Ballast
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary · Walter A. Shumaker and George Foster Longsdorf; ed. James C. Cahill · 1922
The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary
Heavy substance carried in the hold of a ship to trim her, and bring her to a safe and proper draft. It differs from "dunnage" {q. v.) 13 Wall. (U. S.) 674. Rock, gravel or other material placed on the roadbed of a railway to support and retain the ties and track.