Part 495

Preserving of TIMBER. When boards, &c. are dried, seasoned, and fixed in their places, care is to be taken to defend and preserve them: to which the smearing them with linseed oil, tar, or the like oleaginous matter, contributes much.

The Dutch preserve their gates, portcullices, draw-bridges, sluices, &c. by coating them over with a mixture of pitch and tar, whereon they strew small pieces of cockle and other shells, beaten almost to powder, and mixed with sea sand, which incrusts and arms it wonderfully against wind and weather.

Seasoning of TIMBER. As soon as felled, it should be laid in some dry airy place, but out of reach of too much wind or sun, which, in excess, will subject it to crack and fly. It is not to be set upright, but laid along, one tree upon another, only with some short blocks between, to give it the better airing, and prevent it becoming mouldy, which will rot the surface and produce mushrooms on it. Some persons daub the trees all over with cow-dung, which occasions their drying equally, and prevents their cracking, as they are otherwise very apt to do.

Some recommend the burying timber in the earth, as the best method of seasoning it; and others have found it a fine preservative to bury their timber under the wheat in their granaries; but this cannot be made a general practice. In Norway they season their deal planks, by laying them in salt water for three or four days, when new sawed, and drying them in the sun: this is found a great advantage to them; but neither this, nor any thing else, can prevent their shrinking.

Timber should always be seasoned, when it is intended for piles and other pieces that are to stand under the earth or water. The Venetians first found out this method; and the way they do it is this: they put the piece to be seasoned in a strong and violent flame, turning it continually round by means of an engine, taking it out when it is every where covered with a black coaly crust: by this means the internal part of the wood is so hardened, that neither earth nor water can damage it for a long time after.

TIME. The measure of duration, by which soldiers regulate the cadence of a march: as slow, ordinary, or quick, and quickest time or step, which see.

TIME, in manœuvring. That necessary interval betwixt each motion in the manual exercise, as well as in every movement the army or any body of men make.

TIME, in fencing. There are three kinds of time; that of the sword, that of the foot, and that of the whole body. All the times that are perceived out of their measure, are only to be considered as appels or feints to deceive and amuse the enemy.

TIME thrust, in fencing. A thrust given upon any opening which may occur by an inaccurate or wide motion of your adversary, when changing his guard, &c.

TIMING, is the accurate and critical throwing in of a cut or thrust upon any opening that may occur as your adversary changes his position.

TIMON, Fr. Shafts of a cart, coach-pole.

TIMONIER, Fr. This word is frequently used as a sea term by the French, and signifies helmsman, or steersman, from Timon, which is applied to the part of the helm he holds.

TIN tubes. See TUBES and LABORATORY.

TINDALS, Ind. Native officers employed in the artillery, and in ships.

TIR, Fr. In artillery. A term used to express the explosion or discharge of any firearm in any given direction. Un bon, un mauvais tir, a good, a bad shot; or a shot well or ill directed.

La theorie du TIR, Fr. The theory or art of firing.

TIR perpendiculaire, Fr. A shot made in a perpendicular direction.

TIR oblique, Fr. An oblique shot.

TIR à ricochet, Fr. A ricochet shot.

TIR rasant, Fr. A grazing shot; or shot made rasant. See FORTIFICATION.

TIR plongeant, Fr. A downward or plunging shot.

TIR fichant, Fr. A shot made fichant. See FORTIFICATION.

La justesse du TIR, Fr. The true direction of a shot. The French say, ce fusil n’a pas le tir juste, this musquet has not a true direction, or its shot diverges from the point levelled at.

TIRAILLER, Fr. To pester, to annoy. Hence the word Tirailleur.

TIRAILLEUR. A soldier who fires as he pleases; a rifleman.

TIRAILLEURS are likewise skirmishers or marksmen, advanced in front to annoy the enemy, and draw off his attention; or they are left behind to amuse and stop his progress in the pursuit; a column of infantry is often ordered to act as tirailleurs.

TIRE, are great guns, shot, shells, &c. placed in a regular form. See PILES.

TIRE-balle, Fr. An instrument used by surgeons to extract musquet-balls.