that are damaged in their Bottoms . 103 
tion of flieep fkins fewed on a fail, and thruft under the 
bottom, to itop the body of water from rufhing fo fu- 
rioufly into the fliip. This bulinefs effedted, moderate 
pumping enabled us to keep the fliip to about fix feet 
water at low water, and by a vigorous effort we could 
bring the fhip fo light as (when the cargo fhould be all 
difcharged) to be eafily removed into deeper water. 
But as the external application might be difturbed by fo 
doing, or totally removed by the agitation of the fliip, it 
was abfolutely neceflary to provide fome permanent fe- 
curity for the lives of thofe who were to navigate her to 
the river Thames. I then recommended, as the cheapeft, 
quickeft, and molt effectual plan, to lay a deck in the 
hold, as low as the water could be pumped to, framed fo 
folidly and fecurely, and caulked fo tight as to fwim the 
fliip independant of her own leaky bottom. I herewith 
fend you a drawing of the fame, which will give the So- 
ciety a clearer idea of the bufinefs than a long defcrip- 
tion, which, however, it may be ufeful to add for the bet- 
ter enabling others to put this method in practice. 
Beams of fir timber, twelve inches fquare, were placed 
in the hold under every lower deck beam in the fliip, as 
low as the water would permit; thefe were in two pieces, 
for the convenience of getting them down, and alfo for 
the better fixing them of an exadt length, and well 
bolted 
