bale out / bail out (thing again/think again)

[Joel S. Berson]

I just encountered what looked like an error to me, in Richard
Francis's "Judge Sewall's Apology: The Salem Witch Trials and the
Forming of a Conscience" (London: 2005), p. 23:

"... during King Philip's War he [John Hull] actually helped to bale
out the colony with his own money."  [Hull was authorized to mint
coins for Massachusetts, until the British put a stop to it, and was
allowed one of every twenty (IIRC) for himself.]

I was surprised to discover that the Authority (to use a 17-18th
century term) does have the spelling "bale out".  Under "bale v.2" it
has this explanation:  "2. to bale out. [Usually so spelt, as if the
action were that of letting a bundle through a trapdoor; but also
(esp. U.S.) as bail, as if a use of bail v.4, to lade out.] intr. (Of
an airman) to make an emergency descent by parachute from his
machine. Hence also (rare) n. bail-out. orig. U.S."

Of course, right there among the citations, the earliest two are
"1930 C. J. V. Murphy Parachute 272 Some say the pilot 'bailed out'
the moment he went into the spin.  1932 N.Y. Times 11 Apr. 3/2 He
successfully bailed out of an airplane at an elevation of 1,500 feet."

And under "bail v.1" the Authority has:  "1. Now often less correctly
bale, q.v. To lade or throw water out of a boat, etc., with buckets
(formerly called bails), pails, basins, or other vessels.  a. To bail
the water (out)." and " 2. to bail out (Aeronaut.): see bale v.2  2."

I have either been educated, or misled, by the Authority; and vice
versa for my previous assumption.  I won't comment on the "usually",
"as if a use", "rare", and "often less correctly", but I wonder
whether the American edition, titled "Judge Sewall's Apology: The
Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of an *American* Conscience"
(emphasis added) spells Hull's aid as "bail out."

Joel

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