designed, or the countries wherein they are formed. The largest are made
of the cotton tree, some of which will carry between twenty and thirty
hogsheads of sugar or molasses. Some are made to carry sail, and for
this purpose are steeped in water till they become pliant, after which
their sides are extended, and strong beams placed between them, on which
a deck is afterwards laid that serves to support their sides. The other
sorts very rarely carry sail, unless when going before the wind: their
sails are made of a sort of silk grass or rushes. They are commonly
rowed with paddles, which are pieces of light wood somewhat resembling a
corn-shovel; and instead of rowing with it horizontally, like an oar,
they manage it perpendicularly. The small canoes are very narrow, having
only room for one person in breadth, and seven or eight lengthways. The
rowers, who are generally negroes or American savages, are very expert
in managing their paddles uniformly, and in ballancing the canoes
properly with their bodies, which would be difficult for a stranger to
do, how well accustomed soever to the conducting of European boats,
because the canoes are extremely light, and liable to be overturned.
The American Indians, when they are under the necessity of landing to
avoid a water-fall, or of crossing the land from one river to another,
carry their canoes on their heads; till they arrive at a place where
they can lanch them again.
The following curious account of the canoes of the Esquimaux Indians in
Labrador, has been lately transmitted to the author, which he apprehends
will not be displeasing to his readers.
The Esquimaux canoe has a light wooden frame, and the shell, instead of
plank, is made with seal-skins sewed together, which are not only
extended round the bottom and sides, but likewise over the top; forming
a compleat deck, and having only one opening, conveniently framed and
situated to admit the Indian into his seat. A flat hoop is fitted to
this hole, rising about four inches, to which the surrounding skin is
sewed. The Indian’s seal-skin jacket, being of a proper length, he can
occasionally bind the skirt of it round the outside of this hoop; by
which means he keeps the canoe free from water, and is enabled to pursue
his game far from land or in stormy seas. His paddle is about ten feet
long, light, and flat at each end, with which he both rows and steers
with great velocity and exactness. Mr. Crantz, in his History of
Greenland, informs us, that the young men in their exercise are taught
to overset their canoes, and when the bottom is upward, to recover, by
the dextrous management of their paddle, their former upright position,
the men rising again either on the side by which they went down, or on
the contrary, as they please. The construction of this extraordinary
little vessel, so admirably well adapted to the purposes of its owner,
does the greatest credit to the ingenuity of this savage people. Though
natives of the extensive country of Labrador, they inhabit only the
sea-coasts, particularly the islands, the interior parts being no less
barren, and possessed by other wandering tribes, their perpetual enemies
and superiors at land; so that they are reduced to almost an entire
dependance upon the sea for the common necessaries of life. Seals-flesh
and oil are amongst the chief articles of their food; and with the skins
they make tents, canoes, and apparel. Those islands on which the
sea-fowl breed, they visit for their eggs and young; and kill birds in
the water with their darts. We are surprised, that provided thus, they
should do so much execution amongst these creatures; but when we behold
a party of savages, each in his canoe, with only his harpoon and his
lance, pursue, attack, and kill the largest whale, how justly are we
filled with admiration. The whale’s flesh and oil they eat; and the
tough substance of the gills, commonly called whalebone, they apply very
ingeniously to a great variety of uses; trafficking with the overplus
for such European goods as they want. In their language, the canoe is
called _kaiak_, or man’s-boat, to distinguish it from _umiak_, the
woman’s boat. The latter is a large boat managed by the women for
transporting their families and possessions, when they shift their
encampment from place to place, as most convenient for the particular
hunting of the season. A kind of wolf-dog, natural to that country, is
the only animal they breed for food. The same canoes, language, customs,
and way of life, being common to the Greenlanders with the Esquimaux, it
is evident they have been originally one people.
There is a Greenland canoe in the Repository of the Royal Society,
covered with seal-skins, and exactly conformable to the above
description.
CANTING, as a sea-phrase, denotes the act of turning any thing about.
CANT-TIMBERS, in ship-building, those timbers which are situated at the
two ends of a ship. They derive their name from being _canted_, or
raised obliquely from the keel; in contradistinction to those whose
planes are perpendicular to it. The upper-ends of those on the _bow_, or
fore-part of the ship, are inclined to the stem; as those in the
_after_, or hind-part, incline to the stern-post above. See the articles
TIMBER and _Naval_ ARCHITECTURE.
