if any, is to depend on the nature of such openings and on the means adopted for closing them. In the case of hinged sidescuttles of the usual pattern, when the glass is of sufficient thickness and the scuttles are efficiently secured by metal bolts and nuts, and hinged watertight iron shutters of deadlights are provided on the inside of the glass, the loadline as determined by the centre of the disc or by the Indian summer line, if so marked, is to be not less than 6 inches below the sill of the lowest side-scuttle.

24. The freeboards required by the foregoing tables are to be assigned on the condition that the engine and boiler casings above the upper deck are of sufficient height and strength, with suitable means provided for closing all openings in them in bad weather, and the weather deck hatchways are properly framed with substantial coamings, and strong hatch covers, the latter being efficiently supported by shifting beams and fore-and-afters suitable to the dimensions of the hatchway, When these conditions are not complied with the freeboard may require to be increased, regard being given, however, to the trade in which the vessel is intended to be employed.

25. In no case shall the deepest loadline in salt water, whether indicating the summer or Indian summer line, be assigned at a higher position than the intersection of the top of the upper deck with the vessel's side, at the lowest part of the deck.

In the case of shelter-decked vessels the deck next below the shelter deck is to be regarded as the upper deck.

Memorandum of Explanatory Notes on the Application of the Tables of Freeboard, Drawn Up with a View to Securing Uniformity of Practice on the Part of Those Entrusted with the Assignment of Freeboard. Deck Line. - In the case of vessels with uncovered iron or steel decks, a width of gutter waterway is to be assumed, and the point so obtained levelled out to the vessel's side. In the case of vessels of 24 feet beam and under, the width of the waterway assumed should be 12 inches, and in vessels of 42 feet and above, 21 inches. In vessels of between 24 and 42 feet beam the width of the gutter waterway is to be taken as half an inch for every foot in beam.

Where a wood deck maintains a uniform thickness to the sides of a vessel, the same method should be adopted.

In cases where an iron deck is partly covered with wood, he deck-line is to correspond with the top of the deck amidshis,

whether the deck at that part be of wood or of iron, and the necessary corrections should be made in accordance with paragraph 6, as also the correction always required to the statutory deck-line.

Bridge-house in Spar-decked Ships. — In a spar-decked ship, where an efficient bridge-house is fitted amidships, covering the engine and boiler openings, if it extends over at least two-fifths of the vessel's length and has scantlings not less than the requirements of Lloyd's Rules (1885) for bridgehouses, it is to be taken into consideration in estimating the strength of the vessel for freeboard.

If the scantlings of the bridge-house are equal to the requirements of Lloyd's Rules (1885) the allowance on this account should not exceed that given in the following table:

If, however, the scantlings of the bridge-house are in excess of Lloyd's Rules (1885) the freeboard is to be determined on the basis of a comparison between the strength of the actual vessel and the strength of a vessel of the same dimensions, built to the three-decked rule, and of a vessel built to the spardeck rule, including a bridge-house in each case.

Tables of Freeboard. - Additional freeboard will be required in the case of vessels classed 90A and 80A, or in vessels of equivalent strength thereto in accordance with the following scale:

Length of vessel:

shi

Wherever in these explanatory notes reference is made to 1, classes of vessels of Lloyd's various types, it is to be under

stood that these apply equally to all other vessels of equivalent strength, whether classed by other classifying associations, such, for instance, as the Bureau Veritas or the British Corporation, or unclassed.

If the frame spacing be increased one-fourth, the thickness of all the shell-plating, excepting garboard and sheer strakes, should be increased by one-twentieth of an inch over the thickness required in the standard ship. Other increases in spacing should be dealt with in the same proportion.

PARA. 1-LENGTH.-The length of erection is to be measured with reference to the length of the vessel on the load-line, i.e., any portion of the erections forward of the fore side of the stem on the load-line, or abaft the after side of the after post on the load-line, is not to be measured for deductions.

PARA. 3-DEPTH OF HOLD. The depth of hold as used in the computation for ascertaining the coefficient of fineness in iron and steel sailing vessels is to be measured to the top of the ceiling, and in steam vessels to the top of the floors.

The cases of vessels having either an excess or a deficiency of mean sheer, as compared with the standard sheer, the registered depth to be used for ascertaining the coefficient of fineness is to be increased for excess of sheer, or reduced for the deficiency of sheer, by one-third of the difference between the standard mean sheer and the vessel's actual mean sheer, after being reduced to the gradual character, if necessary.

PARA. 4- COEFFICIENT OF FINENESS. No alteration is to be made in the freeboard in consequence of the coefficient of fineness being either smaller or greater than those given on the page of the tables from which the ship's freeboard is taken.

PARA. 5 MOULDED DEPTH.

