The Sailor's Word-Book Part 228

SPENT SHOT. A shot that has lost its penetrative velocity, yet capable of inflicting grave injury as long as it travels.

SPERM WHALE. Otherwise known as the cachalot, _Physeter macrocephalus_.

A large cetacean, belonging to the division of delphinoid or toothed whales. It is found in nearly all tropical and temperate seas, and is much hunted for the valuable sperm-oil and spermaceti which it yields.

When full grown, it may attain the length of 60 feet, of which the head occupies nearly one-third.

SPERONARA. A Mediterranean boat of stouter build than the _scampavia_, yet rowed with speed: in use in the south of Italy and Malta.

SPHERA NAUTICA. An old navigation instrument. In 1576 Martin Frobisher was supplied with a bra.s.s one, at the cost of 4, 6_s._ 8_d._

SPHERE. The figure formed by the rotation of a circle. A term singularly, but very often, misapplied in parlance for orbit.

SPHERICAL CASE-SHOT. _See_ SHRAPNEL Sh.e.l.l.

SPHERICAL TRIANGLE. That contained under three arcs of great circles of a sphere.

SPHEROID. The figure formed by the rotation of an ellipse, differing little from a circle.

SPICA, OR a VIRGINIS. The lucida of Virgo, a standard nautical star.

SPIDER. An iron out-rigger to keep a block clear of the ship's side.

SPIDER-HOOP. The hoop round a mast to secure the shackles to which the futtock-shrouds are attached. Also, an iron encircling hoop, fitted with belaying pins round the mast.

SPIDER-LINES. A most ingenious subst.i.tution of a spider's long threads for wires in micrometer scales, intended for delicate astronomical observations.

SPIKE-NAILS. _See_ DECK-NAILS.

SPIKE-PLANK. (_Speak-plank?_) In Polar voyages, a platform projecting across the vessel before the mizen-mast, to enable the ice-master to cross over, and see ahead, and so pilot her clear of the ice. It corresponds with the bridge in steamers.

SPIKE-TACKLE AND CANT-FALLS. The ropes and blocks used in whalers to sling their prey to the side of the ship.

SPIKE-TUB. A vessel in which the fat of bears, seals, and minor quarry is set aside till a "making off" gives an opportunity for adding it to the blubber in the hold.

SPIKING A GUN. Driving a large nail or iron spike into the vent, which will render the cannon unserviceable until removed. (_See_ CLOY.)

SPILE. A stake or piece of wood formed like the frustum of a cone. A vent-peg in a cask of liquor. Small wooden pins which are driven into nail-holes to prevent leaking.

SPILINGS. In carpentry and ship-building, the dimensions taken from a straight line, a mould's edge, or rule-staff, to any given sny or curve of a plank's edge.

SPILL, TO. Whether for safety or facility, it is advisable to shiver the wind out of a sail before furling or reefing it. This is done either by collecting the sail together, or by bracing it bye, so that the wind may strike its leech and shiver it. A very effeminate captain was accustomed to order, "Sheevar the meezen taus'le, and let the fore-topmast staysail lie dormant in the brails!"

SPILLING LINES. Ropes contrived to keep the sails from blowing away when they are clued up, being rove before the sails like the buntlines so as to disarm the gale, in contradistinction to clue-lines, &c., which cause the sails to belly full.

SPIN A TWIST OR A YARN, TO. To tell a long story; much prized in a dreary watch, if not tedious.

SPINDLE. The vertical iron pin upon which the capstan moves. (_See_ CAPSTAN.) Also, a piece of timber forming the diameter of a made mast.

Also, the long-pin on which anything revolves. A windla.s.s turns on horizontal spindles at each extremity.

SPINGARD. A kind of small cannon.

SPIRE-VAPOUR. A name suggested to Captain Parry for certain little vertical streams of vapour rising from the sea or open water in the Arctic regions, resembling the _barber_ in North America (which see).

SPIRIT-ROOM. A place or compartment abaft the after-hold, to contain the ship's company's spirits.

