The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-02-04
DAY OF THE CLIPPER PAST.
So the stunsail Has Disappeared For Good
From Most American ships

From Most American ships.
"Stunsails out of fashionr said the skip
per os he pulled vigorously at his old clay
pipe, which has been around the Horn al
most as many times as its owner. well,
they may be, but it is because financial
economy has abolished them on American
ships. However, an old shipmate of mine,
who is q bit of crank and left this port
the other day still carries topmast tun-
sail. 1t may be for sentimental reasons,
Just as Confederate veteran might dis
/ play the flag under which he went to bat
tie, but stunsails are just as practical to-
day as ever.
Studding sail, you say? Oh, yes.
Studding sail may be literally correct, but
Jack says stunsail He objects to mouth
ing participles and words with long end
ings. He wants brevity all the time-in
everything perhaps except rum. The cor
ruption of language by sailors is proven
bal. Stunsail may be corruption of stud
ding sail But studding sail itself is a
corruption of steadying sail or steering
sail which in my opinion was the original
term. The stunsail, although used only
in moderate weather, was driving sail.
Our yachts carry stunsails today In the
form of the immense side sail that is called
the spinnaker,
alt costs to fit a ship with suit Of stun
: sails. Their use means extra labor for the
crew, or larger crew, and their storage
takes valuable cargo room. This means
. expense for the ship, which her earnings
: in these days of railroads and ocean tramp
|, do not warrant The cargoes that sailing
: vessels carry today do not demand quicl
. . transportation, with its high freight rates
= The modern sailing ship is little bette
y than floating warehouse 1t is not driv
. en-. Spars and canvas are not pressed a
= they were before the advent of the steam
= ship Sailing a ship to make short pas
u sage is one of the lost arts. There is
), demand for auxiliary canvas such as stun
70 sails. The Yankee clipper is out of it-d'
- funct.
u "Away back in the middle Of the ceI
- fury the stars and stripes floated over shlI
that were really clippers below and alof
40 In competition with one another and wit
u =; foreign craft our clippers carried valuab
~ cargoes-tea from China, coffee from X
VI and fancy merchandise to San Francisc
j., The steamships do the tea and coffee ca
rying now. 1t was not in those days a {
~ as you please run. The clippers were u
IL der orders to get there to catch the top
a a market. Hours saved on their voyage
rs long though they were meant many dc
lars for all concerned. Ships were driv'
're then with canvas that fairly smother
Vi them in fair weather and foul, and Yank
" seamanship, with its characteristic jud
lu- ment and nerve, was recognized and
wv warded.
Ell 'But all this is merely memory no
W, can fancy the CLIPPER of the flfties co
Try ing head on, rising against the clear sky
III the lower ATTITUDES, her sails mount
lol above the blue horizon, tier upon tier
leu leu skyscrapers, moonrakers, cloud cleaners
lge snow white pyramid, an angels TO
e s stool, as Jack says. Did they carry stl
ue, sails9 Aye, up to the royal yards. IN
lon York Sun.