Instructions to All Persons Appointed for Building Frigates
Item
Type
Copy of document
Title
Instructions to All Persons Appointed for Building Frigates
Description
Circular letter from the Secretary of War to Naval Constructors. Particular directions will be provided regarding the proportion of the ships. As public employees, they are to observe strict economy in labor, materials, and all other matters under their supervision. There must be a roll call for laborers and workmen at the beginning and end of the day as well as when they return from dinner; the constructor must be present at roll call. His fellow staff will include: an agent for procuring materials; a captain or superintendent of the workmen; a clerk of the year. All purchases, whether of labor or materials, must be countersigned by the captain or superintendent. Only materials of the best quality should be used. The whole effort of building six ships in different places is an experiment to consider how any future workmight be carried out.
author
in collection
in image
note
This document is an undated blank form letter.
notable person/group
Secretary of War
constructor
master builder
public officer
workmen
laborers
clerk of the yard
absentee
agent
Treasury of the United States
captain
superintendent
artificers
notable location
United States
notable item/thing
frigate
port
particular directions
proportion of the ships
draft and moulds
salary
highest degree of economy
materials
labor
rolls
dinner
certificate
vouchers
employed
construction
public property
countersigned
estimate
best quality
frost
parts
experiment
utmost harmony
results
construction of the frigate
notable phrase
particular directions will be given to you, relatively to the proportion of the ships, a draft and moulds for the same, to which you are undeviatingly to adhere
procure and pay all the workmen who shall be employed in the construction or equipment of the said ship
observe that there be a due application of all the men to the end intended
receive, distribute and account for all public property
materials for building the ship not procured by the Treasury will be purchased by the agent in pursuance of your estimate to him
no materials of any sort enter into the construction of the said ship but the best quality
substantial foundation be laid for the ship so that there shall be no danger of settling when the frost comes out of the ground
view of the government besides distributing the advantages by building the six frigates in different places is to ascertain where similar work may in future be done to most advantage. The present attempt, therefore, is to be considered as an experiment of the place where the business shall under all circumstances be best performed
document number
9999999900901
page start
1
Item sets
Document instances
| In image | In source | Location in source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [view document] (0 pages) | BBD07 (0 pages) | Collection: Josiah Fox (1763 - 1847) Letterbook Papers. Reel #5 Series 1 Naval Architecture Shipbuilding Papers | P: 32, bottom half |
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Collection: Typed Versions | [unknown] |
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Collection: Subject File of the Naval Records Collection | [unknown] |
Document names
| Type | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | War Department | [unknown] | [n/a] |