Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-03-02
ANCIENT SHIPS.

Some OF Them In Size and Luxury Conn
pared Favorably with Our Own.
We moderns are justly proud of the
wonderful and magnificent specimens
of naval architecture that crowd the
great ports of the world If there is
any thing new under. the sun, first
class ocean steamer, it is believed, is
that rarity. In our conceit we recall
only the galleys and trfremes of the
ancients, that scarce ever ventured be-
yond the coast line, and the small
barls in which Columbus and those
that followed him conquered a new
world and gave commerce its greatest
field. But the ancients built many
goodly-sized crafts and made luxury
study on some of them. That
much controverted craft, the ark,
is an example of bigness. Her tonnage
is estimated at about Is, 900 tons, small
er, it is true, than that of the Great
Eastern. No less an authority than
Lindsay thinks that she was simply
raft of stupendous size, having upon it
a structure resembling huge ware
house. Asno means of propulsion were
necessary, this description may be cor
rect. The cargo, however, was unique
and probably the largest and most val
liable ever carried. The description of
the ark, as given in the Scriptures,
makes the vessel about $50 feet in
length, seventy-five feet in breadth and
forty-five feet in depth, proportions
similar to those now in use to-day for
great vessels.
But as the agnostic is not sure that
this 1ife-boat of the human race ever
existed, and as the materialist is sure
she never was built, let us take for ex-
ample of big ancient vessels some other
craft vouched for upon the authority of
profane and not sacred writers. The
Egyptians, fond of large things and big
dimensions, made the big tonnage YES
sells of ancient times. Ptolemy phi
lopator) would have appreciated the
Great Eastern. He was fond of build
ing big boats. One of these is said to
have been 420 feet long, 81 feet broad
and 72 feet deep from the highest point
of the stern. This vessel had four rud-
ders, or what some would call steering
oars, as they were not fastened,
each As feet long. She carried 1900
rowers, besides 5000 marines, a large
body of servants under her decks, and
stores and provisions. Her oars were
fifty-seven feet long, and the handles
were weighted with lead. There were
1000 rowers on a side, and it is supposed
that these were divided into five banks.
That this extraordinary vessel ever put
to sea is doubted, but that she was
launched and used at times, if only for
display, several historians are agreed.
Another ''ship," the Thalamegus, built
for one of the Ptolemies, is said to have
been 800 feet long, 40 feet broad and
60 feet deep. This was a far more
magnificent vessel than any previous
one. An A1exandrian historian, Cat,
lixenus, in describing her, speaks of her
i having colonnades, marble stairs and
gardens.
Another great vessel, historical by
reason of its size, was one built by Hero,
King of Syracuse. Her dimensions are
estimated to be large from the descrip-
ton of her cargo and the number of her
decks and houses. She is supposed to
have been sheathed with lead, and ac-
complished at least one successful voy-
age. A full description of her would
read somewhat like that of one of our
Long Island sound or Hudson river
steamboats,. She had three entrances,
the lowest leading to the hold, the sec,
ond to the eating-rooms and the third
appropriated to the soldiers. There
were thirty rooms, each having four
couches, for the soldiers; there
were fifteen couches in the sailors sup
per-room, and there were three more
cabins, each having three couches. The
floors of all these rooms were laid in
stone mosaic work. There was also a
temple of cypress inlaid with ivory and
dedicated to Venus. The mainmast was
composed of a single tree, and the YES
sci carried four wooden and eight iron
anchors. AS freight carrier she would
rival the largest of our ocean tramps.
1t is recorded that one or two
of the launches belonging to her
would carry about eighty tons.
This vessel is said to have carried
''sixty thousand measures of corn, ten
thousand jars of Sicilian salt fish, TWEEN
ty thousand talents weight of wool,
and of other cargo twenty thousand tai
ents, all of which was in addition to the
provision required for the crew.
These are the notably big vessels Of
ancient times, but the supposition is
that as rulers, whether King or people,
were as emulous in those days as in
these, other big craft were also built
From the foregoing description the
thought is suggested that the first de
signers of our own river steamboats, may
have heard of the Egyptian and syria
cusan vessels and taken a hint from then
in building floating palaces.-Maritime
Register.
Queens on the Ice.
The girl who can skate is the winter
belle up in the Northern towns anG
among our Canada cousins. If she car