872 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1S05. 



dcinotiatratcd, (though many per- 

 sons before would not admit of, 

 and others could not understand, 

 the principle,) that the facility of 

 removing the blocks or wed^os was 

 proportionate to the quantity of 

 preisure ujion theia. The block of 

 ilve degrees kept its place;, but was 

 innucdiutely cleared, by applying 

 the power of the battering-rams to 

 the sides of the outer ends of the ho- 

 rizontal wedges. The above expe- 

 riments being coimnunicated to the 

 navy-board, Mr, Seppings was di- 

 rected to attend tiu'iii, and explain 

 the principle of his invention : which 

 explanation, farther corroborated 

 by (he testimonials of his then su- 

 pf:rior officers, \\asso satisfactory, 

 that a dock was ordered to be fitted 

 at Plymouth under liis immediate 

 directions. 'J"he horizontal wedges 

 in this, and the other docks that 

 were afterwards fitted bj' him, are 

 of cast-iron, with an angle of about 

 Htc degrees and a half, which, from 

 repeated trials, are found equal to 

 «ny pressure, having in no instance 

 receded, and when required were 

 easily removed. The vertical wedge 

 is of wood, lined with a plate of 

 brought iron, Jiaif an inch thick. 

 On the bottom of the dock, in the 

 vake of each block, is a plate of 

 iron three quarters of an inch thick, 

 so that iron at all times acts in con- 

 tact with iron. 



The placing (he sustainingthorcs, 

 the form and sizes of the wfdges and 

 tattering rams, Sec. also the process 

 of taking away, and again replacing 

 the wedges of which the block is 

 composed, are also exemplified b) a 

 model. 



The dock being prepared at Ply- 

 DTjOutb, in August, 1801, the Cano- 

 pus, a large French eighty. gun ship, 

 was taken in, and rested upon the 

 blocks; and (he complete success 



of the experiment was such, that 

 other docks were ordered to be fitted 

 at Shecrness and Portsmouth dock- 

 yards under Mr.Sepping's directions. 

 At the former place a frigate, and 

 at tlie latter a three-decked ship 

 were suspended in like manner. 

 This happened in December, 180'^. 

 and January, 1803 ; and the reports 

 were so favourable, as to cause di- 

 rections to be given for the general 

 adoption of these blocks in his ma- 

 jesty's yards. This invention being 

 thought of national consequence, 

 .with respect to ships, but particu- 

 larly those of the navy, governmeat 

 has been pleased to notice and reward 

 Mr. Seppings for it. 



The time required to disengage 

 each block, is from one to three mi- 

 nutes afler the shores are placed ; 

 and a first rate sits on about iifty 

 blocks. Various are the causes for 

 which a ship may be required to be 

 cleared from her blocks, viz. to 

 shift the main keel, to add addition- 

 al false keel, to repair defects, to 

 caulk the garboard seams, scarples 

 of the keel, kc. Imperfections in 

 the false keel, which are so \eiy in- 

 jurious to the cables, can in th? 

 largest ship be remedied in a fe\» 

 hours by this inventi(jn, without ad- 

 ding an additional shore, by taking 

 away blocks forward, amidships^ 

 and abaft, at the same time ; and 

 when the keel is repaired in the 

 wake of those blocks, by returning; 

 (hem into their places, and then by 

 taking out the next, and so in suc- 

 cession. The blocks can be replaced 

 in their original situations, by the 

 application of the wheel battering- 

 rams to the wedges, the power of 

 which is so very great, that the 

 M'cight of the ship can be taken 

 from (iie shores that were placed to 

 sustain her. There v, ere one hun- 

 dred and six ships of dill'erent clas- 

 1 ses 



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