416 BISECTIONS FOK BUILDING A BATTERY. 



Two oak carlings are cut out six feet long, one 

 and a quarter inch thick, and two and a half wide 

 in the middle, tapering off to one and a quarter at 

 the ends, with, a bow or spring of an inch from the 

 center to the extremities. Nail these firmly on each 

 end an inch below the top of the box, and to them 

 fasten the platform, which is made of planed stuff 

 ten feet long, and to each end of which a batten is 

 nailed as well as a short additional carling in the 

 middle, projecting from the side of the box. Fill 

 in the head and foot of the platform with short 

 pieces, so as to make it compact, and take especial 

 care to have it fit tightly around the box. As it is 

 made of three-quarter inch stuff, there will be left a 

 quarter of an inch all around the box to which, 

 when the other work is done, a narrow piece of lead 

 is nailed that can be raised to keep out the water in 

 rough weather. Two boards, or what is better, two 

 frames covered with duck, are hinged together by 

 leather hinges. These are one foot wide each, and 

 as long as the platform, and are hinged to it on both 

 sides. A foot-piece made of two boards is hinged 

 to the foot in the same way. To the head it is cus- 

 tomary, on Long Island, to fasten a fender of the 

 width of the battery and wings, and eighteen or 

 twenty feet long. It is made of duck nailed to thin 

 wooden slats, is tied on to the battery when in use, 

 and taken off at other times. In other parts of the 

 country it is customary to dispense with the fender 

 and substitute a head wing of three boards hinged 

 on like the foot and side wings. A single board, 



