S

Suppose yourself in a steamer heading S, with the wind at East, you suddenly see a Red light 2 points on your port bow; within what points must that sailing ship be steering?

She bears from me SSE, hence her light is visible over an arc included between NNW and East.

With the wind at East, how many of these 10 points is it possible for her to steer a course on? She cannot come nearer than 6 points to the wind; therefore her only courses are from NNW to NNE.

N.

Again, suppose you, in a steamer A, see a Green light 4 points on your starboard bow, steamer heading WNW, and wind S by E; within what points of the compass must this sailing ship be steering?

She bears NNW, hence her light shews from SSE to NE. The wind being S by E, she cannot get nearer the wind than E by S; therefore her only courses are from E by S to NE.

Lastly, you are in a sailing ship heading NE, with the wind 2 points abaft the port beam, you see a Green light 3 points on your port bow; how is this last ship steering? She bears N by E, hence her light shows from S by W to E by N; and as the wind is WNW, she will be free to steer between S by W and E by N.

Then, if B should be steering between S by W and ESE, I (in A) should have to give way, because we are both free, and I have the wind on the port side by (c) Art. 14; but if B should be steering ESE, she will have the wind aft; and by (e) Art. 14, B must keep out of my way. Again, if B is steering between ESE and E by N, then they have the wind on the same sides, and B must give way, because she is windward by (d) Art. 14.

ROCKET APPARATUS. (Appendix F.)

1. If your ship were wrecked anywhere on the coasts of the United Kingdom, would means would there most likely be to save your people ?

The life boat, or the mortar and rocket apparatus.

2. Suppose a rocket were fired over your ship, what would you do?

Get hold of the line, secure it, and then make the signal to the shore.

3. What would you do next ?

Wait till I saw the signal repeated on shore, then haul the line till I got a tail-block with a whip rove through it on board.

4. What next?

Make this tail-block fast about 15 or 20 feet up the mast, if it is standing; if not, to the highest secure part of the ship. Cast off the rocket line and then repeat the signal. 5. How would you make fast the tail-block?

A round turn and two half hitches.

6. What would happen next?

The people on shore would haul off a hawser to me. 7. What would you do with it?

Make it fast about 15 or 18 inches above the tail-block.

8. How would make this hawser fast ?

By a round turn and two half hitches, and stop the end with the seizing that stopped the end of the hawser to the whip.

9. What next?

Cast off the hawser from the whip.

10. What should you be very careful about ?

hawser.

To see that there are no turns of the whip around the

11. What would you do next?

Repeat the signal.

12. What takes place next?

They haul off the sling or buoy with breeches attached. 13. Whom would you send on shore first, if you had only your crew on board ?

The sick or disabled.

14. What does the success of the working of the apparatus depend upon ?

The coolness of master and crew, and attention to

the rules.

RIGGING, &c.

1. If you were appointed to a ship just launched, without even her lower masts, and were required to superintend the rigging of her, what would you have sent off first?

The spars for the sheers.

2. How would you have them placed alongside ? Thin ends aft.

3. How would you get them on board?

Hang the skids over the sides, and parbuckle them on board.

4. Rig a pair of sheers.

Place the spars over the taffrail, or break of the poop with their heels even, cross them near their after ends, and then put on the head seizing; put two stout tackles on each heel, one to lead forward, the other aft; have two pieces of tough wood, (say oak) one at each gangway as shoes; place a leg of the sheers on each shoe; haul taut the after heel-tackles and belay them; lash the upper purchase under the head lashing, middle a couple of hawsers and clove-hitch them over the sheer heads, having two parts leading forward and two aft; put a luff-tackle at the end of each, to secure the sheers when the strain is on them; shore the decks from the skin up; the heads of the shores should press against a stout plank running fore and aft under the beams near the partners; the strain is thus divided amongst the beams instead of being concentrated on the beam the heel may at the moment rest upon.

5. What kind of head-lashing would you put on ?

Figure of eight; some prefer a round lashing. 6. Where would you lash your upper purchase block? As close up against the head-lashing as I could get it. 7. What could you do to stiffen the sheers, that is, bind them to the deck better?

Have a shroud over the heads of the sheers, a part leading down the side of each leg, and set up to ringbolts or anything that was handy.