The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-10-14
SHIPBOARD NAMES.
JACK TAR HAS A UNIQUE VOCABu-
Larry OF HIS OWN.

From It We Get Many OF Our EZpreSsivo
Slang words-Why the Names wcr,
Given to Certain Things-A Little Piece
OF Gear With Long Namo.
What we owe to ships and shipping
for some Of the phrases in general use
is matter little considered. Yet such
common terms as "brace up" the tech
nical expression for hauling around the
yards Of a square rugged ship; trying
another tack" the "mainstay" and
"two sheets in the wind" are borrowed
from Jacks vocabulary. The masts are
steadied or staid By wire rigging. AS
the support Of the mainmast the main.
stay'' ia one Of the most important
pieces Of gear in the ship. When q
clumsy helmsman would allow the sails
to flap uselessly. they were said to be
all in the wind. ''Two sheets in The
wind" indicates a demoralized helms
man.
Of other odd names the sea furnishes
plenty. Beginning forward, the boom;
extending downward, and, when the
ship pitches, often in the water, is the
dolphin striker - The holes in the
"eyes'' Of the ship, through which lead
the chains for the anchors, are the hawse
pipes. At sea the hawse pipes arc plug.
ged by bags of canvas stuffed with oak
um, called "jackasses. - The trough in
which any water leaking past the
"jackasses" is caught is called the
"manger.
Besides "catting' the anchor it is
customary to "fish" it. For these pur-
poses the sailors man the "cat" and the
''fsh" falls. To "cat'' the anchor is to
hoist it to the cathead, beam pro-
jecting over the bow. Fishing it is haul.
ing the fuke Of the anchor on the bow.
The Charley Noble" as the galley
smoke pipe is always called, is on the
fo'castle. Queerly enough, though sail
ors have an explanatory story for every
other name, no.legend is connected with
the use Of Charley's name for the smoke
pipe. Apropos of the cookery depart
ment there are no stoves on shipboard.
Galley is the proper word.
Forecastles were in the old days for.
ward castles. Castles they were when
ships were considered safest If built
high at bow and stern. Sailor fondness
for abbreviation makes "fo'wcastle"
the correct pronunciation. Oftener,
nowadays, the fo'castle is the forehold.
While hammocks are the usual "dream
bags," there is 'bed' for the bow
spirit. Each sail has its "sheets," and
the masts have "bolsters. A pillow
has no place in the sailors outfit.
"Dead eyes," according to Admiral
Luce, are "fat, roundish, wooden
blocks, pierced with holes through
which ropes lead'' "Eyebolts'' there
are in plenty, with 'spectacle irons"
for mates. Any old loop in the end Of Q
rope is an "eye.''
In the deck line big ships can boast
of quarter decks, half decks, poop decka,
gun decks, berth decks and orlap decks,
steamers having all of the above, with
hurricane decks and bridge decks to
boot.
Musical people will be pleased to find
that each mast has fife rail" that
"viol blocks" and fiddle blocks" are
common, and that "piano wire" is used
for deep sea sounding machines.
Perhaps the most insignificant piece
Of gear on the ship has the longest
name, being the "starboard main top
gallant studding sail boom tricing line
block strap thimble seizing. " This is
really the name for the seizing. When
asked to handle rope, Jack must know
precisely what rope is meant. Hence
every one Of the mass Of ropes on ship
has its own proper name. To learn them
is easier than the layman fancies.
England's supremacy on the seas may
have something in explanation of the
fact that "ropes ends" aloft, when show
ing in such manner as to detract from
the neat appearance of the sails, are
"Irish pennants. A dead calm is a
"Paddy's hurricane. A splice badly
done is an "Irish Splice
"Guys' and pumpkins" are not al.
lowed aboard, but are found outside the
ship. Any rope that steadies a boom is
guy. pumpkins are projecting beams,
such as that aft, from which the "Ja-
cob's ladders hang. "Idlers'' are those
members of the ships company that
stand no night watches. In this cate
cory come the captain, or "old man, :"
the chaplain, "Holy Joe" or "the sky
pilot" (sailors are not one bit pious),
and Chips" as the carpenter is dub
bed.
"Flemish horses are found at the
ends Of the yards. "Stirrups" hold the
foot ropes" on which the men stand
when working aloft. There is n bride"
ON the side of each square sail. GaR
booms have "saddles. :" On the bridge
is "horse block" "Whips' are tao.
kles fc hoisting weights.
Each mast has "hounds. " "Hooks"
are "moused." Light yards are hauled
into the rigging by "bull ropes. " AVN.
ings require "crow foot halyards. ?"
The sounding lead is bent to manil-
10 rope marked in fathoms from the
lead. At two fathoms is the mark
twain" from which our own Mark
took his pen name. But lines hip to
haul up the middle or bunt Of the sail.
Ned Buntline wrote sea tales chiefly.
Dick Deadeye we all recall.-Alfred
Rodman in Detroit Free Press.