| Show BIG VESSELS OF THE ANCIENTS we moderns are justly proud of the wonderful and magnificent specimens of naval architecture that crowd the great ports of the world if there Is anything new under the sun a first class ocean steamer it is believed is that rarity in our conceit we recall only the galleys and triremes tri remes of the ancients that scarce ever ventured beyond bayona the coast line and the small barks in which columbus and those that followed him conquered the new world anil and gave commerce its greatest field but the ancients built many goodly sized crafts and made luxury a study on some of them that much controvert ed craft the ark is an example of bigness her tonnage is estimated at about tons smaller it is true than that of the areat eastorn eastern no less an authority than lindsay thinks that she was simply a of stupendous size having upon it a structure resembling sem bling a huge warehouse As no means of propulsion were necessary this description may be correct the cargo however was waft unique and probably the largest anuj must most valuable ever carried the description of the ark as given in the scriptures makes the vessel about feet in length 75 feet in breadth and 45 feet in depth proportions similar to those now in use today for great vessels but as the agnostic is not sure eure that this lifeboat of the human race ever existed and as the materialist is sure she ghe never was built let us take for example of big ancient vessels some other craft vouched couched for upon the authority of profane and not sacred writers the egyptians egyptian fond of large things and big dimensions made the big tonnage vessels of ancient times ptolemy would have appreciated the great eastern he was fond of building big boats boata one of these is said to have been feet long 57 67 feet broad and 72 feet deep from the highest point of the tern stern this vessel had bad four rudders or what some would call seeerin steering 9 oars as they were not fastened each 45 feet long she carried cowets besides marinero mariners ma iners a large body of servants under her jecks decks and stores and provisions her oars were 57 fet long and the handles were weighted with lead there were 2000 rowers on a side and it is supposed that these were divided into five banks that this extraordinary vessel ever put to sea is doubted but that she was launched and used at times if only for display several historians are agreed another ship the built for ne of the Ptole mies is said to have been feet long 40 feet broad and 40 feet deep this was a far more magnificent vessel than any previous one an alexandrian historian in describing her speaks of her having colonnades marble stairs and gardens another great vessel cal by reason of its size is one built by bierd tera king of syracuse her dimensions are estimated to be large from the description of her cargo and the number of her decks and houses she is supposed to have been sheathed with lead and accomplished complis hed at least one successful trip A full description of her would red somewhat like that of one of our long island sound bound or hudsy n river steamboats she had three entrances the lowest leading to the boldthen hold bold the second to the eating looms and the third was appropriated to the sold soldiers lem there were thirty rooms each having four couches for the kjol soldiers diers there were fifteen couches in the sailors upper room and there were three more cabins each having three couches the floors of all these rooms were laid to in stone mosaic work there was also a temple of cypres inlaid with ivory and dedicated to venus the mainmast was cum composed posed of a single tree and the vessel carried four wooden and eight iron anchors As a freight carrier she would rival the largest of our ocean tramps it is recorded that one or two of the launches belonging to her would carry about eighty tons this v vessel I 1 is said to have carried measures of corn jars of sicilian salt fish talents weight of wool and of other cargo talents all of which was in addition to the provision required for the crew these are the notably big vessels of ancient times but the supposition is that as rulers whether king or people were as emulous in those days as these them other big craft were also built from the foregoing description the thought is suggested that the first designers of our own river steam bots boits may have heard of the egyptian and syra usan vessels and taken a hint blot from them in building floating palaces Mariti maritime nw regu register |
