Bowsprit

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a spar projecting forward from the bows of a vessel. It supjibboom, and ports the jibboom and flying to the bowsprit and these spars the forestay, foretopmast stay, etc., are secured. It is tied down by the bobstays and by laterally by the gammoning. It is stayed upon the the bowsprit shrouds. It rests The part which stem and the apron. rests on the stem is the bed; the inner ; the part from that point is the housing is the heel; the outer end the inner end head or bees seating. The gammoning is the lashing by which the bowsprit is secured to the knee of the head. The martingale is a spar depending from the bowsprit end, and is used for reeving the stays The heel chain is for holding out the jibboom, and the crupper chain for lashing it down to the bowsprit. The fiddle or bees bowsprit has heel, head, , chock, gammoning, bobstays, shrouds, . Bowmartingale, and dolphin striker sprits are standing, that is, permanent, as in large vessels or sloops; or runningin bowsprits, as in cutters. BOWSTRING HEMP (so called because the fibers of the leaves are used for bowstrings by the natives of the country where they grow), an English name for sanseviera, a genus of liliaceæ. It is called also African hemp. The species are stemless perennials, with whitish or yellowish green clusters of flowers. They are found in Africa and southern Asia. Sanseviera roxburghiana is the moorva or marvel of India, the fibers of which are used in the manufacture of string.