[Sidenote: III 68]
The “Baggeraak” (dredging ake) forms a special group. As has been
said already, they can be classified in three groups. To the first
group, belongs the “Vlet” (flat) or “Baggeraak” which is met with in
Southern Holland, the West of the Betuwe, the West of Northern Brabant
(the Biesbosch and Donge) and also in Zeeland, in a word, on all our
tidal rivers. The “Flette” or “Baggeraak” (called also “Sliedrechtsche
aak”) was a small stout boat which, save for a small cuddy in the bow,
was wholly open. Its rig was the “Spritsail”, it was provided with
lee boards and movable wash boards so as to facilitate the casting of
hand dredges. These wash boards were placed only when the boat was
partially loaded, that is when it was appreciably down in the water.
The mast was set at one-fifth to one-fourth of the length of the vessel
from the bow. The ratio of beam to length was as 1:4. The planking was
continuous to the nose against which a false stem was fitted.
In Zeeland, a great many “Hoogaarsen” are used for dredging, and
“Boeieraakjes” are employed in Brabant and Holland, as at the Biesbosch
and on the Amer and the Donge. They are also used a great deal on the
Meuse, although there, as on other upper rivers, the “Bovenlandsche
Baggeraakjes” were formerly employed.
[Sidenote: III 70]
There belong to the _Bovenlandsche baggeraakjes_ those vessels of the
Meuse which stand midway between the “Keen” and the “Whalemajol”. They
have a little sprit sail rig and a “Klaphekken” (a special kind of
rudder). The largest, known especially by the name of “Hedelsche Aken”
and which carry lee-boards, are used for all sorts of purposes. These
boats belong neither to the true Meuse type nor to the Rhenish type
above Bonn (The Keen, etc.). They form an isolated group, descended
probably from the two types in question.
[Sidenote: III 73]
[Sidenote: III 72]
The _Vreeswijksche zandschuit_ (sand boat of Vreeswijck) alone remains
of the Rhine boats. It has the bow of a “Dorstensche Aak” and the stern
resembles that of the “Dortsche Zandschuit” (sand boat of Dordrecht).
This “Dortsche Zandschuit” is alike at bow and stern and the hull
is smooth. Although it is more pointed, this boat resembles the
“Westerling” a little, the latter being known as a very old boat of the
lepper Scheldt (see ~Dehem~, p. 505). The old “Dortsche Zandschuit” was
especially used for dredging ballast intended for sea-going vessels.
A large number of “Bokken”, already mentioned among the “Westlanders”,
are used for levelling down the dunes in the West and in the Rhine
country.
[Sidenote: III 87]
The “Slijkpraam”, which resembles the “Kromme Rijnaak” already
mentioned, is used in the province of Utrecht, while finally, the
“Vlotpraam” or “Slijkpraam” is still met with in Groningen.
[Sidenote: II 246]
From a certain standpoint, the “Hoogeveensche Pramen”, mentioned above,
which are used in the peat bottoms, should be classified in this group.
THE “BAGGER-OR MODDERMOLEN” (_The Dredge_).
[Sidenote: II 274]
[Sidenote: II 277]
The “Moddermolen” (mud mill) or “Moddermolenschip” was already found
in the first half of the XVIIth century, as the forerunner of the
“Baggermolen” (bucket or ladder dredge). This dredge was worked by hand
at first; later on horses were used for this purpose. (~Le Comte~, p.
6, and ~Witsen~.) A horsepower and a stable were built on the deck.
In the XVIIIth century, says ~Le Comte~, the old “Moddermolen” was
already so perfected that it was imagined that there was nothing more
to improve.
Navigation, however, kept calling for greater and greater depths, so
that the Kater Brothers, dredge builders at Monnikendam, were led to
build, in 1829, a boat which dredged down to a depth of 7 metres. From
three to six horses were used, according to the depth and compactness
of the materials to be dredged.
These same builders, says ~Le Comte~ at another place, were the
inventors of the “Klepschouwen”, for which they asked the concession on
May 1, 1830. ~Le Comte~ gives an engraving of these dredges in plate 12
of his work.
~J. C. Kerkmeijer~ relates, in an article of the _Eigenhaard_ Review
(1906), entitled “De Diep-of Baggermolen, een merkwaardige ontdekking”,
that he had found the model of the dredge built by its inventor in
1632, a model which is mentioned by ~C. A. Abbing~, in his continuation
of the _Chronicle of Hoorn_, by ~Veluis~ (1841, p. 12), wherein it is
stated:
“About this time (1632) Jan Jantz Nieng, a native-born citizen of this
town (~Hoorn~), invented the ‹diepmolens›. The first model, made by
him, was 2 feet 6½ inches long, 9 inches broad and 6½ inches high; the
measurements being taken over all.” This model was still to be seen
at the city shops at Hoorn a few years ago. The model found by Mr.
Kerkmeijer was carefully repaired by him and it is preserved at the
city hall of the town.
Thanks to the kind assistance of this author, a few details can
still be given in regard to the “Moddermolen” of Middelbourg, called
“Dieplust”. These details were received from the chief of the Kool ship
yard of this town.
The “Dieplust” extracted the mud by means of a trough with low straight
sides, lined at its lower end with iron. When the boat was moved, by
means of a cable attached to an anchor, the lower end of the trough
entered into the mud as far as it could. The ladder of the dredge was
suspended inside of the trough and to its endless chain were fastened
pieces of plank of about the same width as that of the trough. These
pieces of plank tumbling around a hexagonal or octagonal drum at the
lower end worked down into the mud of which they brought up a certain
quantity and discharged it through a hole at the top of the trough.
There was no question yet of buckets to bring up the dredged materials,
these having only made their appearance with steam dredges.
The trough, with the ladder, could be lowered or raised by means of a
windlass; it passed through an opening which was not in the axis of the
boat. In the larger half of the vessel was placed the shaft which, by
means of gearings, transmitted to the ladder the movement produced by
the horses. These gearings were similar to those of the old wind mills.
A horse power and a stable were constructed on the deck of the boat.
The Ghent paper _Het Volksbelang_ published the _Eigenhaard_ article
in its issue of June 9, 1906. Some doubts are emitted, however,
about 1632 being the authentic year of the invention, because the
following annotation is found in the _Resolutie boek van de Staten
van Vlaanderen_ of 1628-1630, Fᵒ 16 (_Archives of the State_, at
Ghent.--Nᵒ 553):
“Actum den XXII May 1628 wierd den Ingeniaris Adam Clippens, ghemaackt
hebbende den slijckmeulen, gelicentieert en de gheordonneert hem te
geven ordonnantie van betalijnghe den dach van merghen mitghaders
hondert guldenen voor eene vereeringhe zoo ghedaen is geweest”[25].
From which it would appear that a mechanical dredge must have been
built in Flanders in 1628. Hence the year given by Abbing cannot be
correct, or else the same machine might have been invented at two
different places at about the same period. The question is not yet
settled, but, be that as it may, it must be granted that the first
mechanical dredge was at work in the XVIIth century.