George. — Description of Patent Slip at Wellinyton. 21 



be picked up when the carriage reached the end of the ways ah-eady 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 to do 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. Tlie section of IS 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 I'eleased by the travellei', 

 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 screw placed under 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 ofi" a boat. To correct the centre 

 line, a fine copper wire M'as placed on the exact centre at high water-mark, and 

 a frame with a like copper wire and heavy plumbob was j)laced 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. The 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 aljout 

 three-quarters of a mile. On one occasion only did it become necessary to 

 shift the end of the w^ays, and then only about 1 in. 



