Ballast

(bal'last.) [From Gr. ballo, I cast.] (Mar.) Stones or other weighty articles carried in the hold of a ve el, without cargo on board, in order to give her proper equilibrium in, and hold of, the water.-(Civ. Engin.) In railway construction, that part of the track which forms a firm foundation for the rails and their sleepers. [s. 70] Ball -cock. (Hydraul.) A hollow globe of Ball -cock. (Hydraul.) A hollow globe of metal attached to the end of a lever, which turns the stop-cock of a cistern pipe by floating on the surface of the water, and thus regulates the supply. [s. 70]