See EUGENIA. YARD of a SHIP, a long piece of timber suspended upon the masts of a ship, to extend the sails to the wind. See MAST and SAIL.

All yards are either square or lateen; the former of which are suspended across the masts at right angles, and the latter obliquely.

The square yards are nearly of a cylindrical surface. They taper from the middle, which is called the flings, towards the extremities, which are termed the yard-arms; and the distance between the flings and the yard-arms on each side is by the artificers divided into quarters, which are distinguished into the first, second, third quarters, and yard-arms. The middle quarters are formed into eight squares, and each of the end parts is figured like the frustum of a cone. All the yards of a ship are square except that of the mizen.

The proportions for the length of yards, according to the different classes of ships in the British navy, are as follows:

<table> <tr> <th></th> <th>Guns.</th> <th>Yard.</th> </tr> <tr> <td>560</td> <td>main-yard, fig. I.</td> <td>100</td> </tr> <tr> <td>559</td> <td>Pl. CCCCLXVIII.</td> <td>90 80</td> </tr> <tr> <td>579</td> <td>Note, the figure</td> <td>70</td> </tr> <tr> <td>576</td> <td>represents the</td> <td>60</td> </tr> <tr> <td>573</td> <td>yard and falls of</td> <td>50</td> </tr> <tr> <td>561</td> <td>a ship of 74 guns.</td> <td>44</td> </tr> <tr> <td>880</td> <td>fore-yard.</td> <td>100 90 80</td> </tr> <tr> <td>874</td> <td>all the rest.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>

To apply this rule to practice, suppose the gun-deck 144 feet. The proportion for this length is, as 1000 is to 575, so is 144 to 83; which will be the length of the main-yard in feet, and so of all the rest.

<table> <tr> <th></th> <th>Guns.</th> <th>Yard.</th> </tr> <tr> <td>1000</td> <td>main-yard :</td> <td>520 ; mizen-yard 100 90 80 60 44</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>547 :</td> <td>70</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>540 :</td> <td>24</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1000</td> <td>main yard :</td> <td>724 ; main topail-yard 24 all the rest.</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>710 :</td> <td>70</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>713 :</td> <td>24</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>711 :</td> <td>all the rest.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1000</td> <td>main topail-yard :</td> <td>666 ; fore top gallant-yard all the rates.</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>660 :</td> <td>70</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>660 :</td> <td>all the rest.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>1000</td> <td>fore-topail yard :</td> <td>769 ; mizen topail yard all the rest.</td> </tr> <tr> <td></td> <td>750 :</td> <td>70</td> </tr> </table>

Crofs-jack and sprit-fail yards equal to the fore topail-yard.

Sprit-topail-yard equal to the fore top-gallant-yard.

The diameters of yards are in the following proportions to their length.

The main and fore yards five-sevenths of an inch to one yard. The topail, crofs-jack, and sprit-fail yards, nine-fourteenths of an inch to one yard. The top-gallant, mizen topail, and sprit-fail topail yards, eight-thirteenths of an inch to one yard.

The mizen-yard five-ninths of an inch to one yard.

All fudding-fail booms and yards half an inch to one yard in length.

The lifts of the main-yard are exhibited in the above figure by g g; the hores and their stirrups by h h; the reef-tackles and their pendants by k l; and the braces and brace-pendants by m n.

The lateen-yards evidently derive their names from having been peculiar to the ancient Romans. They are usually composed of several pieces fastened together by wooldings, which also serve as steps whereby the sailors climb to the peak or upper extremity, in order to furl or cast loose the sail.

The mizen-yard of a ship, and the main-yard of a bilander, are hung obliquely on the masts, almost in the same manner as the lateen-yard of a xebec, sottee, or polacre.