Raise the shears with the main purchase; let the main tackle plumb the mast hole.

If there be much difficulty in raising the shears, rig a small derrick to raise them until the main fall acts with more power.

TAKING IN THE MIZEN MAST.

Q. Take in the mizen mast.

A. Place the mast alongside with its head aft, and foreside upwards.

Lash the lower purchase block to the foreside of the mast, between two points measured from the heel of the mast; the lower one is found by measuring the distance from the mast step to the mast combings; the upper one is found by measuring the distance from the bottom of the lower block, when it is block and block to the rail; be careful to allow for the lashing stretching.

Sling skids over the side, to carry the mast clear of eye-bolts, channels, &c. Heave away until the mast is nearly at the height of the rail. Make a tackle fast to ease it in board. Put on the trestletrees, top, and cap; make girtlines fast to the mast head, and the truss tackle fast below the top. Heave away until the mast is high enough, point it down the mast hole, lower away, tar, or white lead the tenon, step the mast, and wedge it temporarily. Shift the shears.

Step the mainmast and foremast in a similar manner.

NOTE. If it is a poop deck ship, another pair of shears must be rigged after the mizenmast is in.

TAKING IN THE BOWSPRIT.

Q. Take in the bowsprit.

A.

Make a strong rope fast to the foremast head, and lead it well aft, to act as a stay. Let the shears slope well forward. Make the fore guys fast to the foremast head. Lash the lower purchase block to the upper side of the bowsprit, outside of the distance from the heel to the knight-heads, make the truss tackle and also guys fast to the outer end of the bowsprit, make guys fast to the heel, put on the cap, and sway

away.

When the bowsprit is well topped up by the truss tackle, if the shears

cannot be sufficiently sloped to point the heel, rig a small spar, as a jibboom, over the forecastle, lash its inner end, fix a tackle at the outer end to haul the bowsprit out, and point it in.

Small ships have no topgallant forecastle, and hence their bowsprits are taken in without any difficulty.

PLACING A TOP OVER A MAST HEAD.

Q. Place a top over a mast head.

A. Lay the top on deck abaft the mast, foreside against the mast, lower part down. Reeve girtlines on each side of the mast head. Pass the end of each under the fore part of the top, and make the ends fast to the after crosstrees, place a few stops between the fore part and after part of the top. Make guys fast to both foreside and afterside of the top. Sway away. When the top is high enough, cast off the upper stops. Sway away again. Cast off the other stops. Steady the top by the guys, and let it fall over the mast head.

PLACING THE LOWER RIGGING OVER THE MAST HEAD.

Q. Place the lower rigging over the mast head.

A. Tar the mast head in the way of the rigging, tar and parcel the bolsters, and place them. If the shrouds are an odd number. Bend the girtline on to the starboard fore swifter. If they are an even number. Bend on to the starboard first pair of shrouds, below the seizing, so that the shrouds may go over the mast head, stop the gantline to the eye of the shrouds and sway away. When the eye is up to the girtline block, cast off the stop, sway away and place the shrouds over the mast head. Be careful to have them fair, and forced well down on the bolsters.

Proceed, in like manner, with the first pair of shrouds on the port side, then with the second pair on the starboard side; and so on.

Next, place the lower stay over the mast head.

SECURING THE BOWSPRIT.

Q. Secure the bowsprit.

A. In order to bring the bowsprit down, hang a cask of water, or other heavy weight to its end; or send the jib-boom out.

Pass the gammoning and frap it, and set up the bobstay and bowsprit shrouds.

REEVING THE LANYARDS OF THE LOWER RIGGING.

Q. Reeve the lanyards of the lower rigging.

A. Reeve them so that the knots come under the end part of the shroud.

SETTING UP THE LOWER RIGGING.

Q. Set up the lower rigging.

A. Stay the mast; then set the rigging up. Begin with the starboard first pair of shrouds, then the port first pair; and so on.

GETTING A HEAVY CAP ON THE LOWER MAST HEAD.

Q. Get a heavy cap on to the lower mast head.

A. Send the cap on to the top with a girtline; place the round hole of the cap over the hole in the trestletrees. When the topmast is sent up, lash the cap to it; when the topmast is high enough for the purpose, slue it, and place the cap on the mast head.

