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Without A Compass

Without A Compass image
Parent Issue
Day
30
Month
July
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Gustav KobUe contribntes an article to St. Nicholas. Mr. Kobbe says: Sailors steer by the wake of the ship. When a .vessel is running free - that is, with the wind dead astern - she must íeave a straight wake, or she is not rtraning a straight conrse. When she is ' 'on the wind," her canvas f uil, not shivering - wben she is As near as slie will Ue By keeping full and tjye- her wake will be at an angle greater or less, according to the foroe of the wind and the speed of the vessel. ïhis angle measures what we cali the ship's "lee way" - thatwhich she loses from a trae conrse. With a vessel hove to in a gale the leeway becomes very large and is called the "drift." Coasting craft steer by the line of white surf on the shore or in thick weather by its roar as it breaks on the beach or rocks. Tbey haul in to cateh the sound, then keep off nntil they lose it, and then haul in again to a central line and maintain it. An old sea dog once told me that one thick night, coming up along the coast with a head wind so that they had to tack in and off shore, they sailed their tacks, orran their "legs," by candles - running off shore long enough to burn out two candles, bnt burning one for the inshore leg, so as to avoid standing in too close. The Alaska steamers on the inside route between the main coast and nnmerous outlying islands steer, even in running through the narrowest channels, by the varying echoes of the paddies from the shores. A given course can also be run by soundiugs, or, rather, by a line of soundiugs. In entering New York harbor keep in, say, 15, 20, 40 fathoms, no less, until you get 10 fathoms. If then the lead shows fine white sand, look out for Sandy Hook lightship. Coarse yellow sand will land you on Pire island.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Argus
Old News