508 FOUTIFICATIONS OF A GREENLAND SHIP. [aPP. N° II. 



2. Further notices respecting the fortifications of 

 a greenland ship. 



[See p. 191.] 

 A plan for the internsJ fortifications of a whale-ship, adopt- 

 ed by Messrs Hurry and Gibson in the fitting out of the 

 Lady Forbes from Liverpool, and, since then, applied to a 

 new ship built by Messrs Mottershead and Hays of that 

 port, seems to possess some advantages over that described in 

 Chap. iv. sect. 1. of this volume, and, it appears to me, ought 

 therefore to be noticed. The new ship, which is intended to 

 be put under my command, is of a very superior and sub- 

 stantial build, and is fortified within the bow in the manner 

 following : 



The breast-hooks, five in number, are 12 inches square, 

 and about 12 feet in length, and are placed 12 inches asun- 

 der. All the breast-hooks are extended by an horizontal tim- 

 ber applied to each end, and every space is filled up with four 

 similar timbers, (a little slighter), while three horizontal ranges 

 of timber of a similar kind are placed beneath the lowest of 

 the breast-hooks. These altogether form a solid bed of tim- 

 ber, extending from the hold-beams downward to the foot of 

 the apron, and occupying the whole interior of the bows to 

 the distance of 17 feet on each side of the stem. This part 

 of the fortifications intersects, in the direction of its timbers, 

 the square-frames and cant-timbers of the bows nearly at 

 right angles, and each hook, intermediate timber and pointer, 

 is bolted with copper into every frame which it intersects. 

 Across this horizontal range of the fortifications are placed 7 

 riders, extending from the hold-beams down to the lowest 

 pointer ; one rider is in the centre, coiTesponding, in position, 

 with the stem, another crosses the ends of all the pointers, 

 and two more on each side are placed at equal intervals be- 

 tween those in the extremes and in midships. Near about 

 the centre of the circle, of which the bows at the height of 

 the hold-beams are arcs, is fixed a square perpendicular tim- 

 ber called a Mng-posf, of the diameter of 18 or 19 inches 



