See also:

• OAR (A.S. kr; M. Eng. ore; Lat. remus; Gr. iperw5s : Sans. aritra; Fr. rame; Ital. Span., Port. Yana)

OAR (A.S. kr; M. Eng. ore; See also:

• LAT

Lat. remus; Gr. iperw5s : Sans. aritra; Fr. rame; Ital. Span., See also:

• PORT

Port. Yana)  , the See also:

• INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

instrument used for propelling a See also:

• BOAT (0. Eng. bdt; the true etymological connexion with Dutch and Ger. boot, Fr. bateau, Ital. battello presents great difficulties; Celtic forms are from O. Eng.)

boat in See also:

• ROWING (O. Eng. rowan, to row, cf. Lat. remus, Gr. perµbr, oar)

rowing (q.v.) . The word " See also:

• OAR (A.S. kr; M. Eng. ore; Lat. remus; Gr. iperw5s : Sans. aritra; Fr. rame; Ital. Span., Port. Yana)

oar " is probably derived from an old See also:

• ROOT (late O.E. rot, adopted from Scand., cf. Norw. and Swed. rot, Dan. rod; the true O.E. word was wyrt, plant, represented in Ger. Wurz or Wurzel; the ultimate root is the same in both words, and is seen in Lat. radix)
• ROOT, ELIHU (1845– )

root ar, meaning to drive, to force away (cf. ar-ar-e, aratrum, plough) . Such an appellation would easily be suggested by the visible difference in the See also:

• ACTION

action of the See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power employed by means of the oar against a thowl, or See also:

• ROWLOCK (pronounced rullock or rollock)

rowlock, from that of the more See also:

• PRIMITIVE

primitive See also:

• PADDLE

paddle, where the power is gained by the action of one See also:

• HAND
• HAND (a word common to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Hand, Goth. handus)
• HAND, FERDINAND GOTTHELF (1786-185r)

hand against the other . In the development of rowing from paddling the task of shaping the instrument of propulsion must have followed gradually the necessities indicated by use . In rowing, as well as in paddling, the leverage is of the second See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order, in which the See also:

• WEIGHT

weight lies between the power and the fulcrum . The point at which the power pressed the See also:

• ARM (a common Teutonic word; the Indo-European root is ar, to join or fit; cf. the Lat. armus, shoulder, and the plural word arma, weapons, Gr. apphs, joint, and the reduplicated apapilKSV, to join)

arm of the See also:

• LEVER (through O. Fr. leveour, levere, mod. levier, from Lat. levare, to lift, raise)
• LEVER, CHARLES JAMES (1806-1872)

lever against the weight in rowing would soon attract See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention by the frequent breakage of the paddle so employed . Experience would demand a thicker See also:

• LOOM

loom, and would soon See also:

• TEACH [THATCH OR THACH], EDWARD (d. 1718)

teach the desirability of increasing the leverage where possible, and upon this would arise naturally the See also:

• PRACTICAL

practical questions of the length of the oar, of the breadth of the blade, and of the right proportion of the parts of the oar, inboard and outboard, to each other . Then would also occur the problem of how to keep this proportion, which in practice would be liable to disarrangement by the slipping outward of the oar during the recovery from each stroke . Hence would arise the use of the thong (rpoabs, rpoircari7p), See also:

• FAMILIAR (through the Fr. familier, from Lat. familiaris, of or belonging to the familia, family)

familiar to See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek and See also:

• MODERN

modern Levantine, and, in See also:

• NORTHERN

northern and western See also:

• WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters, the invention of the " See also:

• BUTTON (Fr. bouton, O. Fr. boton, apparently from the same root as bouter, to push)

button," with which in various shapes the rowing See also:

• WORLD

world is now provided . Other devices, such as a hole bored in a piece of See also:

• WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
• WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
• WOOD, MRS HENRY [ELLEN] (1814—1887)
• WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

wood attached to the oar, or even a See also:

