The capstans were originally driven by a shaft from the paddle auxiliary engines, but this was found inconvenient, and a small independent engine has been put to work them.
On this barge were also placed ready for use the ends of four warps, leading to capstansand crabs on board vessels moored at various points.
How pleasant it is to hear the breeze blowing so gently among all the little capstans up there!
He took off his high silk hat and looked up among the sails with a rapt expression on his face, and all the others looked up too, trying to see the capstansfluttering in the breeze.
I guess you know what capstans are--the things they use in moving houses?
As the capstans turned, the pole was gradually drawn up, and the Professor stood ready with the forked standards to prevent the flagstaff from falling back.
Several boards, five feet long, were required, and at least a dozen stakes to hold the capstans in position.
A Band of fifers struck up a lively tune; the capstanswere instantly in motion, and the men stepped round in a steady trot.
The capstans for hauling in the ropes bearing the main chain, were two in number, manned by about 150 labourers.
Capstans on dock walls in British government dockyards are usually driven by hydraulic or air pressure, conveyed through pipes to small engines underneath the capstans.
The capstans and engine are shown at A, A, A, and the windlass B is driven by messenger chains C, C.
Deep-bodied capstans have been superseded by low drum-headed ones, over which the guns may be fired.
You see also the row of great capstans at the foot of the cliff by which the boats are hauled as far out of reach of the waves as possible, though sometimes not far enough.
When all the rest poured noisily through the tunnel and spread out along the shingle, he stood back among the capstans under the cliff and watched quietly.
We were too late for the perilous lock; for already the capstans were going, and the ship's fenders were squeaking and groaning against the masonry.
So that it was a commonplace of my early childhood (though the sight never lost its interest) to observe from a window a ship, passing as it were up the street, warped into dock by the capstans on the quay.
These capstans had already been manned by parties of seamen attached to the dockyard, who were commanded by warrant officers.
They stood by to back up the wire as soon as we gave the signal for the capstans to heave round, and in this manner the great ship was hauled into the dry dock.
One or two in the fleet worked their capstans by steam-power--an immense relief to the men, besides a saving of time.
It was hard work and slow, that heaving at the capstans hour after hour, with the turbulent sea tossing about the little smacks, few of which were much above seventy tons burden.
Besides these horse capstans there are steam capstans which are less complicated and have condensing steam engines of about 100 horse power, the power being transmitted by gearing to the rope drum.
There are two kinds ofcapstans in use, one actuated by horse-power and the other by steam engines.
The steam capstans tow considerably larger masses of goods than the horse capstans and also travel somewhat quicker, so that the launch has scarcely sufficient time to drop and raise the anchors and also to make double the journey.
Another experimenter with the double-hull type of vessel was a wealthy Scot named Patrick Miller who was particularly interested in manual propulsion of vessels, employing geared capstans to operate paddle wheels.
The capstans might be doubleheaded, as in some large frigates and ships-of-the-line.
The Experiment had five paddle wheels in tandem between her hulls, operated by geared capstans on deck.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "capstans" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
