To unbend a Course in a Gale of Wind.

To unbend a course in a gale of wind, first furl the sail, then cast off the rope bands, and make them fast round the sail, clear of the gaskets. When the rope-bands are all off, ease off the lee earing, and lower down the sail; and when the people upon deck have got hold of the lee part of the sail, ease away the weather earing.

To unbend a Topsail in a Gale of Wind.

To unbend a topsail in a gale of wind, first cast off the points of the reefs, keeping fast the earings; then furl the sail, and cast off the rope-bands, which make fast round the sail, clear of the gaskets. After this cast off the lee earings, and haul the lee side of the sail into the top; then haul in the weather side. Now unbend the reef tackle pendants, buntlines, and bowlines; bight the sail snugly up together; and send it down by the clewlines to windward or to leeward as most convenient.

RESPECTING CABLES, NIPPERS, AND STOPPERS. On Coiling Cables.

ALL cables should be coiled the way they bit, or the way they run round the windlass, and their tiers should be on the side opposite to that on which they lead. The working cable should lead foremost up the hatchway. The sheet, which being the least wanted, can be triced snug round the after part of the hatchway, out of the way. Should your new cables come immediately from the ropewalk, let them be coiled down into the craft that is to bring them on board, the same they are to be coiled on board.

A cable generally kinks from more turns being forced into it by the coiling than it naturally had, and the only way to get rid of these kinks, is to coil the cable across the hatchway from side to side, in large fakes, with the sun; then take the upper end through the coil, and coil the cable down in the tier the way required. By this means, as many turns will be taken out of the cable as there are fakes coiled round the hatchway.

It should be a rule in coiling cables never to lay out near the hatchway, but to keep that part of the tier as low as possible, that the bends may have sufficient room to upset.

Were all store cables first coiled down from the rope-walk against the sun, they would be better adapted to coil on either

side of a ship; for a cable coiled against the sun will more easily reverse, and have less kinks in it than a cable coiled with the

sun.

On Splicing Cables.

The snuggest and best method of splicing a cable is to put the ends in twice each way; then to pick out the strands, and worm part of them round the cable, and taper away the rest, which let be snugly marled down. After this let there be clapped on a good throat, and two end-seizings of six thread rattling.

The strands of the small bower and stream cable had better be pointed, that these cables may be more briskly spliced in case of necessity.

On Serving Cables.

Cables should be served against the lay. The most expeditious way of clapping on rounding is with a top, when there is room to work it, otherwise, recourse must be had to beating it on with mallets. Be careful to let the service be stopped with spun yarn every six or eight turns.

Mooring services are generally clapped on about fifteen fathoms from the end, or splice of the cable; and large vessels should have about twelve or fourteen fathoms of service, half of it rounding and plat, and the rest kackling. Upon the working cable, there should be a short service of eight or ten fathoms at the half cable.*

Mats, made the width of the round of the cable, and about three fathoms long, are very convenient to have at hand, to lace on the cable with expedition in cases of necessity.

Of an approved Dog-stopper.

An approved form for a dog-stopper is to have it made with a large eye, that it may be thrown over the bit-head, and shifted from side to side at pleasure.

Of an approved Bit-stopper.

An approved form for a bit-stopper is to have it about four or five fathoms long, and tailed out, nipper fashion, at one end, and knotted at the other: let this stopper be rove through the hole in the knee before the bits. To pass it, let it be led aft, inside and over the cable, then under the bit-end, outside the cable, and worm its end round the cable before the bits. Now,

A piece of pump leather put in over the plat in the wake of the hawse hole, is excellent in a gale of wind.

to stopper the cable, haul taught the worming, and by the cable's drawing forward it will taughten the stopper, and bind the cable so close to the bits as effectually to bring the ship up. From the nature of this stopper it is not likely to jamb, therefore extremely well calculated for bringing a ship up with ease, as by slacking or hauling taught the worming, the cable may be suffered to run out or be checked at pleasure. In heaving up in a sea, when by a sudden pitch of the ship the messengers or nippers give wav, this kind of stopper will be found extremely serviceable, for upon these occasions, it may be always passed ready, and the bight triced up abaft the bits with a rope yarn, clear of the cable.

REMARK.

Stoppers from the wings of the tiers are extremely serviceable; but stoppers from the mast, below the combings, are of little service, unless they may be made long enough to clap on above the combings.

Upon Ring Ropes.

Ring ropes are better single than double; for when single they are passed with less confusion of turns. To pass a single ring rope, and have it in readiness to check upon veering away cable, take three slack turns through the ring and round the cable, one before the other, and let a hand hold up the parts fair : then take as many slack turns of worming round the cable, before the ring, which let be held up fair by another hand, giving sufficient room for the cable to pass through. Now, when it is necessary to check the cable, haul taught the worming, and the cable's going out will presently draw those turns taught which were taken through the ring, and bind the cable so close to the ring, as to prove an excellent stopper.

