head, and fitting the end with a tackle on deck. In such case the traveller is worked by an outhauler through the sheave hole in the boom. The object of this kind of fitment is to admit of the jib being eased further in; but excepting for the second jib, it is now seldom employed.*

Small ships have Whiskers, iron out-riggers projecting from the cathead, instead of sprit-sail gaffs; through the ends of which the jib guys are rove, setting up in the fore chains, but clear of the anchor flukes.

The mere weight of jibboom rigging is very considerable, and when this gear is always kept taut, the spar is invariably badly warped.

When the jibboom is fitted with a funnel, it is very convenient to fix two iron projections on the fore part of the bowsprit cap, under the round hole outside; these serve to support the funnel exactly in a line with the hole whilst shifting the boom.

The Flying Jibboom is rigged out on the starboard side by a heel rope from the jibboom end; the heel steps in a cleating on the foreside of the bowsprit cap; the martingale reeves through the dolphin striker, the guys through the whiskers or gaffs, setting up in the head.

When the jib stay sets up on deck, make the standing part fast at the boom end by a slip, and when the jib is bent, make the tack fast round the boom with a strop and toggle; keep a short piece of rope spliced into the eye at the end of the stay, and in shifting or unbending the jib, after hauling the sail down, hitch this piece of rope taut to the stay above the hanks, knock off the slip, and haul in the sail and stay. As the out haul block remains at the boom end, the out hauler will carry the stay and new sail Another way is to reeve the end as usual through the jibboom and dolphin striker after passing it through the hanks. Make the downhaul block and tack of the sail fast to the boom end with a strop and toggle, but also lash them both so slackly to the stay above the sheave hole that the strop and toggle will bear the strain when the jib is set. To shift jib, send a man out, haul down, let go the stay and toggle, and the down haul will

out.

It is not customary to have jack stays on these booms; but they are easily seized on, and are of great service whilst stowing head sails in blowing weather.

bring the sail and stay in without a stoppage. The new sail is rove on the stay, the tack being seized to it as before, and hauled out by the reeving line; the bight of the halyards is passed round the sail near the tack to keep it off the bowsprit.

A ring bolt let in flush with the wood on top of the heel of the jibboom is convenient for handling the spar, as also are double stay-sail halyards for shifting it.

CHAP XI.

EQUIPMENT: RIGGING.

LOWER YARDS.

BOOм Irons are easily broken, and if there is no jetty or other place to guy off to, rig the fish davits in the fore parts of the fore and main chains, on opposite sides. Lash the jeer blocks on the yards before launching, bring the yards alongside under the davits, having the proper yard-arms forward, as the case may be. Reeve three parts of the jeers, hoist the yards up with the fish to the bunts, taking through the slack of the jeers; guy the yards as square as possible when they are above the nettings; put off guys on the yards, to prevent the davits from canting inboard, overhaul the fish, ease in the off guys, and heave up the jeers. Land the yards on chocks in the nettings, and lash them. Lower yards are also got on board by stopping out the mast-head purchase, (whether jeers or hawser) on the fore-mast quarter; but the rising arm butts against every projection on the side, and generally staves in the hammock netting.

RIG LOWER YARDS.

The Jeer Blocks are single, double stropt, having long and short legs. The blocks stand fore and aft on top of the yards, and the strops are secured on the forequarters of the bunts of the yards with rose lashings. There are two such blocks on both the fore and main yards; the cross jack-yard is fitted with a

double iron stropt jeer block, which is pinned to a metal band on the yard.

The top sail sheet, or quarter blocks are single, double stropt, stand athwart ships under the yards outside the jeer strops, are lashed on top of the yards, and spanned together beneath them.

The Truss Strops come next; they are usually of rigging chain, double; with a thimble rove through the bight abaft the yard.

The Clue garnet blocks are single stropt, standing athwart ships outside the truss strops, underneath the yard, a little before the centre, so as to be clear of the topsail sheets.

The Rolling tackle strop is generally a grummet; a thimble is seized in it on top of the yard, and then it is driven taut up on the quarter.

Jackstays go on first over the yard-arms. The eyebolts on the yard are served with rope yarns, and the upper eyes of the stirrup are then placed over them; the jackstays are then rove through the eye-bolts, and are set up in the bunt of the yard.

Head-earing Strops are next put on.

