158 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



The types of vessel in use at this time were of the 

 following dimensions : 



Ship 100 feet long- by 26 by u carried 4 boats and 28 men. 

 ioo ,, 28 by 12 5 ,, 35 ,, 



112 ,, 29 by 12^ ,, 6 ,, 42 ,, 

 118 30 by 12* 7 50 



The hull of the vessel was strengthened to resist 

 ice pressure, and provided at the bow with an iron 

 " breast-plate " which corresponded in function 

 with the false or ice stem described by Scoresby. 



Fitting-out began in March with the preparation 

 of the so-called hard bread, consisting of two-thirds 

 rye and one-third wheat. At the beginning of 

 April the soft bread was made. A ship with thirty- 

 five men and five boats required for the voyage : 

 fifteen casks of hard bread, sixteen sacks soft bread, 

 twenty-eight sacks peas, eight tons meat, thirteen 

 quarters butter, one thousand pounds cheese, five 

 hundred pounds bacon, nine hundred pounds stock 

 fish, twenty-eight barrels of beer, two and a half 

 ankers of brandy, and so on. The empty casks for 

 the reception of the blubber were prepared and 

 placed in the hold, the interstices being filled with 

 firewood for subsequent use in boiling the oil at the 

 factories on shore. The two lowest rows of casks, 

 about two hundred in all, were filled with water. 

 The fore-part of the hull was strengthened inside. 

 At the end of March the master appeared to take the 

 vessel over, and to make ready for sea. The 

 mustering of the crew usually took place at some 

 water-side inn. Zorgdrager specifies in full detail 



