THE CABLE SBIP ON REPAIKS. 253 



Before taking the turns off, a little slack is paid out, and then 

 the end is stoppered at bows, thus taking off all strain from 

 the drum. The fleeting-knife is then moved out of the way and 

 the turns of cab'e slipped off. As picking up proceeds on the 

 buoyed end, the ship moves forward a little, and the stoppers 

 on the paid-out end are eased to allow cable to slip through 

 as required. The only objection to this is that the amount of 

 cable so paid out by hand is not measured, or only approxi- 

 mately so. When removed from drum the cable is laid over 

 two forks on standards in line from bows to tank. This keeps 

 it in a convenient position and clear of the gear, and the drum 

 and gear are then at liberty for picking up buoyed end. 



On the " Alert " this gear is supplemented by a steam winch, 

 the barrel of which is driven at slow speed by worm gear. This 

 is found necessary when repairing heavy multiple cables with 

 shore-end sheathing, in lifting which the strain sometimes 

 reaches 30 tons. 



In the first ten years of cable-gear construction, drums were 

 made with outside bearings, so that cable could not be got off 

 without cutting it, and this involved much inconvenience and 

 waste in wrongly judging length at which to cut. The first 

 overhanging drum was constructed by Mr. Webb on the vessel 

 above alluded to in the year 1863, and has since been uni- 

 versally adopted. 



From the foregoing remarks the advantage of two drums 

 acting independently will be appreciated. Instead of having to 

 remove the turns of cable being paid out so that the drum 

 can be used for picking up, both operations can then be carried 

 out simultaneously and without loss of time. 



Figs. 148 and 149 represent a double gear designed by 

 Alexander Wilson and J. F. Tafe in 1888. Two drums, D and 

 D', and two enginep, E and E', are provided, and the gear is so 

 constructed that the power of either or both engines can be 

 applied to either or both drums, driving them in the same or 

 opposite directions and at the same or different speeds ; or either 

 drum can be used free with the brake for paying out. Con- 

 sidering one engine (E), it will be seen that the pinion (15) on 

 the crank shaft can be put in gear with the large wheel (16) to 

 drive drum D at the fast speed. For slow speed, pinion (15) is 

 withdrawn, 19 is put in with 21 on the second-motion bhafc 



