VOL. LXX.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 627 



within side to swim the outside leaky one; and that bottom being depressed 6 

 feet below the external water, resisted the ship's weight above it, equal to 581 

 tons, and safely conveyed her to the dry dock at Deptford. 



After writing the above account, Mr. B. was desired to use the same method 

 on a Swedish ship, stranded near Margate on the same day as the York East 

 India-man, and swim her to London. As this ship was about 250 tons, and the 

 execution of the business something different from what was practised with regard 

 to the large ship, it may not be improper to describe it. As this ship's bottom 

 was so much injured, having lost 8 feet of her stern post and all her keel, several 

 floor timbers being broken, and some of the planks ofF her bottom, so as to 

 leave a hole large enough for a man to come through, several lower deck beams 

 being likewise broken, and all the pillars in the hold broken and washed away; 

 he thought it necessary to connect, in some degree, the shattered bottom with 

 the ship's decks, not only to support the temporary deck by which she was to 

 swim up, but to prevent the bottom being crushed by the weight of the ship 

 when she should be put on blocks in the dry dock: to effect which, after he had 

 put across 12 beams of fir, 6 inches by 12, edgeways, one under every lower 

 deck beam of the ship, and well fastened them to the ship's side, he placed 2 

 upright pieces to each beam of 6 inches by 12, securely bolted to the sides of 

 the keelson, and scored 6 inches under the ship's lower deck beams, and 3 inches 

 about the beams of the temporary deck, and well fastened to each : the deck 

 was then laid with long 2 inch Dantzic deals, and well nailed and caulked ; the 

 ship's inside plank being well caulked up to the lower deck. A piece of fir, of 

 12 inches broad and 2 inches thick on the upper, and 4 inches on the lower edge, 

 was well nailed to the ship's side all fore and aft, and well caulked on both edges, 

 to prevent the side of the deck from leaking, or being forced up by the pressure 

 of the water against the deck, a 2 inch deal or cross piece was laid over every 

 beam, from the ship's side to the uprights at the middle line; then, at equal 

 distance from the side and middle line, pieces of 6 inches square, as long as could 

 be got down, were put all fore and aft on both sides, scored 2 inches over every 

 cross piece, and well bolted thi-ough the cross piece and deck, and into the fir 

 beams. From this fore and aft piece or ribband, to the ship's side, and from it 

 to the uprights in the middle, were placed 2 rows of diagonal shores, 6 inches 

 square, the heels of which were securely wedged against the fore and aft piece or 

 ribband, which afforded sufficient support to the temporary deck without any 

 other shores. Two bulkheads or partitions were built, as far as the fore-mast 

 forward, and mizen-mast aft, well planked, shored, and caulked, to resist the 

 water. As decks laid in this manner, and in so much hurry as the time of low 

 water requires, will of consequence leak in some degree, and as that leakage, 

 washing from side to side, will cause the ship to lay along, he fixed a 2 inch 



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