In cases where a wood deck of extra thickness is fitted, or where a wood deck is doubled throughout, the moulded depth should be increased by the excess of thickness. The freeboard should then be set off from the top of the deck of increased thickness at the side of the vessel.

PARA. 6 FREEBOARD. - In case of the freeboard being ascertained by an actual calculation of the reserve buoyancy, the drawing used in such calculation should be verified by actual measurements at the ship, and such drawing and calculations forwarded to the Board of Trade, and, whatever the result of the calculation, the freeboard assigned should not be less than would be obtained by taking from the tables the freeboard corresponding to the smallest coefficient for a vessel of the same moulded depth, except in sailing vessels with large rise of floor (see page 26).

Freeboard as ascertained by these tables is to be measured to the intersection of the deck with the side of the vessel, but in granting certificates of freeboard this must always be corrected so as to state the freeboard amidships when measured to the deck-line, marked in accordance with the statute.

SUB-PARAS. (A) AND (B). — For vessels having iron upperdecks not covered with wood, the allowance is to be made under sub-para. (a), when the erections extend over less than of the length; but in all vessels when the erections cover or more of the length, and in spar- and awning-decked vessels the allowance is to be made under sub-para (b).

SUB-PARA. (b.) (b.) — In spar-decked vessels having iron spar decks and in awning-decked vessels having iron main decks, the freeboard by the tables should be calculated, as if those decks were wood-covered, i.e., the ordinary thickness of a wood deck, less the thickness of the stringer plate, should be deducted from the freeboard, also in vessels where or more of the main deck is covered by substantial enclosed erections, the freeboard found from the tables should be measured amidships from a wood deck, or, if the deck is of iron, it should be measured from the iron deck, and the ordinary thickness of a wooded deck required for that size of ship, less the thickness of the stringer plate, should in that case be deducted from the freeboard. In vessels which have of the deck covered, the thickness of a wood deck, less the thickness of the stringer plate is to be deducted from the freeboard. Between and a proportionate quantity; for example, for covered allow the thickness of the deck, after deducting the thickness of the stringer plate. The remainder of the paragraph should be read as printed. N.B. When the deductions referred to in this sub-para. (b) are allowed the moulded depth is not to be reduced as per subpara. (a) para. 6.

PARA. 9. In the case of vessels coming under para. 12 and having the deck erections not entirely enclosed, the effective length of the open portions is to be assessed as described in paras. 13, 14 and 15; if the length of the enclosed erections plus the length of the open portions, where assessed as above, is at all under of the vessel's length, the entire correction for length is to be applied.

PARA. 11. This paragraph does not apply to vessels in which the effective length of the erections is less than of the length, except in cases where the effective length of the after erection is at least of the length, and the total effective length of the erections is between and of the length of the vessel.

In such cases the allowance should be proportioned between that allowed for erections the length under para. 14 and that allowed for erections covering 1% of the length under para. 11, and the corrections for length and sheer should be included in estimating this allowance. In all other cases of vessels with erections covering less than 1% of the length, para. 14 is to be used.

In the case of vessels having erections which are partly open or are less than the standard height the effective length of the erections is to be computed as directed elsewhere.

No allowance is to be made for a monkey forecastle which is less in height than the main or top-gallant rail, or 4 feet, whichever is the least; where this condition is satisfied, or the forecastle is a sunk one having an efficient bulkhead at its after end, the length to be used in estimating the allowance is to be obtained by multiplying the length of the monkey forecastle by its height and dividing by 6 feet, the minimum height of a top-gallant forecastle. This rule, as well as that relating to the heights of raised quarter-decks, applies to vessels coming under paras. 12, 13, 14, and 15, as well as under para. 11. In case of vessels having no forecastle but in other respects coming under this paragraph, the allowance for erections should be estimated on the supposition that there is a forecastle of the length of the vessel, deducting from this twice the allowance which the vessel would have for such a forecastle under para. 15.

SUB-PARA. (a). The difference will not be affected by correction for length, as the allowance will be practically the same in both tables.

SUB-PARA. (c). — The engine and boiler openings, if protected only by a raised quarter-deck, will require an addition in freeboard varying from 1 inch in vessels of 15 feet moulded depth to 2 inches in vessels of 20 feet moulded depth. In vessels having less than 15 feet moulded depth a proportionate addition should be made.

If with a small bridge-house in front of, but not covering the openings, an addition of half the above amount.

SUB-PARA. (d). — If the crew are not berthed in the bridgehouse, and the arrangements to enable them to get backwards and forwards from their quarters are not satisfactory, an addition should be made to the freeboard of 1 per cent of the moulded depth of the ship in the case of vessels 180 feet or more in length and having wells 70 feet or less in length. If the vessel's length does not exceed 150 feet, or if the well is 80 feet or more in length, the foregoing addition will not be required. In the case of vessels between 150 and 180 feet in