> Maybe is was a nice warm place for pigeons to settle once the boat has > stopped (they certainly seem to like house chimneys for that reason). > They > would then be sitting targets for a catapult, giving the boatman a > great > free dinner. > > Robin > The pigeon box on President (which is certainly warm but I never saw any pigeons on it) is about 2' square and 9' high, with a hinged flat top, so the back end, away from the funnel, lifts up. From the photos I've seen of racing pigeon boxes, it looks pretty similar. I haven't checked Richard Thomas's historic steamers site, but as the height of the tandem compounds used on FMC boats, combined with the need for light and ventilation over the engine, led to a need for an upstand over the engine, the term may have originated with FMC. As they were early users of motor boats, the term may have been carried over to the modern version.
Sean
