Page:A Voyage of Discovery and Research in the Southern and Antarctic Regions Vol 1.djvu/428

328 upper ends rabbetting into the lower deck beams, and the lower ends into four-inch plank, wrought upon the doubling. The bulkheads are caulked on both sides, and rendered water-tight. The wing bulkheads are similarly wrought. The limber boards are likewise caulked down and doubled by a fore and aft plank. Penstocks are introduced in the limbers at the bulkhead, allowing a communication, when required, from one compartment to another, leading to the well. The fore hold is provided with two common pumps, to work on the weather deck; and the well is furnished with four of Massey's excellent pumps.

The bow, internally, is fortified with a solid mass of timber eight inches moulded, canting from abreast the foremast to the stemson, square to the body. Between the upper and lower decks, and also between the lower and orlop decks, thick shelf pieces are wrought, terminating under the transom abaft, and meeting at the middle line at the deck hooks forward.

The central planks of the weather deck are six inches thick, laid fore and aft; the remainder of the deck is wrought double; the lower planks, three inches thick, are laid fore and aft; the upper planks, three inches thick, diagonally, having fearnaught dipped in hot tallow, laid between the two surfaces. The beams of this deck are connected by pointers, or diagonally-lopped carlings, from the catheads forward.

Additional crutches and sleepers have been introduced abaft, and diagonal trusses worked between the chocks under the lower deck beams. The ship is otherwise very strongly built, having diagonal iron riders, iron hooks and crutches in the bow, and iron sleepers abaft.

Filling timbers have been introduced in the stern, with an inner transom, kneed to the stern post and ship's side, double-planked inside and out, thus rendering the counter as strong as the bow, to meet the shocks which the extremities are most likely to encounter in the ice.