EQUIPMENT. 65 



placed under ihe hind wheels. A thick rope is also extended along the 

 whole inner side of the ship through strong rings, which are on the deck 

 between the guns, passing over the hooks on each side of the port-holes, 

 and behind around the carriages, on which it is stretched taut at both ends. 



The guns are shotted with a rammer (pi. 11, Jig. 36), consisting of a stout 

 rope's end, with a swab at one end for sponging the gun, and at the other a 

 thick wooden knob. There are also rammers and swabs with wooden 

 stocks (pi. 11, Jig. 33), and each in a separate piece; but those of ropes* 

 ends are more convenient. Figs. 37, 38 are the worms for extracting a 

 ball from the cannon. The first is like that used for a musket ; the second 

 serves also to clean the barrel. The gun-ladle (Jig. 39) is used when the 

 cannon is loaded with loose powder instead of cartridges, to convey the 

 powder to the butt-end of the barrel. The cartridges are woollen bags 

 filled with powder, and often also containing a ball (see Military Pyrotechny, 

 p. 135, or p. 611 of this volume). They are kept in a wooden chest on the 

 deck, called the cartridge-chest. The ball is prevented from rolling forwards 

 by wadding of tow or untwisted rope. The cartridges are pierced with a 

 priming-wire, to enable the priming to reach the powder. This is contained 

 in the powder-horn (Jig. 45), which is borne by one of the men during an 

 action, and is usually hung over the port-hole (pi. 22, Jig. 4). Quick matches 

 are often used in firing, and in that case the powder-horn is filled with pul- 

 verized gunpowder. When the guns are fitted with percussion locks the 

 powder-horn is of course unnecessary, as well as the matches. The apron 

 is a leaden plate placed over the vent of the loaded cannon, and is removed 

 only at the moment of firing. Except during an engagement the vent is plug- 

 ged up with tow, and the apron bound down upon it ; when percussion locks 

 are used, a case is placed over the lock instead of the apron. As the guns 

 become very much heated by continued firing, a cooler filled with cold water 

 stands by the side of each, to cool down the inside of the barrel with a swab, 

 and the outside with a mop made of twisted ropes. An instrument called 

 the visitor (pi. 11, Jig. 40) is used to inspect the inside of the barrel ; it con- 

 sists of the rod, a, with a trigger and the ring, cc, which is attached to a second 

 rod, h, over the first. If the instrument is pushed into the barrel without 

 the ring the trigger springs into the cavity, if any exists ; the ring is next 

 inserted as far as possible without force, and then, without displacing the 

 ring, the instrument is withdrawn, and thus the depth of the cavity may be 

 ascertained. 



In shooting, halls are generally used in cannon ; these are the most eflfec- 

 tive ; canister shot and grape shot are also used for various purposes. The 

 balls are kept partly in the shot-room near the pump-well, and partly on the 

 shot-rack (pi. 21, Jig. 5) formed of slips of wood on the right and left of the 

 cannon. Canister-shot are small balls several of which are fired at the 

 same time (see Military Pyrotechny). They are generally inclosed in bags 

 of strong ticking, like grape-shot, with a circular wooden bottom (pi. 11, 

 Jigs. 48, 49). Besides this kind of shot there are chain-shot (Jig. 41*"), har- 

 shot (Jig. 4r), holt-shot {Jig. 42), cluh-shot (Jig. 43), sliding-shot (Jig. 44), 

 which are intended chiefly to destroy the rigging and sails of the enemy ; 



717 



