Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/380

* CATAMARAJT. 324 CATANIA. and are said to attain a speed of 20 miles an hour. Double boats, or catamarans, liave often been built in the United States, but have almost al- ways proved verj- slow, beeause the water be- tween the two bows is compressed into a nar- rowinn; space and oflVrs crcat resistance. This defect is illustrated in the English twin-steanicr Cus-lalUi, which, in spite of her great enij^ine power, was a slow boat. Another examiile of the steam catamaran is the Henri/ 11'. Long- fclloii built alxnit 1S80. Two iron cylinders 200 feet lonf». shaj)cd like cigars, sharp at both ends, were fastened to each other at a distance of 9 feet. On them rested a deck 125 feet long, like a ferryboat. She could carry 475 passen- gers, had 500 horse-power, a displacement of 75 tons, and her entire weight was only 43 tons. In 1870 the Amiiriillis was designed and built by HerreshotT. She consisted of two slen- der tubes connected by cross-beams loosely fas- tened together, and supporting a deck liardly more than large enough for two men. She AVas entered at the Centennial Regatta, at New York, and easily beat all competitors, but was ruled out on account of her construction. In spite of her great speed, she was very uncomfortable and very unsafe. In 1877 Herreshoff patented a double-hulled boat combining the greatest sta- bility with the least weight. The hulls were united by ball-and-socket joints, which obviated the unevenness in position of the two hulls in a rough sea, and were set 10 feet apart, each hav- ing a centre-board and rudder. The boat had a sloop rig, and with a strong wind abeam and a smooth sea made 20 miles an hour. Many cata- marans have been built since, but generally with rigid connections, and prove unsatisfactory in rough water. In a racing catamaran 25 feet long, the proportion is one foot canvas to eight pounds of water displacement. This shows the sailing powers of the catamaran. If in con- struction iron cylinders were used, in shape like the hulls of the Hying proa, and placed with the flat sides toward each other, great speed would be secured with safety. X'nder proper condi- tions the catamaran is well adapted to summer sailing in smooth waters, being easy to handle, fast, and safe. In the United States Navy the term catiimaran is sometimes applied to the balsa (q.v.). or to a float used for the men w'ho clean the sliip's side along the water-line. CATAMARCA, kii'ta-miir'kA. A western province in .rgentina, lying at the foot of the Andes and occupying an area of 47,5.31 square miles (Map: Argentina, D 0). The province is intersected by several mountain cliains and by many small streams, most of them diy in the summer, but overflowing in the winter. It con- tains a number of salt lakes. The valleys in the mountainous pai't are very fertile. Gold, silver, and copper are found, the latter in aliiindance. and nearly all the fruits and grains of trojiical and temperate regions are grown. Population, in 1000, 99,827, mostly Indians. Capital, Catamarca. CATAMARCA. The capital of the Province of Catamarca, .rgentina, situated in a moun- tainous region in the extreme northwestern part of that country, aliout 250 miles northwest of Cordoba (]VIap: Argentina. DO). It is regu- larly and moderately well built, and contains a fine town hall, a Franciscan monastery, a na- tional college, and a normal school for'wonien. There are considerable imports of Eiini|i<>an goods, and the place is a centre of distriliution for a flourishing district. Dried figs, wines, brandy, and cotton are the princiiial articles of export. The town was founded in 1083. Popu- lation, in 1890, 7397. CATAMETflA. See Mexstruatio?;. CAT'AMOUNT (also catamountain, for cat o' mount, cat o' ntountiiin, from cat + </, of -f mount). An indefinite term for a wildcat or panther, formerly much used in the I'nited States (and as gata moutc in Spanish-speaking America ), but now rarely lieard. CATA'NA. See Catania. CATANIA, ki-ta'nA-a (Gk. Kardvt/, Katanf, Lat. Cnliiiia). An episcopal city and seaport en the east coast of Sicil.y, at the southeast base of Jlount Etna, 59 miles south-southwest of Messina and 5 miles west-northwest of Syra- cuse (Map: Italy, K 10). It is the capital of the Province of Catania, and the third hirgcst city in Sicily, being outranked in population by Palermo and ilessina. In front of the cathedral is a fountain, with an ancient statue of an ele- phant, made of lava, bearing an Eg^jitian granite obelisk. In the cathedral, begun by Roger I. in 1091 with materials taken mostly from the ancient theatre, and of the original of which little besides the choir has been spared by earthquakes, is the chapel of Agatha, tutelary saint of Catania, who was put to death in 251, and whose festival is magnificently celebrated in February. In the cathedral also is the monu- ment of the composer Bellini, a native of Cata- nia. The Villa Bellini has an attractive garden, containing busts of Bellini and others, and a statue of Mazzini. In summer Catania is hotter than Palermo, but in winter it is cooler, on account of the snow on Jlount Etna. The city formerl.v had epidemics of cliolcra. but the sanitary conditions are now excellent and the water-supply is good. The lack of promenades and gardens renders Catania less attractive to tourists tlian most Italian cities, although the streets ;ire so broad and well kfjit, the private and public buildings so large and well built, and the situation so attractive, that it is commonly called ia bella.' The chief attraction is Mount Etna, which may be seen to a good ad- vantage from the tower of San Nicola and from the Villa Bellini. The remains of the ancient theatre, being mostly under ground, can be inspected by torchlight only. The Roman structure w;is erected on the foundation of the (Jreek edifice, which is perliajis the one in which .Mcibiades's elo(|ucnce. in B.C. 415, induced the Catanians to ally themselves with Athens against Syracuse. Another ancient Roman structure is the adjacent Church of Santa ]laria Rotonda. The Benedictine monastery of San Nicola, formerly one of the most beautiful in Europe, was ilestroved by an earllKpiake in 11)93 and rebuilt by 1735. The institution was sup- pressed in ISOli. The building li:is since been used for military and educatiimal |nirposes. Its grand liaroqiie churcli contains a famous organ by Do- nate) del Piano, with 5 keyboar<ls. 72 stops, and 291(i pipes; the museum contains antiquities in jiotterv, bronze, and marble, mediirval armor, and natural-history specimens: the library contains