Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-04
ANCIENT VESSELS.

Magnificent and large as are some of
our modern steam vessels, they are very
inferior. If We may judge from descrip-
ton, both III size and splendor, to the
vessels constructed by the Kings of
Egypt and Syracuse, on a scale of gran
deur corresponding to the immense
preparations of their sculpture and ar
chitecture. Ptolem@us Philopater, King
OF Egypt, built vessel 420 feet long, G6
feet broad, q feet high from the konnel
to the top Of the prov. but so feet to the
top OF tho poop. She had four helms
OF 10 feet; her largest oars were GO feet
long. with leaden handles, SO as to work
more easily by the rowers; she had two
prows, two sterns, seven rostra or heaks.
successfully rising out one over the
o.her, the tOprnost one most prOminenl
and stately: on the poop and PROV she
had figures of animals, not less than 18
feet high; ali the interior Of the vessel
was beautitied with a delicate sort of
painting of waxen color; she had 1900
rowers, 400 cabin boys or servants: ma
rines to do duty on the decks, oS2O; with
an immense store of arms and provis-
IONS. The same Prince built another
ship called tho Thalamegus, or bed
chamber ship, which was only used as a
pleasure yacht for sailing up and down
the Nile. She was not SO long or large
as the preceding. but more splendid IN
the chambers and furnishings.
Hero, King of Syracuse, built an
enormous vessel intended for corn
trader; her length is not given. she
was built at Syracuse by Coriuthian
shipbuilder, and was launched by an ap-
paratus devised by Archimedes. All her
Ne oh L.
~ rows of oars; her apartments were all
paved with neat, square variegated tiles,
on which was painted all the story of
Homer's ''lliad" She had a gymnasi-
um, with shady walks on her upper
decks, garden plots stocked with various
plants and nourished with limpid water
that flowed circulating around them i'm
a canal of lead. She had, here and
there on the decks, arbors man.led with
ivy and vine branches, which fiourished
IN full greenness, being supplied with
water from the leaden canal. One of
her chambers was particularly splendid,
whose pavement was of agate and other
precious stones, aud the panels. doors
and roofs were of ivy and wood of the
thya tree. She had a scholasterium or
library, with five cOuches, its roof arch
ed into polus or vault, with the stars
embossed; a bath, with all its accom-
paniments, all most magnificent; she
had on each side of her decks ten stalls
for horses, with fodder and furnishings
for RroOms and riders; a fish pond, full
OF fish, whose waters could be let out or
Ill at pleasure; she had two towers on
the poop, two on tho prov and four in
tho middle, full of armed men, that
managed the machines invented by
Archimedes for throwing stones of 800
pounds weight and arrows IL feet long
TO the distance of furlong. She had
three masts and two artenna or yards,
that swung with hooks and masses of
lead attached. She had round the whole
circuit of her deck a rampant. of iron,
with iron crows, which took hold OF
ships and dragged them nearer to de-
stroy them. The tunnels or bowels on
her masts were of brass, with men in
each; twelve anchors and three masts.
1t was with difficulty they found a
tree large and strong enough for her
highest mast. Great Britain-an omin-
OIs circumstance for the superiority of
British Oak-had the glory of bestowing
upon her sufficient tree for that pur-
pose. 1t was found amid the recesses
Of Albion's forest by swineherd. What
is remarkable in the construction of
this gigantic vessel is that her sentina,
or sink, though large and deep was
emptied by one man, by means of a
pump invented by Archimedes.
Hero, on fIdiag that the Syracusan
was too unwieldy to be admitted with
safety into the harbors of Sicily, made
a present of her to Ptolemy, who
changed her name to the Alexandrian.
We may add, as a panegon to this long
tale of a ship, that Archimedes, the
Greek epigrammatist, wrote little
poem on the large vessel, which was re-
varded by Hero with q present to its
talented author of 1000 measures of corn
"a premium proportional, if not to the
poem, at least to the magnitude Of the
theme.