| Description | Concerning repairs required on the 'Discovery' upon arrival at Lyttelton. The ship had been leaking in the holds and engine room since departure from England, and gotten worse since entering the pack ice. The ship was thoroughly caulked which resolved some of the leaks, though one leak persisted and the ship went in for further repairs. One leak remains, though it is no longer too serious. However, the wages of the workmen involved were 'ruinously high'. Encloses two reports from the expedition carpenter, Mr [Fred] Dailey, highlighting 'much scamped work on the part of the builders' which had to be repaired and led to the high costs.
Dailey's first report concerns the caulking. It states that 'a great number of worm holes' were found in the ship which needed to be plugged. A number of defective bolts were found, as well as numerous instances of bolts being driven into the ship incorrectly. The causes of several leaks are described in the report, most of which have now been resolved as a result of the repairs and caulking of the ship. The second report details removing the iron plating at the bows to determine the cause of the leak underneath them. A number of further repairs were carried out here to fix additonal leaks not identified during the first docking, after which the plates were reinstalled. |