Composition for Bavins.
| Rosin | 120 | lbs. |
| Sulphur, coarse, or roll | 90 | —– |
| Pitch | 60 | —– |
| Tallow | 6 | —– |
| Meal-powder | 12 | —– |
Iron Chambers. These are ten inches long, and 3.5 in diameter; breeched against a piece of wood, fixed across the holes. When loaded, they are almost filled with grained powder, with a wooden tompion well driven into their muzzles. They are primed with a small piece of quick-match, thrust through their vents into the powder, with a part of it hanging out; and, when the ship is fired, they blow open the ports, which either fall downwards, or are carried away, and accordingly give vent to the fire out of the sides of the ship.
Curtains. Curtains are made of barras, about three-quarters of a yard wide, and one yard in length. When they are dipped, two men, with each a fork, must run the prongs through the corner of the curtain at the same end. Then dip them into a large kettle of composition, (which is the same as the composition for bavins,) well melted; and, when well dipped and the curtain extended to its full breadth, whip it between two sticks of about 5.5 feet long, and 1.5 inches square, held close by two other men, to take off the superfluous composition hanging to it. Then immediately sprinkle sawdust on both sides, to prevent it from sticking, and the curtain is finished.
Reeds. They are made up in small bundles of about 12 inches in circumference, cut even at both ends, and tied with two bands each. The longest sort are 4 feet, and the shortest 2.5, the only lengths which are used. One part of them is single dipped, only at one end; the rest are double dipped, that is, at both ends. In dipping, they must be put about 7 or 8 inches deep into a copper kettle of melted composition, of the same kind as that for bavins; and, when they have drained a little over it, to carry off the superfluous composition, sprinkle them, over a tanned hide, with pulverized sulphur, at some distance from the copper. With respect to the stores, required for a fire ship of 150 tons, the following complement is given: viz.
| No. | ||
| Fire barrels | 8 | |
| Iron chambers | 12 | |
| Priming composition barrels | 3½ | |
| Quick-match barrels | 1 | |
| Curtains dipped | 30 | |
| Long reeds, single dipped | 150 | |
| Short reeds | { double dipped | 75 |
| { single dipped | 75 | |
| Bavins, single dipped | 209 | |
The quantity of composition, for preparing the stores of a fire ship is as follows:
For 8 barrels; grained powder 960 pounds, pitch 480 pounds, tallow 80 pounds.
For 3 barrels of priming composition, saltpetre 175 lbs. sulphur 140 lbs. grained powder 350 lbs. rosin 21 lbs. oil-pots 11.