This is a story lost in the depths of history, but very interesting. Especially for those in the printing business:
[
link to www.youtube.com (secure)]
The Pilgrims had a printing press. William Brewster and at least one other Pilgrim were typesetters and printers. Actually, it was their print-jobs that got them in trouble with King James I and the Church of England. That same printing press helped them spread God's Word in what it meant in their eyes and grew their following. And that very same press, generally used for publishing, also literally saved their life's.
That is right. The printing press, or the center screw of it, saved the Mayflower from sinking! The Mayflower was still 4 months away from America and 4 months out from England/Holland. So there was no turning back. Read:
The Mayflower carried 102 passengers and about 40 crew members crammed into a 150-foot ship. In addition, passengers brought furniture, books, clothing, food and drink for the crossing, seeds, livestock, and even a printing press. It was a very tight fit. (The Pilgrims were eventually to live on board the Mayflower for 8 months.)
The crossing was as bad as had been feared. Many storms shook the ship. Back in Holland, William Brewster (an elder of the church and Bradford's mentor) had been hunted down by English authorities for printing books critical of the Church of England and King James. The authorities did not find Brewster, who was in hiding, but smashed the fonts for his printing press so he could not do any more printing. Now, as the Mayflower was tossed in the ocean, her main beam began to crack. The giant screw from Brewster's press was fitted into position under the beam and bolstered it, keeping the ship from cracking apart! (Bradford had brought the press with him to Holland when he escaped England.)