334 
Dr, Young's Remarks on the 
to the strength, might enable them to cooperate in resisting 
a lateral force, if the arrangement could be made without too 
much weakening the beams, in procuring proper abutments 
for these pieces. 
12. Floors. 
It cannot easily be admitted, that Mr. Seppings's construc- 
tion affords any additional strength to a ship's bottom in case 
of her grounding. The fillings in between the timbers must 
indeed be extremely useful in this respect, first by giving 
firmness in the direction of the length, since even a straight 
plank is strengthened by having the incompressibility of its 
outside increased, much more one that is curved, in however 
slight a degree ; and secondly, by cooperating with the tim- 
bers, considered as shores, so far as the wedges are fixed in 
their places by their lateral adhesion or otherwise. 
The deling, which has been omitted, can have very little 
effect by its own strength in preventing the separation of the 
timbers at the floor heads ; but where there are transverse 
riders, it must be of essential advantage in enabling these to 
come into action, for the support of the neighbouring parts 
exposed to pressure ; somewhat more effectually indeed, in 
many cases, than Mr. Seppings's diagonal riders and their 
trusses can do, notwithstanding the superiority of their number 
and aggregate strength ; on account of the magnitude of the 
intervening spaces, which might happen to receive the principal 
stroke near their centres. This magnitude does not, however, 
contribute by any means in the same proportion to the weak- 
ness of the parts, as it would do if the surface were plane : 
and it is not improbable, that for supporting the weight of the 
ship on a very soft ground, Mr. Seppings's arrangement 
might afford equal strength with the common form, as seems 