Upon Nippers, and the Manner of clapping on a Racking Nipper.

The usual method of clapping on a nipper, with a round turn round the messenger and another round the cables, is an exceeding good one, and very suitable to quick heaving; but when a strain is to be hove, and the cable is muddy, the nippers clapped on after this method will not bite, and recourse is generally had to hitching the messenger, a very bad practice, which justly deserves to be reprobated, as in the nip it materially damages both cable and messenger. In this case throw sand or ashes upon the cable, and take a long dry nipper, which middle and pass one half aft, racking it in and out round the cable and messenger; then worm its end round the messenger

only. After this, pass the other half in the same manner forward, but worm its end round the cable only, and let a hand hold on each end of the nipper. Now the advantage of this method is, that by the cable's drawing forward, and the messenger aft, the nipper will be drawn so taught as effectually to hold the cable till something gives way: another advantage is, it can never jamb, for both ends are clear for taking off.

Upon recovering a Vessel upright, without cutting away her Masts.

It often happens that by a sudden squall of wind a vessel is thrown over upon her beam ends, without a prospect of recovering her erect while she remains upon the same tack, therefore attempts are made to veer her; but as the rudder lies along the surface of the water it becomes useless, and as the sails are either blown from the yards, or become unmanageable, recourse is had to cutting away the mainmast and mizen mast, that the ship may veer under the foremast :-a most desperate expedient, particularly if the ship is far distant from port! Upon this occasion, that the ship may be recovered upright without cutting away the masts, let the following method be practised. If she is in a situation where she cannot be brought to an anchor, let go her Ice anchor, which will swing her windrode, and relieve her from the strength of the wind; but should she, in this dreadful situation, be at sea, let the end of a hawser be handed over the lee quarter and round to windward, and to it be bent any of the small anchors,-half-butts,-spanned gratings, or any thing at hand that will act as stopwaters; then throw the whole overboard, and veer away upon the hawser to a necessary quantity, when make it fast. Now by the ship's drifting from this tow, it will pull with such power upon her stern as to veer her, and bring the wind upon the opposite side. To clear Vessels that have run aboard each other.

It frequently happens that two vessels which have run aboard each other are so completely bound together, either by the tide, or the wind and sea, that it is out of the power of the helm and sails to force them asunder. On this occasion, if the vessels are in a situation where they can come to an anchor, let one of them bring up and the other will drift clear of her: but should they be at sea, let the weathermost vessel be brought up by the floating anchor, or by a tow from her bow, as mentioned in the foregoing article.

Upon Steering a Ship which has lost her Foremast.

A ship that has lost her foremast can only be steered with the wind aft, and that not without being subject to broach to. Directly a ship in this situation receives the wind sideways, all the lateral pressure of her sails will be abaft the centre of gravity, which her rudder not being able to counteract, must oblige her to approach the wind: but could the power of the rudder be increased to any required degree, a ship could be steered with the wind beaming, notwithstanding the loss of her foremast. To do which, let the following method be practised: -veer astern 20 or 30 fathem of cable, which, if the ship is in shoal water, should be buoyed up. Then rig out a boom with a stout guy upon each quarter, and let the guys be bent to the cable a few fathoms abaft the stern. While the ship is sailing before the wind, let the cable be guyed to tow amidships of the stern, and it will prevent her from broaching to; but while the wind blows sideways upon the ship let it be guyed out to the lee boom, which will greatly assist the weather helm.

Upon hauling a Vessel off a steep Shore in a Calm.

It has often happened that vessels have been driven, in calm weather, upon a steep and dangerous shore which has denied anchorage, but might have been saved by exertion and judgment. Cases of this kind require great animation on the part of the officers. All boats must be immediately hoisted out to tow the ship, if possible, from her perilous situation. In the mean time let stop-waters be got ready to run out from the vessel, and haul her off, should towing prove ineffectual. Large butts cut in halves and slung, serve excellently for this purpose, and are used to advantage in the following manner Let each boat take several of these half butts, and row away from the vessel with a coil or two of small rope: when the rope is out, span the boat from head to stern, and tow the half butts from the opposite gunwale of the boat, at several fathoms distance; thus, when the rope is hauled in on board the vessel, the boat will hang athwart, and, together with the half butts, must oppose considerable resistance. To draw the vessel ahead, let the boats employed row out alternately, that one line may be in readiness to haul upon, when the other is all on board. Should it remain calm, or should there be a light air of wind opposed to the vessel's course, the sails must be furled.

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