BARRON, ON THE DRY ROT. 153 



allow, from six inches lo two fuct of this poisonofts water to remain 

 in a shi|j, under the idea that it would be dangerous to let the 

 pumps have a closer connexion with the seams of the garboard 

 strake, lest they should draw out the oakum from those seams so 

 nearly connected with them. The best reason that could be as- 

 signed for not allowing the pumps to descend lower, or to the outer 

 plank of the bottom, commonly called the skin, is, that ships are 

 now built much stronger than heretofore, and of course, from the 

 close connexion of the floor timbers, there is not room for the 

 pumps to enter between them ; consequently the depth of the floor 

 timbers determines the quantity of bilge-water, allowed to remain 

 in a ship. This inconvenience might be removed by having one 

 or more small pumps placed farther aft, and let so close down to 

 the inner part of the outward skin, as to take this water up within 

 an inch of the bottom. I will suppose that the close con::exion of 

 the floor timbers — or a better reason than the one assigned, name- 

 ly, that when further removed from any obstruction, the water 

 naturally flows more freely to their heels or entrance — has been 

 the cause of the pumps not being let down nearer to the bottom 

 of the ship. But this reason can have no manner of influence, 

 nor be properly urged as an objecti-on to allowing one or two small 

 pumps to go down within one inch of the l)ottom. only to be used 

 in drawing this frotid water entirely out of the ship, after those 

 placed at a greater distance from the bottom have sucked, and 

 thereby to extract the last drop of this poisonous cause of death 

 and destruction." 



Ships on the Stocks, under cover. 



" One simple suggestion for their better preservation, may not 

 be ill-timed : — The admission of the external atmosphere in its 

 mildest stages, is, as before intimated, as advantageous to the pre- 

 servation of timber, as it is generally found to be to that of the hu- 

 man system. Timber of the most superior quality, and in fact 

 every species and quality of wood, exposed to unrestrained cur- 

 rents of the atmosphere, will be rent and split to pieces bv the al- 

 ternate expansion and contraction, thereby occasioned. The 

 proofs of this, are numerous and of daily recurrence. I would 

 therefore recommend, that all ships under cover, should be shelter- 

 ed from the effects of changes in the atmosphere, by causing all 

 the apertures in the ship houses to be as carefully closed as if oc- 

 cupied by families ; and opened only when the air is pure and 

 salubrious — for it is an undeniable trutii, that timber, exnosed to 

 unrestrained currents of the atmosphere, and the vicissitudes of the 

 weather, is rapidly rendered unfit for any useful purpose. Our 

 household furniture affords conclusive evidence of this result; for 

 however perishable its materials, it is seldom seen to be decayed 

 or rent. 



" If the foul air in the ffrst instance, and an unrestrained current 

 in the second, are not respectively the causes of the rapid destruc- 

 tion of timber, to what cause is it ascribal)le, that every species of 

 wood, even of the most inferior kind, is found in a good state of 

 20 Vet. L 



