Dead-light

DEAD-LIGHTS, certain wooden ports which are made to fasten into the cabin-windows, to prevent the waves from gushing into a ship in a high sea. As they are made exactly to fit the windows, and are strong enough to resist the waves, they are always fixed in, on the approach of a storm, and the glass frames taken out, which might otherwise be shattered to pieces by the surges, and suffer great quantities of water to enter the vessel.

Even, if our sails like ribbons fly, / And the dead-lights long are in, / Hard up the helm! and keep good heart! / Till skies are bright again.