water is gone from her, the gun-wale would be little more than
the height o f a-man from the ground*- and the ship would lay
alohlg*te mtibh that no one conld walk the deck'.- Thup^ituiated
the vessel would -strain so much from the weight o£ her maSif
guns, rigging, & c .th a t -she would beruined, e^m ifsfeemvéfèlfco
gHibiF. But if on the flowing^ffc^he:tidedt Wows the1 feast
giveniherimthe
act«ôf righting, -she will hé- filled with water b y th e hatchway
before At flows high .enough to float her. Suppose a flat and
sharp weSsel in company, and both running aground in a sea,
the flat vessel runs on 8$ sticks fast, in cither of which;eases-she.
sits upright, but the sharp vessel heels in both. The heebthe
latteràateafexposes"hereto the^sea breaking upan, her,.,and by
that^means either filling her or washing theerevooff .thexfeck |
whereas the vessel which sits ,upright runs rmne of
and unless 'the-bottom is bçat out, the chance of. sâvingffâeswv
tfeip-ancbeaigoJs gfeatly -in favour, of the flat-floored vessel.
This is so well-known to seamen, that beith Eaaglkhand Butch
flat-floorecbvessels. eolBingjiinto harbours where tin* .ground is
•even, no matter whether soft or hard sobtlbtes smooth, harç^run
aground in the hardest gafesrather thanibbaat-thejferoufeleoFrisk
of bringing up : by -this -means theyavoid -the -dafflgër o f break-^
ing their cables and anchors, or running on board othibr-vq^sel®.
I t is remembered that -a fledt of I transports , coming dnt©A(Dork
Harbourtor troops in a hard gale* did^ SO;? wfesnla sharp vesséb
through mistake, following the example was nearly lost-; * |
3 *&* IniOatses-of shipwreck, springing a leak, or of fife, ^vessels
thus constructed are safer, and mère likely t© he^ saved- Thé
reasons last given explain ‘the advantages such vessels have in
oase of shipwreck;;* however, it mayd^é added, that the vessels
thus recommended would -possess a superior degree of security
if built as neatly as can be solid ; ‘that.i&, allfthfe frame of timber
bet put so elose ms to ;be caulked in the sanie manner as the
plank ohJthpoutside;i (And^fIthe -plank or ceiling-of th e inside
were equally chalked?,; the.ivessek by tjiis means would be much
stronger/ and of c^uj-sd Would bear niore beating On the rocks*
Sands, &e.: then if the rocks* Set. pjecasion a leak* if this leak
doeh noffl go through, (it will be stopt, in its progress by the
caulking;-but fftdt fdOes gd through, it will more readily be
heard, and of course' more easilyrcome• ,at to be stopt: I f a
roek isfthe'icause'of the damage, and it- goes half way or twor
thirds through and sticks in. the vessel, it becomes a plug for the
hble 'it makes; and* if i t drop out, even then it will not occasion
a leak:' -But i?# the-vessel be divided into many equal rooms of
different holds,* supposing a hole; to be. so large; that all-the
pumps- dw thp%hip*T aifd twenty niore, cannot clear away the
Watfet iM t Jrtfghet that single
part or difisiof^Hfewdiidllthe leak* happens to/be, and will flow
ill ho loftger-than till it is raised Withinside to the level-of the
S^a-^Mthiitit. The vessel worsld in this* ehie’be inho more dan-,
Jf®r than befe-fev-noir-would the hull be loadefllW,'depressed in
tire wafer. 'The' differehce'pf ednstiudtion prevents a flat vessel
ftdffi b^^feltlfigxSSfSddn as a sharp vessel; an d -h e r’sitting up
right admits-Or her'crew Working and loading, or uploading her*
as tSe ciflhfflStaribes may requite. Add to all this, that jnesti-
tnhbte advantage Which the One Vetesei has OVer the other, of
drawing so little-water. By this the flat vessel is enabled
to sail over those Very rocks on which-the sharp-built one will
Strike^-and admits of tkl- former going into shallow water,
Where the violence o f the sea becomes,less add less; the nearer
she appfoaifchbs the shorec’
Schank is here alluding to his recommendation of dividing the hold-of vessels
by separate bulkheads, sufficiently.secured against any communication of water from the one
t6 the other, 'except'hy cocks in' case o*f Necessity. ’ - (
M l 1 I 1 1 • T h e