Fire
Fire is a serious threat to all ships, but to a ship made of wood, rope, and canvas, it was the greatest danger of all. Cooking fires in the galley were watched constantly, and put out instantly if the weather turned ugly, or an enemy ship appeared in the distance. Warships had an elaborate set of procedures for handling their gunpowder; the magazines were deep in the ship and the lanterns kept in another room, with a window between.
The introduction of steam power in the mid-19th century was attended by the use of "fire-engines" consisting of pumps and hoses. Even so, fire was fatal to a ship far more often than not.
Read more about this topic: Sailing Ship Accidents
Famous quotes containing the word fire:
“There is a slumbering subterranean fire in nature which never goes out, and which no cold can chill.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The wound that’s made by fire will heal,
But the wound that’s made by tongue will never heal.”
—Tiruvalluvar (c. 5th century A.D.)
“The true preacher can be known by this, that he deals out to the people his life,—life passed through the fire of thought.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)