PREPARATIONS AND EQUIPMENT 65 



readily be understood that such a ship's side, with its 

 rounded form, would of itself offer a very good resistance 

 to the ice ; but to make it still stronger the inside was 

 shored up in every possible way, so that the hold looks 

 like a cobweb of balks, stanchions, and braces. In the 

 first place, there are two rows of beams, the upper deck 

 and between decks, principally of solid oak, partly also 

 of pitch pine ; and all of these are further connected 

 with each other, as well as with the sides of the ship, by 

 numerous supports. The accompanying diagrams will 

 show how they are arranged. The diagonal stays are, 

 of course, placed as nearly as possible at right angles to 

 the sides of the ship, so as to strengthen them against 

 external pressure and to distribute its force. The ver- 

 tical stanchions between both tiers of beams and be- 

 tween the lower beams and keelson are admirably 

 adapted for this latter object. All are connected to- 

 gether with strong knees and iron fastenings, so that 

 the whole becomes, as it were, a single coherent mass. 

 It should be borne in mind that, while in former ex- 

 peditions it was thought sufficient to give a couple of 

 beams amidships some extra strengthening, every single 

 cross beani in the Fram was stayed in the manner de- 

 scribed and depicted. 



In the engine-room there was, of course, no space for 



supports in the middle, but in their place two stay ends 



were fixed on either side. The beams of the lower deck 



were placed a little under the water-line, where the ice 



5 



