Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 2]
Slack the weather Topmast Shrowds all that length, but likewise hawls down as much of the lee ones, since I have just explained that the Lee - Futtock Staff is, at that time, 8 Inches within the Place where it is when the Ship stands upright. But it is obvious that, if the Lee Topmast Shrowds were Taught when the Ship stood upright, they can not be hawled down 8 Inches more, without the Topmast head's going 40. Inches out of its Place, since that Mast is 5 Time as long as the half Breadth of the Top. This each way (=6 feet 8 Inches) will give, upon the length of a 74 Gun Ship's Topmast, an Angle of full 6 Degrees, which in every Roll, the Topmast hear Describes more than the lower Mast. By that means the Lee Topmast Shrowds, instead of being slack, to allow for Bracing up the Topsail yard, are Taughter than the Weather ones, and, each Times the Ship Rolls, the Shrowds which ought to support the Topmast, are slack, and those which ought to be slack, are drawn Taught, which, I am clearly of opinion (uncommon Accidents always Excepted) is the only means by which Topmasts Can ever be Rolled away.
In order to remedy these Inconveniences, I should wish to have Two Salvagee Straps round the lower-Mast-Head, in the Place of the Present Catharpings, with each a large thimble in its Pointing to the Futtock-Staff, (one of each side) to this Thimble should be fastened, with a Lanyard, Two or more Crowfeet, of which one Claw should lead to each Futtock-shrowd, as the Catharpings legs do. When the lower shrowds are set up, these crowfeet should be hawled in (2 or 3 Inches at most,) so that when the sails are Set, the Topmast shrowds should not be able to hawl the lower ones out in a Bite, always remembering to draw the Fore-most ones rather more in than the after ones, for the sake of bracing the Main Yard
As