Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 21, ROT-Siam

605
S E A —S E A
requiring to be unrove or the block turned over between the parts. Three sheets
in the wind, a ship too close to the wind ; a man half drunk. Throat, the upper
corner of a gaff-sail nearest the mast. Throat halyards, for hoisting the end of
the gaff nearest the mast. Thwart, across ; the name of all seats which cross
a boat. Thwart ships, across the ship. Tide-way, an anchorage or position
affected by tide. Tiller, a lever which moves the rudder. Toggles, pieces of
wood varying in shape, generally secured to one piece of rope so as to hold the
eye of another, as a button. Top, a large platform resting on the cross-trees
of each lower mast; to top a yard is to raise it by the lift. Top-rope, a large
rope rove through the heel of the top-mast. Tow, one vessel pulling another
in any relative position. Transport a ship, to move her in a harbour by ropes.
Traveller, an iron ring covered with leather, for jibs, royals, and boat sails.
Travelling backstay, a support to the top-mast always close above the yard.
Traverse, to make several tacks ; the free motion of a sheave or rope. ■ Trestle-
trees, pieces of wood which rest on the hounds of the mast and support the
cross-trees. Tricing-line, a small rope used for hoisting up a tackle or larger
rope. Trim, of the ship, neither too deep nor too light, and having the right
draught of water forward and aft. Trim sails, to brace the yards and adjust
the sheets. Trip, the anchor is tripped when the shank is raised and the flukes
broken out of the ground. Trough of the sea, the hollow between long waves,
which are generally nearly parallel. Truck, a disk of wood at the summit of
the mast, generally having sheaves for signal halyards ; a long wooden fair
lead seized to the shroud. Trusses, fitted variously to confine the centre of the
lower yards to the mast. Try-sail, a foul-weather gaff-sail. Try-sail-mast,
a smooth spar abaft each mast to support the jaws of the gaff and luff of the
sail. Turning in a dead-eye, fitting the shroud or stay round it. Turning to
windward, tacking frequently. Twice laid, rope that has been unlaid and re¬
twisted to the desired size. Twiddling-lines, for securing the wheel when not
in use. Two blocks, signifying that the two ends of a purchase have come
together. Tye, a large rope on which the halyards act when hoisting a yard.
Under foot, said of an anchor when dropped without veering more cable.
Under sail, free from moorings and propelled by sail only. Under steam, pro¬
pelled by steam only. Under way, having motion ; the anchor off the ground.
Vangs, ropes to steady a gaff. Veer, to slack out cable, hawser, or tow-rope;
the old expression for “ wear.” Veer and haul, slacking and hauling alternately,
by a number of men simultaneously, so as to gain by the jerk.
Waist, the centre part of the ship before the gangway port. Wake, the track
left in the water. Warp, a small hawser for moving the ship ; yarns or rope
stretched over pins for making straps. Warping-buoys, buoys moored in suit¬
able positions for ships to warp by, now rendered nearly obsolete by the use
of steam-tugs. Watch, sailors’ watches commence or terminate at 4, 8, and 12
o’clock, also at 6 p.m. ; a buoy over an anchor is said to watch while it floats
and can be seen. Water-borne, to be entirely afloat. Water-logged, full of
water, unmanageable. Way, motion, as under way, headway, sternway.
Wear ship, to bring the wind on the other side by first running before it.
Weather-bound, detained by contrary winds or bad weather. Weather-gage,
being to windward of the enemy. Weatherly, sailing well, without much lee¬
way. _ Weather-side, that on which the wind blows. Weather-tide, the stream
running contrary to the direction of the wind. Wedging a mast, securing it in
the partners or frame on each deck by wedges made to fit. Weigh, to heave
up the anchor. Whip, a single rope passing through a block. Whipping, a
light seizing of twine at the end of a rope to prevent fraying. Whiskers, pro¬
jections from the cat-head to spread the jib-guys. Wind a ship or boat, to
turn her head where her stern was. To take the wind out of another's sails,
to pass close to windward, as yachts sometimes do. Windlass, a machine for
heaving in cable. Wind-rode, being head to wind though in a tide-way.
Wind-sail, a canvas ventilator. Wood-lock, a chock to keep the rudder in its
place. Woolding, a stout lashing to secure sprung or fished spars. Work a
ship, to perform every manoeuvre. Worm, to heave small line between the
strands of a rope to make it smooth.
Yard, a spar which spreads a sail. Yard-rope, a rope by which a top-gallant
or royal yard is sent up from the deck, and afterwards becomes the tye and
halyards. Yard-tackles, permanently on the lower yard-arms of large ships
for hoisting in things and as preventer braces. Yaw, an involuntary deviation
from the course. Yoke, a bent lever across the ship or boat which acts as a
tiller.1 (H. A. M.)
SEAMEN, Laws relating to. In most legal systems
legislation has interfered to protect the seaman from the
consequences of that imprudence which is generally sup¬
posed to be one of his distinguishing characteristics. In
the United Kingdom there has been a very large amount
of legislation dealing with the interests of seamen with
unusual fulness of detail, proving the care bestowed by a
maritime power upon those to whom its commercial suc¬
cess is so largely due. How far this legislation has had
the efficiency which was expected may be doubtful. The
loss of life among sailors was one in eighty in 1871, one
in seventy-five in 1882. There has been besides a steady
diminution in the number of British seamen employed on
British ships, nearly one-eighth being foreigners at the
present time.
For legislative purposes seamen may be divided into
three classes, seamen in the royal navy, merchant seamen,
and fishermen.
