Washington District of Columbia

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1809
Washington Navy Yard
The Committee of the Shipwrights

By : John Sharp ©

 

The Committee of the Shipwrights
Washington Navy Yard,
October 24, 1809

Introduction:
      Over his long twenty nine year tenure as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard, Commodore Thomas Tingey, had more problems with the shipwrights then any other occupational category. Early shipwrights were highly skilled and much in demand. Those at WNY recognized apparently their own value in labor market as they had resorted to successful strike in 1807. In 1807 they had stayed away from the Yard for a week to enforce their demand for higher wages. In 1809, the Yard shipwrights were again upset over their wages; inflation often was the most likely cause of their distress since inflation often led to declining living standards for workers as their purchasing power declined. In their letter they also alleged that Master Shipwright/Shipbuilder Josiah Fox had made implied promises (which he and the Navy had failed to honor) to induce the Shipwrights and their families to journey from Philadelphia Pa into the District of Washington. In the early nineteenth century the federal government rarely paid for the cost of travel for newly hired civilian employees.

      On 16 November 1809 things actually got worst when Commodore Tingey removed or suspended some of the shipwrights for failure to attend daily muster. The Secretary of the Navy later ordered their reinstatement.

Secretery of Navy Letters 1808 -1814

Transcription:
      The Shipwrights spelling is that of the microfilmed original document and the bracketed items [ ] represent my best guesses as to the word or words missing or illegible. Spelling in the early nineteenth century had not been systematized, consequently, I have simply placed a word in brackets where the meaning might be obscured by the spelling e.g. our [hour].

Source:
      Letters Received by the Secretary of the Navy Miscellaneous Letters 1801 -1884
This letter for October of 1809 is in Roll M124A: 32(1). National Archives and Records Administration Records Group 45

John G. Sharp                         February 6, 2009

 

 
The Committee of the Shipwrights, Washington Navy Yard,
letter to the Secretary of the Navy, dated October 24, 1809 regarding their wages
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					Navy Yard Oct 24th 1809
Charles W. Golesberry [Goldsborough] Esquire


	Sir  At your request a few days ago we waited on Capt Tingey with our 
complaints, but he says that they can be nothing done with it until the return of the 
Secr[etary] We have made a report of this to a meeting of the shipwrights of the Yard, 
which have instructed [us] to address you Once more on the subject.

	Sir as it is out of our power to Point out our grievances to you in a mere plain 
manner then we have gone to Capt. Tingey, and as we confidently suppose that he has 
made you acquainted with our complaints we have only thought it necessary to drop a 
few observations that we have not done before.

	Sir some of us can produce letters at this time from Mr. Fox asserting that if we 
come to Washington  That we should be employed on the Yard at Two dollars and six 
cents and paid as long as we thought proper to stay This were in eighteen hundred and 
six, when we understood the established wages was the same when after a consideration 
of this we left our employment in other places tho[ught] Our situations would be 
permanent, brought our families [to] Washington which you know Sir was not without 
difficulties and expense which can not be beneficial to us working men  We hope sir 
these are the plain facts you will take in to consideration  - and redress our complaints 
liberally.  We do not wish you to think that we are about or to take upon ourselves more 
then becomes us to for it is with the utmost concern that we have taken these liberties. 
We were informed by Capt Tingey that the Secretary was expected any our[hour], but he 
is not returned yet and maybe a week or month, and that the expenses is fast approaching 
that will involve us in more difficulties, and we knowing  you can redress our Grievances 
is the cause of our troubling you again with this letter. We remain your very respectfully 

	[SIGNED]	Joseph Porter }  A Committee 
	[SIGNED]	Wm Lambeth    } appointed by the Shipwrights of
	[SIGNED]	James Kempe   } Navy Yard of Washington
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Endnotes :

Charles Washington Goldsborough 1779 - 1843 Chief Clerk Department of the Navy
Biography of Charles Washington Goldsborough

Commodore Thomas Tingey 1750 -1829 Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard
Biography of Thomas Tingey

Josiah Fox 1763 -1847 was a Master shipwright and ship designer. Josiah Fox and Commodore Tingey often did not get along which led to Fox's dismissal in August 1809. It is unclear what if any promises Fox may have made to the shipwrights to induce them to relocate.
Biography of Josiah Fox

WNY Shipwrights Committee: I was unable to find any additional documents listing any of the named employees of the WNY Shipwright Committee

 

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