Then the Foot Ropes, which, after being rove through the stirrups, are secured abaft the yard in the bunt. In large ships, it is very convenient to fit quarter foot ropes, which, crossing the bunt from each quarter, enable the men to get a footing on that part of the yard. Flemish horses, also, at the yard arms (as in topsail yards) facilitate reefing courses.

Then the Yard tackle pendants, the splice being placed under the yard. The pendants are brought taut along the yard, by tricing lines which are rove through cheeks on the after side of the yard; and it is useful to fit a strop and toggle round the yard and pendant close to the block, so that the yard tackle may be worked from that point when necessary.

Then the Brace Blocks. The yard arm strops are single; those on the blocks are double, so that the blocks may lie horizontal. For greater ease in bracing up, the largest blocks on the main yard are placed on the fore side, and all the pins must be square ends upwards.

Lastly, Lift Blocks; these are single, and single stropt.

The Leech line and Slab line Blocks are seized to the jack

stay for a full due, when, on bending sails, their proper position is determined.

The Slings are double chain strops, which, being passed round the yards between the jeer strops, are rove through their own bight. There are large links in the upper bights through which, when the yards are up in their places, the tongues of the masthead sling slips are passed and secured.

Turk's-head all foot ropes on each side of the stirrups ; otherwise, when the yards are manned, the men of light weight will be thrown too high, whilst those who are heavy will scarcely be able to reach over the yards. Moreover, if a foot rope carries away, which sometimes happens when the men are tossing up, they will be greatly endangered.

The Fore yard is rigged just as the main, excepting that there are no brace blocks on the fore side.

The Cross jack yard is fitted with truss strops, lifts, brace blocks, jack-stay, and foot ropes; there are generally iron bands, to which the slings and topsail sheet blocks are connected. In some cases, the topsail sheets are rove through one double block in the bunt of the yard underneath, reaching the deck on their opposite sides. In this way, the yard braces up easier.

Cheeks, having sheaves nailed on the after side of lower yardarms, are very useful for whips or reef burtons.

TOPSAIL YARDS.

Hoist the topsail yards in, with reference to the yard-arm that is to be forward in going up. Try all the boom irons and tie blocks to both sets, and mark corresponding notches on all parts with a cold chisel.

The Main Topsail Yard is fitted with two iron bands, to which iron-bound swivel tie blocks are connected by a bolt and forelock. The bolt ends are covered with a piece of leather, and the edges of the iron strapping smoothed down, so as to preserve the mast from chafe. Tie blocks and boom irons are to be tried to spare yards before sending them aloft.

The Parrel is to the yard what the traveller is in a boat. It is made of two pieces of rope, which are wormed, parcelled and served; one piece being longer than the other: the four ends have

N

eyes spliced in; the short is placed on top of the long leg, its ends being equally distant from those of the other. They are then marled together, covered with leather, and seized together at the short ends. The Parrel, when in use, is placed abaft the mast, with the seam of the leather outside; the long ends are passed round the yard from underneath, and are lashed to the short ones; and a greasy mat is secured to the yard between it and the mast.

The Quarter Blocks are double, single strop, lashing eye, and put on outside the parrel.

The Rolling tackle strop, Served eye bolts, head earrings, jackstay, stirrups, foot ropes, lift and brace, as before mentioned.*

The Flemish horse is a yard-arm foot rope, reaching from the neck of the boom iron to the outer quarter of the yard. It is put on after the lift.

The Brace blocks and Yard strops are double; the block thus standing edgeways.

Preventer brace pendants are very convenient fitments, the double whip being put on without risk or delay.

Topsail lifts are both double and single: the former kind, after reeving through the sister blocks, are rove through blocks at the yard-arms which go on outside all the other rigging: the ends are secured at the mast-head. With single lifts, the end goes with a spliced eye over the yard-arm. The double lifts relieve the sister blocks and top-mast rigging of much strain.

The Cheeks for the top-gallant sheets are scored out as snatches, so that the bight of those sheets may be thrown out, instead of unreeving the end when about to send the yard down.

The Foretop-sail yard is rigged as the main. In the case of the mizen, the Flemish horse is spliced into an eyebolt at the yard-arm, and the brace blocks face forward.

With Top-gallant yards the jack stays are kept in place by means of leather beckets, which are nailed on top of the yard, their ends setting up in the bunt. The parrels are fitted with lashing eyes. The foot ropes set up on opposite quarters. A

*Topsail yards, fitted for Becket topsails, sometimes have two jack-stays; so that by having two rows of toggles the reef points may be more clear of each other when there are two or more reefs in.