BOA

B O C

470

Vessel, there is a large opening, three feet long, and fifteen incheswide, pointed out by o, o, o, (fig. 2 ;) and o, (fig. 3 ;) the foursides of which are secured by a frame-work, marked r, (fig. 1,and 3,) to prevent the water from entering the vessel. Throughthis opening, also, the boatman is enabled to step upon the icein those places where it is too uneven to admit the sliding of theboat, and to carry it by means ©f the handles, as represented infig. 1, where the person standing is marked only with dottedlines, to shew that he has quitted his former station in the boat.—Another advantage derived from this aperture, in the middle ofthe boat, is the counterpoise which a column of water in its centreproduces, and thus prevents it from being overset, while the manwho carried it over the ice immediately raises himself above thelevel of the water, and sits down in the vessel. But, in order toapproach nearer to the person whose life is endangered, there isalso employed a ladder with a long-jointed handle, which is push-ed forward, and held by another person standing on the firm ice.On this ladder (which will be delineated among the implements ofrestoration from Drowning) the boatman places himself, and ad-vances as near as possible to the body immersed in the water.Having successfully extracted it, no time should be lost in layingit in a proper posture in the boat; for which purpose there is akind of chair with an elevated back, on the stern of the boat,which last exhibits the longitudinal section of the vessel. Theswiftness and dexterity with which this machine may be managed,by expert assistants, is almost incredible. The whole of thisuseful apparatus costs only 150 marks currency, or about 10/.sterling.

Boat, Life, a boat invented by Mr. Henry Greathead, ofSouth Shields for the purpose of preserving the lives of ship-wrecked persons. The following circumstance gave rise to thisinvention : in September 1739, the ship Adventure of Newcastlewas stranded on the Herd sand, on the south side of Tynemouthhaven, in the midst of tremendous breakers; and all the crewdropped from the rigging one by one, in the presence of thousandsof spectators; not one of whom could be prevailed upon, by anyreward, to venture out to her assistance, in any boat or coble ofthe common construction. On this occasion the gentlemen ofSouth Shields called a meeting of the inhabitants, at which a com-mittee was appointed, and premiums were offered for plans of aboat which should be best calculated to brave the dangers of thesea, particularly of broken water. Many proposals were offered ;but the preference was unanimously given to that of Mr. Great-head, who was immediately directed to build a boat at the expenseof the committee. This boat went off on the 30th of January,1790; and so well has it answered, and indeed exceeded, everyexpectation in the most tremendous broken sea, that since thattime not fewer than two hundred lives have been saved at the en-trance of the Tyne alone, which otherwise must have been lost;and in no instance has it ever failed. The principle of this boat ap-pears to have been suggested to Mr. Greathead by the followingsimple fact: Take a spheroid, and divide it into quarters; eachquarter is elliptical, and nearly resembles the half of a woodenbow l, having a curvature with projecting ends; this, thrown intothe sea, or broken water, cannot be upset, or lie with the bottomupwards. Mr. Fairless, who furnished some useful bints respect-ing the original plan, describes the vessel as measuring thirty feetby ten, resembling in form a common Greenland boat, but morefiat in the bottom. The quantity of cork employed in the con-struction is about seven hundred weight, with which the boat islined, inside as well as outside of the gunwales, two feet in breadth ;the seats being also filled with the same materials. It is rowed byten men, double-banked, and steered by one at each end withoars, being alike in its form at both ends, and contrived so as notto sink in the sand. This boat draws very little water, and cancarry twenty persons, even when full of water. Being water-proof,and rendered buoyant by cork, it always keeps afloat, preservingits equilibrium without danger of oversetting, and is able to con-tend against the most tremendous sea, having never failed, in asingle instance, of conveying a distressed ship’s crew in safety.When taken out in the highest seas and broken water, the mentestify no apprehension ; and though cork-jackets were at first pro-vided for them, yet their confidence in the boat is so great, thatthey now refuse them. A model of this useful boat is kept atNorthumberland-house, in the Strand, The whole cost of this

vessel, when complete and copper-nailed, is about 150/. A pa-tent has lately been granted to Mr. Edward Steers, of die InnerTemple, for a machine to be applied to boats and other vessels,for the purpose of moving them with ease and swiftness. 'I bisinvention consists of two or more paddles, moving by means ofmachinery, in contrary and alternate directions. The paddles areso constructed, that when the machinery is set in motion, thebroad surface of one or more of them will press against the water,while the broad surface of the other, or others, will give way to it,and by this means the vessel will be moved.

