The carriage is similar to the 7-inch, except that instead of being fitted for tackles it is provided with Scott’s nipping-gear and endless chain.[6] The chain is a slide attachment. The nipping-gear consists of a heavy iron stirrup, movable in a vertical direction by means of an eccentric and lever. The chain passes freely through this stirrup when it is down, but on throwing it up the links of the chain are caught in the teeth of a sprocket-plate fastened to the bed-plate of the carriage, so that the movement of the chain carries the carriage with it. The slide is similar to the 7-inch, except that the Scott chain and gearing is used, which also traverses the slide. There are two chains, one at each side of the slide, which are revolved by pinions at either end. At the rear end the pinions are on a heavy axle, which is revolved by a crank and gearing. For training, this gearing is connected to a short shaft, having a pinion at its forward end, which gears in a metal rack on the deck; this shaft may be revolved or fixed at will by means of a pawl-wheel and screw-break, so that in training the slide can be traversed or fixed as desired. When the slide is a shifting one, the same gearing is used to swing the forward end of it around, by means of another pinion which is shipped just in front of the forward end of the slide. The compressor is the Elswick pattern. [6] See cut, page 202. [Illustration: Elswick Compressor.] _Carriage and Slide for 9-inch M. L. R._ The broadside 9-inch carriage is the same as the 8-inch; that for ships of the Sultan class differs in several particulars. The carriage is very low, its bottom plate coming well down inside of the slide. It is a double-plate carriage built on a cast-iron frame, the outer plate coming to the top of the slide, whilst the inner one is carried down inside. The rollers are completely hidden in their recesses, the forward ones being permanently in action, whilst the rear ones are on eccentrics. The rear axle between the rollers is bent down so as to give room for the breech of the gun in elevating. [Illustration: 9-inch Elevating-Gear.]