New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-16
THE GENEALOGY OF SHIPS.
BY CHANCELLOR wINCHELL OF SYRACUSE
UNIVERSITY.


ART OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES TO
CIRCUMSTANCES As AN EVIDENCE OF ASCEsTRY
AN ARGUMENT THAT WOULD PROVE THE CANOE
HAVE GENERATED THE ROw-BoAT, AND
THAT A SCHOONER Is THE son OF sDOoP.
TO the BdttOr Of Ths Tribune.
SIR: The intell gent public Is placed under great
obligations to THE TRIBUSE for early and extended
accounts of the progress Of American science.
have been extremely interested in the bulletins Of
Prof Marshs explorations in the far West. The
TmBUNE's representation in the number for May q
Of the subject Of extinct equine quadrupeds on tho
American continent IL entertaining and instructive
and made ineligible By tue reproduction Of
the striking cuts showing the progressive
historical changes in the foot Of the
equine animal. These and other similar facts
arc often cited rs evidence Of the genoa
logical descent of the domestic horse. The writer
Of the article of May seems to view them a. EVIL
dences that may sustain Mr.. Darvins theory, az he
suggests certain physical conditions which may have
given few-toed horses advantage over many
toed horses
Now nobody can be insensibe for a moment To
the beautiful exempliGcation Of fundamental plan
which we discover in these forms; one can deny
that the series constitutes evolution; but some
may question whether Orohippas N0hppus Hippo
rOn and Equss stand in genealogical relationship to
eacD Otner. 10 cledT up uOuOt oH thiS HutSAi'u
and establish Darwiuism on a scientific basis, de-
sire to direct the attention Of readers Of IHE TRfB-
UsE to another set of facts with which they all
familiar.
Isuppose the first notion of vehicle for trans
portation by water may have been suggested to
prmeval by the discovery that floating log
would bear his weight. Astride Of such ship, our
ancestors may have padded from shore to shore OF
their inland waters. The discovery could not have
been long delayed however. that the buoyancy Of
the log would not be diminished by scoOping ont ia
interior and giving it improved capacity for passen-
gers and freight. So the dug-out" came into
exstence--a form of watercraft so well adapted 70
the conditions of naval existence among many
tribes of our North American Indians, that 1t fur-
wives as the ttest form of naval architecture From
the dug-out to the sealskn kyak and bark canoe IL
but step, aud this step is an advance which seems
to grow out of surrounding conditions. The Esqn-
mau has no logs, but many skins; and tho
Chppewayan has, from the birch, bark whence
certain vessels are still called "barks y more
servceable than logs or skins. These modlhca-
lions of the primitive craft are obviously
determined by the conditions of existence. And 40
the skiff on the mill pond comes into existence m
correlation with the lumber pile on the bank and
the brave stout lifebOat is bred by the many buf-
lettings Of a stormy surf; just as the breInes and
trremes of the ancents came from the long contn-
ued strain of the smaller boats by excessive loading
and frequent swampings. All these forms OF rowing
craft sustain, admissibly Neurological relations to
each other and theological relations to surrounding
circumstances, and show a regular deyelopmental
series. That is admitted, but the point which wish
to enforce as so happily illustrating and demon
stratng Darwnism is that they sustain. also a "
netc relation TO each other. Obvious a this IT, many
good people seem TO doubt it. ! shall therefore
extend the argument.
How came the simple sail-boat into eXistence'
Evidently the wind made il. Had there been no
wind there would have been sails; therefore the
wind is the cause of sails But the simple saiboat,
or Macknac boat-this is an obvious MODIFICATION 81
the skitf. Here is only marked dlvergenee-an m
CORPORATION of a new idea in waterlocomouOn, gem
Grated by an external condition Of a marked charae-
ter. But, the divergence established, ~ likely
TO continue toward perfection. The little sail-boat
grows into a soop with increased bulk. speed, COM
plexity efficiency, and accommodations. The one
masted s0op develops into the tw0-masted
schooner. and this into the three-masted brig. The
reader will at once perceive the analogy between
these masts and the toes Of horses Tie domestic
horse is sloop; the HippGJ5Oa ! a tuG IL
disproves nothing, that in naval craft tho
numerical progress Is the reverse OF what
we see in equine craft. This corresponds with
the different conditions presented by land aud
water for locomotive purposes On the land. de-
crease in the number OF organs, on the water IN
crease in the number of organs, is the condition II
greatest efficiency; and we see, IN both cases how
beautifully the result is correlated to the condition
Now, from the floating log M 70 the three-n.lstcd
brig we notice a series Of forms representative Of
series of ideas and these sustain evolutionary re-
lation to each other in each series. These forms
have evidently been evolved genera.iye.v. How
else should they be found consecutive The an
cestors of the horse are found IA PG0tipDas. IN
cbifheim and OrobippHs and il seems quite az clear
that the saw-log is the tgrandidther
of the brig Thus the ship, which rolls IKE - log
thence also. "logbook y has inherited an ancestral
trait. like the man with sharp tip TO his e1r.
Now if the reader has followed ME to this point
without being convinced. desire him 10 follow mo
on another departure. just as the Ascidi-n from
which man is descended presented. IN the course Of
generations, Emergencies which became class types
viz. fishes. reptiles, birds, and mammals-so the
ascidan ship in the course Of generations has de-
veoped three classes Of vessels viz: rowngyessels,
wind-vessels, and steam-vessels The rowing-yes-
sells answer to the sluggish reptiles; the salingycs
sells are probably birds and the steam-ve,seis are
New-Yorkers 1t is probable that the vessels answer
ing TO the class of fishes those which. Ike tue
Europe 20 under water. But leave the n h-ship5
out of the argument. Now, | have shown that the
genera and species of the rowing class sustain
genetic relations each other aud that those O tho
sailing class sustain similar relationships 10 each
other aud to the rowing class. \ few words VIII
show that this relationship runs through the steam
class. and thus the whole sub kingdom Of water
craft. Look at the steam-tug-stroug, indeed. IKE
A rhinoceros. bat holding low position IN
its class-a position LITTLE elevated above tnii OF
sailing craft. and. IN fact, incorporating All the
Fundamental ideas OF tina, craft except that engine
Is substituted for sail The river steamer D. an I'M
proyement; but, as the tug responds to peculiar
demand. so does the improved steamer; and each -
"a. - ia NOR