vol,. XIII. IVO. 34. 



ibove mode, I will add, that I have two vessels 

 now running, which are perfi^ctly sound and trust- 

 worthy ; one of them is 31 years old, and tiio 

 other 25, and the only repairs that have heon 

 »iven to their hulls were the renewal of the waste 

 planks of hoth, and the quarter deck of one ol 

 ;lieui. This was not owing to the decay of the 

 )lank, but to the circumstance of its being fastened 

 with iron. The corrosion of the iron caused opeii- 

 Dgs where it passed through the wood : liad cop- 

 ier fastenings been used, the decays would not 

 lave happened. I think all vessels of war ought 

 o be secured with copper fastenings, and no iron 

 lUght to be used when it can |)ossibly be avoided. 



I have seldom used the live oak in tlie construc- 

 ion of vessels, as it is hard to work, and tuo 

 leavy for merchant ships : I greatly prefer the 

 imher of our bay — white oak, locust, cedar, 

 nd yellow pine. I use the white oak for frames 

 nd for plank from the keel up to and including 

 ie bends. From the bends to the upper deck, I 

 jrm the frame of locust and red cedar, an equal 

 umber of pieces of either kind alternately distrib- 

 ted. The sides, quick-work, decks, upper beams 

 nd carlins, are formed of the heart of yellow 

 ine. Latterly I have fastened the sides and decks 

 'ith copper. 

 My vessels have generally been employed on 

 ng voyages to the East Indies and South Amer- 

 a; and to guard against delay and accidents on 

 icli voyages, I have fitted tliem out in the follow- 

 g manner: — They are copper fastened — then 

 leathed with yellow pine boards one inch in 

 icknesg, put on with copper nails of two inches 

 • two inches and a half in length ; a layer of 

 rong paper dipped in tar is ptaced betwfiertK .«; 

 ne boards and the bottom of the vessel ; and 

 lother layer of paper, prepared in like manner, 

 placed between the pine boards and the copper, 

 he copper sheathing that I use weighs .from 28 

 32 ounces the square foot. In this way the 

 ssel may be said to have five bottoms — two of 

 ood, two of paper, and one of copper. They 

 B so tight that it is necessary to have cocks 

 rough which water may be introduced into the 

 Id to keep the vessel sweet. An additional ad- 

 ntage is, that ihey may be run with safety two 

 three years longer than they could do if they 

 ;re coppered on a single bottom of wood. 

 One of my vessels ran 17 years, and wore out 

 [•ee sets of sheathing copper before I removed the 

 lie boards; fearing that the main bottom might 

 Juire some attention in consequence of the de- 



of the oakum, I stripped off the sheathing 

 rds, and discovered to my surprise that the bot- 



and seams were in perfectly good order in- 



d, it appears as if the water had never penetra- 



to the main bottom, and that the sheathing of 

 od might have remained on with safety for many 

 rs longer. 

 [The year before the breaking out of the late war 

 th Great Britain, I commenced building a fine 

 sel, and had her frame raised, her bends on, and 

 torn planked, when I determined to proceed no 

 ther. I erected a shed over the vessel, under 

 ich she remained four years before I concluded 

 finish her. All possible care was taken of her, 



sonje of the large pieces of timber were found 

 ective, especially the transoms — timbers 18 

 hes square were found to be entirely destroyed 

 dry rot, although the interior exhibited nosymp- 

 bs of unsoundness. It was owing to this cir- 

 Bstance that I resorted to the above cited plan 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



187 



of boring tlie large timbers and filling the holes 

 with salt. 



For the preservation of vessels of war, the me- 

 lliod which I have pointed out, and which I have 

 imrsued, would be of great consequence : it would 

 save millions annually to those governments which 

 from choice or from necessity keep fleets in coui- 

 Juission. 



The only difliculty in the way of its introduc- 

 tion arises from the prejudice against the use of 

 salt, under the impression that it causes too great 

 a degree of moisture in the places allotted for the 

 accommodation of the officers and crews. I have 

 experienced no inconvenience in this respect, when 

 the cabins are lined with dry boards, attached to 

 the inner ceiling ; nor have I in any instance found 

 that any danger has happened to the cargoes in 

 consequence of the moisture. 



To overcome any inconvenience that might be 

 apprehended, it is only necessary to jirepare the 

 accommodations for the oflicers and men, in ships 

 of war, by fastening strips of plank an inch thick, 

 up and down, to the sides of wliich strips a sheath- 

 ing of dry boards can be attached. Tills will ef- 

 fectually prevent the escape of the moisture. The 

 northern and eastern fronts of our country houses 

 are sometimes secured in this manner from north- 

 east stoiins. 



I have mentioned Bay salt as the only kind that 

 ought to be used for the preservation of vessels, 

 owing to its quality of giving in moist weather — 

 dry stoved salt does not possess this quality, and is 

 therefore unsuitable. 



[ have had some experience with fast sailing ves- 

 sels, vulgarly called Ballimore dippers, and I have 

 wii'iftssed thei"- ri*-' ir -I i>.-ij,-.. - j,, i-.-. ^ -,var.i. 

