30 



STEUCTUEE OF VESSELS. 



a shipwright who has had practice in Hning off tim- 

 bers, or should have passed several months in a dock- 

 yard during the timbering of vessels, observing even- 

 piece that is put to use. 



As most part of the timbers of a vessel have their 

 sides squared, the cutter cannot err much in hevdng 

 away the sides in the plane of, and at right angles 

 to, the cm^ves, at least as deep as the sap-wood reaches, 

 thus leading only a little sap-wood on the angles ; 

 the sap-wood, in all cases (except in those small craft 

 used in carrying lime, vdiich preserves from rot), 

 being worse than useless ; by its decay not only 

 weakening the vessel from the want of entireness of 

 the timbers, but also acting as a ferment to fmther 

 corruption. 



In om' directions for obtaining ciuved and angu- 

 lar bent timbers, we may be thought to have been a 

 little too minute with the dunensions and fioTues : 

 under the hand of the shipwright, or person of 

 skill, a tree of almost any possible bend cuts out to 

 valuable pm-pose : what is wanted is crooked tim- 

 ber, fi^e of large knots ; — first and second foot-hooks 

 and knees are, hovrever, most in demand. 



