234 



SHIP. 



her crew. As for the disputed advantages of long 

 or short lower-masts, we agree entirely with Sir 

 Cloudesly Shovel, who says, with equal wit and 

 wisdom, "I mightily esteem short lower-masts; 

 for, the shorter they are, the longer they will 

 stand." With long top-masts you may make up an 

 equal or even greater surface of canvass, far more 

 advantageously spread, and more manageable, while 

 it is procured at less expense, and with less weight 

 aloft. It would be, moreover, an advantageous 

 improvement in merchant ships, not sparred to the 

 extent of their capacity, to make the fore and 

 main-masts, in all cases, of equal dimensions. 

 With improved appearance, they would have all 

 the respective spars and sails, except the courses, 

 answering equally for both masts. This would 

 enable them to go to sea with fewer spare ones, or | 

 to derive more advantage from the usual number. 

 In small ships, all the spars are of single sticks of 

 pine timber, which, for equal contents, are always 

 stronger; but, for ships above six or seven hundred 

 tons, it is impossible to procure single trees suffi- 

 ciently large ; and then it becomes necessary to re- 

 sort to made masts (so called), which are of oak 

 and pine, very artificially put together, and bound 

 with stout hoops of iron. 



The spars of a ship are not abandoned to their 

 own unsupported strength, but are sustained by 

 what is called the standing rigging. This consists, 

 tor the bow-sprit, of gammoning and bob-stays, 

 confining it down to the stem, and shrouds, which 

 sustain the immense lateral pressure which it en- 

 dures when on a wind. The jib-boom and flying- 

 jib-boom are, in like manner, supported by means 

 of martingales and guys. The fore-mast is sup- 

 ported by three or four pairs of shrouds on either 

 side, which set up to the channels, and by two 

 stays led forward to the bowsprit. The fore-top- 

 mast is supported by shrouds setting up in the top, 

 back-stays descending to the channels, and stays 

 leading to the bowsprit end. The top-gallant and 

 royal-masts have also their shrouds setting up 

 through the cross-trees, their back-stays descending 

 to the channels, and their stays leading to the jib 

 and flying-jib-booms. In like manner are the main 

 and mizzen-masts supported, except that the main- 

 stays set up on deck beside the heel of the bow- 

 sprit, the main-top-mast-stays at the head of the 

 fore-mast, the main-top-gallant-stay to the fore- 

 top-mast-head, and main-royal-stay to the fore-top- 

 gallant-mast-head. The mizzen-stay also sets up 

 beside the main-mast, and the same in ascending. 

 The running rigging consists of the tacks and 

 sheets that serve to spread the sails, the halyards, 

 traces, lifts, clewlines, and all other ropes used in 

 making, taking in, or manreuvring the sails. 



The sails of a ship are square sails bent to the 

 yards, and fore and aft sails traversing on stays or 

 bent to gaffs. Let us describe an entire suit, be- 

 ginning forward: On the extremity of the bow- 

 sprit is the flying-jib, a three-cornered sail, which 

 goes from the end of its boom upward along its 

 stay, leading to the fore-top-gallant-mast-head, and 

 confined to the stay by rings of wood or iron, called 

 hanks. It is hoisted by means of halyards, hauled 

 down by a downhaul; and, when up, is trimmed to 

 hold the wind by a sheet leading to the forecastle. 

 The jib, which leads from its boom to the fore- 

 top-mast-head, is of similar form, and so is the fore- 

 top-mast-stay-sail, running from the bowsprit end 

 towards the mast head. On the fore-mast we have 

 the fore sail, bent to the fore-yard, and sproul at 



the foot by means of tacks and sheets; above it, 

 the fore-top-sail, bent to the top-sail-yard, by means 

 of which it is hoisted aloft, while its lower corners 

 are spread to the extremities of the fore-yard ; next 

 the top-gallant-sail, bent to its yard, and sheeting 

 home to the top-sail-yard ; and so with the royal 

 and sky-sail. All these sails are turned at plea- 

 sure, to be presented to the wind, by means of 

 braces attached to their yard-arm, and leading to 

 the main-mast. The main-mast is furnished with 

 a similar suit of sails, somewhat larger ; the mizzen, 

 also, though smaller than either; instead of a square- 

 sail on the lower mast, it has a gaff-sail, hoisting up 

 and down abaft the mast. Some ships have similar 

 gaff-sails on the fore and main-masts, which are found 

 of great use in gales of wind, as a substitute for storm 

 stay-sails. Most carry, also, light stay-sails between 

 the masts ; but they are very troublesome, and worse 

 than useless. Studding-sails, or wings, as they are 

 better called by the Spaniards, spread without the 

 square-sails when going large, and are very useful. 

 The perfection of equipping a ship with spars, rigg- 

 ing and sails, consists in so disposing them, that, in a 

 whole-sail breeze, the centre of effort of all the 

 sails will be in the same line with the ship's centre 

 of rotation; or that the efforts of the forward and 

 after sails to turn the ship will be so .exactly 

 balanced as not to require any continued assistance 

 from the rudder in either direction ; for this, while 

 it impedes her progress, does not leave the entire 

 force of the rudder disposable, when necessary to 

 turn. Of the two evils, however, seamen have 

 more patience with a ship disposed to approach the 

 wind, than with one needing the continued action 

 of the helm to keep her from falling off. The 

 French helmsmen well characterize these two quali- 

 ties by calling a vessel which has the first ardent, 

 the latter cowardly. Like, however, cool courage, 

 between impetuosity and cowardice, a midship helm 

 is still the golden mean. 



Our ship is now completely equipped, and ready 

 to receive cargo. Those articles with which a ship 

 may be filled full are stowed with a single view to 

 economy of space. Some, as cotton, require ballast ; 

 others, as staves, or sugar and fluids, require none. 

 When the articles are heavy and light, the heavier 

 are placed nearest the bottom, to increase the ship's 

 stability. When, however, all are heavy, there 

 may be danger of making a ship too stiff; so that, 

 not being balanced, she will roll violently, and, per- 

 chance, risk the fracture of a mast, or even spring 

 a leak. To obviate this danger, the cargo should 

 be raised: if iron, some should be stowed between 

 decks; if coal or salt, it may be heaped up in the 

 centre, taking care to secure it against shifting, 

 should the ship be knocked down by a sea or squall. 

 Heavy articles should never be placed towards the 

 extremities, lest they promote pitching. In all 

 cases, care must be taken to preserve the trim of 

 the ship that j ust proportion between her draught 

 forward and aft, which the estimate of the builder, 

 or, when a voyage has been made, experience itself, 

 has determined to be most favourable to rapid sail- 

 ing. 



The ship, being ready for sea, is usually dropped 

 into the stream or roadstead. There she is con- 

 fined by an anchor and cable passing through the 

 hawse-hole at the bow, and clinched round the bits 

 or windlass. As a vessel thus anchored is free to 

 swing round at the will of wind and tide, she is liable 

 to wind her cable round the anchor, and thereby 

 entangle and change the position of it* flukes so as 



