Washington sentinel., 1854-04-02

! United States navy in command OF the mer-
chant steamer Golden Age, relating to the
steamship route hence to the Cape Of Good
Hope II is important in other respects, and
therefore take the liberty of transmitting
herewith copy of it for the information Of the
department.
I have the honor to be, respectfully, &c,
NJ +. MAURY,
Lieutenant United States Navy.
Hon. ]. C. DoBBIN, Secretary Of the Navy.
CAPE OF Coon H0PE,
January 6, 1854.
DEAR SIR: enclose you copy of the alb
stract log have kept since leaving Liverpool.
It may be interesting from the fact that an
American steamship has made a direct run to
the Cape of Good Hope in twenty-six and
half days--the quickest run ever yet made by
seven or eight days, and contrary to the opin-
ion of many persons, who imagined that it could
not be done by steam alone. / send you little
sketch of our course, which will show you at q
glance the route took. In studying your wind
and current charts, / found there was region,
by crossing in deg. or deg. west longitude,
where would find steady S. w. winds, and
another in east longitude, where | would find
calms. / also surmised that, by running the
African coast along, without deyiating. too
much from my direct course,) would find an
eddy current-setting to the southeast. Ii turned
| out as l anticipated, and proved to my entire
| satisfaction that this was the true route for a
| paddle-wheel steamer, either from England or
| the United States. A fast steamer can make
the run in twenty-three days from England, and
| thirtythree from the United States; and if q
coal depot could be established at Goree, on
the coast of Africa the distance from England
| would be shortened 800 miles. am told that
Goree is capital harbor and as our interests
in the east are multiplying daily, and at times
it becomes important to get steamship out
| there with despatch, the matter is worth look.
ing into.
The English steamers have SO far, in their
numerous voyages with one exception) to the
Cape of Good Hope, met with very great i'll
luck, because they keep too far from the African
coast, right in the strength of the trade-wind,
with strong current against them; and they
have either had to put in somewhere short OF
coal or else work their way across the south
east trades until they fell in with winds to help
them to the Cape, i'll all of which cases they
made very long passages, seldom being under
1 AS days, and sometimes as long as 55 All the
| sidewheel steamers that have gone out have
made the passage partly under sail; whereas,
by taking the inshore track, they would have
made it in half the time with steam alone. l
am pleased that we have solved the difficulty,
i the hints / took from your wind and current
chart. 1t is as useful for steamers as it is for
sailing vessels. / have been most agreeably
surprised in not finding strong currents against
me; indeed, since crossing the line the current
has been little or nothing, and mostly with us
twelve or fourteen miles day. There may be
such thing us northeriy set of current; but so
far / have not met it, although, since leav-
ing the latitude of 24o south, have had fresh
southeast trade winds.
/ recommend this route to our steamers-of-
war. They ought to be able to carry thirty
days coal, which would allow them to push
through. If they cannot carry that amount
they are unfit for war purposes.
Ileft England with heavy freight on board,
and twenty days. COAL (not so much as ac-
tually required; j consequently was obliged
to be prudent. i shut off four of my furnaces,
using only two-thirds Of my steam, and limited
the engine to thirty-6ve tons day, and the
latter part of the voyage to much less. This
is small amount of coal for ship OF 5000
TONS but, when not troubled with currents, we
managed to get through $50 miles day, and
averaged during the voyage, 244. If / had
marked out the weather for a steamer with the
exception Of six days hard steaming against
the trades) could not have had it more to my
mind and imagine it will be found the same
nearly throughout the year
find little or no information to be depended
| on relating to the currents on the African
coast. have kept faithful account of them
! since leaving the Cape de Verde islands, and
you may find them worth recording; they are
marked in the abstract wherever they occurred.
You will see by my track that make a curve
into the coast. This / did to get the in
shore current, as / found the current against
me, or rather to the westward, in longitude A.
| west. When got in 50 east, was out OF its
| influence, and soon fell in with southerly set.
send you in the abstract log the register of
our hydrometep, with the density of water taken
every day. 1t has been kept by DR.. Raymond,
the intelligent surgeon of the ship, who takes
| great pleasure in such matters, and who will
keep you supplied with such information when
| opportunities occur.
| In CONCLUSION, would recommend for all
steamers coming this route, to take at Cape de
| Verds, or Goree, all the coal they oan possibly
| stow below and on deck to allow for pushing
through some very strong southeast winds they
will encounter after leaving 24o south also, to
send down all yards and masts after crossing
the equator, keeping the fore and aft sails to
| catch the southwest winds, which up to 240
sometimes blow after sunset; also, to keep the
| ship trimmed by the stern for the heavy head
| seas and, depend upon it, you will hear of
some very quick passages to the Cape.
remain yours truly
DAVID D. PORTER.
Lieutenant M. F. MAURY,
Superintendent of the Observatory,