SPIRKITTING. That strake of planks which is wrought, anchor-stock-fashion, between the water-way and the lower sill of the gun-ports withinside of a ship of war.--_Spirkitting_ is also used to denote the strake of ceiling between the upper-deck and the plank-sheer of a merchantman; otherwise known as _quick-work_.

SPIT. A bank, or small sandy projection, with shallow water on it, generally running out from a point of land. Also, meteorologically, very slight rain.

SPITFIRE-JIB. In cutters, a small storm-jib of very heavy canvas.

SPITHEAD NIGHTINGALES. Boatswains and boatswains' mates, when winding their calls, especially when piping to dinner.

SPLA-BOARDS. Planks fixed at an obtuse angle, to reflect light into a magazine.

SPLICE. The joining of two ropes together. Familiarly, two persons joined in wedlock.--_To splice._ To join the two untwisted ends of a rope together. There are several methods of making a splice, according to the services for which it is intended; as:--_The long rolling splice_ is chiefly used in lead-lines, log-lines, and fishing-lines, where the short splice would be liable to separation, as being frequently loosened by the water.--_The long splice_ occupies a great extent of rope, but by the three joinings being fixed at a distance from each other, the increase of bulk is divided; hence it resembles a continuous lay, and is adapted to run through the sheave-hole of a block, &c., for which use it is generally intended.--_The short splice_ is used upon cables, slings, block-strops, and, in general, all ropes which are not intended to run through blocks.--_Spliced eye_ forms a sort of eye or circle at the end of a rope, and is used for splicing in thimbles, bull's-eyes, &c., and generally on the end of lashing block-strops. (_See_ EYE-SPLICE.)

SPLICE THE MAIN BRACE. In nautical parlance, to serve out an extra allowance of grog in bad weather or after severe exertion.

SPLICING FID. A tapered wooden pin for opening the strands when splicing large ropes; it is sometimes driven by a large wooden mallet called a _commander_.

SPLINTER-NETTING. A cross-barred net formed of half-inch rope lashed at every rectangular crossing, and spread from rigging to rigging between the main and mizen masts, to prevent wreck from aloft, in action, from wounding the men at the upper-deck guns. They are frequently used at the open hatchways to prevent accidents.

SPLITTER. A man engaged in the Newfoundland fisheries to receive the fish from the _header_, and, with a sharp knife, dexterously to lay it open.

SPLITTING OUT. To remove the blocks on which a vessel rests in a dock, or at launching, when the pressure is too great for them to be driven, but by splitting.

SPLITTING THE BOOKS. The making of a new complete-book after payment, in which the dead, run, or discharged men are omitted; but the numbers which stood against the men's names in the first list must be continued.

SPOKES. The handles of the wheel, not the radii.--_To put a spoke in a man's wheel_, is to say something of him to his advantage, or otherwise.

SPOKE-SHAVE. That useful instrument similar to the carpenter's drawing-knife, for smoothing rounds or hollows.

SPOLIATION OF A SHIP'S PAPERS. An act which, by the maritime law of every court in Europe, not only excludes further proof, but does, _per se_, infer condemnation. Our own code has so far relaxed that this circ.u.mstance shall not be d.a.m.natory. The suppression of ships' papers, however, is regarded in the admiralty courts with great suspicion.

SPONSON. The curve of the timbers and planking towards the outer part of the _wing_, before and abaft each of the paddle-boxes of a steamer.

SPONSON-RIM. The same as _wing-wale_ (which see).

SPONTOON. A light halbert.

SPOOM, TO. An old word frequently found in Dryden, who thus uses it,

"When virtue _spooms_ before a prosp'rous gale, My heaving wishes help to fill the sail."

SPOON-DRIFT. A showery sprinkling of the water swept from the tops of the waves in a brisk gale. Driving snow is also sometimes termed spoon-drift.

SPOONING, OR SPOOMING. Driving under a heavy gale, such as forces a ship to run before it without any canvas set.