There Seems To Have Been Great Variety In The Construction Of
The Latter, According To The Particular Trade In Which They Were To Be
Engaged; And Each Ship Of Burden Had Its Boat Attached To It.
The name of
the ship, or rather of its tutelary deity, was inscribed on the stern:
various forms of gods, animals, plants, &c. were also painted on other
parts.
The inhabitants of Phoeacia, or Corsica, are represented as the
first who used pitch to fill up the seams, and preserve the timber;
sometimes wax was used for this purpose, or rather it was mixed with the
paint, to prevent its being defaced by the sun, winds, or water. The
principal instruments used in navigation were the rudder, anchor, sounding
line, cables, oars, sails, and masts.
It is evident from ancient authors, that the ships of the Phoenicians,
Greeks, Romans, and other people of antiquity, had frequently more than one
rudder; but it is not easy to perceive in what way more than one could be
applied to the same end for which the rudder of modern ships is used. Small
vessels had only one. Homer in his Odyssey mentions only one, which was
fastened, and perhaps strengthened, so as to withstand the winds and waves
on each side, with hurdles, made of sallow or osier; at the same period the
ships of the Phoenicians had two rudders. When there were two, one was
fixed at each end; this, however, seems to have been the case only where,
as was not uncommon, the ships had two prows, so that either end could go
foremost.
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