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Geißbengel

English translation: steering oar

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Geißbengel
English translation:steering oar
Entered by: Barbara L Pavlik

14:30 Aug 2, 2021
German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Forestry / Wood / Timber / Rafting
German term or phrase: Geißbengel
"Wie viele Leute man für solch ein Floß brauchte? „Für so a Flößer- g‘spann hat m’r meistens sechs Männer braucht.“ Zwei vorne – dort hat man aber nur mutige Männer brauchen können. Der eine stand am ***Geißbengel***, der andere auf dem ersten Gestör mit einer Stange. Und die anderen vier Männer? Zwei mussten voraus und die Wehre öffnen, sonst hätte man ja nicht genug Wasser gehabt. Die anderen waren auf dem Floß verteilt."

This is some information on ancient logging techniques for a hiking trail in the Schwarzwald. Google pretty much just brings up the doc I'm translating. Any logging/rafting experts out there? Thanks!
Barbara L Pavlik
United States
Local time: 07:51
steering oar
Explanation:
Mit dem Bengel, der darauf verankert ist, kann man es mit Kraft und Geschick steuern. Aber das ist nur was für einen erfahrenen Flößer. Das Steuern hier oben in der steinigen, schmalen und rasch fließenden Kinzig ist eine heikle Sache. file:///C:/Users/Kim%20Martin%20Metzger/Downloads/Infotafel_Station5.pdf

These are the large oars used as rudders to steer log rafts down the river. Little was known about such oars, other than descriptions, until an intact specimen was recovered from the river upstream from Doniphan in 1964. Its massive size impressed this investigator and many others. Between 1986 and 1990 Mr. Ray Joe Hastings of Doniphan discovered and removed fourteen additional raft steering oars from the Current River near the site where the log rafts were docked as well as downstream from this point.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnpshistory.com%2Fpublications%2Fozar%2Fsteering-sweeps.pdf&clen=3628509&chunk=true



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Note added at 23 hrs (2021-08-03 14:04:49 GMT)
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Rudder would work too.
Selected response from:

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 05:51
Grading comment
Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4steering oar
Kim Metzger
Summary of reference entries provided
Geissbengel. ziegenbärtige Spierstaude, spir. ar. {Waldgeissbart}.
andres-larsen

Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
steering oar


Explanation:
Mit dem Bengel, der darauf verankert ist, kann man es mit Kraft und Geschick steuern. Aber das ist nur was für einen erfahrenen Flößer. Das Steuern hier oben in der steinigen, schmalen und rasch fließenden Kinzig ist eine heikle Sache. file:///C:/Users/Kim%20Martin%20Metzger/Downloads/Infotafel_Station5.pdf

These are the large oars used as rudders to steer log rafts down the river. Little was known about such oars, other than descriptions, until an intact specimen was recovered from the river upstream from Doniphan in 1964. Its massive size impressed this investigator and many others. Between 1986 and 1990 Mr. Ray Joe Hastings of Doniphan discovered and removed fourteen additional raft steering oars from the Current River near the site where the log rafts were docked as well as downstream from this point.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=http%3A%2F%2Fnpshistory.com%2Fpublications%2Fozar%2Fsteering-sweeps.pdf&clen=3628509&chunk=true



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2021-08-03 14:04:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Rudder would work too.

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 05:51
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 152
Grading comment
Thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Your first sentence is also in this document (I think you found the doc I'm translating), and looking at the picture, I had thought maybe of using rudder for Bengel, but I guess they are probably referring to the same thing in both places, so I need to choose one or the other. So you think that "steering oar" is just another way of saying "rudder"?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mair A-W (PhD): neither of your links work, but pasting the text back into google pulls them up again...
13 mins
  -> When I go to pdf docs, the url changes to my name and I don't know how to correct that.
agree  philgoddard: Probably. The first sentence of your first reference supports this, but it's odd that the word appears nowhere else on the internet.
1 hr
  -> Antiquated jargon that didn't survive, I suppose.
agree  David Hollywood: How did they steer log rafts down the river? “Steering oars” and “steering sweeps” were used more like rudders to guide the timber raft down the river and to keep it from running aground more than they were used to paddle. ... Depending on the depth of th
10 hrs
agree  Barbara Schmidt, M.A. (X)
17 hrs
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Reference comments


1 hr peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: Geissbengel. ziegenbärtige Spierstaude, spir. ar. {Waldgeissbart}.

Reference information:
Schweizerisches Idiotikon digital - Band IV
https://digital.idiotikon.ch › idtkn
Geissbengel. ziegenbärtige Spierstaude, spir. ar. {Waldgeissbart}.

andres-larsen
Venezuela
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  philgoddard: This is strange, because it gets only one hit and clearly doesn't fit this context.
1 hr
  -> True.
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