Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-10
Written for TIE Evening Star,

IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM THERE IS
l. model Of viking ship exhu,ned at God
sta5. Norway, in 1850. The original Was sixty
seven feet long, sharp at both ends. shapely
and entirely open, without deck-open to the
sky and waves In fleets Of such vessels as
this tho NorsenieG in the eighth century
eoss.sd Europe. entering its rivers and laying
its cities under contribution with fire and
s"ord- They took London, Rouen and even
Paris. entered the Mediterranean and occupied
Con=isntinople and Alexandria. Then they
sailed from Iceland across to Labrador AMI
rkirted the coasts of what is now New England,
ave hundred years before Columbus.
Long before this man al shown that restless
desire to tempt the deep. Colonies sprang up
along the shores Of the Mediterranean-Tyre
Sydor, Carthage. At an early day their mari
ners had passed the Pillars Of Hercules Glib
rsltar) and founded Csdiz. Harmon. perhaps
500 years b. C., sailed south along the western
coast OF Africa, beyond what IL now Sierra
Leon, With great feet and 80 600 colonists
from Carthage. IL has been supposed that
at about this time Africa was circrmnavigated
but this 10 hardly now credited. However,
crew sailed along its eastern coast until they
saw the sun rise on their left hand. This,
which HerOdot1s supposed 10 be gross imposi-
tior, proves to have been true and shows tina.
leo sailed far to the north, along the coast of
Cornwall, England, where. he says. there were
mountains OF tin" He was ''irnpeded by the
monsters of the deep and seaweed, which was
north ~ to see the sun rise and set at almost
the same point Of the horizon. The night
was only two hours long. He describes the sea
Is full of that which was neither earth, air nor
water.
THE EARLY KIND OF CRAFT.
In what manner of craft were such voyages
made from the frozen north to almost the Cape
of Good Hope? In open boats, similar to the
viking, though not of such fine lines. pro-
PEELED by oars for most part. and one sail. to be
used only in a favorable wind. They lived in
exposure. hauled the ship on shore o. close to
the shore at night when weather permitted.
and when not. kept of in wind and rain. with
Little sleep and raw meat, If any.
This form Of vessel assumed grander propor-
tons under the Romans. having three banks Of
oars and known as triremes. The sail con-
unued TO be only an accessory to be used under
favorable conditions They were huge. I'M
vieldy things. intended for inland waters. and
not the open sea- Each bank of oars was con-
nected By bar 50 as to compel uniformity of
movement, with i've mel to oar. For the
Mediterranean this type. in one or another
form. continued down TO the fifteenth century
The galley then came into use and formed the
connecting link between tho trireIne and the
modern sailing ship. IL carried oars, brt did
not rely on them, having two masts provided
with lateen or triangular sails These could be
trimmed so as to be available not only for .
free breeze, but 10 sail 'close hauled" as is the
term now in use. The transition is marked
&nd worthy Of note tina. it was o step in the
line of genuine invention. All winds became
available and ths mariner was no longer COM
PEELED ITO smite the sounding frrrow" Grad
ually the rudder proper supplanted the classic
stearfng oar. rugged out at one side Of the stern
without these two features the chip Of Co
inmbus would have been impossible, and at lis