THE PRAAM.
The tendency, already noticed in the XVIIth and at the beginning of the XVIIIth century, to build larger and fuller vessels (VAN YK, p 348), became still more marked in the XIXth century. It is thus that the “Snijboonen” and “Sompen” are seen to increase in size and that birth is given to the Praam of which the size and load can be compared with those of the Hoy.
The “Pram” has retained, however, the slender bow and stern as also the characteristic line of the bends. (LE COMTE, p. 23.) All of these vessels have the “draai-over-boord” often accompanied with a poop deck. Hence these “Pramen” are totally separated from the vessels of the “Semaque” (hoy) group met with in Friesland and Groningen. They have nothing to do with the Groninger Aardappelpraam or with the Groninger Slijkpraam, or with the Friesche Praam which belong to the “Hoy” group. The name of Praam which is met with in Overijssel only at the end of the XVIIIth or beginning of the XIXth century is not purely Dutch. The Marquis DE TOLIN says, for example (p. 175), that Napoleon caused to be built for his Boulogne fleet a few “prams”, flat bottomed vessels, 37 m. long, 8 m. wide and drawing about 2.50 m. They were rigged with three masts and were armed with cannon. (DE BONNEFOUX and PARIS; Dictionnaire de Marine à Voiles, anno 1847, p. 59.) Twenty “Prams” of this kind are said to have been built. They had nothing in common, however, with our “Pramen” unless it were that both vessels were flat bottomed. The Marquis DE TOLIN describes the Dutch “Praam” in his book (p. 144); but this description lacks precision, because the “Overijsselsche” and “Friesche Pramen” are grouped together.
The “Friesche praam” (pram of Friesland) is merely a small hoy with rather slight sheer and provided with a “statie”; while the other is a flat bottomed vessel with “draai-over-boord” and never with a “statie”.
LE COMTE (p. 29) says that the first of these vessels were built only in the province of Drenthe, at Meppel and Hoogeveen, and he too groups the hoy with the “Friesche pram”. So he writes (p. 14), for example, that the “hoys” sometimes have movable washboards when they load above the gunwales, whereas this is especially characteristic of the “Friesche pramen”.
Meanwhile, the Pram is often spoken of in Holland, although no vessel bearing that name, or one resembling the Overijsselsche Praam, is found there. This name is used then to designate vessels in general.
The big “Overijsselsche Praam”, as it is known to-day, dates only from the second half of the XIXth century and its increase in size is due solely to the improvement of existing canals and to the opening to traffic of new navigable highways, nearly all dating from the same period. In this way, the “Drentsche Hoofdvaart” was only connected with Groningen by the construction of the Noord Willemsvaart in 1858-1862; (see Gedenkboek Koninklijk Instituut van Ingenieurs, p. 31). The Hoogeveensche vaart, dug in 1623 as an “Echtens nieuwe grift”, was only extended eastward and improved between 1850 and 1860 and the Meppelerdiep was improved only in 1860 and 1882.
The final junction of Friesland and Groningen by water is also of recent date; communication was had formerly only by sea. The inland communication between these provinces was still very primitive until the beginning of the XIXth century. It was only after 1851 that improvement was spoken of, and in 1864, the Gaarkeuken lock was rebuilt, at the boundary between the two provinces, with a width, of 6 metres and a neat length of 26 metres. The Stadskanaal, started in 1766 or 1767 was only finished in 1858.
It was also only in the XIXth century that the improvement of the junction between Overijssel and Friesland, accomplished by the removal of the high peat bogs, was begun, and the junction of the northern with the southern provinces of the Netherlands was brought about in 1820 by the opening of the “Willemsvaart” (which connects the Yssel with the Zwartewater). A water supply canal had really been built from Zwolle toward Yssel as far back as the XIVth century, and improvement of this canal, so as to make it navigable had really been begun in 1480, but the reciprocal jealousy of the cities of Yssel stopped these works. (Dr. H. BLINK, vol. II, p. 282.) Up to the first half of the XIXth century, water communications between the northern provinces were had under these conditions, by way of the Zuyder Zee, communications for which vessels of the hoy group were, at first used exclusively. The “Potten” and the “Pujen”, like the “Sompen” and “Peggen”, were unable to stand the high seas (WITSEN, p. 170.) and only the “Prams”, which appeared later, were able by reason of their size and strength to take the open sea, and soon to spread over all our country.
