164 



CHAPTER II 



DIAGR. I. Ships (white) and ballast (black) from Poole, Dorset, destined to New- 

 foundland during two years, i.ix. 1813-31.VIII. 1814, and 181 5. (The records of 

 September-December 18 14 are missing.) 



The next important task is to find out from where the ballast was taken in the 

 English ports. The kind of soil or other materials used of course determined the 

 kind of living organisms which may be supposed to have found their way on board. 



As far as Poole is concerned, I was told by Mr. Kendall that the ballast heaps on 

 the quay, visible in fig. 21, consisted partly of material brought in by ships arriving 

 in ballast from other ports, for instance from the Iberian Peninsula, and partly 

 of stones, bricks, mortar, &c., from the town (for instance remnants from demo- 

 lished houses). A similar case was related from Bideford through Mr. Boyle: 

 The schooner "Katie", in 1905, took in 20 tons of builders' rubbish (broken bricks, 

 mortar and stone) in Exeter on her way home to Appledore. It seems justifiable 

 to regard this as the normal kind of ballast. The simplest way for a vessel to get 

 ballast before sailing was to have it taken on board from the same wharf where 

 she had discharged her load and the stuff most usually available there was no 

 doubt builders' rubbish. For Bristol Miss Ralph speaks of stones and rubble ob- 

 tained from the banks of River Avon. Later, after 1880, coastal vessels, at least, 

 were using limestone as ballast, an economical method of carrying lime to the 

 farmers (according to information from Mr. John Keast, Streatham, London). 



A different kind of ballast was regularly used by vessels from Bideford, including 

 Appledore, and Barnstaple, as described by Mr. Boyle: —"The ballast was al- 

 ways from the beaches, and sand was liked best. The vessels would be laid on 

 Sandridge at Appledore and given a list, so that when the tide was out the crew 

 could jump out and heave the sand up over the side with shovels. About 40 tons 

 would be enough."— This locality, "The Crow" (figs. 23, 25) north of Appledore, 

 was investigated in 1954 (below, p. 178). 



