SHIP BUILDING. 
thay now be stiictly examined, and any 
nnt’airness readily pointed out ; again, as a 
liirtlier proof, square up perpendicular lines 
close forward, about 2! feet asunder or less, 
(the same may be done close aft hereafter, 
for the proof of the fairness of the water 
lines abaft), then transfer the several half 
breadths, as before, from the half breadth 
to the body plan, and if they make hand- 
some curves in the body plan, when drawn, 
the water lines may be said to be construct- 
ed with exactness. 
But it may be necessary here just to 
describe to our readers what is meant by 
the term fair, as it otten occurs in the for- 
mation of the several lines ; which is, that 
all the lines should please the eye, having 
no inequalities, but produce a beautiful line 
(one sense of the word fair), and this is not 
an incongruous term, for Hogarth calls a 
curve, or serpentine line, the line of beauty, 
of which no architecture has such a variety 
as that of a ship. 
Now complete the topsides, or upper part 
of the body and sheer plan, above the lower 
height of breadth. Tims, set off the upper 
height of breadth, in the sheer plan'; at S, 25 
feet 10 inches; at O, 24 feet 6 inches ; at K, 
23 feet 10 inches; at F, 23 feet 5 inches ; at 
0, 23 feet 4 inches ; at 6, 23 feet 4 inches ; at 
12, 23 feet 4i inches ; at 18, 23 feet 6 indies ; 
at 24, 24 feet 1 incli; at 30, 25 feet ; and at 
36 , 27 feet 1 inch ; and at the after perpen- 
dicular 28 feet 3 inches. Then, by drawing 
a curve through tliose heights intersecting 
the lower height of breadth, forward and 
aft, the upper height of breadth line will be 
represented. Then transfer these heights 
from the sheer to the body plan, and thereat 
draw horizontal lines across the body plan, 
then square up the several timbers from 
the lower to the upper height of breadth, 
as between those heights the timbers are 
straight, and of one breadth. Then with a 
15 feet radius, called the length of the up- 
per breadth sweep, draw arches upwards, 
from the breadth squared up, and at that 
centre in each upper breadth line. Draw 
in the sheer plan the top-timber line, for it 
is at this height that the top side is limited 
to a certain breadth, called the top-timber 
breadth. Set up above the upper edge of 
the keel, in the sheer plan, at timber S, 37 
feet 3 inches ; at O, 36 feet 9 inches ; at K, 
36 feet I inch ; at F, 35 feet 8 inches ; at 0, 
515 feet 6 inches ; at 6, 35 feet 9 inches ; at 12, 
36 feet 4 inches ; at 18, 36 feet 11 inches ; at 
24, 37 feet 10 inches ; at 30, 38 feet 10 
inches; and at 35, 40 feet. Draw a curve 
through these heights, antf that will be the 
top-timber line in the sheer plan. Then 
set off the several top-timber half breadths, 
in the half breadth plan, by setting up at S, 
20 feet 4 inches ; at O, 21 feet ; at K, 21 feet 
11 inches; atF, 22 feet; at 0, 22 feet 3 
inches ; at 6, 22 feet Ij inch ; at 12, 22 
feet ; at 18, 31 feet 7 inches ; at 24, 20 feet 8 
inches ; at 30, 18 feet 10 inches ; at 36, 16 
feet ; and at the after end, 12 feet; and at 
the fore end, or beak head, 17 feet. Draw 
a curve through these several half breadths, 
and the top-timber half breadth will be repre- 
sented. Ti-ansfer the several heights of the 
tep-timber line from the sheer to the body 
plan, and at those heights draw horizontal 
lines; then from the half breadth plan trans- 
fer the several top-timber half breadths, 
and set them off from the middle line in 
the body plan upon their corresponding 
heights ; then with a mould, about three 
inehes curve (called the top- timber hollow), 
fixed well at the top-timber half breadth, 
and back of the upper sweep, at 0, draw a 
line to the top of the side, and 0 on the 
midship timber will be found from the keel 
to the gunwale. 
Make a mould to 0, from the upper 
breadth upwards, some length above the 
gunwale, by which mould most of the tim- 
bers in the top-side may be drawn, by keep- 
ing them nearly parallel to each other, by 
so fixing the mould as to intersect tlie up- 
per bieadth sweep, and top timber half 
breadth. But observe the top-timbers as 
they approach the beak-head in the fore- 
body, they flair out, or curve the reverse 
of the midship timbers, and considerably so 
in ships with a beak-head ; this not only 
gives more room on the forecastle, but 
assists the catheads to cull the anchors 
clearer of the bow, and this Hairing, though 
much less in other ships, has a tendency 
to keep off the spray of the sea, and make 
a dry forecastle. 
Above the top-timber line in this ship, 
and sometimes at the plank sheer in others, 
the top-side is perpendicular, consequently 
an angle, called the knuckle, is formed at 
the intersection, and as many of the fore- 
most timbers as partake of this shape, be- 
fore they can be broken in fair with the 
others, are called knuckle timbers. 
Forward and aft at the top-sides run 
higher than the top- timber tine, set up their 
greatest heights to prove that their breadths 
at that place may make a fair line in the 
half-breadth plan. Set up from F to for- 
ward, in the sheer plan, 2 feet 10 inches 
