The Southern herald., 1891-04-10
FIeuREHEAps ON SIPS
historic sketchss ofuvery Ancient Iirfur

uf Vessels.
There Is much that IS curious
about the development Of the figure
head through the various forms that al
one time OF another it has assumed
The learned date its origin to the pri-
meval times-to the DAYS when mans
only method Of getting 10 any piece Of
open water was to proPeI himself across
astride Of the nearest fallen tree trunk.
Auiquarians profess TO find the first
idea Of the tigurehead In the grim and
grotesque face resemblances that would
be left in the preliminary trimming Of
the roots Of the tree trunk. which would
be necessary TO make it float head first
Whether this was so or not in prehis-
toric ages does not, however, much mat
ter
Figureheads in the earliest historic
times seem 10 have been sacred en-
blems borne on board ship to insure
good luck and avert the perils Of the
sea. Egyptian sculptures give numer-
ous representations of vessels with
heads Of the sacred ram of Ammon or
Ibis heads at the prov, and we read that
images representing the mystic Cabiri-
diEinities who had special power Of
protecting their worshilSrs from storm
and wreek-werc similarly made use Of
by the PhRniCian mariners. A bough
cut from the spreading oak that ruled
IN Dodona's ''aged grove, according TO
ancient myth, did duty as figurehead
for Jason's Argo ship and was Of no
trivial account, the learnedSay. in safe
guarding the fifty heroes through all
the perils Of their Euxine voyage. The
burrowing erudition Of French savants
and German professors has also un-
earthed as facts that the ships Achilles
took to Troy had golden Nereid images
as their igureheads, while old Nestor's
were ornamented with the figures Of
demi-gods in the act of being trans
formed into bulls.
The ancient Greeks Of historical times
early gave up attaching any special re-
ligious significance TO fgureheads, and
adopted them as convenient distinguish
ing marks for their vessels, especially
for the purpose Of war. Figurcheads
thus became personal badges and cog.
nizances on the galleys Of various lead
ers, who would choose one a swans head
for his emblem, another a boar's head
and third simply helmet.
Marryatt's yarn of how the ships
company of the Rattlesnake cut off the
head and rattle from the et1igy Peter
Simple had provided for the vessels
iigurehead, after their commander, the
eowardly Capt Hawkins had made the
ship show her stern to an enemy who
was her fair match, has a historical
basis. So has the story Of how the men
of the old Brunswick at the battle of
the GLORIOUS 1st Of June" sent depu-
tation to the quarterback in the heat of
the fight TO borrow from the captain a
cooked hat to replace the wooden cooked
hat shot away off the head of the eiiiry
OF the Duke Of Brunswick that did dutv
as the tigurehead Of the ship. The men
on getting 'the best gold-laced hat the
captain had nailed it on the figurehead,
where it remained for the rest of the
day.
The French privateer Surcouf, again,
the terror of the Indian seas in Napole-
on's war, is said to have apostrophized
the tigurehead in his famous cruiser the
Revenant, which represented a corpse
in the act of casting off its shroud.
in the famous address he made TO his
crew on first putting to sea; "This
ship shall be our tomb or cradle of
future glory!" Similarly there was
much meaning in the grewsome fig
urehead-a skeleton--which the famous
English privateer ship Terrible bore.
According to the old ballad the Terri
BILE sailed from Execution dock on
Friday in November, 1857, with Captain
Death, First Lieutenant Devil and Sur.
geon Ghost on board, to fight as bloody
a sea duel as any on record in the West
Indies, with the French privateer Ven.
geance on another Friday Nor ought
mention be omitted of the rather too
fgurehead of the sloop-of-war
Pearl, of George lis navy-the shaggy,
frowning head of the famous buccaneer
as struck off his dead body,
with which ghastly trophy as a figure
head Lieutenant Maynard adorned his
vessels bow as he sailed into Port Royal
after his victory over the redoubtable
pirate.
One of Basil Halls post captains once
found his ships figurehead useful as a
lever with which to work UP the ener.
gies of his men. The frigate boasted a
yAded figurehead which was literally |
the idol of the crew One day when
sailing in company with other ocean
of the same class she had |
been beaten at reefing topsails. Upon
the commodore signaling that the
squadron should repeat the exercise the
captain of the frigate in question hailed
MS men who were aloft with: "Now, !
ell you what it is, my lads, unless you
are off those yards and the sails are
loisted again before any other ship in
he squadron, by the Lord Harry I'll
paint your fgurehead blackr' The re-
suit was that from that time forward
he frigate beat every other ship on the
station at all drifts aloft.-London
iraphic.