should depend on the extent of the main deck uncovered. This rule for round of beam does not apply to spar- or awning-deck vessels.

20. As a general illustration of the way in which the tables should be used in modifying the freeboard on account of erections on deck, extreme proportions and variations in sheer, the following may be taken as an example.

A vessel is 234 ft. long, 29 ft. broad, and has a moulded depth of 17.0 ft., the coefficient of fineness being .72. Suppose the vessel to have a poop and bridge-house of the united length of 121 ft., and a forecastle 20 ft. in length, and let the sheer forward, measured at the side, be 4 ft. 6 ins., and aft, 2 ft. 1 in.

Freeboard by Tables A if of the normal
length, without erections, and with the
normal amount of sheer.

Ft. In.

2 11

The mean sheer by rule is 33.4 ins. or 6 ins.
less than that in the vessel, and the re-
duction in freeboard is 6 ins. divided by 4 0 1
Freeboard of vessel without erections and with
39 ins. mean sheer..
Freeboard by Tables C as awning-decked. .

Difference

2 91
09/1/2

2 0

The combined length of the erections is 11 or of the length of the vessel, and the allowance for erections under clause 11 will be therefore of 24 ins., or 91⁄2 ins.

We have therefore:

Deduct.

Amount deducted from freeboard for ex-
cess of sheer. . . .

in.

11

Amount deducted from the freeboard for
erections..

91

=

10

Amount deducted if vessel be fitted with
an uncovered iron main deck (clause 6)
1 X 31.....

2

13

The length being 30 ft. in excess of that
for which the tables are framed, the
addition to the freeboard in respect of

the same is one-half of 8 of 1.1 in., or 11/

11

Corresponding summer freeboard, 1 ft. 9 ins.

That is 11 ins. to be deducted from 2 ft. 11 ins., leaving a th winter freeboard of 1 ft. 11 in.

pro

side

free

21. Vessels loaded in fresh water may have less freeboard than that given in the several tables according to the following scale:

MEMO.-The weight of a cubic foot of salt water is taken, in the above table, to be 64 lbs., and that of fresh water 62.5 lbs.

22. The freeboards assigned by the following tables are not intended to apply to vessels when navigating inland waters or rivers, and when a stretch of such water has to be traversed such deeper loading will be permissible as may be due to the weight of fuel required for consumption between the points of departure and the open sea.

23. The freeboards of vessels having ports, scuppers, or other openings in their sides is to be regulated by the following considerations. When the openings are in the nature of watertight ports for cargo, coals, etc., and are therefore not intended to be opened except in harbor, no modification of the freeboard as determined by the foregoing tables will be necessary, provided the covers of the openings are sufficiently strong and are efficiently secured. In the case, however, of vessels having scuppers through the sides from a 'tween deck space below the upper eck or side scuttles or other openings of a similar nature, whethe freeboard as determined by the foregoing tables does ncprovide a sufficient height from the load-line to the sills of tside scuttles, or to the deck which is drained by the scuppers, freeboard is to be increased; and the amount of the increase,

if any, is to depend on the nature of such openings and on the means adopted for closing them. In the case of hinged sidescuttles of the usual pattern, when the glass is of sufficient thickness and the scuttles are efficiently secured by metal bolts and nuts, and hinged watertight iron shutters of deadlights are provided on the inside of the glass, the loadline as determined by the centre of the disc or by the Indian summer line, if so marked, is to be not less than 6 inches below the sill of the lowest side-scuttle.

24. The freeboards required by the foregoing tables are to be assigned on the condition that the engine and boiler casings above the upper deck are of sufficient height and strength, with suitable means provided for closing all openings in them in bad weather, and the weather deck hatchways are properly framed with substantial coamings, and strong hatch covers, the latter being efficiently supported by shifting beams and fore-and-afters suitable to the dimensions of the hatchway. When these conditions are not complied with the freeboard may require to be increased, regard being given, however, to the trade in which the vessel is intended to be employed.

25. In no case shall the deepest loadline in salt water, whether indicating the summer or Indian summer line, be assigned at a higher position than the intersection of the top of the upper deck with the vessel's side, at the lowest part of the deck.

In the case of shelter-decked vessels the deck next below the shelter deck is to be regarded as the upper deck.

