It's the _maintenance_
funds that puzzle us. If you give us a ship without a fund for renewals
of gear, wages, and so on, it is exactly as though you graciously made a
City clerk a present of a couple of Irish hunters, and requested him not
to sell them. The vessel Fullerton has in his mind will need an outlay
of L1,200 a year to keep her up. Suppose we invest the necessary capital
in a good, sound stock, we shall get about 4 per cent for money, so that
we require L30,000 for a sailing ship alone. As to the steamer,
whew-w-w!"
"A very good little speech, Blair, but I think I know what I'm talking
about. After all, come now, the steamer only needs extra for coal,
engineers, and stokers. You don't trust to chance at all; you don't care
a rush for wind or tide, and you can go like an arrow to the point you
aim at. Then, don't you see, my very good nautical men--Blair is an
absolutely insufferable old Salt since he came home--you can always
disengage your propeller when there is a strong, useful wind, and you
bank your fires. Brassey told me that, and he said he could always get
at least seven knots' speed out of his boat if there was the least bit
of a breeze. Then, if you're in a hurry, down goes your propeller, and
off you go. The wards must be in the middle--what you call it, Blair,
the taffrail?--oh, amidships. The wards must be amidships, and you must
be able to lay on steam so as to work a lift. You shove down a platform
in a heavy sea, lower a light cage, put your wounded man in it, and
steam away.
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