Q. What is done with the Shroud rope before cutting it?

A. Stretch the shroud rope about an inch to the foot, that is about one-twelfth, before cutting it. It is better to let it remain on the stretch for a day or two before cutting it.

Q. What is done with the Standing Rigging?

A. Standing rigging is wormed, parcelled, and served, wherever there will be any chafe on it; but no more service should be put on than will prevent chafe, as it is better for it to be exposed to the air. Canvas coats used formerly to be put over the rigging at the mast heads, and canvas sewed over block strops, and the confined water and air soon caused the ropes to rot. The rigging should be wormed before it is stretched.

Q. Which shrouds are most liable to chafe?

A. The foremost shroud of the fore rigging is liable to chafe from the tacks, sheets, and other gear of the foresail; and that of the main rigging

from the gear of the mainsail, and they are therefore served the whole way, and in addition, chafe battens and mats are put on where there is much chafe.

Q. How many parts are the other shrouds divided into ?

A. The other pairs of shrouds are divided into three parts, and the middle part is served, and, in addition, mats and rounding are put on where the fore or main yard would chafe the rigging when the yard is braced up.

Q. How is rope parcelled?

A. In parcelling, tar the rope well, begin at the bottom, and parcel with the lay of the rope upwards to the middle mark of each pair of shrouds.

The edges of the parcelling thus overlap each other in such a manner, that if any water get under the service, it is prevented from getting to the rope.

Serve as taut as possible against the lay of the rope, beginning at the middle mark.

Q. What is the size of the eyes of the rigging?

A. The eye of the starboard first pair of shrouds is made about once and a quarter times the circumference of the mast head. Each of the others is in succession made the breadth of a seizing larger than the one that precedes it.

Q. Which is the strongest way of securing a dead eye?

A. Experiments that have been made, prove that the strongest way of securing a dead-eye, is by a throat seizing and two end seizings; the next in strength is by what is called the "cutter's stay plan;" and the weakest is by splicing it in.

Q. How is a dead eye turned in?

A. Tar and parcel the score of the dead-eye, and turn the rope in with the sun if it be right-handed rope, but against the sun if it be lefthanded rope; pass the throat seizing with nine or ten turns, and as the outer turns are most stretched when the quarter seizing is passed, they ought not to be passed quite so tight as the inner turns; pass the quarter seizings half-way to the end, and then the end seizings; tar the end of the shroud, and put the cap on.

If the shroud be right-hand laid rope, the standing part of the shroud will be aft on the starboard side, and forward on the port side; and the reverse if the rope be hawser laid.

TOPMAST RIGGING.

Q. How is the topmast rigging fit?

A. The topmast rigging is fit in a similar manner to the lower rigging, it being parcelled and served where it is liable to be chafed. În some cases, it is set up with dead-eyes and lanyards; but in other instances, it is passed through a bull's eye, and set up on its end.

TOPGALLANT RIGGING.

Q. Explain how the topgallant rigging is set up.

A. The topgallant rigging is generally rove through holes in the ends of the crosstrees, and set up with a lanyard to eyebolts in the spider hoop. In some cases it is set up in the top, and in others it is passed through a bull's eye, or a thimble, and set up on its end.

Q. How is the fore stay set?

STAYS.

A. In some cases, the fore stay is double; the bight is passed under the bowsprit, and it sets up with two eyes and a lanyard abaft the mast. In other instances, it is single, has a collar, and is lashed at the mast head, and the other end is rove through a bull's eye, and is set up on its end; or a dead-eye is turned in, and it sets up with a lanyard to a heart on the bowsprit.

When stays are double, they ought to be seized together, or they will chafe.

Q. How does the fore topmast stay set up?

A. The fore topmast stay is rove through the bee on the bowsprit, and then through a bull's eye at the bow, and sets up on its end. In some cases it sets up with dead-eyes and a lanyard.

Q. Explain how the jib stay, fore topgallant stay, and fore royal stay set up.

A. The jib stay, fore top gallant stay, and fore royal stay generally reeve through holes or over sheaves in the jib-boom, and they set up with a gun-tackle purchase; or with lanyards rove through thimbles, or bull's eyes, and eyebolts.

In small ships which have a traveller on their jib-boom, the jib stay comes down alongside of the foremast, and sets up with a double and single block.

Q. How is the main stay set up?

A.

The main stay is set up to the hook at the bows, or to a strong bolt at the deck, or to a Sampson-post put in for the purpose.

Q. How is the main topmast stay set up?

A. The main topmast stay reeves through a heart or thimble at the foremast head, or through a hole in the cap, and sets up in the top; in some cases it sets up on deck.

Q.

Where do the other small stays set up, and what kind of rope is now coming into extensive use?

A. The other small fore-and-aft stays set up aloft.

Wire rope is now coming into extensive use for rigging, and answers well, particularly for fore-and-aft stays.

RIGGING LOWER YARDS.

Q. Rig a lower yard.

A. An iron hoop with eye-bolts and thimbles in it, for the lift to splice over, and reef tackle blocks to shackle to, is generally fit on the yard. A short piece of chain, with a big link in one end, and a thimble in the other, is used for the foot rope, the big link is put over the brace block eye-bolt, and the rope is spliced over the thimble.

The brace pendant is often chain.

The clue garnet block is generaliy at the middle of the yard, but a better plan is to place it at the yard arm; by doing so, and reeving the buntlines through thimbles half-way down the sail, so that the lower half of them is abaft the sail; when the sail is hauled up in a gale of wind, it is secure, and is almost furled.

Seize on the leachline block and beckets on the jackstay. In large ships, a block is used for the topsail sheets; some ships have an iron clamp and sheave for them; and small vessels have an iron sheave in the yard arm.

RIGGING TOPSAIL YARDS.

Q. Rig a topsail and topgallant yard.

A. Put on the earring strop first-a small eye-bolt is often used instead of this strop; next put on the foot ropes, Flemish foot ropes, lifts, reef-tackle blocks, and brace blocks; the quarter blocks are either lashed, or shackled on.

The topgallant yards and royal yards are fit in a similar manner, with some slight exceptions.

RIGGING SHIP.

RIGGING SHEARS.

Q. Take the mast shears on board of a large ship.

A. Take the shears on deck, over the bows, small ends aft, by means of a small derrick rigged forward; or hang skids over the side and parbuckle them in.

Q. Rig the shears.

A. Place the heels fair, and not far apart. Put the small ends as high as convenient, cross, and lash them, with a figure of eight. Open the heels, and place them on a hard wood plank, with its lower edges chamfered. Place a strong plank under the beams, below the shears, and a shore under the plank.

Make luff tackles fast to both foreside and afterside of each shear heel, to secure and transport the shears, haul the after tackle tight and belay it. Lash the upper purchase block over the shear lashing, so that it will hang fair under the cross, and work free, put canvas over the shear lashing to prevent chafe.

Reeve the first part of the main fall through the middle sheave, make the lower purchase block fast forward.

Lash a small purchase block, for a truss tackle, to the after shear head, so that the fall may work clear of the main fall.

Lash a girtline block above the last block. Clove-hitch two stout ropes to the shear heads, so as to have two fore guys, and two after guys, put luff tackles on each of those guys.