Memorandum of Explanatory Notes on the Application of the Tables of Freeboard, Drawn Up with a View to Securing Uniformity of Practice on the Part of Those Entrusted with the Assignment of Freeboard. Deck Line. In the case of vessels with uncovered iron or steel decks, a width of gutter waterway is to be assumed, and the point so obtained levelled out to the vessel's side. In the case of vessels of 24 feet beam and under, the width of the waterway assumed should be 12 inches, and in vessels of 42 feet and above, 21 inches. In vessels of between 24 and 42 feet beam the width of the gutter waterway is to be taken as half an inch for every foot in beam.

Where a wood deck maintains a uniform thickness to the sides of a vessel, the same method should be adopted.

In cases where an iron deck is partly covered with wood, the deck-line is to correspond with the top of the deck amidships,

whether the deck at that part be of wood or of iron, and the necessary corrections should be made in accordance with paragraph 6, as also the correction always required to the statutory deck-line.

Bridge-house in Spar-decked Ships. In a spar-decked ship, where an efficient bridge-house is fitted amidships, covering the engine and boiler openings, if it extends over at least two-fifths of the vessel's length and has scantlings not less than the requirements of Lloyd's Rules (1885) for bridgehouses, it is to be taken into consideration in estimating the strength of the vessel for freeboard.

If the scantlings of the bridge-house are equal to the requirements of Lloyd's Rules (1885) the allowance on this account should not exceed that given in the following table:

If, however, the scantlings of the bridge-house are in excess of Lloyd's Rules (1885) the freeboard is to be determined on the basis of a comparison between the strength of the actual vessel and the strength of a vessel of the same dimensions, built to the three-decked rule, and of a vessel built to the spardeck rule, including a bridge-house in each case.

Tables of Freeboard. - Additional freeboard will be required in the case of vessels classed 90A and 80A, or in vessels of equivalent strength thereto in accordance with the following scale: Length of vessel:

Wherever in these explanatory notes reference is made to classes of vessels of Lloyd's various types, it is to be under

stood that these apply equally to all other vessels of equivalent strength, whether classed by other classifying associations, such, for instance, as the Bureau Veritas or the British Corporation, or unclassed.

If the frame spacing be increased one-fourth, the thickness of all the shell-plating, excepting garboard and sheer strakes, should be increased by one-twentieth of an inch over the thickness required in the standard ship. Other increases in spacing should be dealt with in the same proportion.

PARA. 1 — LENGTH.-The length of erection is to be measured with reference to the length of the vessel on the load-line, i.e., any portion of the erections forward of the fore side of the stem on the load-line, or abaft the after side of the after post on the load-line, is not to be measured for deductions.

PARA. 3— DEPTH OF HOLD. — The depth of hold as used in the computation for ascertaining the coefficient of fineness in iron and steel sailing vessels is to be measured to the top of the ceiling, and in steam vessels to the top of the floors.

The cases of vessels having either an excess or a deficiency of mean sheer, as compared with the standard sheer, the registered depth to be used for ascertaining the coefficient of fineness is to be increased for excess of sheer, or reduced for the deficiency of sheer, by one-third of the difference between the standard mean sheer and the vessel's actual mean sheer, after being reduced to the gradual character, if necessary.

PARA. 4 — COEFFICIENT OF FINENESS.- No alteration is to be made in the freeboard in consequence of the coefficient of fineness being either smaller or greater than those given on the page of the tables from which the ship's freeboard is taken.

PARA. 5- Moulded Depth. — In cases where a wood deck of extra thickness is fitted, or where a wood deck is doubled throughout, the moulded depth should be increased by the excess of thickness. The freeboard should then be set off from the top of the deck of increased thickness at the side of the vessel. PARA. 6-FREEBOARD. — In case of the freeboard being ascertained by an actual calculation of the reserve buoyancy, the drawing used in such calculation should be verified by actual measurements at the ship, and such drawing and calculations forwarded to the Board of Trade, and, whatever the result of the calculation, the freeboard assigned should not be less than would be obtained by taking from the tables the freeboard corresponding to the smallest coefficient for a vessel of the same moulded depth, except in sailing vessels with large rise of floor (see page 26).