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:
“The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”
—Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935)
““Heap coals of fire on the head of your enemy” Mthis most uncharitable advice is found in a book [the Bible], of which charity is reckoned the standard principle.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“When there was no more lantern in the kitchen,
The fire got out through crannies in the stove
And danced in yellow wrigglers on the ceiling,
As much at home as if they’d always danced there.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)