3S3 



Colonel liciifjf Work on Slortns: 



[A Pint 



Bules for laying Ships to in U urricaues. — That lack on which a sliip 

 shouhl be laiJ-lo in a hurricane, lias hitheilo been a piobleru to be 

 solved ; and is one which seamen have long considered important to 

 have exphiiiied. 



In these tempi^sts, when a vessel is lying-to, and the wind veers by 

 the ship's head, she is in ilanger of getting stern-way, even when no 

 sail is set; for in a hurricane, the wind's force npon the masts and yards 

 alone will produce this effect, should the wiiul veer a-head; and it is 

 supposed lliat vessels have often foundered from this cause. 



^Vhen the wind veers aft, as it is called, or by the stern, this danger 

 is avoided ; and a ship then comes up to the wind, instead of having 

 to break o/f' from it. 



If great storms oh.\v fixed laws, and the cxplan;ition given of them 

 in this work be the true one, then the rule for laying a ship to, follows 

 like the corollary to a problem ulreatly solved. 



In order lo ilefine the two sides of a storm, that side will be here call- 

 ed the right-hand semicircle which is on (he right of the storm's course, 

 as we look in the direction in which it is moving ; just as we speak of 

 the right bank of a river. 



The rule for laying a ship'to will be, when in the right-hand semi- 

 cin:le, to heave-to on the starboard tack ; and when in the left-hand 

 semicircle on the larboard tack, in both hemispheres. 



Fig. 4, Plate 8, is intended to represent one of ihe West Indian hurri- 

 canes, moving towards the east-north-east, in the direction of the spear 

 drawn obliquely. The commander of a ship can ascertain what part of 

 a circular storm he is falling into, by observing how the wind begins 

 to veer. Thus, in the figure, the ship which falls into the right-hand 

 semicircle, would receive the wind at first about east%y north ; but it 

 would soon veer to the east, as the storm passes onwards. jThe shipwhich 

 falls info theleft-hmd semicircle, would at first receive the wind at 

 north-east but with this latter s^hip, instead of veering towards east, it 

 would veer towards north. 



The explanation of the rule will best be made out by attentively 

 inspecting figures 4 and 5. In both, the black ships are on the proper 

 tacks ; the white ships being on the wrong ones. 



Figure 5 is intended to represent one of those hurricanes in south 

 latitude wdiich pass near Mauritius proceeding to the south-westward. 

 The whirlwind is supposed to be passing over the vessels in the 