The principal of these last is the fashion-piece, which forms the
outline of the counter, terminating it on the sides.
CAP, _chouquet_, a strong, thick block of wood, used to confine two
masts together, when the one is erected at the head of the other, in
order to lengthen it. It is for this purpose furnished with two holes
perpendicular to its length and breadth, and parallel to its thickness;
one of these is Square, and the other round; the former being solidly
fixed upon the upper-end of the lower-mast, whilst the latter receives
the mast employed to lengthen it, and Secures it in this position.
The principal caps of a ship are those of the lower-masts, which are
fitted with a strong eye-bolt on each side, wherein to hook the block by
which the top-mast is drawn up through the cap; the process of which is
explained in the article MAST.
The breadth of all caps is equal to twice the diameter of the top-mast,
and the length to twice the breadth. The thickness of the main and
fore-caps is half the diameter of their breadths; the mizen-cap
three-sevenths, and the top-mast-caps two-fifths of their respective
breadths.
In the same manner as the top-mast slides up through the cap of the
lower-mast, the _top-gallant mast_ slides up through the cap of the
top-mast. The cap is represented by fig. 9. plate II.
CAPE, a promontory, or head-land, which projects into the sea farther
than the rest of the coast.
CAPPANUS, a name given by some authors to the worm which adheres to, and
gnaws the bottom of a ship.
The cappanus is extremely pernicious to ships, particularly in the East
and West Indies: to prevent this, several ships have lately been
sheathed with copper; the first trial of which was made on his majesty’s
frigate Alarm.
CAP-SQUARE. See the article CANNON.
CAPSTERN, or CAPSTAN, (_cabestan_, Fr.) a strong, massy column of
timber, formed like a truncated cone, and having its upper extremity
pierced with a number of holes to receive the bars or levers. It is let
down perpendicularly through the decks of a ship, and is fixed in such
manner, that the men, by turning it horizontally with their bars, may
perform any work which requires an extraordinary effort.
A capstern is composed of several parts, (see plate II. fig. 11.) where
A is the barrel, b the whelps, c the drum-head, and d the spindle.
The whelps rise out from the main body of the capstern like buttresses,
to enlarge the sweep; so that a greater portion of the cable, or
whatever rope encircles the barrel, may be wound about it at one turn,
without adding much to the weight of the capstern. The whelps reach
downwards from the lower part of the drum-head to the deck.
Plate II. fig. 10. The drum-head is a broad cylindrical piece of wood,
resembling a mill-stone, and fixed immediately above the barrel and
whelps. On the outside of this piece are cut a number of square holes,
parallel to the deck, to receive the bars.
The pivot, or spindle, d, which is shod with iron, is the axis or foot
upon which the capstern rests, and turns round in the saucer, which is a
sort of iron socket let into a wooden stock or standard, called the
step, resting upon, and bolted to the beams.
Besides the different parts of the capstern above explained, it is
furnished with several appurtenances, as the _bars_, the _pins_, the
_pawls_, the _swifter_, and the _saucer_, already described.
The bars are long pieces of wood, or arms, thrust into a number of
square holes in the drum-head all round, in which they are as the radii
of a circle, or the spokes to the nave of a wheel. They are used to
heave the capstern round, which is done by the men setting their breasts
against them and walking about, like the machinery of a horse-mill, till
the operation is finished.
The pins, e, are little bolts of iron thrust perpendicularly through the
holes of the drum-head, and through a correspondent hole in the end of
the bar, made to receive the pins when the bars are fixed. They are used
to confine the bars, and prevent them from working out as the men heave,
or when the ship labours. Every pin is fastened to the drum-head with a
small iron chain; and, that the bars may exactly fit their respective
holes, they are all numbered.
The pawls, f, fig. 10. are situated on each side of the capstern, being
two short bars of iron, bolted at one end through the deck to the beams
close to the lower part of the whelps; the other end, which occasionally
turns round on the deck, being placed in the intervals of the whelps, as
the capstern turns, prevents it from recoiling or turning back by any
sudden jerk of the cable as the ship rises on the sea, which might
greatly endanger the men who heave. There are also hanging pawls g, g,
fig. 12, used for the same purposes, reaching from the deck above to the
drum-head immediately beneath it.
[Illustration:
_Plate ii._ _To pace CAPSTERN._
]
The _swifter_, is a rope passed horizontally through holes in the outer
ends of the bars, and drawn very tight: the intent of this is to keep
the men steddy as they walk round, when the ship rocks, and to give room
for a greater number to assist by pulling upon the swifter itself.