Seamen in the Royal Navy.—It is still lawful to impress men for
the naval service, subject to certain exemptions (13 Geo. II. c.
17). Among the persons exempt are seamen in the merchant
service. In cases of emergency officers and men of the coastguard
and revenue cruisers, seamen riggers, and pensioners may be re¬
quired to serve in the navy (16 and 17 Viet. c. 73). There appears
to be no other instance (now that balloting for the militia is sus¬
pended) where a subject may be forced into the service of the crown
against his will. The navy is, however, at the present day wholly
recruited by voluntary enlistment. The navy estimates of 1885
provided for 59,000 men (see Navy). Special advantages are
afforded by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854, to merchant seamen
enlisting in the navy. They are enabled to leave their ship without
punishment or forfeiture in order to join the naval service. The
discipline of the navy is, unlike that of the army, for which an
annual Army Act is necessary, regulated by a permanent Act of
Parliament, that now in force being the Naval Discipline Act, 1866.
In addition to numerous hospitals and infirmaries in the United
Kingdom and abroad, the great charity of Greenwich Hospital is
a mode of provision for old and disabled seamen in the navy (see
Greenwich). At present such seamen are out-pensioners only;
the hospital has been for some years used as the Royal Naval
College for officer students. The enactments of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1854, as to savings banks were extended to seamen
in the navy by 18 and 19 Yict. c. 91, s. 17. Enlistment without
the licence of the crown in the naval service of a foreign state at
war with another foreign state that is at peace with the United
Kingdom is an offence punishable under the Foreign Enlistment
Act, 1870. Any person buying from a seaman or enticing a sea¬
man to sell Government property is liable to penalties under the
Seamen’s Clothing Act, 1869. ....
Merchant Seamen.—Most of the Acts dealing with this subject,
commencing with 8 Eliz. c. 13, were repealed by 17 and 18 Yict.
c. 120, after having been consolidated and extended by the Mer¬
chant Shipping Act, 1854 (17 and 18 Viet. c. 104). The main part
of the legislation affecting seamen in the merchant service occurs
in the third part of this Act. Since 1854 numerous amending
Acts have been passed, amounting to no less than eleven in number.
They are cited collectively as “The Merchant Shipping Acts, 1854
to 1883.” The enactment of a new consolidation Act is urgently
required, and can be only a question of time. The Merchant
Shipping Act, 1854, defines a seaman to be “ every person (except
masters, pilots, and apprentices duly indentured and registered)
employed or engaged in any capacity on board any ship” (s. 2). It
should, be noticed that most of the enactments relating to merchant
seamen do not affect seamen employed on foreign vessels, on fishing
boats on the coasts of the United Kingdom, on vessels belonging to
the Trinity House, the Commissioners of Northern Lighthouses, and
the port of Dublin corporation, and on pleasure yachts. The princi¬
pal provisions of the Merchant Shipping Acts dealing with seamen
are as follows. Where no other reference is given, the Act of 1854 is
intended. An elective local marine board under the general super¬
vision of the Board of Trade is appointed in the principal ports of
the United Kingdom. One of the duties of the board is the estab¬
lishment of mercantile marine offices under superintendents or
deputy superintendents.2 It is the general business of such officers
to afford facilities for engaging seamen by keeping registries of their
names and characters, to superintend and facilitate their engage¬
ment and discharge, to provide means for securing the presence on
board at the proper times of men who are so engaged, and to facili¬
tate the making of apprenticeships to the sea service (s. 124). A
seaman must be hired before a superintendent or deputy superin¬
tendent, an officer of customs, or a consular officer on a form sanc¬
tioned by the Board of Trade (usually called the shipping articles)
containing the following particulars :—(1) the nature and, as far as
practicable, the duration of the intended voyage or engagement, or
the maximum period of the voyage or engagement, and the places
or parts of the world (if any) to which the voyage or engagement
is not to extend ; (2) the number and description of the crew,
specifying how many are employed as sailors; (3) the time at
which each seaman is to be on board or to begin work ; (4) the
capacity in which each seaman is to serve; (5) the amount of
wages which each seaman is to receive; (6) a scale of the provi¬
sions which are to be furnished to each seaman ; (7) any regulations
as to conduct on board and as to fines, short allowance of provi¬
sions, or other lawful punishments for misconduct, which have been
sanctioned by the Board of Trade as regulations proper to be adopted,
and which the parties agree to adopt. Every agreement is to be
framed so as to admit of stipulations as to allotment of wages, and
may contain any other stipulations not contrary to law (s. 149, as
amended by the Act of 1873 and the Merchant Seamen Act, 1880).
Among illegal stipulations would fall any agreement by a seaman
to give up his right to salvage, to forfeit his lien on the ship, or to
be deprived of any remedy for the recovery of wages to which he
would otherwise have been entitled (s. 182). In the case of foreign-
going ships the following rules in addition must be observed (1)
every agreement made in the United Kingdom (except agreements^
with substitutes) is to be signed by each seaman in the presence^ of
the superintendent of a mercantile marine office; (2) the superin¬
tendent is to cause the agreement to be read over and explained to
1 For a fuller explanation of some of these terms, see Vice-Admiral W. H.
Smyth, The Sailor’s Word Book of Nautical Terms; Falconer’s Marine Diction¬
ary, enlarged by W. Burney ; P. L. Breslauer, Illustrated Nautical Polyglot (six
languages).
2 These offices and officers were called shipping offices and shipping masters
in the Act of 1854. The names were changed to the longer and less convenient
ones in the text by the Act of 1862 (25 and 26 Viet. c. 63, s. 15).