Known Trades of Jigger Flats
Arthur Young, on page 151 of Nautical Dictionary , describes flats as lighters that are capable of navigating the inland waterways. It is reported that the flats which operated along the River Mersey, that were also known as Mersey flats, were sloop-rigged vessels. Young, on page 214, describes a jigger as a small sail that projects from the stern of a boat. It is claimed that the jigger-sail, which is reported to have been attached to a mast and boom, was sometimes installed on fore-and-aft rigged vessels. A. Ansted, on pages 10 and 11 of A Dictionary of Sea Terms , describes barges as flat-bottomed vessels that can be arranged into three categories. Different types of barge, some of which are reported to have been equipped with sails, are claimed to have operated on the inland waterways and out at sea. Lighters and hoys, in some instances, are reported to have been classified as barges. It is claimed that the typical sailing barge was equipped with a sprit-sail, a main-sai...