The most frequent use of the capstern is to heave in the cable, and
thereby remove the ship, or draw up the anchor. It is also used to wind
up any weighty body, as the masts, artillery, &c. In merchant-ships it
is likewise frequently employed to discharge or take in the cargo,
particularly when consisting of weighty materials that require a great
exertion of mechanical powers to be removed.
There are commonly two capsterns in a ship of war, the _main_ and the
_gear_ capstern; the former of which has two drum-heads, and may be
called a double one. This is represented by fig. 12. of plate II. the
latter is exhibited in fig. 11.
Formerly the bars of the capstern went intirely through the head of it,
and consequently were more than twice the length of the present ones;
the holes were therefore formed at different heights, as represented in
fig. 10. plate II. But this machine had several inconveniencies, such as
the persons who heaved at the higher bars incommoding those at the lower
ones; the bars being lifted or lowered by the persons who heaved at
their opposite ends; some of the bars being too high, and others two
low, &c. It has therefore been long intirely disused in the navy. Some
of these sort of capsterns, however, are still retained in merchant
ships, and are usually denominated crabs. The situation of the bars in a
crab, as ready for heaving, is represented in fig. 13. plate II.
_To rig the_ CAPSTERN, _garnir_, is to fix the bars in their respective
holes, and thrust in the pins in order to confine them.
_Surge the_ CAPSTERN, _choquer_, is the order to slacken the rope heaved
round upon it, of which there is generally two turns and a half about
the barrel at once, and sometimes three turns.
_To heave the_ CAPSTERN, _virer au cabestan_, is to go round with it
heaving on the bars, and drawing in any rope of which the purchase is
created.
_To come up the_ CAPSTERN, is to let go the rope upon which they had
been heaving. See the French term CABESTAN, and the phrases annexed
thereto.
_To pawl the_ CAPSTERN, is to fix the pawls to prevent it from recoiling
during any pause of heaving.
CAPTAIN _of a ship of war_, _capitaine du haut bord_, the officer who
commands a ship of the line of battle, or a frigate carrying twenty or
more cannon. The charge of a captain in his majesty’s navy is very
comprehensive, inasmuch as he is not only answerable for any bad conduct
in the military government, navigation, and equipment of the ship he
commands; but also for any neglect of duty, or ill management in his
inferior officers, whose several charges he is appointed to superintend
and regulate.
On his first receiving information of the condition and quality of the
ship he is appointed to command, he must attend her constantly, and
hasten the necessary preparations to fit her for sea. So strict indeed
are the injunctions laid on him by the lord high admiral, or
commissioners of the admiralty, that he is forbid to lie out of his
ship, from his arrival on board, till the day of his discharge, unless
by particular leave from the admiralty, or his commander in chief.
He is enjoined to shew a laudable example of honour and virtue to the
officers and men, and to discountenance all dissolute, immoral, and
disorderly practices, and such as are contrary to the rules of
discipline and subordination, as well as to correct those who are guilty
of such offences, as are punishable according to the usage of the sea.
He is ordered particularly to survey all the military stores which are
sent on board, and to return whatsoever is deemed unfit for service. His
diligence and application are required to procure his complement of men;
observing carefully to enter only such as are fit for the necessary
duty, that the government may not be put to improper expence. When his
ship is fully manned, he is expected to keep the established number of
men complete, and superintend the muster himself, if there is no clerk
of the check at the port.
When his ship is employed on a cruising station, he is expected to keep
the sea the whole length of time previously appointed; but if he is
compelled by some unexpected accident to return to port sooner than the
limited time, he ought to be very cautious in the choice of a good
situation for anchoring, ordering the master, or other careful officers,
to sound, and discover the depths of water, and dangers of the coast.
Previous to any possibility of engagement with an enemy, he is to
quarter the officers and men to the necessary stations according to
their office or abilities, and to exercise them in the management of the
artillery, that they may be more expert in the time of battle. See the
articles EXERCISE and QUARTERS.
His station in an engagement is on the quarter-deck; at which time he is
expected to take all opportunities of annoying his enemy, and improving
every advantage over him; to exhibit an example of courage and fortitude
to his officers and crew; and to place his ship opposite to his
adversary in such a position as that every cannon shall do effectual
execution. See ENGAGEMENT.
