1841.] Wood's Report on the River Indus. 535 



is shortened, the line again middled, and the crew advance at the 

 same slow pace as before. Boats should have two track ropes, and 

 when turning the bends of the reaches, both should be on shore. 

 They should also be provided with a heavy grapnel to drop, in the 

 event of accident to the track ropes. 



The steep banks in bends of the river should be avoided, for under 

 it circles a current in a contrary direction to that of the main stream, 

 the quick gyratory motion of which is constantly exerted to the 

 destruction of the bank, and that of such boats as frequent it* 



Boat Building, Materials, Suggestions. — Boats are constructed 

 according to established usage, which has fixed a proportion between the 

 beam and length of each boat. The tonnage is calculated on the boat's 

 bottom, from the point where the stem and stern rise. The angle at 

 which it takes place is matter of taste, a high projecting stern improves 

 the steerage, and a low bow gives speed. The banks of the Indus are 

 deficient in almost every article used in constructing the boats on the 

 river. The Lower Sinde is supplied with plank and spars from the 

 Malabar coast, and with coir and cordage from the same quarter. The 

 Ameers of Hyderabad, are, however, the chief, almost the sole pur- 

 chasers. The Moohana, unable to give the high price asked by Cutch 

 boatmen for teak plank, exhibit both skill and ingenuity in building 

 boats of timber of their own country's growth ; for this the orchard is 

 robbed, and the country for miles round laid under contribution. In 

 the bottom of a single boat, teak, baire, fir, babool, and the curreet 

 tree are sometimes seen together, and in the same extent of workman- 

 ship, six hundred and seventy three patches have been counted. 



The Upper Indus is principally supplied from the banks of the 

 Chenaub, where the talee tree, the sissoo of Hindostan, is seen with a 

 trunk measuring twelve feet in circumference. Three such trees furnish 

 plank enough to build a large sized zohruk. 



The Attock boats are built of good fir, brought down the Cabool 

 river, and from the forest of the Lower Himalaya. 



Iron Work. — The Lower Indus is supplied from Bombay, and the 

 upper portion of the river from the mines of Bunnoo and Bad jour. 



* See an example of this in Table VI. of the Appendix, headed Irregularities in 

 the bed of the Indus. 