 Some of them have performed wonders — it is only 

 necessary to say, that they require great care and 

 judgment in their construction and eqtiipmrnt, and 

 that they should be commanded by men trained in 

 their management. William Patteksow. 



Baltimore, Feb. 26, 1834. 



GYPSUM. 



Raspail has decided, as the result of a series of 

 experiments, that "it is not the leaves of the legu- 

 minous plants that absorb the gypsum which is 

 dusted over them, but the roots, when the dew or 

 rain has washed it into the soil; and hence the 

 advantage which has been found of applying this 

 powder a little before the dew comes on." It was 

 the practice of John Taylor, conspicuously known 

 as the author of Arator, and one of the best prac- 

 tical farmers in Virginia, to sow his plaster, for 

 tillage crops, before the last ploughing, that it 

 might be buried in the soil, where the roots of 

 plants required it. In applying it to grass lands, 

 he recommended, if our memory serves us, that 

 it be applied early, that the spring rains might 

 convey it to the roots. We have in the pamphlet 

 of Judge Peters, upon the application of Gypsum, 

 another corroboration of the correctness of M. 

 Raspail's conclusions. In many instances, there 

 narrated, where the gypsum was sown at the com- 

 mencement of a drought, or late in the season, it 

 produced no apparent benefit that year. It would 

 be useful if farmers would satisfy themselves upon 

 this head, by sowing a part of a field early and 

 a part late, a part before the last ploughing, and a 

 part upon the growing crop. So far as our opin- 

 ions have been formed from practice, they are in 

 favor of sowing on grass in April, and for tilled 

 crops before the last ploughing. 



SCYTHE SNATHS 



— Are among the numerous articles manufactured 

 in the neighboring towns. They employ many 

 hands in nuking and give occupation to our excel- 

 lent agricultural people in their use. It is better 

 to handle a scythe than to play the rake. One cuts 

 up vegetation .so it dies, and the other cxliiusts tho 

 intellectual juices so that the body early decays. 

 Tlie former bogets wealth and comfort and respec- 

 tability. The latter generates disease and preys 

 upon character and property. A Snath is an im- 

 portant part of the Scythe. It is the handle of the 

 implement and aids its vigorous use. The Poles 

 in their death struggles for liberty, used the scythe 

 alone as a weapon of defence. They wielded it 

 po^verfidly, and human dissolution followed its use 

 there as grass does here. There it was a murder- 

 ous weapon, here it is a pacific, an agricultural one. 

 Mr. Silas Lunison of Ciimmington has a great rep- 

 utation for good scythe snaths. He employs about 

 fifteen hands and makes nearly two hundred a day. 

 He intends lo manufacture fifty thousand a year, 

 and the proceeds of his sale will not fall much 

 short of $25,000 annually ! This is but one spe- 

 cimen of Yankee thrift and industry. 



EXPLOSION AT THE KATC1,IPF GAS WORKS. 



On Tuesday morning about five o'clock, a ter- 

 rific explosion was heard to proceed from the Rat- 

 cliff Gas Works in Sun Tavern fields, St. Georges 

 in the East. One of the largest gasometers had 

 burst at the back of the factory, adjoining Johnson 

 street, leading from tho back road to the Commer- 

 cial road, and had carried away the outside case or 

 vat in which the gasometer was placed, besides 

 forcing dov ■. ;. brick wall, several feet in ibickneeB 

 the ti»a;<,,4^ i of which were thrown in every di- 

 rection. The gasometers contained 16,000 leet ef 

 gas, and owing to the chime hoop, which binds to 

 the bottom of the tank, giving way, the pressure 

 became so great on the other parts of the gasom- 

 ete-, that it gave way, and sunk with a tremen- 

 dous crash, on the side, forcing the gas out at the 

 top, and splitting the massive timbers which com- 

 liosed the case and the large upright beams whicl. 

 supported the whole fabric. Heavy pieces of tim- 

 ber were reduced to splinters, and others forced to 

 a considerable distance. A ponderous wheel, by 

 which the gasometer was suspended, was hurled 

 into the yard, a distance of fifty feet, and fell by 

 the side of a man employed on the premises, who 

 narrowly escaped destruction. A stable by the 

 sicle of the gasometer was blown in and reduced to 

 ruins, but a horse within escaped unhurt, and was 

 got out by making an opening in the wall. The 

 tank contained about 20,000 barrels of water, vvbicJi 

 being set free was forced with great velocity over " 

 Johnson street into the gardens on the other side. 

 After the explosion, the filace presented one mass 

 of ruins, bricks, iron and wood laying about John- 

 son street aud the factory yard in every direction. 

 The damage is estimated at upwards of £20,000 

 but no lives were lost nor was any person injured! 

 Another gasometer, only five feet from the other, 

 remain uninjured, which is formed of wrought iroo! 

 — A gas light in a lamp close to the tank was blown 

 out by the current, a circumstance which prevent- 

 ed the contents of the gasometer from being ignit- 

 ed, and probably saved property to a large amouot 

 from destruction. 



Sore backs in Horses. — White lead, moistened 

 with milk, or sweet oil, has been recommended as 

 the most effective application in this couiplaint. 



