Index to Volume Seven - The People - Dock Family Trees - Glossary . . .

Ballast - Any heavy solid material such as iron or stone placed in the hold of a vessel to assist stability whilst in a light or unladen condition. With the advent of the steamship, water ballast was preferred since it could be pumped out whilst loading was being undertaken saving the time, labour and cost of manually removing solid ballast prior to taking on cargos.

Lazarette - A compartment on a vessel used to store supplies etc. for the voyage which is normally located near the stern.

Lucifer Match - A match whose tip was dipped in flammable chemicals and ignited by friction i.e. striking against a suitable rough surface c.1827. It pre-dated the safety match.

Cannel Coal - and other coals such as boghead coal, and torbanite, are part of a group called 'sapropelic coals' Instead of being formed from land plants they are formed from sapropel - slime and sludge layers of organic matter (mostly algal), that form in stagnant oxygen-less environments on the floors of lakes and seas. [025]

Donkeyman - A hand whose duties included maintaining the boilers on board a ship.

Donkey-engine - Steam donkey engines were typically a small secondary engine used to handle cargoes or perform other tasks such as pumping and winching cables and chains.

League - one league is equal to three nautical miles. [255]

Port - The left-hand side of a vessel, when looking forward aboard a vessel (shows a red light). [255]

Starboard - the right-hand side of a vessel, when looking forward aboard a vessel (shows a green light). [255]

Rules of Navigation - When ships pass each other in restricted space they pass 'Port' to 'Port', (in motoring language, they drive on the right). When crossing each other's path ships give way 'Starboard to Port', either by the ship giving way going slowly, stopping, or steaming around the stern of the other vessel (in motoring language, they give way to vessels approaching from the right). [255]

Forecastle - The raised deck in the bows (the front). [255]