(On fastenings)

We are indebted to the New Brunswicker for the following important information … for … parties engaged in shipbuilding.

We have been informed by John Tucker, Esq., Lloyds Surveyor at this Port that, in pursuance of a resolution passed on the 15th of February last by the Committee of Lloyds Register of British and Foreign Shipping, the Rule Section 46 has been amended and will stand in future as follows.

Fastening. The treenails to be of good quality and of a description of wood equal to the best material through which they are to pass. They are to be circular being either engine turned, compressed or planed. In all cases in which planks above twelve inches in width shall be used, they must be double fastened and those above nine inches in width must be treenailed double and single except where bolts intervene and if less than that width then to be treenailes single.

In such cases at least one half of the treenail must go through the ceiling, all the outside planking to be fastened with at least one bolt in every butt, the bolt through and clenched.

The bilges to be secured with bolts so placed that from the foremast to the mainmast in Ships under 300 Tons there shall be at least one bolt through and clenched in each first foothook; and that in Ships of 300 Tons upwards there shall be at least two bolts through and clenched for each set of timbers in one or other of the thick bilge strakes.

All the bolts of the knees, breast hooks, crutches, riders, transoms, pointers, keelsons, shelfpiece, waterways, heels of timbers, against fore and after deadwood and all other material fastening are to be driven and clenched on rings of the same material as the bolts. the up and down bolts in the knees to the beams are not required to be through the deck but, whether clenched upon the beams or upon the deck, they must be clenched on rings of the same as the bolts.

The two bolts nearest to the crown of the pintles and braces of the rudder are also to be through and clenched; those through the braces to be in the main piece of sternpost; the limber strakes to be bolted down to the floors and one bolt in every floor on each side to be through and clenched.

When the heels of the first futtocks (either with full moulding or with butted chocks) meet at the middle line on the keel under the keelson, the through bolting of the limber strakes may be dispensed with.

Ships otherwise entitled by their materials to stand higher than the sixyear grade in which the flat of upper deck, poop and forecastle are fastened with nails or bolts of copper or yellow metal and the whole outside planking of which is fastned with threenails and copper or yellow metal bolts to the entire exclusion of iron bolts are used in any part of the vessel except the frame bolts and short bolts of inside planking, up and down bolts of knees which clinch upon the upper deck, poop, or forecastle beams when the flat of the deck is laid over them.

Up and down bolts of hold and lower deck beams, fore and aft in arms of knees to beams, bolts of the coaming, windlass or bowsprit, bitts, deck fictures athwartship, bolts in knees afore the stem, bolts or fastening incidental to the rigging or any fastening above the respecting planksheers of the poop, waist and forecastle, such ships will be allowed a period of one year and, in addition thereto, a further period of one year will be given to ships so fastened in which the outside planking above the floor-heads is also fastened entirely with bolts of copper or yellow metal in lieu of treenails. In all such cases of substitution the number of bolts must be the same as is already prescribed as above for treenails. The proportion of through bolts must be one half and all through bolts must be of malleable and clenched on rings of the same metal inside.

Whenever metal fasteners are used in place of treenails, this proportion must be observed. The sizes of copper or mixed metal bolts must be as under, viz.:

In ships of 150 tons and under 200 tons …	5/8 ins.
In ships of 200 tons and under 350 tons …	3/4 ins.
In ships of 350 tons and under 500 tons …	13/16 ins.
In ships of 500 tons and under 700 tons …	7/8 ins.
In ships of 700 tons and under 900 tons …	15/16 ins.
In ships of 900 tons and above …	1 ins.

Smaller sizes must not be used and the length of the short bolts not less than as follows, viz.:

When used in planks of 2½" to be 7 inches long.

When used in planks of 3" to be 8 inches long.

When used in planks of 4" to be 10 inches long.

When used in planks of 5" to be 12 inches long.

and so on in planks of other thicknesses. The sizes of bolts required in the several other parts must not be less than is shewn in Table 'D' following Page 28 of Rules.