Ship Cushions

When a new vessel is ready to be fitted out with her cushions, she is measured for thom, not as a church would be, for a eertain number of cushions of a specified size to snpply a certain number of pews, but every space in which a cushion is to be placed separately. On a large vessel there might be a number of cushions of the same dimensions, but marine architecture is such that cushions ruay be required on the same vessel in a great variety of f orms, and of varying dimensions even within given lines, narrower at one end, for instance, than at the other. And cushions are made to fit around masts, and around the rounded ends of cabins, and in other spaces where they must be made in the form of an are of a circle, and ship cushions are made V shaped and in other shapes to fit into various nooks and jogs. All cushions are made with a vertical front edge, and most of them are made with a vertical rear edge, but ship cushions ara often made with a rounded or beveled rear edge to fit handsomely ugainst the side of the vessel, which serves as a back to the seat, but may slope away at a sharper angle than seat backs commonly do. Practically every boat that is set afloat, whatever she may be, big or little, is individually measured throughout for her cushions. The same materials for stuffing cushions tbat are used on land are used on the water - hair, moss, cotton and so on - and ship cushions are sometimes stuffed with cork clippings for their buoyant proporties. The materials most commonly used in covering church cushions are damasks and reps, the damasks more generally. The material most commonly used in covering ship cushions is mohair plush, which is made in various colors and qualities. Leather is also used in covering ship cushions, especially in smoking rooms and chartrooms and aboard yachts, and it costs little, if any, more than a fine quality of mohair plnsh. -