The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-02-13
YACHTS OF ANTIQUITY.
Queer and Costly Pleasure Craft Of Classical
Times Romans as Sea Rovers.

Most historical records dealing with
the sport Of yachting commerce with
the well-known quotations in Evelyn
and Pepys. Reference TO ThuCydides
and Polybius, however. proves beyond
doubt that small craft built for pleas
ure purposes only were common enough
with the wealthy Heneues as far back
as five centuries ago.
The early decades OF this century,
says the Pail Mall Gazette are but
Gimly lit up while the previous cen
turtles are enveloped i'm almost total
darkness. Here and there we come
across occasional data, I'm old prints
and books. but a connected history
does not exist, and plenty OF scope is
left for the imagination
Suetonius is our authority for the
statement that the luxurious Romans
well knew and appreciated the pleas
ure TO be derived from roaming about
the seas This writer describes at some
length the display OF luxury ON board
the Emperor Caligula's yachts. Along
the upper decks there were built what
would correspond with the modern
deckhouses. which were fitted most
sumruously with paintings. statues
and mOsacs I'm the principal apart
ments. while the bathrooms contained
library of books was carried on board.
Covered walks ran alongside these
deckhouseS with fruit trees and rows
of vines planted i'm flower-pots, which
leads one TO suppose that the Romans
were fair weather sailors, rather than
daring navigauors of choppy seas.
OF the earlier Grecian yachts, how
ever. our knowledge Is more scanty.
All the existing evidence from written
sources. supplemented in a few isolat
ed cases by evidence from material
sources, still leaves ample room for
deduction and cCAjecture
The sails used ON Grecian ships were
sometimes made of linen. but more Of
ten of the fiber of the papyrus and va
rious other rushes. Thus even the
American invsnrlon of ramie cloth
would appear % have been forestalled
The edges OF the Grecian sails were
bound with hide, a system, which N
adopted nowadays, though perhaps
not conducive To speed would insure
vessel sailing with sails of the same
dimensions "a given Ia the Yacht Rae
ing Association certificate. The skins
OF the hyena and the seal were in par
tlcular request. since sailors consider
ed these sovereign means for keeping
OF lightning. TopSais as part of the
ordinary rig, apparently came into
use about so 4. II. The ancient mari
ner. who knew that ne increased the
ships speed by CARRYING sail as high
as possible. attained his object by
hotstlng up the yard but seemingly
did not understand the cause OF this
phenomenon.
The style Of rigging used on the earl
lest Greek vessels can be CLEANED fair
~ accurately from the Homeric poems.
The mast Chlstos) WAS supported at its
foot by "a prop thistopede) and held by
two forestays (protonoD and back
stay (epitonOs). The mast carried a
yard (epilNrion), by means or which the
sail was ho1sted. When the mast was
lowered. the histopeJe WAS obviously
kind of tabernacle--it lay I'm a rest
styled histudoke The presence of hal
yards and brailng ropes Is implied,
while different terms are used for the
running gear, though no definite infor-
nation - given as 10 its nature. The
mast anl yards were generally made
uf fir and occasionally of plne.
The outer planking OF the hull was
covered With "A mixture Of tar and wax.
some paint being usually melted with
the latter Sometimes "A sheathing uf
lead covered the outer plankng say
Crs of tlTred sailcloth being placed IL
tween the wood and the metal Wooden
pegs and bronze nails were used FOR
holding together the timbers OF a ship
zontally round the ship. were frequent
~ used tp strengthen the hun eXtcr-
naly. At the bottom Of the hold gravel
or stone ballast was usually parrieB
while the bUgc-Natcr was cmptiel out
by means of au Archimcde8n screw
which was worked by kind of tread
mill
Students Of lrgirs "Aeneid" Niu re-
member particularly spirited account
of astdc4 between four Trojan mcn-1f-
war Of the cOagt Cf Sicily. Bui tho
earliest recorded yacht race iu tho
modern sense of the word WAS one in
which Charles II took part. The Merry
Monarch had q plfasurp boat built COR
him artcr'a Dutch nNdel Fthe word
ys ht ~ iaght seems 20 ,be 81 Dutch
origIu), hut with improvements. and tho
iittie vessel earned the Ippr1biti.u M uf
SHuuo Pepys Tho diafisL Wiio. as
strrttarb tp thH admiralty may De-
surr1Fnf to have heDn keen Judge
and who 2 sorib-d her as very pretty"
ana 0na lf The FIRE. ihincs th0t
tFtr ] s.V fUr rratnrss pfl flDu
on or b.r = 1861 che klru sallfI h'r
against Eis hrofher the Duke OF Yark4
Yacht ffr 900 guincas from Greonn 20
20 Gavescnl and back. anl won D
v'lraf'