At the time of his arrival in port after his return from abroad, he is
to assemble his officers, and draw up a detail of the observations that
have been made during the voyage; of the qualities of the ship, as to
her trim, ballast, stowage, and manner of sailing, for the information
and direction of those who may succeed in command; and this account is
to be signed by himself and officers, and to be returned to the resident
commissioner of the navy at the port where the ship is discharged.
CAREENING, _faire abattre_, (_cariner_, Fr.) the operation of heaving
the ship down on one side, by the application of a strong purchase to
her masts, which are properly supported for the occasion, to prevent
them from breaking with so great a strain.
Careening is used to heave one of the ship’s sides so low in the water,
as, that her bottom being elevated above its surface on the other side,
(See Plate I. fig. 5.) may be cleansed of any filth which adheres to it,
by BREAMING, which see.
When a ship is laid on a careen, every thing is taken out of her: she is
also said to careen, when inclining to one side at sea, as pressed with
a weight of sail.
CARGO, _chargement_, the whole lading, or quantity, of whatever species
of merchandise a ship is freighted with, in order to proceed from port
to port.
CARLINGS, _entremises_, short pieces of timber ranging fore and aft,
from one of the deck beams to another, into which their ends are scored:
they are used to sustain and fortify the smaller beams of the ship, and
are exhibited in the DECK, plate III.
CARPENTER _of a ship_, _charpentier_, an officer appointed to examine
and keep in order the frame of the ship, together with her masts, yards,
boats, and all other wooden machinery.
It is his duty in particular to keep the ship _tight_; for which purpose
he ought frequently to review the decks, and sides, and to calk them
when it is found necessary. In the time of battle he is to examine up
and down, with all possible attention, in the lower apartments of the
ship, to stop any holes that may have been made in the sides by shot,
with wooden plugs provided, of several sizes, for that purpose.
CARTEL, _cartel_, a ship commissioned in time of war to exchange the
prisoners of any two hostile powers; also to carry any particular
request or proposal from one to another: for this reason the officer who
commands her is particularly ordered to carry no cargo, ammunition, or
implements of war, except a single gun for the purpose of firing
signals.
CASTING, in navigation, _abattre_, the motion of falling off, so as to
bring the direction of the wind on either side of the ship after it had
blown for some time right a-head.
This term is particularly applied to a ship when her anchor first
loosens from the ground, when she is about to depart from any place
where she had anchored; and as she had probably rested at anchor with
her head to windward, it is plain she must turn it off, so as to _fill_
the sails before she can advance in her course, which operation is
called casting.
Hence she is said to cast the right way, or the wrong way. See TRIM.
CAT, _chatte_, a ship employed in the coal trade, formed from the
Norwegian model. It is distinguished by a narrow stern, projecting
_quarters_, a deep _waiste_, and by having no ornamental figure on the
prow.
These vessels are generally built remarkably strong, and carry from four
to six hundred tons; or, in the Language of their own mariners, from
twenty to thirty _keels_ of coals.
Cat, _capon_, is also a sort of strong tackle, or complication of
pullies, to hook and draw the anchor perpendicularly up to the
_cat-head_. The use of this machine is represented in plate II. fig. 14.
CATAMARAN, _catimoran_, a sort of raft or float, formed by the fastening
a number of poles to each other sideways, and laying boards, planks, &c.
on the top, so as to convey goods or passengers to some distant place by
water when no boat can be procured. This, however, can only be performed
when the surface of the water is not much agitated.
CAT-HARPINGS, a purchase of ropes employed to brace in the _shrouds_ of
the lower masts behind their yards, for the double purpose of making the
shrouds more tight, and of affording room to draw the yards in more
obliquely, to _trim_ the sails for a side-wind, when they are said to be
close-hauled.
CAT-HEADS, _bossoirs_, two strong short beams of timber, which project
almost horizontally over the ship’s bows, on each side of the bow-sprit,
being like two radii which extend from a center taken in the direction
of the bow-sprit.
That part of the cat-head which rests upon the fore-castle is securely
bolted to the beams: the other part projects like a crane, as above
described, and carries in its extremity two or three small wheels, or
_sheaves_, of brass, or strong wood, about which a rope called the
_cat-fall_ passes, and communicates with the cat block, which also
contains three sheaves. The machine formed by this combination of
pullies is called the _cat_, which serves to pull the anchor up to the
cat head without tearing the ship’s side with its flukes.
