This section is from the book "The Engineer's And Mechanic's Encyclopaedia", by Luke Hebert. Also available from Amazon: Engineer's And Mechanic's Encyclopaedia.
Drift, in Mining, a passage dug under the earth, betwixt shaft and shaft, or turn and turn.
Drift, in Navigation, the angle which the line of a ship's motion makes with the nearest meridian, when she drives with her side to the winds and waves, and is not governed by the power of the helm. It also implies the distance which the ship drives on that line.
 
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