• METAL
• METAL (through Fr. from Lat. metallum, mine, quarry, adapted from Gr. µATaXAov, in the same sense, probably connected with ,ueraAAdv, to search after, explore, µeTa, after, aAAos, other)

metal See also:

• RING (O.E. hring; a word common to Teutonic languages; and probably cognate with the Lat. circus, Gr. KtpKOS or KpLKOS, Skt'. chakra, wheel, circle, cf. also " harangue "); in art, a band of circular shape of varying sizes, made of any material and used f

ring, will, in different localities, be found answering the same purpose . In the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early stages of the transition from paddling to rowing, the oar would naturally be used at an acute See also:

• ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle vertically to the boat's See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side . In paddling the upper hand is used to push from you, the See also:

• LOWER

lower hand to pull towards you .

But in rowing both hands are used to pull towards you . As See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long as the oar was used at an acute angle vertically to the boat's side, the position of the upper hand on the oar would have to be reversed, as it would more easily grasp the oar with the See also:

• WRIST

wrist turned inward towards the See also:

• BODY

body . In many of the earlier representations of rowing this position of the upper hand seems to be indicated . This distinction should not be lost sight of, as the position of the hands on the oar affects not only the See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character of the stroke, but also the requirements as to the length of the oar and the breadth of the blade . The See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of the oars given in the representations of early See also:

• EGYPTIAN

Egyptian See also:

• SHIPS

ships is suggestive of paddles used as oars . Paddle-shaped also are the oars of the Phoenician ships shown on the See also:

• ASSYRIAN

Assyrian sculptures at Koyunjik (See also:

• LAYARD, SIR AUSTEN HENRY (1817-1894)

Layard), the date of which is about 700 B.C . The same form is seen on some of the early vases, but in some that are attributed to two centuries later the form is modified, and the oar blade proper begins to take shape . The types exhibited in the representations of the See also:

• ROMAN

Roman galleys are generally heavy and clumsy enough in See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance . Still they are veritable oars, not paddles . The material of which the ancient oars were usually made was See also:

• PINE (Lat. Pinus, Gr. srlrur)

pine, which then, as now, was most suitable for the purpose, being tough and comparatively See also:

• LIGHT

light and easily shaped as regards loom and blade . The oars of the See also:

• ATTIC (i.e. "in the Attic style ")

Attic trireme were, if we may See also:

• JUDGE (Lat. judex, Fr. juge)

judge by those of which only we have the measurement recorded, not much longer for the upper See also:

• BANK

bank than those of a modern racing eight, while those of the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle and lower See also:

• BANKS, GEORGE LINNAEUS (1821-1881)
• BANKS, NATHANIEL PRENTISS (1816–1894)
• BANKS, SIR JOSEPH
• BANKS, THOMAS (1735-1805)

banks could not have been much longer than those used now in the whalers and dinghies of the Royal See also:

• NAVY

Navy . As the oarsmen on either side probably sat in the same See also:

• VERTICAL (from Lat. vertex, highest point)

vertical See also:

• PLANE

plane, the inboard portion of the oars amidships was longer than the inboard of those fore and aft, having to conform to the curvature of the See also:

• VESSEL (O. Fr. vaissel, from a rare Lat. vascellum, dim. of vas, vase, urn)

vessel's sides (cf .

See also:

• ARISTOTLE
• ARISTOTLE (384-322 B.C.)

Aristotle, Mechanica, v.) . No doubt in vessels of larger See also:

• SIZE

size the upper tiers of oars would be longer, and, if we are to believe Callixenus, as cited by See also:

• ATHENAEUS

Athenaeus, in the See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• SHIP

ship of See also:

• PTOLEMY (CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAEUS)

Ptolemy the oars of the upper tier were over 50 ft. in length with handles leaded so as to equalize the weight inboard and outboard . It is difficult to trace any detail of difference between the oars of the Roman See also:

• PERIOD
• PERIOD (Gr. irepioSos, a going or way round, circuit, aepi, round, and &Sis, way, road)

period and those of the See also:

