INDIAN BOAT DESIGNS. 



189 



Above this size of boat, the spritsail rig is seldom used ; a big squaresail takes 

 its place with a topsail above in many cases (fig. 26). The mast is always stepped 

 far forward. Right in the bows a number of wooden thole-pins are set in the gunwale 

 ready for use with the powerful sweeps usually lying alongside ready for a loss of 

 wind or tide. 



The most remarkable feature of these cargo carriers is the great steering paddle. 

 Supported in a grommet from the quarter gunwale, the shaft is specially long as the 

 steersman works it from a high platform on the aft roof of the cabin. To give easy 

 leverage a short handle bar— the prototype of the tiller — is fixed at right angles into 

 the paddle shaft near the free end. 



The blade itself is very wide and powerful, but rather short. This form of steer- 



FiG. 27. — A cargo-carrier of the Ganges. 



ing paddle is essentially the same as the type of fixed quarter^ oar characteristic of 

 ancient Egyptain craft. It is notable that in Egypt this device was employed even 

 in quite small boats whereas in Bengal it is never used except in the cargo carriers. 

 In the largest river cargo carriers a very wide and powerful rudder takes the place of 

 the steering paddle (PI. I, fig. 2); in many cases it assumes the form of a balanced 

 rudder in which a considerable portion of the blade is placed forward of the turning axis 

 exactly as in the fixed quarter steering paddle from which it is plain to see it is directly 

 derived. Between the steering paddle and the balance rudder fitted upon a sternpost, 

 an intermediate form (fig. 27) is sometimes seen ; in this the balanced rudder form in 

 nearly all its details is used, but differs therefrom in being hung from the quarter and 

 not upon the sternpost. 



