The Sailor's Word-Book
Chapter 246 : TOWING OVERBOARD. Drawing anything after a s.h.i.+p or boat when she is sailing or row

TOWING OVERBOARD. Drawing anything after a s.h.i.+p or boat when she is sailing or rowing. As a manuvre to deceive an enemy, and induce him to chase, it was common to tow a sail astern by a hawser, at the same time keeping the three masts in line, so as to deceive the chaser as to distance.

TOWING-PATH. The hauling-way along a ca.n.a.l or artificial harbour.

TOWING-POST. A substantial timber fixed through the deck of a steam-tug for making the tow-rope fast to. Also, a similar post in ca.n.a.l barges to keep the tow-line up clear of the path.

TOW-LINE [Anglo-Saxon _toh-line_]. A small hawser or warp used to move a s.h.i.+p from one part of a harbour or road to another by means of boats, steamers, kedges, &c.

TOWN-MAJOR. An officer in a garrison specially supervising the detail of the guards, and of other local current duties.

T-PLATES. Iron plates in the form of the letter T placed under the channels to add strength.

TRABACCOLO. An Adriatic trading craft.

TRABALEO. Ancient coasting vessels.

TRABARIae. Ancient canoes, made of hollowed trees, capable of carrying two or three men.

TRACE. In fortification, the horizontal disposition of the works; also, a plan of the same.

TRACK-BOAT [from the Dutch _treck-schuyt_]. A vessel used on a ca.n.a.l or narrow stream.

TRACKING. Hauling any vessel or floating body along a ca.n.a.l or river by a rope dragged along the bank by men or horses.

TRACK OF A s.h.i.+P. The line of a s.h.i.+p's course through the water. (_See_ WAKE.)

TRADE. Implies the constant destination of any particular merchant vessels, as the Lisbon trade, West India trade, &c.

TRADER. A vessel employed regularly in any particular branch of commerce, whether sea-borne or coasting, British or foreign.

TRADE-ROOM. A part of the steerage of a Yankee notion-trader where light goods and samples of the cargo are kept for general business.

TRADE-WINDS. Currents of air moving from about the 30th degree of lat.i.tude towards the equator. The diurnal motion of the earth makes them incline from the eastward, so that in the northern hemisphere they are from the N.E., and in the southern hemisphere from the S.E. Their geographical position in lat.i.tude varies with the declination of the sun. In some parts of the world, as the Bay of Bengal and China Sea, the action of the sun on the neighbouring land has the power of reversing the trades; the winds are there called _monsoons_.

TRADING-VESSEL. _See_ TRADER.

TRAIL A PIKE, TO. To hold the spear end in the right hand, and the b.u.t.t trailed behind the bearer.

TRAIL-BOARDS. A carved board on each side of the stem, reaching from it to the figure, or to the brackets. The carved work between the cheek-knees of the head at the heel of the figure.

TRAIN OR TRAIL OF ARTILLERY. A certain number of pieces of ordnance, completely mounted and fitted with appurtenances and retinue of attendants, ready to follow in rear of an army, &c. (_See_ BATTERING GUNS.) Also, the hinder part of a gun-carriage.--_Train_ also signifies a line of gunpowder or other combustible material forming a communication with any body intended to be set on fire or exploded.

TRAINING-LEVEL. A gravitating instrument for the same purpose as the training-pendulum.

TRAINING-PENDULUM. An improved pendulum to facilitate the accurate elevation and depression of guns on board s.h.i.+p, by means of coloured spirits or quicksilver confined in a tube.

TRAINING-s.h.i.+P FOR THE MERCHANT SERVICE. A vessel properly equipped with instructors and means to rear able-bodied lads for the merchant service.

TRAINING-s.h.i.+P FOR NAVAL CADETS. H.M.S. _Britannia_, commanded by a captain and complement of officers for the primary training of naval cadets. They are nominated by the first lord, examined as to ability and const.i.tution, and entered on trial. If they pa.s.s a pretty rigid examination, they are nominated to s.h.i.+ps; but if they fail, they are not admitted into the navy. Great interest is required for a nomination.

TRAIN-TACKLE. A tackle which is during action hooked to an eye-bolt in the train of a gun-carriage, and to a ring-bolt in the deck; its use is to prevent the gun from running out of the port whilst loading, and for running it in when fired.

