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

1886 - Bute Docks, Cardiff - Dispatch in Loading - The fine full-rigged ship Hindostan left Liverpool on the 3rd inst., entered the East Bute Dock on the 5th, discharged ballast, took on board stiffening coal, and completed her cargo of 2,500 tons of Bute Merthyr coal on the 17th inst., and sailed for the West coast of South America early on the morning of the 19th inst. - The Western Mail [164] [361] 20th February 1886.

Ballast - Stiff - Crank - Tender - The ballast and cargo in sailing ships was required to counterbalance the substantial mass of the sails, masts, spars and rigging, as well as the variable force and direction of the wind.

Vessels too much ballast were 'stiff.' The centre of gravity was too low, and they were liable to roll excessively and violently, so that men working aloft might be thrown off and masts damaged or lost.

Vessels with insufficient ballast, or none at all, were unstable and described as 'crank' or 'tender.' In this case the centre of gravity was too high, they were at risk of falling over and capsizing.

The effects of being stiff or crank were also experienced in steamships, as they could be just as unstable as sailing vessels.

Ballast was costly, both in terms of time and money, as it could take weeks of hard toil to load and unload both ballast and cargo. This meant labour costs, as well as the expense of purchasing ballast, which could rarely be resold. [760]

'When ships were going to have ballast removed heavy, floating, built-up logs weighing several tons were lashed alongside the ship each side, prior to removing the ballast from the ship's holds, so she would be ready to take her cargo.' [1367]