Loadstone – Found in the list of tools that amazed the Native Americans, this is an alternate spelling of “lodestone,” which the OED defines as a magnetic oxide of iron or a piece of such used as a magnet. The OED lists this term as derived from various Germanic roots relating to the verbs “to go” and “to lead” (with “lode” being a past tense of “lead” in Old Teutonic), both of which caused “lode” to mean “way, path, journey,” all of which underscore the lodestone’s importance to travelers of all varieties. - Matt
Lodestone: ; The lodestone was a magnetic ore by which magnetism could be transmitted to iron compass needles in order to cause them to point north when freely suspended. May writes: “It was the custom for ships on long voyages to carry a lodestone for the purpose of remagnetizing their compass needles, and this practice continued well into the eighteenth century. The earliest instructions for magnetizing compass needles stated that there was to be no contact. The lodestone was brought close to the outside of the compass bowl and was carried round and round with the needle following it and the motion getting faster and faster. Then the lodestone was snatched away and the needle would be sufficiently magnetized to seek the north.” (67) Later it became more common simply to stroke the compass needle from end to end with the lodestone. Because of this use and its magnetic properties, the lodestone, when not in use, was stored far away from the compass in the ship.;
Works Cited:; May, Commander W.E. A History of Marine Navigation. New York: Norton, 1973.; Waters, D.W. The Art of Navigation in England in Elizabethan and Early Stuart Times. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1958.;