Preparations and Equipment. 63 



garboard strakes. Both ends were made specially 

 strong. The stem consists of three stout oak beams, 

 one inside the other, forming an aggregate thickness 

 of 4 feet (i'25 m.) of solid oak; inside the stem are 

 fitted solid breasthooks of oak and iron to bind the 

 ship's sides together, and from these breasthooks stays 

 are placed against the pawl-bit. The bow is protected 

 by an iron stem, and across it are fitted transverse bars 

 which run some small distance backwards on either side 

 as is usual in sealers. 



The stern is of a special and somewhat peculiar 

 construction. On either side of the rudder and pro- 

 peller posts which are sided 24 inches (65 cm.) is 

 fitted a stout oak counter-timber following the curvature 

 of the stern right up to the upper deck, and forming, so 

 to speak, a double stern post. The planking is carried 

 outside these timbers, and the stern protected by heavy 

 iron plates wrought outside the planking. 



Between these two counter-timbers there is a well for 

 the screw, and also one for the rudder, through which 

 they can both be hoisted up on deck. It is usual in 

 sealers to have the screw arranged in this way, so that it 

 can easily be replaced by a spare screw should it be 

 broken by the ice. But such an arrangement is not 

 usual in the case of the rudder, and, while with our 

 small crew, and with the help of the capstan, we could 

 hoist the rudder on deck in a few minutes in case of any 

 sudden ice pressure or the like, 1 have known it take 