It is interesting to inquire however, how the name “Praams” came to be admitted into a country where there existed so many other and more appropriate names. There is no doubt that the influence of the province of Groningen brought about this adoption. In fact, the city of Groningen decided, by the “Convenant van 1817” (treaty of 1817, a time when the big Pramen of Overijssel were not yet built) that people coming to the market must pay, like every one else, the ordinary tolls at bridges, locks and gates of existing canals. There was to be paid for the canals to be built thirty cents at each lock for a “schip” (boat) and ten cents for a “pram”. The same distinction between boat and “pram” was already found in the old tariffs. For example: the “Stadsordonnantie” of January 28, 1773, lays down that a boat shall pay 15 sous at the locks of the city and a “pram” only 4 sous. It appears from all this that a distinction was made at Groningen between the “boat” and the “pram” and from the great difference in price it is clear that a “pram” was a small boat.
This is so evident that more ample explanations in regard to the nature of the “pram” have not been sought, and it is clear that the well known “Slijkpramen” of the province of Groningen are meant, the “Slijkpramen” being used just as well in the Dollard as in the peat bogs. They are small narrow boats, open above, with a straight longitudinal section, full bow and stern (like the hoys of Groningen). They are found also, with a few changes, under the name of “Vlotpramen”.
When, after the completion of the Noord Willemsvaart in 1862, the direct connection between Overijssel and Groningen was accomplished and this latter province could be reached by the large Overijssel boats, which had also sides with no sheer, it was found evidently advantageous to call these vessels simply “Prams”. In this way, advantage was taken of the lower rate and, considering the resulting profits, good care was taken not to change the name “Pram” to that of “Schip”. It was only in 1903 that a judgment of the justice of the peace of Groningen decided that the vessels in question must be considered as “Schepen” and not as “Pramen”, considered by the above mentioned covenant. (Provinciale Groninger Courant, Dinsdag, 24 Februari 1903, No 46.) This judgment, which put an end to the advantages mentioned above, was given as the result of a report of experts dated December 24, 1902. Among the preambles of this report is pointed out the French translation of an article of the tariff sheet appended to the convenant of 1817, where the word “Praam” was translated officially by “bateau dit vlotpraam”, meaning by that, and rightly, the small open “praam” of Groningen. The experts were mistaken, however, in saying that the present large “prams” were descended from the “vlotpraam” of Groningen. These prams are exactly like the Overijssel boats, but their dimensions are larger. Furthermore, they never belonged to the Groningen class of vessels. Their fine bow and stern are the most striking proof of this. In order to settle the type of the “prams”, search should not have been made alone in Groningen, as was done by the experts, but a comparison should have been made between the types of this province and those of Overijssel.
To refer, as in the report of the experts, to a few earlier judgments where it is a question of “Praamschip” proves just as little, because there is no sense in considering the name of a boat, the type is what is required. The conclusion of the report is still more absurd, seeing that it says that the “praam” is a “boat” (schip), because the owner is called a “boatman” (schipper)!
The covenant of 1817 was not applicable to the “Overijsselsche pramen” because these did not exist when the agreement was concluded.
What precedes shows plainly that it is important to classify boats clearly and to determine beyond doubt the country to which the types belong.
It is perfectly natural that Overijssel should have found itself under the influence of the other provinces. So, the “Hoy” is found along the Zuyder-Zee and, in the XVIIth century, the “IJzeren Verken” (anglice: iron hog) is a boat which should also be classed among the hoys and which WITSEN calls a solid boat from Overijssel (p. 170). In the same way, the “statie” from Friesland is taken up in Overijssel, it being originally from the former province.
It will be useless to note that “Praamaken” and “Aaktjalken” are met with, that is to say a few boats having the shape of the “Praam” and of the Hoy, but without a stem. The bottom ends in the nose and the planking is assembled on this front face.
Many “hoys” and “prams” have been built of iron during recent years. They still show characteristic differences among themselves, but it is to be expected that finally the forms will be confounded, when the “prams” will have taken fuller forms and the sheer of the hoys will have been reduced.