Should it be required to take all the wire from the reel, then the reel will be rolled as far as circumstances admit, back and forth, till all the rope is off. The rope can then be taken up and put on a stretch just as it lies upon the floor without taking turns out for stretching. A piece of -inch iron chain, about 3 feet long, with a ring in each end, one ring sufficiently large to let the other reeve through it, is the best strap to be used in putting heavy wire rope on a stretch. Plenty of protection should be put on the rope to prevent the chain from injuring the wire. Wire rope, not galvanized, is best protected from weather and wear if painted with boiled linseed oil and red lead, well mixed, and filled well into the lays, wormed and parcelled with cotton sheeting, so cut and laid on that the overlapping will give two thicknesses over all the rope, then painted again and served tight and close over all. properly done, this will keep out water for years. If Cutting Rigging by Draft. Having an accurate draft of the hull and spars of a ship, Fig. 284, Plate 46, the measures may be readily taken and the rigging cut and fitted so that it can be sent aloft as soon as the masts are ready to receive it. It not unfrequently happens that a gang of rigging is completed and triced up out of the way, in the rigging loft, long before the ship is ready to take it. Rigging drafts are usually made on an f-inch scale (oneeighth inch-one foot). The half beam at each mast is usually noted on the draft at the respective channels, but the location of dead-eyes seldom, and therefore the rigger must get the measurements from the vessel. As no beam draft is now furnished, an adjustable beam scale, Fig. 287, Plate 48, is employed (which is graduated to the same scale as is the draft) with a sliding rest and set screw. Another adjustable beam scale, Fig. 285, is in the form of a hollow square of metal, graduated on its four exterior sides to different fractional parts of an inch. The sliding rest for the point of the dividers may be applied to any one of the four sides to correspond with the scale used in the draft. Before working on the draft scale, measure carefully the square of the mast-head just in line with the upper side of bolster. The measure of the square is used to fit the pendants, but for eyes of the lower rigging, five square of the actual girth measure is used. The mast-heads are rounded for wire rigging, iron or composition plates being let in and secured on each corner of the mast-head to round it off. Lower Mast-head Pendants. Should be fitted long enough to hang one foot below the futtock band, and both legs are now fitted the same length, with an iron thimble and large link in each end. Fig. 286, Plate 47. In measuring for lower mast-head pendants, find the distance. from top of trestle-tree to one foot below futtock band, add one thickness of trestle-tree, and half square of mast-head. which, doubled, will be the combined length of starboard and port leg. Allow enough on each end to turn in the thimble. Now paint, worm, parcel, paint again and serve, double serve with spun-yarn the place required for the thimble, and splice in the thimble. Double serve from centre of pendant to a distance equal to one-half the mast-head, plus the thickness and depth of trestle-tree each way. When this is finished take tarred flax parcelling, begin just above where the double service ends and parcel up to the centre of pendant. This is called the heading. From the centre mark of each pendant, lay off and mark each way one half the square of the mast-head as the place for the cross-lashings. Marl on the parcelling with strong marline, the hitches not more than half an inch apart, being careful to put no hitches where the cross-lashings are to come. Take two pieces of wood about three inches wide and one inch thick, equal in length to one square of mast-head, lay the two pendants side by side to verify the marks, then spread them apart till the pieces of wood can be placed across from pendant to pendant, just outside the marks where the cross-lashing is to go, allowing room to comfortably work the lashing. See Plate 47, Fig. 286. With a piece of strong seizing stuff with a long eye, proceed to put on a regular round seizing from pendant to pendant, being careful to keep outside of the mark, or the square will be too small to go over the mast-head. Having passed the riding turns of the lashing, secure its end. Then around the crosslashing close up to the pendants put a good seizing of houseline, being careful to bring all parts of the cross-lashing close together, and marl the lashing together, parcel with thin stuff and woold with a strand, then with tarred flax parcelling protect the lashing, cover well the turns around the pendants and marl all down. Leave the wooden strips in till the pendants are about to be put over the mast-head. A link is put into the end of the pendant because it is so much easier hooked into than in the thimble in the stiff wire. The mizzen pendants are of smaller rope than the fore and main, and can be fitted in the same manner, with a cut splice, or spanned to a pair of odd shrouds, as is sometimes the case. When pendants are to be fitted in the latter way, the odd shroud and pendants spanned together go on the mast-head first. The odd shroud is fitted straight and passes over the bolsters from side to side abaft, as if it were an after-pendant, and the span is fitted as above described for double pendants. In small vessels, and when there is no odd shroud, the mizzen pendants are fitted with a cut splice, |