294 DREDGING AND TRAWLING 



the ship may at once be brought up on her course when 

 the gear is clear away. 



When a sufficient length has been paid out, the warp 

 is made fast by means of a rope-strop and rolling 

 hitch ;* if the dredge fouls, this strop should break. 

 When using manila a few turns of the slack warp 

 should be taken round the bollards, and when towing 

 from the winch barrel the brakes should be left open 

 if plenty of wire remains. 



Tow dead slow, preferably with the tide, feeling the 

 warp from time to time to make sure that the dredge is 

 biting properly. 



If the dredge hitches and the strop parts, stop the 

 ship at once, and if it does not clear itself immediately 

 haul it up. Should it still remain fast, lead the warp 

 forward and go astern, steaming slowly over the dredge. 



The dredge is usually left on the bottom for from 

 ten to thirty minutes ; if longer time is given the net 

 may fill right up and the strop on the bridle may part, 

 involving the loss of the greater part of the contents. 



The procedure in hauling is obvious. The ship is 

 stopped, the rolling hitch is cast off, and the warp 

 hauled by hand, capstan, or winch. In the latter case 

 it is well to see that the warp is evenly spread across 

 the breadth of the barrel ; otherwise loose bights appear 

 which later on will cause considerable annoyance. 



With a considerable amount of warp out, it is allow- 

 able to go slowly and cautiously astern at the com- 

 mencement of hauling, a careful watch, of course, 

 being kept that the warp does not come foul of the 

 propeller. If block and tackle are employed for getting 



* It is sometimes difficult to make a rolling hitch hold on 

 well-oiled wire-warp, especially when of small diameter ; in 

 such cases it will be found that a serving of trawl-twine or a 

 canvas parcelling will materially assist. 



