Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 October 1901 — NAUTICAL TERMS. [ARTICLE]

NAUTICAL TERMS.

. The definitions below will explain much of the testimony given in the Schley court of inquiry: Cable's length—2o3 yards. Cross Sen—Waves that come front divers directions. Larboard—Now obsolete, meaning the left side. •'Portt' as a distinctive sound was introduced In place of larboard. Quarter Deck—The deck abaft (behind) the mainmast, where members of a crew are never allowed unless their duty calls them there. Side Lights—The red (port) and green (starboard) lights, carried by vessels at night. Starboard—The rljfht-hand.side; the opposite of part. Draft—The depth of a vessel to the extreme underside of the keel, measured from the load water line. Trough—The’ hollow between wave crests. Leeward—The side of the ship opposite to that which Is exposed to the wind or storm. Windward The direction from which the wind Is blowing. Sheer Off—To remove to a greater distance. Logbook—A Journal in which Is entered the position of the ship, the winds, currents, state of the sea and nil matters of Importance in relation so the vessel and its movements. Conning Tower—A small, strong steel house raised above the deck and furnished with peepholes. In which the commanding officer can direct the movement of a ship during an engagement. executive Officer—Officer next in rank to the commander.