The ShiphuilcUng Industry in Belfast 27 



Manacles and it proved to be impossible to get her off, her bows 

 immovably jammed among the rooks. The salvage firm therefore 

 cut away the uninjured part of the hull, about four hundred feet 

 of it, and the after two-thirds of the boat travelled cautiously 

 to Southampton, helped by her own engines, which were, 

 of course, intact. Meanwhile a new bow had been ordered and 

 built at Belfast. The fiim hunted up the record of the ship's 

 lines, copied them exactly, and built a bow end, which, having 

 been duly launched, rigged out completely Avith its mast, captain's 

 bridge, chart house, life boats, even to the awning poles, was 

 towed off to Southampton. In a few weeks the " Suevic " was 

 at Sea again, looking exactly as she did before. 



I need not tell you that the calculations necessary for launch- 

 ing a structure of this kind were somewhat off the beaten track; 

 a mistake would have been a costly affair ! 



It is now time to follow one of the boats out to sea. At 

 length, having taken on her coals, water, and stores, to the last 

 spare bolt in the engine room, or the last finger bowl in the 

 pantry, the ship is taken down the lough by her own cvew, 

 assisted by a squad of men from the yard who, on deck, are tidying 

 up, giving the last touches of paint and so forth, while their com- 

 rades below are putting the engines through their trial. The trial 

 trip, as it is understood in other centres of the industry, is a rarity 

 in Belfast. The builders here have held that a full power trial 

 of a brand-new ship was rather a useless and expensive amuse- 

 ment ; that the best and only real trial is the boat's performance 

 at sea in the course of her duty ; also that it is unfair to the 

 staff, to boilers, and to engines, to run the whole outfit at its 

 maximum a few hours after steam had been got up for the 

 the first time. Still, without attempting to force the last ounce 

 out of everything, the engines are run up to a fair speed, their 

 power calculated, and everything looked over to see that the 

 boat is pi'operly finished in eveiy detail. Her compasses are 

 adjusted by specialists, nearly always employees of that wonder- 



