[ 28 7 ] 
the main-yard down to the upper deck of the {flip, 
the pieces being taken out crooked, or circular, or 
ftrait, according as the grain of the wood ran. 
It mud be remarked, that thefe claps were not one 
lingle explofion, but fuccefdve explofions, about the 
dimendons, as near as we could guefs, of fmall 
fhells, and continued fome time cracking after each 
other ; and as the lightening is obferved to run notin 
fit ait line, but zig zag, fo thefe different explofions 
might be differently placed in the air j that when they 
came to take fire and burft, they might take the 
pieces out of the different fides of the maff as above 
related. 
In great fhips the mails are compofed of three 
parts, eredled upon one another, the lowermofl part 
is called by its proper name, the middlemofl part is 
called the top-mad, and the uppermod part the 
top-gallant-mad. The mad, which was here da- 
maged, w'as the main-mad, or principal mad of the 
fhip, and which dands near the middle j and fome- 
times the name of main-mad is applied to all the 
three pieces as they dand eredled, and fometimes to 
the lower piece, or part of the mad only : and 
when they are didinguidied feverally, they are called 
the main-mad, main-top-mad, and main-top-gallant- 
mad. 
Each of thefe parts of the mad are divided as to 
length, and have their proper names accordingly ; 
and generally into three parts in common conven- 
tion, viz. the head part, which reaches from the upper 
extremity to the place, where the rigging is fixt ; the 
middle part, which reaches from a little below the 
rigging, to that place, where the lowermod part be- 
4 gins, 
