_The Rhine_ 89
The Dorstensche Aak 89
The Stevenschip 90
The Turfijker and the Hagenaar 90
The Keen 90
The Keenaak 90
The Lahnaak and the Slof 91
_The Meuse_ 91
The Whalemajol, etc. 91
~Chapter V~ 93
_Fishing boats_ 93
The Egmonder Pink 93
The Bush 93
The Kwee and the Hoekerbuis 96
The Hoeker (_howker_) 96
The Haringjager and the Buisconvoyer 96
The Sloep (_sloop_) 96
The Logger (_lugger_) 97
The Bom 97
The Garnalenschuit 97
The Scholschuit or Bazaanschuit 97
The Zwartewaalsche Gaffelaar 97
The Schokker 98
The Haringschuit 99
The Punter and the Gondel 99
The Hoogaars 99
The Steekschuit 100
The Hengst 100
The Botter 100
The Blazer 100
The Lemmeraak 100
The Bolle and the Knots 100
The Jol 101
Use of fishing boats on the Zuiderzee 101
The Waterschip 102
~Chapter VI~ 103
Belgian craft 103
The Tournaisien 103
The Chaland 103
The Bélandre 103
The Pointu 104
The Prij 104
~Chapter VII~ 105
Development of the types of vessels in
the North-East of Europe in relation
to the first inhabitants of the Netherlands 105
[Illustration: PREFACE
De scheeps- en sterke bouw
’t heeft ons ’t gebruik geleert,
Dees gaf ons wet en reght
Hoe men de landen heert.[1]
(~Nic. Witsen.~)
]
Holland’s struggle for life has been a constant battle against the
invasion of water. If this has been, on the one hand, an enemy to be
feared, it has been, on the other, the natural line of communication
above all others which has made our ancestors, since time immemorial,
a nation of seamen. The boat was a necessity as indispensable as the
house.
It is impossible to say who invented the boat; every one has
contributed his mite to its building and this has given rise to its
gradual development. The discovery that wood would float was due,
evidently, to chance.
Use must have been made first of the trunk of a single tree, and
afterwards several must have been joined together to make a raft.
Then came the hollowed trunk which was followed, in its turn, by a boat
with a framework covered with skins from which the finished boat was
born.
Between the floating trunk of a tree and the most complete ship, there
have come into existence all sorts of intermediate forms, of which most
are still to be found even in our day.
[Sidenote: III 1]
Noah, according to the writers of antiquity, must have been the first
shipwright. The old authors enter into circumstantial details on
this subject and give various drawings of Noah’s “ark”. Several of
these drawings are reproduced in the atlas of this work. The only
value of these reproductions of the ark lies in the fact that they
probably represent a ship of the time of their author. It must also be
noted that the first shipbuilder is as entirely unknown as the first
inventor of the boat. That which is beyond any doubt is; that the
mutual influences of various nations have been important factors in the
evolution of the ship. This latter, on its side, served to bring into
contact nations widely separated by water and to open up countries as
yet unexplored.
Hence shipbuilding must first have shone forth, under these conditions,
among the most civilized races.
Mexico and Peru excepted, it may be said that civilization was
developed first among the Chinese in the valley of the Hoang-Ho, then
among the Babylonians in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates, and
among the Egyptians in the valley of the Nile.
The question of knowing whether the Babylonians learned shipbuilding
from the Chinese, or the reverse, is one of minor importance. It is
certain however that reciprocal influences were at work among the races
of Asia Minor and there is no doubt that the Babylonians influenced
the Phœnicians, the pioneer shipwrights of the Mediterranean. The
Egyptians, who were not a seafaring people do not here enter into
consideration.
As the Netherlands lay under the action exercised in Europe, where
the development of naval architecture went on about two independent
centres, that of the Baltic and that of the Mediterranean, Asia may be
set aside in so far as its parts not bordering on the Mediterranean are
concerned.
After the Baltic, which will be called the _northern centre_, had
introduced shipbuilding among us, this centre, in so far as over seas
navigation is concerned, came into contact with the Mediterranean,
which will be called the _southern centre_, through the movements
of commerce and navigation, and finally the two became fused with each
other.
It is easy to see that the influence of the northern centre was
preponderant on our naval architecture, hence its importance is capital
for us.
The few vessels of ancient times which have been found show us what a
high degree of perfection shipbuilding had already reached in almost
prehistoric times; the finish of these vessels and the care given to
their ornamentation might also be noticed. These observations are not
extraordinary, when the large part played by the ship in the existence
of nations is borne in mind; the contrary would rather have caused
surprise. Nor is it astonishing that the chances of the sea should
have been faced with small boats. For are not the valiant fishermen
of to-day seen facing the waves of the sea, in still smaller boats
than those of the ancients, to ply their rude and perilous trade, and
that too during the entire year? For let it not be forgotten indeed,
that ocean navigation during the Middle Ages was, as a matter of fact,
carried on only in Summer. ~Nic. Witsen~ wrote in 1671, p. 195
of his book, on this subject: “dat men oulinckx in deze landen nimmer
’t zee ging als naer besloten boeken, besproken uiterste wille en met
God zich te hebben verzoent: wanneer men het gevaar meer ontzag als
heden nu dorst men althans zee kiezen zonder aanzien van tijdt of weer
van outs wiert de zee gesloten in de quaetste tijden van het jaar!”[2]
To know what we can do, to know of what we are capable, and, above
all, to know what there is still to be learned and even what has to be
imitated, are the most important demands of all individual education as
they are the fundamental requirements of a race which, after all, is
but an unit in the series of the nations.
May this book add its mite to a knowledge of the gradual evolution of
shipbuilding; may it also cause to disappear this ridiculous way in
which ancient ships used to be represented and, most of all, may it
awaken the love for the building of ships.
I am, in this connection, fully of the opinion expressed by ~Witsen~
as follows: “Zoo groot dunkt mij de waerdigheidt dezer wetenschap te
zijn dat niemant derzelve hier ten lande, daar de zeevaert de sterkste
zenuwe van den staet is, behoorde onkundig te zijn.”[3]