Excerpt from The American Encyclopaedia of Commerce, Vol. 2: Manufactures, Commercial Law, and Finance
Jabb, a net used in Scotland for catching the fry of coal-fish.
Jack, a sort of crane for lifting heavy weights. It consists of small pinions worked with a common winch. The pinion works in the teeth of a large wheel, on whose axis there is fixed a small pinion with teeth working in a rack. By turning the pinion, the rack is raised, and with it any weight attached to it. - The word is also applied to several other diverse contrivances, especially to those which answer in the place of another hand or of an assistant: thus, it signifies a horse or wooden frame to saw timber on; a kitchen machine for turning a spit, the moving power being either a weight or the smoke and rarefied air of a chimney; an instrument for pulling off boots, etc. In sea-language, a Jack is a Hag of colors, displayed from a mast at the outer end of the bowsprit of a ship, and used in making signals.
Jackassing, a term sometimes applied to labor done by men that is usually performed by horses or machinery.
Jack-Block, a block used in a ship when sending the higher masts up or down.
Jack-Boots, heavy, long boots for riding.
Jack-Cross-Tree, an iron cross tree at the head of a long top-gallant mast.
Jacket, a short, close garment; a short coat.
Jack-Knife, a pocket whittling-knife with a large blade.
Jack-Ladder, in sea-language, a ladder with wooden steps and side ropes.
Jack-Plane, a smoothing plane about 18 inches long, used to prepare wood for the trying plane.
Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw R. R. runs from Jackson to Gaylord, Mich., 236 m.This Co., whose offices are in Jackson, was organized in 1865, and leased in 1871 to the Michigan Central R. R. at a rental of $70, 000 and interest on the Co.'s bonds. It owns a land-grant, proceeds of sales of which are applied to payment of bonds. Capital stock paid in, $1,066,800; funded debt, 1878, $93,618,000.
Jacksonville. See Florida.
Jack-Staff, a staff fixed on the bowsprit cap of a ship, upon which the Union Jack is hoisted.
Jack-Stays, ropes or strips of wood or iron stretched along the yard of a ship to bind the sails to.
Jack-Wood, an excellent furniture and fancy wood obtained from the Artocarpus integrifolia: the fruit of this tree is occasionally eaten.
Jacobs Ladder, a ship's ladder made of rope with wooden steps.
Jacob's Staff, an instrument used by surveyors in measuring height and distance when expedition and little accuracy are required. It was formerly used at sea for the same purposes as the astrolabe, although entirely different from it; called also cross-staff.
Jaconet, a light, open, and soft kind of fabric, rather stouter than muslin, used for dresses, neckcloths, etc.
Jacquard-Cards, perforated patterns used in weaving figured fabrics.
Jacquard-Machine. See Loom.
Jade, Axe-Stone, an ornamental stone, of which there appear to be two varieties, common jade, or nephrite, and saussurite, or jade tenace. Common J. consists chiefly of silica, magnesia, and lime. Its sp. gr. varies from 2.9 to 3.0; hardness 7.0. Its color is leek-green, passing into gray. It is very tough, and scarcely fusible before the blowpipe. From its toughness it has been used for the blades of hatchets by the New-Zealanders and other savage nations. J. is much used in Turkey and Poland for the handles of knives, daggers, swords, etc.; and in India, ornaments and trinkets, delicately worked, are made of it. In China, the J. is of a whitish color, and is called yu. It is formed into vases, rings, and other articles. Such articles are very costly, on account of the extreme difficulty of working this refractory substance. J. is polished by carnelian, but it takes only a greasy, not a brilliant polish. Saussurite is a double silicate of magnesia, lime, and oxide of iron, with silica"