• BYZANTINE

Byzantine and See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval galleys . In the medieval See also:

• GALLEY (derived through the 0. Fr. galee, galie, from the Med. Lat. galea, Ital. galea, Port. gale, of uncertain origin; from the Med. Lat. variant form galera are derived the Mod. Fr. galere, Span. and Ital. galera)

galley by the invention of the " apostis," a framework on which the thowls were fixed, sufficient See also:

• ROOM

room was given for the See also:

• PLAY

play of longer oars, and, as the See also:

• NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity of combining See also:

• SPEED, JOHN (1552–1629)

speed with greater carrying power in the galley became pressing, the arrangement See also:

• CILIA (plural of Lat. cilium, eyelash)

cilia scaloccio came into See also:

• VOGUE, EUGENE MELCHIOR, COMTE DE (1848- )

vogue, employing four or five or even seven men to each of the long sweeps by which the galleys and galleasses were propelled . For these large oars we hear of ash and See also:

• BEECH

beech being used as well as pine . In the Mediterranean the galley propelled by oars long remained the See also:

• PRINCIPAL

principal type of See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war vessel . In the See also:

• ATLANTIC

Atlantic, and in the northern seas, it was otherwise . The employment of See also:

• ARTILLERY (the O. Fr. artiller, to equip with engines of war, probably comes from Late Lat. articulum, dim. of ars, art, cf. " engine " from ingenium, or of artus, joint)

artillery on See also:

• BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board ship gradually deter- See also:

• MINED

mined a See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change in the method of propulsion . The use of sails 19 Table showing Oars used in Royal Navy . Description of Oars . See also:

• BLADES, WILLIAM (1824-1890)

Blades . Material .

No . Vessel . Length . Thickness . Length . Breadth . allowed . I . . 17—16 17 2y—I e 5' 8" 51" 18 Launches, 42' 162s I* 5'4" 51" 2 . Pinnaces, 36' . 17-16 .. 16 32' .

16—15 15 2*—Is 5' 0" 54" 14 30' . 16—15 .. 12 3 . Cutters, 34' . 15-14 14 2 —Is 4' 8" 5a" 14 32' . 15-14 .. . . . . (r, 14 30' . 15—14 .. . . .. w 12 28' .

15—14 .. . . . . C I0 26' 15—14 .. . . .. w lo See also:

• GIG

gig, 20' . 15—14 .. . . . . , 4 4 . Galleys 32' . 17-16 ..

. . . . 6 5 . Gigs, 30' 17-16 3 6 28' . 17-16 .. . . 6 6 . Whalers, 27' . 15-14 • • • • 5 i " v 7 . Skiff dinghies, 16' . io-8 1 2 _-1IIe 4" 44" 4* Io I 9 a ' 4s" 3' 8 . Dinghies, 13z' . Io-8 111-11 2' 10" 41" 4 8 * Allowed See also:

• SPOON (O. Eng. span, a chip or splinter of wood, cf. Du. spoon, Ger. Spahn, in same sense, probably related to Gr. r4 v, wedge)

spoon-blade oars, Notes.-(1) Since 1893 some curved or spoon-bladed oars have been made at See also:

• DEVONPORT
• DEVONPORT, EAST

Devonport .

(2) There is no See also:

• RECORD (Lat. recordari, to recall to mind, from cor, heart or mind)

record of buttons being used, but on See also:

• FIR

fir oars, which were covered with See also:

• CANVAS

canvas on the loom, it was sometimes customary to See also:

• WORK

work a Turk's See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head at the end of the canvas for See also:

• ORNAMENT (Lat. ornare, to adorn)

ornament . (3) As regards sweeps, they used to be made of ash and were 3o ft. long . They were used last in training brigs, but there is no record of them for the last twenty years . became necessary, and remained dominant until the introduction of See also:

• STEAM
• STEAM (0. Eng. steam, vapour, smoke, cf. Du. steam; the origin is unknown)

steam (see SHIP) . But as See also:

• LATE

late as the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of the See also:

• SPANISH

Spanish See also:

• ARMADA, THE

Armada, and even later, large See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea-going vessels were provided with long sweeps which came into use when sailing was not available . In our own time, in the lighters on tidal See also:

• RIVERS
• RIVERS, ANTHONY WOODVILLE, or WYDEVILLE, 2ND EARL (c. 1442—1483)
• RIVERS, EARL
• RIVERS, RICHARD SAVAGE, 4TH EARL (c. 1660—1712)

rivers, may be seen long oars, plied by one or two or more men, which recall the type of oars once in See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general use in large galleys three centuries ago . The oars used by the Northmen were, to judge by the remains discovered along with old See also:

• VIKING

Viking ships 1 at Gokstad and else-where, very similar to those in use at the See also:

• PRESENT

present time in the fishing boats around our coasts . Those of the large See also:

• CRAFT (a word common to Teutonic languages for strength, or power; cf. Ger. Kraft)

craft were, to judge by the length of one found whole, somewhat over 18 ft. in length with a 5-in. blade and a See also:

• DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

diameter of 3 in. halfway down the loom . Some smaller oars, evidently used for boats, measured 1r ft. with a 4-in. blade . The oars were of pine, and the looms of some of them showed a groove cut for a clamp at the See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place where the oar rested on the See also:

• SILL
• SILL (O.Eng. syl, Mid. E. sylle, selle; the word appears in Icel. syll, svill, Swed. syll, and Dan. syld, and in German, as Schwelle; Skeat refers to the Teutonic root swal-, swell, the word meaning the rise or swell formed by a beam at a threshold; the L
• SILL, EDWARD ROWLAND (1841-1887)

sill of the rowlock . Comparing these oars with the measurements given below of oars now in use in the Royal Navy, it is apparent that there is no great difference in type between them . Passing on to oars used on rivers and fresh See also:

• WATER

water generally, we find the type differs considerably from that of the oars used in sea-going craft .

The See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief difference consists in the shape of the blade, which, instead of continuing the straight See also:

• LINE

line of the loom in its expansion to its proper breadth, is fashioned in a See also:

• CURVE (Lat. curvus, bent)

curve calculated to offer a rigid resistance to the water during the stroke ? The loom below the button is not rounded but is more of an See also:

• OVAL (Lat. ovum, egg)

oval to the front with a See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat back . From the oval front a spine runs down into the blade, in some cases to nearly See also:

• HALF

half its length . During the last few years the so-called " girder " oars, with much thicker looms but See also:

• DOUBLE
• DOUBLE (from the Mid. Eng. duble, the form which gives the present pronunciation, through the Old Er. duble, from Lat. duplus, twice as much)

double grooved along their length, have been used for racing purposes . This invention gives additional strength and stiffness, without increasing the weight of the oar, which varies a little but is usually about 8 lb . The blades vary much in breadth, as indeed do the oars in See also:

• TOTAL

total length, and in proportion of inboard to outboard . The necessities of the Aiding seat in racing boats have given rise to much difference of See also:

• OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion among rowing men as to the right proportion . In the middle of the 19th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century the use of square looms inboard, and of a button to turn inside and against the thowl, was See also:

• COMMON

common, and most oars had a small slab of hard wood let in below the button, so as to See also:

• SAVE, or SAVA (Ger. Sau; Hungarian Szdva; Lat. Savus)

save the oar from See also:

• WEAR

wear and See also:

• TEAR

tear at the rowlock . But since See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round looms came into vogue the round See also:

• LEATHER (a word which appears in all Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Leder, Dutch leer or leder, Swed. leder, and in such Celtic forms as Welsh llader)
• LEATHER, ARTIFICIAL

leather See also:

• EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear has taken the place of the old square button, and the loom is covered with leather for some inches above and below this so as to protect it from See also:

• ABRASION (from Lat. ab, off, and radere, to scrape)

abrasion . Of late the introduction of swivel rowlocks for racing boats has caused a further modification in the form of buttons . Swivel rowlocks have come into general use for sculling boats, pair oars and coxswainless fours . But as yet they do not appear to have captured the racing eight, except in a few instances .