Boat-Hook, an iron hook, with a sharp point on the hinderpart of it, fixed on a long pole, used in bringing it to, or pushingit from, any other boat, ship, &c.

BOATING, a horrid kind of punishment in use among theancient Persians for capital offenders. The manner of boatingwas this : The person condemned to it being laid on his back in aboat, and having his hands stretched out, and tied fast on each sideof it, had another boat put over him, his head being left outthrough a place fit for it. in this posture they fed him, till theworms, which were bred in the excrements he voided as lie thuslay, eat out bis bowels, and so caused bis death, which was usuallytwenty days in effecting, the criminal lying all this while in most,exquisite torment.

BOATSWAIN, a ship-officer, to whom is committed thecharge of all the tacklings, sails and rigging, ropes, cables, anchors*flags, pendants, &c. He is also to take care of the long-boat andits furniture, and to steer her either by himself or his mate. Hecalls out the several gangs and companies aboard, to the due exe-cution of their watches, works, spells, &c. It is likewise his officeto assist with his mates in the necessary business of the ship: andto relieve the watch when it expires.

BOB, or BALL, is a metallic weight attached to the lower ex-tremity of a pendulum-rod, by means of a tapped adjusting nut,at such a distance trnm the point of suspension as the time of agiven vibration requires.

BOBAR'I 1A, a genus of the digynia order, and triandria classof plants ; natural order, Gramina. Calyx imbricated ; corolla abivalve glume, above the receptacles of the fruit; seed single, oval,and contained in the cup.

BOBBIN, a small piece of wood turned in the form of a cy-linder, with a little border jutting out at each end, bored throughto receive a small iron pivot. It serves to spin with the spin-ning-wheel, or to wind thread, worsted, hair, cotton, silk, gold,and silver.

BOBBING, among fishermen, a particular manner of catchingeels, which is thus performed : They scour well some large lobs,and with a needle run a twisted silk-thread through them fromend to end, taking so many as that they may wrap them about aboard a dozen times at least; then they tie them fast with thetwo ends of the silk, that they may hang them in so many hanks ;which done, they fasten to a strong cord, and about an handfuland a half above the worms, fix a plummet three-fourths of a lb.weight, ami make the cord fast to a strong pole. With this appa-ratus fishing in muddy water, they feel the eels tug lustily at thebait; when they think they have swallowed it sufficiently, theygently draw up the rope to the top, and bring them ashore.

BOBCHE11RY, a play among children, in which the cherryis hung so as to bob against the mouth.

BOBIO, a territory of Italy in the Milanese; also its capital.Lon. 10. 15. E. I.at. 44. 35. N.

Bomo, the largest river of Chili, in South America .

BOBISATIO, or BOCEDISATIO, in music, denotes theusing of the seven syllables As, ce, di, ga, h, mu, ni, to expressthe seven musical notes, in lieu of the six inlrodticed by Aretine ,ut, refine, fa,fnl, la, as has been sometimes done by the Nether-land and German musicians since the beginning of the 17th cen-tury, to avoid the mutation necessary in the use of the latter.

BOBSTAY, in sea-language, a rope used to confine the bow-sprit of a ship downward to the stem.

BOGANUM, in ancient geography, a town of Mauritania Tin-gitana, to the S. of Mount Atlas; supposed to be Morocco .

BOCARDO, in logic, the fifth mode of the first figure of syl-logisms, wherein the first proposition is particular and negative ;the second, universal and affirmative; and the third, or conclusion,particular and negative. Thus:

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BOC Soraf