Then above the round-house, At the side, set up 4 feet 1 inch, and draw a curve parallel thereto, which will be the under side of the rough tree rail, And a line drawn 4* inches above will show the thickness, or upper side, un-. der which four ports on each aide, about 6 feet 4 inches asunder, and 3 feet 4 inches fore and aft, may be drawn, observing they are clear of the mizen shrouds, and the after port clear of the upper finishing of the quarter gal lery.
Now that the top side of the ship, for ward, should bear a resemblance to the after part, and in order to give security to the forecastle, set up above the top timber line, 2 feet 10 inches, and draw a curve, parallel thereto,' from the fore side of the beak head to the aft part of the forecastle, and another line 2* inches above, and parallel to the last, and the forecastle plank sheer will be represent ed ; observe, the after part of the forecas tle is 4 feet 8 inches abaft timber F, and the fore side of the beak head 10 feet 3 inches before timber 8 ; then draw the under side of the drift rail 22 inches above, and parallel to the top-timber line, and a line 4+ inches above it will complete the drift rail, and the drift is to be finished like the drift at the fore part of the quarter deck. Then the ports, 3 in number, 2 feet 10 inches fore and aft, are represented by timber heads, as their situations must be govern ed by the fore shrouds ; the height of the timber heads is 22 inches above the plank sheer, one timber head being left to form the side of each port, and one be tween, and three or four before the fore mast will be quite sufficient, and there may be two similar timber heads left up abreast the main-mast. ' The sheer rail is represented by the top-timber line, and a curve drawn to 5 inches parallel above it, and the waist rail by curves Si inches asunder, drawn parallel below the sheer rail, at 22 inches in the clear. The rails and drifts being merely ornamental, they are often dispens ed with in the navy, as the sides of the ship were found to decay very fast under them. Some have been painted only along the sides, but merchant ships, in general, have then wrought solid in the plank of the top aide.
The channels may next be situated as the shrouds leading to them were lately mentioned, with regard to spacing the quarter deck and forecastle ports ; and first, the centres and rake of the masts must be drawn in the sheer plan. The centre of the fore-mast is 22 feet abaft the aft-side of the stem on the gun deck and rakes, or inclines aft, from a per pendicular, with the upper side of the keel .1 of an inch, in every yard of its
length from the centre given. The cen tre of the main-mast is 102 feet abaft the aft-side of the stem, on the gun deck, and rakes of an inch in every yard of its length. And the centre of the mizen mast is 27 feet before the fqfe side of the rabbit of the stern post, on the gun deck, and rakes aft of an inch in every yard of its length. Now let the upper edges of all the channels be kept well with the upper edge of the sheer but in some ships the mizen channel is kept higher than the others, the better to station the quarter deck ports.
The length of the fore channel is 35 feet 6 inches, and its fore end fixed 3 feet 4 inches before the centre of the fore mast at that place. The length of the main channel is 29 feet four inches,and its fore end 3 inches before the centre of the main-mast. The length of the mizen channel is 16 feet 6 inches, and its fore end 1 inch before the centre of the mizen mast. The outer edges of the fore and main channels are 4} inches thick, and outer edge of mizen channel 3} inches thick ; which thicknesses may be drawn parallel their whole length below the up per aide. The dead-eyes, that is, their diameters, which are 16 inches the main and fore, and 11 inches the mizen, may next be drawn, observing to place their centres, that the rake of the chains may be clear of the upper deck ports, both chains and preventer-plates to rake in the direc tion of their shrouds, which is best done in the following manner : continue upwards, through the centre, the rake of the mast to the upper side of the tressel trees, which for the fore mast is 87 feet above the keelson ; then draw a line about 2 inches more than half their diameter above, and parallel to the upper aide of the fore channel: then on this line fix the centre of the fore dead-eye 10 inches abaft the cen tre of the fore-mast, and the centre of the second dead-eye 3 feet 9 inches abaft the foremost one's centre, and the centre of the third, fourth, and fifth, 2 feet 2 inches asunder ; then lines drawn straight their centres, and crossing the height, set up the mast, gives the pro per rake of each dead-eye, ohaina and preventer-plate ; and although there are eleven dead-eyes in the fore.channel, their rakes and centres must be go verned by the ports. The same rule must be observed in raking the dead eye for the top-mast, backstay, &c. add ing the height of the top-mast to the lower part of the head.