gangway

[Eng. gang, and way.] I. Ordinary Language : 1. A pa age or means of temporary acce to a place or building, consisting of an inclined plane of planks; spec if., the opening in the bulwarks of a ve el by which persons come on board or disembark; also the temporary bridge affording means of pa ing from the ship to the shore, or vice vers a. "I had hardly got into the boat, before I was told they had stolen one of the ancient stanchions from the opposite gangway , and were making off with it."-Cook: Second Voyage, bk. ii., ch. ix. 2. In the British House of Commons a narrow pa age running acro the House, and dividing the seats on each side into two parts. Above the gangway, that is, near the Speaker's end of the House, sit the Ministry and Opposition with their respective adherents, the former on the Speaker's right, the latter on his left. Below the gangway sit the neutral or independent members, whence the phrase, To sit below the gangway , as applied to a member, expre es that he is independent and not bound to either party. II. Mining : A main level, applied chiefly to coal mines. IMG:content-0321.png:[blocks in formation] etym. doubtful.] 1. Ord. Lang.: A kind of grit or hard sandstone found under certain coal-beds in the lower coal measures. Properly, it is a siliceous variety of fireclay. 2. Metall .: A refractory material used for lining the Be emer converters. It consists of crushed or ground siliceous stone, mixed with fire-clay. Its object is to save the iron converter from destruction by the heat of the charge. Ground quartz, sand, and fire-clay. "The'lining consists of ganister ground fine, moistened, and rammed down upon the iron frame." -Ca ell's Technical Educator , pt. xi., p. 226.