done on the gun deck, usually using a gun as a bed. So comes our expression 'son of a gun.'

The Royal Navy maintained an orphanage [work house] in Plymouth for these children, where they were trained in seamanship starting at age 3, and transferred to the fleet at age of 8 to become powder monkeys. Midshipmen [officer candidates] also could start their training in the fleet at age 8, but most waited to age 12 as the parents of the midshipman were required to pay a tuition for their training.

[CDRMark]

Ah, keelhauling...flogging about the Fleet

those were the days sigh

[CaptData]

And, I bet that passengers back then were not allowed to post their comments/opinions on a bulletin board and that the Company did not distribute comment cards on the last day of the trip! I wonder what the punishment was, if any, if you offended the Captain?


Keel hull, anyone.

[Orcrone]

Ok, I'm a little confused. I haven't heard anything in this thread regarding the midnight buffets and ice carvings.:confused:

[Vicar]

Ok, I'm a little confused. I haven't heard anything in this thread regarding the midnight buffets and ice carvings.:confused:


Every night at midnight, the passengers who did not tip their hat to the captain during the day were thrown overboard and fed to the sharks.

Thus the first mignight buffet *LOL*

[jhannah]

When a baby was born, the birthing was done on the gun deck, usually using a gun as a bed. So comes our expression 'son of a gun.'I'm continually amazed at what I learn on this board! :cool: Our participation here is not a time-wasting addiction ... it's educational!!! Yeah. That's it.

[Vicar]

I'm continually amazed at what I learn on this board! :cool: Our participation here is not a time-wasting addiction ... it's educational!!! Yeah. That's it.



Yes thats it!!!!!!!
Its an educational experience

Thats what I will tell people.
God you can justify anything if you really put your mind to it *LOL*

[Orcrone]

I'm continually amazed at what I learn on this board! :cool: Our participation here is not a time-wasting addiction ... it's educational!!! Yeah. That's it.Can you spell rationalization?:D

[woodofpine]

I doubt that "service" women were on "all" ships back then... although I'm sure it wasn't uncommon.

Some things don't change. From Ft. Myers you ought to know... these girls in the contemporary FL shrimp fleet are known as "salad girls", ostensibly hired for galley work but tossed around a lot otherwise.

[Pudgesmom]

[QUOTE=Vicar]Every night at midnight, the passengers who did not tip their hat to the captain during the day were thrown overboard and fed to the sharks.

Does this mean that tipping was automatic?:rolleyes:

Beth

[Vicar]

[QUOTE=Vicar]Every night at midnight, the passengers who did not tip their hat to the captain during the day were thrown overboard and fed to the sharks.

Does this mean that tipping was automatic?:rolleyes:

Beth


In that instance Beth, tipping was a matter of life and death *LOL*

[flgirl]

[QUOTE=Vicar]Every night at midnight, the passengers who did not tip their hat to the captain during the day were thrown overboard and fed to the sharks.

Does this mean that tipping was automatic?:rolleyes:

Beth
BAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!