The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-04-02
SHIP FIGUREHEADS
NO LONGER USED
Custom Now Obsolete With
Other Ancient Nautical
Customs.

The hgurehead, once deemed an in
dispensable ornament in naval grcbI-
lecture. has gone into that oblivion
wherein reposes the 'eight-day wind
lass worked by wooden handspikes:
the clumsy tiIler, with which vessels OF
considerable sizs were once steered. the
old-fashioned card compass. and 10
which hemp standing rigging is fast
going.
There is stiH a great number OF sail
ing craft-particularly schocners-vbicb
In size, carrying capacity and beauty of
model far surprising those Of the times
when not a steam vessel plowed The
ocean End the sails OF American-b,lilt
vessels whiJeneG every sea on the globe
but the hSurehead has disappeared with
the small. clumsy. bluff bowed and high-
sterned vessel OF q former century.
Perched up CCnspicuously under the
bowsprit, as If constantly on the Look
cur, was this carved flgure of beast
Dlrd or human. glitteFing ia paint and
GIT ana diving into the briny element
with each plunge Of the vessel This
sailor. and the vessel was considered in
complete without L.
Objects Represented.
Various and wonderful were the OBJ
jects represented by these PRODUCTS OF
the sculptor in wood II the shin were
named after a man or a woman the
artist who made the figure endeavored
10 carve IL into a sernblance Of its
namesake- Sometimes it was a king or
queen or other potentate. perhaps even
the king Of the element over which the
wooden lookout kept unceasIng watch
Neptune himself The vessel might be
named after an Indian chief and the
wood carver would then adorn HIS
TecumSeh, or POWhatan or Red Jacket
with the feathered head dress, and all
the paraphernaiia OF the red warrior.
Heroes or antiquity. fighting men Of the
past from julius Caesar OF Rome, 10
Alexander Of Greece, might be seen IN
their ancient warriors dress stationed
between the bows Of some huge mer-
chant ship or grim man-of-War. HistOr-
ical persOnages, NEUROLOGICAL charac-
tiers, griffon. a dryad. a sea-horse. or
mermaid: Jupiter with his thunder
bolts, Venus, her wooden cOunterpart
again arising from the sea as did the
goddess herself OF Apollo with his Tyre
each stood firmly at It's respective post
under the bowsprtt OF some vessel that
bore its name.
Readers OF COOper's Water Witch"
will recollect the figUrehead on the
sEluggler's vessel which represented the
witch poised over the element which
was her home. They will also recall
the incident in which the revenue Of
fiCer. under cover OF the darkness Of
night. attempted 10 cut the cable OF
the Witch. that she might drift ashore
and become the prize OF the revenue
authorities. Although Il was IN tho days
before the development OF electricity
the author anticipated the perfection
and utilization OF that medium. and at
the first touch OF the steel tools on
the iron chain a vivid glare almost
blinded the astCunded officer. banishing
the surrounding gloom as with the light
OF day. the illumination revealing every
rope and block on the little vessel and
even the wooden figure OF the Water
Witch under the bows. which seemed TO
look down menacingly upon him
Sometimes the figurehead would bear
no relevance 70 the name OF the vessel.
but was merely the wooden efigy OF
some object More often-with the sail
Or's proverbial love Of the fair seL-it
would be that Of q woman, either the
full figure or only the head and bust.
and 81 skllful were the wood carvers
in their trade that when finished OF
with paint and gilt the image present
sd a wonderfully realistic appearance
Another favorite emblem that adorned
the bows Of American-built vessels--al-
though Il was frequently seen on the
stern Of the craft-was the eagle either
in repose or with outspread wings, as il
ready TO take its flight over the broad
domain Of the country OF. which { was
the feathered monarch This ornament
IS still used on vessels
With the disappearance OF the fig
urehead from marine architecture the
occupat alton OF the wood carver Is gone;
the carving OF these nautical ornna-
ments has become almost a lost art
A few tobacco signs. the work OF a
small number Of artists, are all that
remain 10 show that there was such
a trade.-Exchange