28. When the Use of Children in Warships Became Important
War at sea in the Age of Sail often came down to warships that fired broadsides at each other from rows of guns that lined their decks. Speed in the discharge and reloading of cannons and the maintenance of a high rate of fire – or at least a rate higher than the enemy’s – were vital. The last thing anybody wanted was for the guns to run out of ammunition mid-fight. To stockpile cannonballs next to the guns was simple, but to stockpile gunpowder nearby was problematic: it was too dangerous to leave large amounts of powder on the gun deck.
Just one errant spark in a space full of sparks and flames during combat could doom a warship. So a system was devised to send a steady stream of small amounts of gunpowder from the ship’s magazine or Powder Room, located beneath the waterline, to the guns. To reduce the risks of catastrophic explosions, sailors rushed back and forth between the magazine and guns, with relatively small amounts of gunpowder each trip. It did not take long before naval authorities decided that the ideal gunpowder courier was a child.