A crew member stands at the manual wheel which was not normally used. The canvas tube covering the drum of the steering wheel protects the steering ropes from sun/salt damage.
Note the dial on the steering wheel and the projector platform behind sailor. mouseover red dot
photographed on 19 Sept 1896 by Wilfrid Grimwade aged 16.
courtesy of Wilfrid Russell Grimwade collection, University of Melbourne Archives, Image ID: UMA/I/3027