GxonGE.— Description of Patent Slip at Wellington. 21 
be picked up when the carriage reached the end of the ways already laid. 
Before a length of ways was lowered, the next section was fitted to it and 
bolts tried through the holes, so that the diver had no fitting work todo under 
water. On the section of ways being picked up, the traveller was run out a 
sufficient distance and the section of ways, sleepers, etc., dropped as nearly 
into its position as possible; the diver then unfastened the rope with which 
the carriage was worked, and attached it to a long hook made to pass through 
the flange of the section being placed, and the section already fixed on the 
rope being hauled in by the crab which worked the carriage, the two flanges 
were drawn up close together. The diver then secured the flanges together 
by means of a vice at each flange. The section of 18 ft. in length (the total 
weight of iron and timber in the same being some eight or ten tons) being 
thus approximately in its position, the next operation consisted in levelling it 
to the gradient of the ways and checking its position on the centre line. To 
enable the end of the section to be lifted after being released by the traveller, 
four iron brackets were bolted temporarily on the outer flange before sending 
down the carriage ; under these brackets the diver placed four screws, like 
* wool screws ; the carriage was then lowered out over the section of the ways 
to be levelled. Iron bars, cut to the proper length to reach above the water, 
were then dropped through tubes in the beams of the carriage on to the rails 
to be levelled, and on the end of the last piece fixed. When the water was 
deep it became necessary to stay these bars together at the top, as the least 
current or motion set the bars swaying out of the perpendicular, but when 
four or six bars were braced together there was no tendency to sway. The 
bars being in place, the centre rail was first levelled to the gradient by means 
of a spirit level placed on the top of the bars, the diver below raising or 
lowering the end of the ways, by means of the serew placed uuder the brackets, 
as was required. The side rails were levelled to the centre rail by the same 
means. To further check the gradient, bars of equal length were placed on 
the end of ways, to be levelled at high-water mark and at the top of the ways 
near the engine-house, the tops of the bars being proved to be all in line by 
means of a glass. It was found necessary to adopt this mode of levelling 
when the weather was too rough to level off a boat. To correct the centre 
line, a fine copper wire was placed on the exact centre at high water-mark, and 
a frame with a like copper wire and heavy plumbob was placed over the end 
of the ways to be corrected. A centre mark had been placed on the end of 
the iron work before lowering out, and the diver below, observing when the 
plumbob was in position over this centre mark, signalled to the men above to 
shift the wire as required. e two wires were then seen by a glass to be in 
line with the centre mark on the opposite side of the bay, a distance of about 
three-quarters of a mile. On one occasion only did it become necessary to 
shift the end of the ways, and then only about lin. 
