The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-08-18
An Old Salt on the Recent Race from
YokOhAma.

Yokohama
To the Editor or the n Y Herald: In
remarking upon the "truly wonderful
passages" of the "tea screws" from ok0-
hama and their simultane Gus departure
and arrival, you say ut illustrates the
nicely with which navigators may make
their calculations in sailing even half
around the globe" That is all very true
but when we reflect that navigation NAV
now be claSsed among the "eXact sciences
that the officers in the English merchant
marine at least are thoroughly educated
so far as their profession goes; that the
track over which these particular steam
ers passed lay at this season Of the year
at least over smooth seas; that after leav-
ing Yokohama they then made Annoy,
then took new departure to Singapore,
thence fresh departure to the Red Sea,
thence through the canal and Mediterra-
mean to Gibraltar and thence to New
York, SO that they were always within a
few days able to verify their position,
and, as their "log" shows, only fine wealth
VI ttl't UiiN etlt ttbUul tNItltlI III
speed, it does not seem SO very Won
derful to us old salts, who remember sew
eral instances where ships (in old clipper
days. left New York on the same day on
a voyage to San Francisco, d distance Of
5000 miles, and after having sailed, of
course, thrice that distance, arrived sim
ultaneously at their destined port. We
remember one instance land doubtless
many Of your nautical readers will recall
it, where two clippers sailed from this
port under a bet of $40, 600 to be paid to
the skipper OF the first ship in. They
actually passed the 'Heads' at San Fran
cisco at the same hour, and the bet de
pended upon the ship that came to an
chor first The master of the leading
vessel let 90 his anchor while she had 50
much ''Way" on her that the chain cut
through the hauseplpe and through her
tlmbers down to the waters edge
We remember when lying in Nalparai
50 in 1919 in the steamboat Senator.
bound to San Francisco, that two French
vessels, built in Bordeaux by the same
owner, ON the same model and launched
on the same day and sailing on the same
day came round the point into Nulparai
50 at the same moment, and until the pre-
vious day had never sighted each other.
Now, when we take into consideration
the great advance in nautical science
within the last twenty years, the great
perfection to which compasses, patent
logs and patent sounding apparatus have
been brought, the better knowledge Of
winds and currents, we old salts cannot
see hardly why the engineer of Il steamer
should not navigate her. and why, except,
perhaps, on winter passage in the North
Atlantic, a steamer should ever 90 astrav
The master OF q steamer lays bis course
from one point 10 another and never de
vlateS from it, but when he finds from
observation he has not made his course
he recttieS it ct rOilN t0u. If the wind
hauls ahead he takes III his sails, or if it
comes on to heavy gale he turls his
sails, sets his storm trysail, orders Il good
''lookout" kept and turns in. From the
hour of leaving port until his arrival the
master of a Yankee clipper is on the
alert he sleeps with one eve open
every change of wind finds him on deck
if the wind heads him he must sail three
miles to make one; his Judgment, his
GOODNESS, his experience. his courage are
called into play every hour When Gear
rying on on his ship and driving her
through rather than over the heavy seas
he knows the slightest error in judgment
may dismast his vessel or perhaps swamp
her. BY standing on one tack too long
he may lose his trade winds; bv crossing
the Cline too far to the eastward he NAV
get caught in the ''doldrums," or stand
ing too far to westward he may get lam
med ia on the Spanish Main--in fact.
thousand eXigencies may arise when an
error in Judgment might lose him the
chance of making profitable voyage Is
1t strange, then, that we old salts who
made voyages in clippers in 1850 and par
tlclpated in ocean regattas which in a
straight line measure a course OF 5000
miles, and in distance run 81, 1000, should
rather be inclined to laugh in our sleeves
at the adulation bestowed upon our silk
stocking brethren, who sailed a straight
course over Il smooth sea and arrived at
the same time in Il steamer r. r. W.
NEW YORK, August 3, 1881.