New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-19
SHIPS, BOATS AND SAILS.
SEA.LORE FOR sAILcRMEN.

This 10 . curious and entertaining book, though
written after . meandering, desultory fashion
which u liable to hide its many valuable historic
points. The author begins by true sailors
ding at tho changes IN naval architecture whch
threaten to put an end to seamanship with tno
abolition Of sailing apparatus In later cnap'cr
he enlarges upon this subject with speciai reier-
ence 10 the English navy, the officers ana Crews
OF whose mastiess ironclsds must. he contends
become 30 ignorant of all that pertains to naV&a-
ton by sails that they will be constant terror
and menace to the merchant marine. Total
want Of experience in judging the position and
eourse Of sailing vessels at night by taking the
bsardnrs Of their lights will, he holds result In
tho multiplication Of trimmings down ana collisions
Mastless and salless steamers; moreover. II their
eusfnes break down at sea. will be helpless, I'M
able to make friendly port. and quite probably
ineepable Of controlling the steerage way. lie
nAkes an important point also In calling attention
to the fact that in case of war the French will
have q great advantage over their neighoors,
iuasmuch ss the CONSUMPTION puts at their dis
posal all the fine seamen Of their extensive coast
ina trade whereas no such resource Is available
for recruiting the British navy.
Mr.. Leslie next proceeds to discuss sea-wings,"
thai n 70 saw the VARIOUS cuts Of Sails forms OF
rts and coxnaee matters. He holds spropos of
ancient navigation, that the popular notions OF
old ships are prepostcrous that the ideas OF them
conveyed by the illustrations found In most his
tories are altogether false and misleading; that
LONG before the fifteenth century seagoins vessels
must have attained considerable stability. strength,
and convenience and even comfort of internal
arrsneement. Sea life, he thinks. IN the
Middle Ages, and before them. could not have
bean a. far behind that Of life ashore as we are
Rafo hA init
steam and iron shipbuilding nothing connected
with the great conservative or its service
moved in leaps or bounds; and the evolution OF
4 seaeoing ship, even of the Elizabethan period
with all her complication Of masts sails ana TACK
ling. must have required o longer time for lts
development than has eapsed since the days OF the
Armada It cannot be said that much In the
shape Of evidence is brought forward in support
Of chis position; but it must be borne In mihu
that ct no time Is much evidence likely 10 DC
forthcoming in regard to naval architecture. Ships
rerish quickly and wholly. Such testimony as
has been afforded by the discovery of viking
shius IN Scandinavia cannot DO hoped for IN any
quarter Of the globe where 1t was not the custom
to bury ships with men. One OF the most
patriarchal relics we have heard OF is mentioned
BY Mr. Leslie in these pages. IL was coastlna
vessel which had actually been In service $50
years, and was not even then worn out. lhe
surprise ocoaioned by such fact, however proves
its rarity.
Mr.. Leslie's argument is that since in old times
=, s.apoins shin was much moro the home of its
crew and officers than any ship can be to-day. they
must have taken more pains than they are gen.
orally given credit for in making themselves
comfortable on board. In support OF this con-
tention he cites various accounts showing what
the life was on the old East Indiamen OF the
eighteenth century. But lie does not appear TO
have reflected that In the sixteenth and seven
besnth centuries the home lie Of lardsmen was
exceedingly rough and crude. bare OF comforts
and generally what we should cali oarparous;
and that we can have no right to suppose sailors
more fsstidious or delicate than these shore
going folk whose tenderness Jack VIGOROUSLY ridl-
culed and despised. II, moreover. we refer to
Smollett, who shows what life in the navy was
in the eighteenth century, we certainly 90 not
find anything tending to arouse the suspicion that
much comfort existed at sea q century before
his time Smolctt, in fact describes navy life
in his own day as rough. coarse and com1ortless;
and this was in the men- o'-war where W. should
look for more luxury than in merchant-vcssels
As to the Indianmen no doubt they afford examples
much more favorable to Mr.. Leslies theory. But
they were arranged to accommodate peculiar
line of passenger traffic. Those who travelled In
their cabins were generally wealthy people, who
demanded all the comforts that were procuranle
and who paid for them literally. These voyages
too. were then so long that without livestock on
board and fresh vegetables it was Impossible 70
ward off scurvy which was, even down 10 tlc
end Of the century, fearful scourge DC sea-
Mr.. Leslie's chapters upon the various rigs pre-
sent O mass of curious information, which should
be of much interest to yaohtsmen ana sca1sIlns
\uen generally lie illustrates his text with
lumber of really excellent drawings made by
Cmself. and several full-page etchings of naval
h mes. which are full Of spirit. His knowledge
sce,aillng vessels runs back to the square and
Of Y rigs of the Northmen, and includes every
long W Of modern fishing and coaStlng rig. lie
vanstthe evolution Of many forms Of sail and de-
traces Sndderabe space to the cutter Speak
votes cuerican schoouers, he says: The speed
ing Of Al of working to wndward Of these Ameri-
and power .rs were greatly helped by the wonder
can schc INT OF their sails for which all the New
ful At ana Graft and coasters were remarkable;
York river Nthat New-iork saimakers owe this
and believe tg sails set fiat to their Dutch and
knack Of maxi n, every stitch of whose canvas
Swedish ancests vays cut and set to the greatest
was, and Ia, al~,cht Henrietta, like the America.
advantage. The y'ed pilot-boat, class Of schoon-
was simply glori'Sor speed and cruising in all'
or built expressly lau,ic. Our Liverpool pilot
weathep In the Al, 81. Georges Channel, are
boats, which work N.york boats. but built to
not unlike these Ne~\es, etc. The following
meet shorter tidal wave Of the success Of Amcri-
suggestion as 70 the cau'h heir own waters may be
can yachts In racing In 10. think, owing very
found interesting: 1T rent character OF wave
much to the entirely dinsad English yacht race.
met with upon American % hen % unsuccessful
courses that our yachts ha'Ycan vessels in their
when competing with Amen has had experience
own waters Any one who \s-~l In working to
with full.bodied beamy rt\.sns English tide
windward in q breeze, with - Such q boat,
under her, will understand TIA 20 each steep
wen with fine bow, must sas\e life knocked
wall Of water and has nearly all TVS; whereas =
out Of her. 50 far as headway s.\esoagh. will