Neither crews nor coaches in See also:

• ENGLISH

English waters seem inclined to See also:

• PART

part with the time-honoured rhythmic See also:

• MUSIC

music of the oar in the rowlock, which from the days of antiquity even until now has, to practised ears, told its own See also:

• TALE (O.Eng. talu, number, account, story; the word is common to many Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Zahl, number, Erzahlung, narrative, Du. taal, speech, language)

tale as to the See also:

• CREW (sometimes explained as a sea term of Scandinavian origin, cf. O. Icel. kris, a swarm or crowd, but now regarded as a shortened form of accrue, accrewe, used in the 16th century in the sense of a reinforcement, O. Fr. acreue, from accrofire, to grow,
• CREW, NATHANIEL CREW, 3RD BARON (1633–1721)

crew being together or not in the stroke . In the See also:

• CASE
• CASE, JOHN (d. 1600)

case of racing eights, when the round loom oars superseded the square loom, the early patterns were commonly (e.g. in 1857) 12' 6" over all, 3' 8" inboard, with a long blade 41" to 5" in breadth . These were succeeded by a See also:

• PATTERN

pattern 12' 6" over all, 3' 6" inboard, with a much shorter blade 6" broad . Since sliding seats came in the See also:

• AVERAGE

average oar has been 12' 4" over all, 3' 81" inboard, with 52" to 6i-," blades . The modern racing oar may be said to date from 1869, the See also:

• YEAR

year of the See also:

• OXFORD
• OXFORD, EARLS OF
• OXFORD, EDWARD DE VERE, 17TH EARL
• OXFORD, JOHN DE VERE, 13TH EARL OF (1443-1513)
• OXFORD, PROVISIONS OF
• OXFORD, ROBERT DE VERE, 9TH EARL OF (1362-1392)
• OXFORD, ROBERT HARLEY, 1ST

Oxford and Harvard See also:

• RACE

race at Putney . Until very lately no material alteration had taken place in this pattern, except in the See also:

• MATTER

matter of width of blade . Some authorities, however, are, as has been 1 See Viking Ship, Nicolaysen (See also:

• CHRISTIANIA (officially KRISTIANIA)

Christiania, 1882) . 2 Since 1890 the curved blade seems to have been adopted in some cases in the oars made at Devonport for the Royal Navy.said above, far from satisfied with the present average oar, and are using shorter patterns, ii' 1o" or 12' o" over all, 3' 7" inboard, and 7" blades . Single grooved oars were first made in See also:

• AMERICA

America . But with the single groove a side weakness is often See also:

• DEVELOPED

developed in the loom, and hence the double girder, invented by G . Ayling, has generally superseded the single groove, though many oarsmen prefer the See also:

• BOX
• BOX (Gr. irl or, Lat. buxus, box-wood; cf. 2r6Eir, a pyx)

box loom by the same inventor . It is clear, however, that no finality has been reached in the making of oars .

Tubular oars, first introduced at See also:

• HENLEY, JOHN (1692-1759)
• HENLEY, WILLIAM ERNEST (1849-1903)

Henley by the Belgian crew in 1906, are now being tried, with circular or quadrangular bores, strengthened by the insertion of an See also:

• ALUMINIUM (symbol Al; atomic weight 27.0)

aluminium See also:

• SHELL
• SHELL (O. Eng. scell, scyll, cf. Du. sceel, shell, Goth. skalja, tile; the word means originally a thin flake,. cf. Swed. skalja, to peel off; it is allied to " scale " and " skill," from a root meaning to cleave, divide, separate)

shell . For much of the See also:

• INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information above given respecting the See also:

• RECENT

recent developments in oar-making for racing purposes and See also:

• RIVER

river work, the writer is indebted to Messrs Ayling & Sons of Putney, whose patented inventions and improvements are well known to rowing men . (E .