ice-floes to the mysteries beyond.

By the general consent of those who witnessed her performances, the
old _Discovery_ (the fifth of her name) of 1875 was the best ship
that had ever been employed on Arctic service, and the Ship Committee
eventually decided that the new vessel should be built on more
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or less the same lines. The new _Discovery_ had the honour to be
the first vessel ever built for scientific exploration, and the
decision to adopt well-tried English lines for her was more than
justified by her excellent qualities.

The greatest strength lay in her bows, and when ice-floes had to
be rammed the knowledge that the keel at the fore-end of the ship
gradually grew thicker, until it rose in the enormous mass of solid
wood which constituted the stem, was most comforting. No single
tree could provide the wood for such a stem, but the several trees
used were cunningly scarfed to provide the equivalent of a solid
block. In further preparation for the battle with ice-floes, the
stem itself and the bow for three or four feet on either side were
protected with numerous steel plates, so that when the ship returned
to civilization not a scratch remained to show the hard knocks
received by the bow.

The shape of the stem was also a very important consideration. In
the outline drawing of the _Discovery_ will be seen how largely
the stem overhangs, and this was carried to a greater extent than
in any former Polar vessel. The object with which this was fitted
was often fulfilled during the voyage. Many a time on charging
a large ice-floe the stem of the ship glided upwards until the
bows were raised two or three feet, then the weight of the ship
acting downwards would crack the floe beneath, the bow would drop,
and gradually the ship would forge ahead to tussle against the
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next obstruction. Nothing but a wooden structure has the elasticity
and strength to thrust its way without injury through the thick
Polar ice.

In Dundee the building of the _Discovery_ aroused the keenest interest,
and the peculiar shape of her overhanging stern, an entirely new
feature in this class of vessel, gave rise to the strongest criticism.
All sorts of misfortunes were predicted, but events proved that
this overhanging rounded form of stem was infinitely superior for
ice-work to the old form of stem, because it gave better protection
to the rudder, rudder post and screw, and was more satisfactory
in heavy seas.

[Ill