IMAGINATION-AND LACK OF IT

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1934, Page 14

IMAGINATION-AND LACK OF IT

, : :;v; V (By •! Martingale.7)

■: •■.'■.■/ :..:'■';.-vMI-)' '. r:;V;;:;;;-.'. : , those' >yho. know shipping',com-, pa'n'ies only as names' or' as the occupiers' of certain buildings in ; a ' city little ■>s probably, known of ; how: much tinio and, thought is put into the' apparently simple/job of .deciding -how ; a iiew ship, shall be " christened. '■' For those shipping.- firms, whiph iruiuigc in the habit of, naming their vessels .after ports, or.clans,' or castlos, or aristocracy thei-task is, comparatively ; pasy .compared: with, that of .firms which hayo,no set,/rule, in making their But. even the ;former Vco'icorns must find.a limit to their choice:''.cither, from a.lack jof. suitable appellations .0r,.,a failure in ; the sjipply. ,„ Today; .thorp are, some ,31,00.0, ships of oyor, 100 tons gross'afloat, eacji,.with few exceptions',' flaunting' a .different ■■name, v.Tukqri bv^r":a century. the;.;t6tal. .wpiild. prpb; ably exceed:a quarter-.of a million; and a 'quarter,:ot! a million sppaiatc.: tttid distinct; names are; not bnay to '.tliink of.'' A. cc'nt.ury has; seoiu tlio passing, of. sail .-URtil iti,is ;n .coinpnt'tttiy.ely negligible .■■; quuntity,; and; -with tti_a'!t"?passing.,.ha'B,.gpnc,;'!.to: >,a,yilargo., exteiit,: -the,'.old 'style ,of. nomonclature. Fifty, years flr; so : agov.it was thoigciir, eral practice,,to ..name, ships in-clistinct fashion—the.; use' of /fixed : Lino : iyords such as; Clan-or 'Castlo;: being Jif airly limited: ■ •••:..'.;V.;,■,'■ :.■„•'•; ■' ,■■,':)' ,■: :■■, ■> - "■..;'.; v: ■■;■■■>:

•'l'vEiut fifty.,yearg;,and jmoro.ihd'yo seen alremark'ab'lei:expanHpn=in.';tho.v-worlJ-f8

fleets^^ith\a;;Cbii|equentßemand!:, for morjß^names^to ; brnament;ithem.!;^j;-<-

I; Of; recent ; it',has.?-;become '■'■;■, the; prietfcc^i^ notability'by calling : a ship after,!him" or/;hej\ ■ ■{ Amongst:;•BritishyfirmsV this custom . hot. ( bqe"n ..adopted t tp7.any great, extent) biit. iother X'-nationalities have;' takenf;ui>;!the A prac,tic^with ■'■■■ im : , pressive,:'if not. entirely; ;becutifui;;re : sults.V . Here' ~ar<> '& , .f.ew^of ; vtlte j ships; owned variously^ ?that can ,;■ boast ; a nptabUity's;riajneir^Abrahain:,jjinco.ln, Adrien/ de , M6ntgi)lfle.r,;,'Chef ;i.Ma'c'anicien!; Armahd;nßlaric^ 'Fernandp^ lli.' t d& Ybarra/' Gtyuverneuir.- Gen'el'al'viie'JGrueyr' d6n;*H6race"'Xi s ;Baxter,v; jam es^Ellwpod JSnesV liieutjeniinitMSt^ f tou^ert''"'. Bie,; .MaVnLs!^il■^St; v•■A)3e^oh■dej^■ail:^■•'A'nlta■: I. ■•'■While;'!th*ese'v,na"mfs't'gen.eVally;;.,doViipt slip;.off the-tongu^; with) great lease, ;;6r may^-nbt.-be/rememberedvwithp.ut mental strain, : they certainly,have -an air about .■tK«[m^*'-X \Thqy;!,|(jo}::; nqt^ho.we v.e':r;y.|.iriat-■■cate;th^t;lmiich'-'.'e'ffo.rt^was;i.cqnirVd/{in ■their, invention.;:ti.«;il j;v;-. f ;f.■,:•::..;-,; •-- ■■■'.^■^'■■'. '.r:VA^different/';taak: ''was\\'face'd4by..v/.t;he JBfitisiipinker Company, vrhich, having adoptedJthe prefix of;'^British'' to all theirJships, had'i:to>fihdi^^ ari: .accompariyr in'g')w6rdr:tpydj.stinguUh-Ithein;/ vi':ln-.'allj there afe'about one hundredv''British " ships, ,-ratiging;?tin" dignity; ;f r^pm ;British Chiyairy!'and "BritishVßesourcOj to': the humanim/f v ;British' 'y>phe,mist v :. s /British Eetrol>;fand~:British.;, AyiatorJ ■■)^ : . ''■':';-'.'•. ;''. K;The;Clani:iipe,,-;tbp,^:haye:;had!their resourcof uliiess taxed: 'a f little.;'/: There ari-plenty. of 'Scotsi/^lans'vlo'ftjto. name aiship'after,.butjtherresultshrould be"" entirely ; aesthetic/were /they Kused.! jGlan \MacgilUvray?prpvidesy:a'^}. tongue twister no:{less'than;.does;'Clan ' Colqik ji'6unfwheii-iit^isVrerteintiored.',that/;thcße should jibe, prpnflu'iibed, yith ',\ the-correct northern : accpnt.; :4Glans .■Alpine, >.-Mac;.. neii,{Moir9V^]an'ai'd;:!''and;-Maob^h?ar!9-prpbably-Ahe'mostiattractive, sounding ■ofjthe;!c6Uectiori.': ;':«?:i:;/;;'K.'v>:'•■'•■'-■ '• ; - The'Ellerman; arid;.otter; ;lines hav6 aiiv imppsing^array >'of/MGities^'^ - in tK^ir:!'pwnc'r3hipV\ ■ Some:'of V-th^iVCity ships'trade" to :Ne!w"^ealii'nd? -under the kgcncyjpf first lififty 'vessels :'wpre;: ',. probably^ easy to name, but after ■that'tti'e authorities responsible,; ;appcar|tb^have'; put; ;a pin into a gazetteer to :select a:town;'.';The eities-.of JpUetydDaihart,,Nagpur, Foyt jWqrtti;Vj'btriahaV •ißponkll .^Ray'yille, -; and Khi'o's-i are rprobably^^ <:;unknowr l ;'- scraps :~o£. geography:';tp s2-iriany</-people, :■},;~ Then agai^Hhere. are: the v'Mounts,^jsiowned by-' sundryV firmsj ; most .of "which ,are situated in :Pariama^ ; •'Mountsfi: Etna, iParnassus^Eelibrij' and* Olympus:"'.are household \words—more"? or,:^ '/less—-but iwbiat of „kitheionj; pthrys;;-:;Bhpdppei an'd^HymettW ) ftp^:mention^bu^:''a;-fewt i Of course 'there; are the French,' German; and-Italian Ments and^Mbrites to be taken into:;considpraHon : .also-4-Bucli as: the,:'Monts Aigoual, .Geneyr.e;; ,and jVisp'/ and;';the, Montes (Gargano, Sar ; 'miehtpj^and/Pas.coalivj,^''"* :f;-'i.i.if''- '■ i These names :may.ibe. gbpd geography, and to a certain extent satisfactory to the- earsj but 'they are •.iricliried^,to-;:be ibaffHng.'in'their obscure originiito;'the 'uninitiatcdi:.^ ;'■■;:■: "■■.;;:,■;_' ;!■/•?''i^y

THE BESTOWAL OF? NAMES