THE CABLE SHIP ON REPAIRS. 



219 



Cable at Bows. — When the cable is in sight (Fig. 128) the 

 winding-dram is braked, and two ropes or chains led over the 

 bow sheaves for stoppering on to the cable, one on each side of 

 the bight caught by the grapnel. The stoppers used are 

 generally of chain, put on with back hitches, the end link of 

 the chain being stopped to the cable with rope yarns. To put 

 these on, two men are lowered over the bows in boatswains' 

 chairs suspended in a bowline from the davits over the sheaves. 

 The illustration is from a photograph taken on actual work and 

 gives an excellent representation of how this difficult work is 



Fig. 123.— Stoppering Cable at Bows. 



performed. It is hardly ever that a boat is lowered for putting 

 stoppers on and cutting, as in anything but the best weather 

 the boatswain's-chair method is the only practicable way and, 

 what is most important, it takes much less time. In rough 

 weather, as may be imagined, the operation is attended with some 

 risk and danger. To obviate this, automatic cable grips with 

 cutter attached have been devised by which it is claimed the 

 operation could be carried out without leaving the ship. There 

 are times, however, when it is not advisable to lift cable much 

 above the water and it v/ould be difficult then to use such an 

 appliance. As soon as the chain stoppers are fixed the cable is 