The cat-head also serves to suspend the anchor clear of the bow, when it
is necessary to let it go: it is supported by a sort of knee, which is
generally ornamented with sculpture.
The cat-block is fitted with a large and strong hook, which catches the
ring of the anchor when it is to be drawn up. See a representation of
this article plate II. fig. 14.
CATS PAW, _echars_, a light air of wind perceived at a distance in a
calm, by the impression made on the surface of the sea, which it sweeps
very lightly, and then decays.
CAULKING. See the article CALKING.
CEILING, the inside planks of a ship. See FOOT-WALEING.
CENTER _of a_ FLEET, _or_ SQUADRON, _corps de bataille_, the middle of
the line, which is always the station of the admiral or commander in
chief, and ought to be the strongest proportionably, as it reaches from
the van and rear. See LINE OF BATTLE.
_To_ CHAFE, _racquer_, is to rub or fret the surface of a cable, mast,
or yard, whilst the ship is agitated by the motion of the sea, or
otherwise.
CHAIN-PUMP. See the article PUMP.
CHAINS, _cadenes_, strong links or plates of iron, the lower ends of
which are bolted through the ship’s side to the timbers.
They are placed at short distances from each other on the ship’s
out-side, as being used to contain the blocks called _dead-eyes_, by
which the _shrouds_ of the masts are extended. The disposition of the
chains, and that of their _channels_, is represented by the letters I,
I, in the plane of ELEVATION, plate I. as also by fig. 16, plate II.
CHAIN-SHOT, a particular kind of shot formed by fastening two
cannon-balls together with a short chain, and designed to mangle and
ruin a ship’s sails and rigging, or to destroy her masts and yards. See
SHOT.
_Top_ CHAIN, a chain to sling the sail-yards in the time of battle, in
order to prevent them from falling down when the ropes, by which they
are hung, happen to be shot away, or rendered incapable of service.
CHAIN-WALE. See CHANNEL.
CHANNEL, _manche_, in hydrography, the deepest part of a river, harbour,
or streight, which is most convenient for the track of shipping.
CHANNELS, or CHAIN-WALES _of a ship_, _porte bossoirs_, broad and thick
planks projecting horizontally from the ship’s out-side, a-breast of,
and somewhat behind, the masts. See plate II. fig. 16.
They are formed to extend the shrouds from each other, and from the axis
or middle line of the ship, so as to give a greater security and support
to the masts, as well as to prevent the shrouds from damaging the
gun-wale, or being hurt by rubbing against it. See also SHROUD.
Every mast has its chain-wales, which are either built above or below
the second deck-ports in a ship of the line: they are strongly connected
to the side by knees, bolts, and standards, besides being confined
thereto by the chains, whose upper ends pass through notches on the
outer edge of the chain-wales, so as to unite with the shrouds above.
CHAPELING _a ship_, _faire chapelle_, the act of turning her round in a
light breeze of wind when she is close-hauled, so as that she will lie
the same way she did before. This is commonly occasioned by the
negligence of the steersman, or by a sudden change of the wind.
CHARGE _of a cannon_. See the article CANNON.
CHART, (_charta_, Lat.) a marine map or draught, upon which are
represented the coasts, isles, banks, rocks, and dangers of the sea,
together with the rumbs of the wind, and the entrance of bays and
rivers, whereby to shape and regulate the various courses of a ship in
her voyage.
CHARTER-PARTY, _charte-partie_, a deed or writing made between merchants
and sea-faring men, concerning their merchandise and maritime affairs.
A charter-party of affreightment settles the agreement in relation to
the freight and cargo of a ship between the merchant and master, or
commander of the vessel. It binds the master to deliver the cargo in
good condition at the place where his ship is to be discharged, &c.
In those charter-parties, if the dangers of the sea are excepted, it has
been adjudged that such exception extends as well to any danger upon sea
from ships of war or pirates, as to common hazards by shipwreck,
tempests, &c.
CHASE, a vessel pursued by some other, which she apprehends or knows to
be an enemy.
_Bow_ CHASE, a cannon situated in the fore-part of a ship to fire upon
any object a-head of her.
_Stern_ CHASES, the cannons which are placed in the after-part of a
ship’s gun-room, pointing a-stern, and intended to strike any ship which
chases her, or other object in her rear.
CHASING, the act of pursuing a ship or fleet, supposed or known to be
hostile. The admiral displayed the signal for a general chace, i. e.
gave the alarm to the whole fleet or squadron to pursue some other fleet
in sight.