The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-07-06
PRIMITIVE ANCHORS.
STONES AND WOODEN TUBES FILLED
WITH LEAD FIRST USED.

WI n EtAD Hrs ! USED.
The Earliest Anchors Made ON the Hook
Principle Had Only One Flukc Crude
Devices That Are sim Used In Different
Parts Of the World.
There appear to be two ideas which
have led up 10 the invention of the
modern anchor: a the idea of attach
ing the vessel by means of ropo or
chain to weight sufficiently heavy to
keep tho vessel from moving when the
weight has sunk to the bottom of the
sea, and t2) tho idea of using hook
instead of (or in addition to) tho weight,
so as to catch i'll tho bottom. Tho Eng
lish word anchor is practically tho same
MS the Latin ancora and tho Greek ang-
kura meaning that which has an an
gle, from the root anl, bent
The earliest anchors made on the
hook principle probably only had one
ilulle instead of two. In the Sussex
Arch1il. Coll. there is an illustration
of what has been surmised to be an
anchor made out of tho natural forled
branch of tree. II was found with an
ancient British canoe at Burpham, Sus-
sex. There is in tho British museum an
interesting leaden anchor with two
tlulles bearing II Greek inscription. Its
date is about 90 b. @ and it was found
off the coast of Cyrene.
The invention of the anchor with two
flulies is attributed by Pausnnius to
Midas, by Pliny to Eupalamas, and hy
Strabo to Anacharsis Diodorus Siculus
states that the first anchors wero wood
en- tubes filled with lead whilo another
classical writer says that before the in
PRODUCTION of metal anchors Jumps of
stone with II hole through tho middle
for the attachment of tho cablo were
used
The form of the anchors used by the
Greeks and Romans is we'll known from
representations ON Trajau ) column and
III the eataeombs Mt Rome MS an early
Christian symbol. This form does not
seem to have changed materially for
quite thousand years, as is shown by
the BayeuX tapestry.
Some very primitive kinds of anchors
are i'll use at the present day i'll different
parts of tho world, and study of their
construction may throw some light ON
the evolution of tho modern anchor
I'm anchor which came from Japan
consists Of natural forl1ed branch of Il
tree slightly improved artificially. So
rs 10 make hook. Two round bars arc
fixed Mt right angles tn tho shank, and
To these two ordinary beach pebbles arc
tied The length of tho anchor is feet
} inches, the width across tho hook s
inches, and across the transverse bars |
foot inches. Tho stones are from 3 to
Il inches in diameter and inches thick.
Another anchor was i'll usn quito re-
Gently in the Arran islands, OIL tho west
coast of Galway 1t il constructed of II
slipping bar at each side and three cross.
bars, forming II figure not unlike tho
isoseelcs triangle in Euclid's pons asi-
norum The lowest Of tho three cross
| bars is of square section and is fixed by
iron spikes at each side To tho slopiup
| pieces so as to prevent them spreading
| outward The stone, which acts as IL
weight, is clipped by means of the two
side pieces being held tightly by two
spliced rings of rope passing under tho
upper croSsbarS
These crossbars aro of round section
and project at each side, thus keeping
tho rope rings from slipping upward.
Tho cable is fixed to tho middle Of tho
lowest Transverse bar and is carried up
ON one side of tho stone, then between
tho two sloping boards. and finally
through loop fixed to II hole ut tho top
Of the anchor. Tho boards at each sido
arc | foot 1913 inches long and tho
stone foot inches long.
IL may seem strange that such print
tive looking cohtriyances should con
tinue 10 bo used by fishermen who have
II full knowledge Of every modern ap.
plianee connected with navigation and
vessels, yet there are good reasons why
they should have survived. Where tho
sea or river bed is rocky anchors arc
easily lost This is serious matter
when the anchor is of iron and Of somo
value, but If it IL constructed like those
described there Is not much difficulty
or expense III replacing it. A beach
stone and few bits Of wood arc always
ut hand, and tho skilled workmanship
required to fashion them into very
seryiccablc anchor is but small.
Thus it is that under certain condi-
tons primitive appliances must always
hold their own against modern invon-
tons. When, as often happens, newly
introduced contrivanco gets out OF or
der, it generally involves much greater
loss Of timo and more expense to re-
place it than if it were Of simpler con
structon and capable Of being made by
an ordinary workman out Of materials
easily procurablo on the spot.
Highly civilized man has much to
learn from his prehistoric ancestors and
from unculturcd races still existing as
to how he should act in an emergency
when deprived Of his usual appliances
-Reliquary and illustrated ArchGolo-
gist