TRAJECTORY. An astronomical term for the orbital curve described by a planet or comet, now seldom used in that science, but generally employed for the path described by a shot or sh.e.l.l.

TRAMMEL. A large drag-net for the cod fishery.

TRAMONTANA. The north wind in general in the Mediterranean, but also denoting a peculiar cold and blighting wind, very hurtful in the Archipelago.

TRAN. A Norwegian word for fish-oil, adopted in our northern fisheries.

TRANKEH, OR TRANKIES. A large boat of the Gulf of Persia.

TRANSFER. There can be no legal transfer of property captured at sea, without a legal condemnation in the admiralty court, and therefore the sale or occupancy of vessels and goods by pirates does not alter or extinguish the loser's right of property. Transfer is the legal state of a registered s.h.i.+p, or shares in her, to persons qualified to be owners of British s.h.i.+ps. Also, the turning over men or companies from one s.h.i.+p to another.

TRANs.h.i.+PMENT OF TREASURE. s.h.i.+ps on a distant station receiving treasure for conveyance to some other man-of-war about to proceed to England, from another port on the same station. Both captains partake of the freight, relatively as to distance and deposit.

TRANSIRE. A custom-house doc.u.ment specifying the goods s.h.i.+pped by a coasting vessel, docketted with a sufferance for their discharge on arriving at the place of destination.

TRANSIT. The precise culmination of a heavenly body over the meridian of a place.

TRANSIT OF MERCURY OR VENUS. These planets being situated between the sun and the earth, occasionally appear to us to pa.s.s over his disc, from east to west.

TRANSIT INSTRUMENT. A telescope fitted with vertical wires, and revolving on an axis in the plane of the meridian, with which the time may be obtained by observing the pa.s.sage of the stars and planets compared with their computed time.

TRANSITU. Goods of an enemy's colony surrendering between the time of sailing and capture do not change their hostile character _in transitu_; though the owners may have become British subjects by capitulation, upon the principle that the national character cannot be altered _in transitu_. (_See_ STOPPAGE IN TRANSITU.)

TRANSMISSION. The property in a merchantman, or a share therein, transmitted in consequence of the authenticated death, bankruptcy, or insolvency of any registered owner.

TRANSOM. The vane of a cross-staff, made to slide along it by means of a square socket; it may be set to any of the graduations.

TRANSOM OF A GUN-CARRIAGE. A cross piece of timber uniting the cheeks; generally between the trunnion-holes and the fore axle-tree.

TRANSOM-KNEES. Curved timbers, or pieces of iron, which bind and connect the s.h.i.+p's quarter to the transoms, being bolted to the latter, and to the after timbers. Knees which have one arm applied to either end of a transom, and the other running diagonally along, and bolted to the s.h.i.+p's side.

TRANSOMS. 'Thwart-s.h.i.+p pieces forming the b.u.t.tocks of a s.h.i.+p, extended across the stern-post, to which they are bolted, and give her after-part the figure most suitable to the service for which she is intended.--_Deck-transom._ That on which all the lower deck planks are rabbeted. The first, second, third transoms, &c., are respectively below the preceding.--_Helm-post transom._ That which is at the head of the stern-post, and forms the upper part of the gun-room ports.--_Wing-transom._ The next below, and forming the lower part.

TRANSPORT. A private s.h.i.+p hired by government for carrying troops, stores, and munitions of war. The proportion of tonnage for troops embarked in transports is two tons per man.

TRANSPORTING. Moving a s.h.i.+p by means of hawsers only, from one part of a harbour to another.

TRANSPORTING-BLOCKS. Two s.n.a.t.c.h-blocks, fitted one on each side above the taffrail, to admit a hawser, when transporting a s.h.i.+p.

TRANSPORT OFFICE. Formerly a department under government directed by commissioners, who chartered vessels and appointed officers for conveying troops to or from this country: they were also to provide accommodation and provision for all prisoners of war, as well as to regulate their exchange by cartel, &c. Now under a naval director of transport.

TRANS-s.h.i.+P, TO. To remove a cargo from one s.h.i.+p to another.

TRANSVERSE AXIS. The first or princ.i.p.al diameter of an ellipse; that which crosses it lengthwise. (_See_ MAJOR AXIS.)

TRANSVERSE SECTION. A 'thwart-s.h.i.+p view of any part of a s.h.i.+p when cut by a plane at right angles to the keel.