Thanks to the fact that nowadays more and more books are digitized we are able to read books that are some times for decades no longer available for the public for several reasons. That's quite a pity while these books contains useful information while the archives are destroyed, incomplete or nor accessible. In this case the letters written to the journal gives us more information about the dock yards including the manners to protect ships against weather conditions by using for instance (temporary) housings.
P. 114: “Plymouth, December 21st, 1836. Mr. Editor. The gales which have been so prevalent during the past month have also visited this port, to the injury of much public as well as private property. It is stated that the damages which have been done in the Dock-yard at Devonport cannot be estimated at less than 3000l. The roofs of the storehouses, temporary buildings of all kinds, the chapel, surgery, new engine-house, and the housings over the docks and slips, exhibit conspicuous marks of the violence of the storm on the 29th ultimo. A temporary housing over the dock called the stern-dock, which contains the Druid, yielded to the fury of the gale in a manner which is said to have presented a frightful appearance, and from which several persons within the range of its fall had a most providential escape from being crushed beneath the ruins. It appears to have been caused by a sudden shift of wind from S.W. to N.N.W., accompanied with a tremendous squall. No accidents of any moment occurred to the ships in harbour. The Impregnable drifted a little, but not to an extent to do any serious mischief, although apprehensions were at one time entertained that she would part her moorings. The San Josef, then lying alongside the dockyard, broke her off-fasts, but received no injury, owing to the prompt energies of the officers and people of the yard. At the Royal Clarence Victualling-yard the brewery alone appears to have suffered to the extent of between two and three hundred pounds. It has surprised many people that the buildings which house over the docks and slips should have withstood so tremendous a gale without any very great injury, considering the immense extent of surface which they present to the wind. Some of these housings are 300 feet long, 150 feet broad, and between 60 and 70 feet in height; and a housing of this kind exposes about as much surface to the wind, on each side of the ridge of the roof, as the area of an entire set of sails spread by a man-of-war of the first class. I remember to have heard it remarked, when the erection of these roofs was first contemplated, that the first gale of wind from about N.N.W. would lift them bodily off the ground, and transfer them to Mount Wise! of so light an appearance is their structure, compared with the expanse of covering to which there is no pillared support. Experience has, however, especially in the recent gales, completely given the denial to all speculation as to their insecurity. Every building, slip and dock, with one exception only, is now covered over with one of these housings, to the great comfort of the workmen, the convenience of business, and the preservation of materials; and there is now no reason to doubt their stability in any storm. If I am correctly informed, the cost of such a housing as that of which I have given the dimensions has been calculated at 13,000l, out of which amount, the copper sheets and nails used in covering it have been valued at 3480l; and the weight of the whole of the materials is estimated to be 332 tons. I have given you these particulars, thinking they may be perused with interest by some of your readers, as they were by myself when put into my hands.”
Source
The United Service Magazine, volume 1850, no. 3, 1837.