SENDING UP A TOPMAST.

Q. Send a topmast up.

A. Place the mast alongside, with its head forward, and afterside up. Hook a top block on to the eye-bolt in the lower cap, reeve a mast rope through this block, make its end fast to the middle of the topmast, and heave the topmast on to the deck, cast off the mast rope. Pass the end of the mast rope down through the hole in the trestletrees, through the sheave hole in the heel of the topmast, reeve the rope from the same side as the top block is on, reeve the end through the sheave hole at the topmast head, make the end fast, and rack the two parts of the mast rope together. Sway away, point the mast through the cap; when it is necessary double the mast rope. Sway away, and fid the mast.

SENDING TOPMAST CROSSTREES UP.

Q. Send the topmast crosstrees up.

A. When the head of the topmast is a few feet above the lower cap. Lash girtline blocks on to the topmast head, and send the crosstrees up. Place them so that their after part may rest on the lower cap, and their fore part against the topmast. Lower the mast until the crosstrees fall into their place, then sway away again.

TO PLACE THE RIGGING OVER THE TOPMAST HEAD.

Q. Place the rigging over the topmast head.

A. Tar the mast in the way of the rigging; tar, parcel, and place the bolsters. Put the shrouds over the mast head, in the same order as the lower rigging; then, the back stays; next, the topmast stay; and last, the lift strop.

Q.

To SEND UP A LONG TOPGALLANT MAST.

Send up a long topgallant mast.

A. Reeve the mast rope in a similar manner to that of the topmast.

Place the jack crosstrees over the hole in the topmast cap. Put on a grommet, then the eyes of the stay or stays, then the eyes of the shrouds and backstays.

Next place a grommet for the royal mast, and the royal rigging in the same order.

Then a grommet for the skysail mast, and then the skysail stay, and back stay. Sway away, and point the mast through the jack; put on the truck with the signal haulyards rove in it; sway away, and fid the mast.

Most vessels have no skysail masts, some have their royals to set flying, in which case the stay is spliced into an iron traveller, which is placed above the topgallant rigging.

The use of a grommet is to prevent the eyes of the rigging coming over the mast hounds. When the stays are underneath the rigging, they serve the same purpose. Sometimes a strop, with a thimble in it for the main

royal stay to reeve in, is used instead of a grommet.

The topgallant rigging reeves through the holes in the horns of the crosstrees, and sets up to the spider hoop.

CROSSING YARDS.

Q. Cross a lower yard.

A. Suppose it to be the fore yard, and that it is on the starboard side of the ship.

B

REEVING THE LANYARDS OF THE LOWER RIGGING.

Q. Reeve the lanyards of the lower rigging.

A. Reeve them so that the knots come under the end part of the shroud.

SETTING UP THE LOWER RIGGING.

Q. Set up the lower rigging.

A. Stay the mast; then set the rigging up. Begin with the starboard first pair of shrouds, then the port first pair; and so on.

GETTING A HEAVY CAP ON THE LOWER MAST HEAD.

Q. Get a heavy cap on to the lower mast head.

A.

Send the cap on to the top with a girtline; place the round hole of the cap over the hole in the trestletrees. When the topmast is sent up, lash the cap to it; when the topmast is high enough for the purpose, slue it, and place the cap on the mast head.

SENDING UP A TOPMAST.

Q. Send a topmast up.

A. Place the mast alongside, with its head forward, and afterside up. Hook a top block on to the eye-bolt in the lower cap, reeve a mast rope through this block, make its end fast to the middle of the topmast, and heave the topmast on to the deck, cast off the mast rope. Pass the end of the mast rope down through the hole in the trestletrees, through the sheave hole in the heel of the topmast, reeve the rope from the same side as the top block is on, reeve the end through the sheave hole at the topmast head, make the end fast, and rack the two parts of the mast rope together. Sway away, point the mast through the cap; when it is necessary double the mast rope. Sway away, and fid the mast.

SENDING TOPMAST CROSSTREES UP.

Q. Send the topmast crosstrees up.

A. When the head of the topmast is a few feet above the lower cap. Lash girtline blocks on to the topmast head, and send the crosstrees up. Place them so that their after part may rest on the lower cap, and their fore part against the topmast. Lower the mast until the crosstrees fall into their place, then sway away again.