Harry Linton (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: On foul Confined air in fhips dcferves particular notice; it often oc- .ips caons djfeafesj and fometimes immediate death, as has frequently been the cafe in the pump wells of fhips of war. Charcoal fires, 6cc. in clofe places, are dangerous and fometimes fatal. Too many people together in clofe places, and filth and dirt made and fuftered to continue below, foul the air; therefore every feaman who does not know it mould be told, that by his common breathing he fouls a gallon of air, and requires a gallon of frefh air to breath in, every minute; fo that ior the prefervation of them- felves, they mould not grudge or think much to keep the places where they reft and deep, as clear and clean as things will admit of; and mould ufe every method poflible to keep mips clear of bad, tainted, air, which becomes proportionably heavier as it becomes more foul, and, lofing its circulating property, naturally defcends to, and ftagnates in, the loweft vacancies, where it haf- tens to corruption every thing that is fubject to decay, even the fhip and her materials; and much more fo the provifions, which muft confequently make unhealthy mips. To get Foul air in mips frequently proceeds from their beine over clear of, . ., 111 1-1 /- i foal air. croudcd with people below, which may prove very fatal. To prevent the bad effects of its lying in a fhip, I would recommend to keep the pumps conftantly working (tho no water in the fhip) 'till a lighted candle will burn clear in the bottom of the pump- well, where the worft air lodges, as being the loweft and greateft vacancy in fhips holds; fince all water pumps, will act the part of air pumps, or ventilators, as it is. known that the water would not rife to the fucking pumps, if the air was not firft pumped out of them. And as Guinea f...