The morning call., 1892-09-04
QleAl:;xn
W MURPHY BUILDING, +
Market and Jones Streets.
THE CALLS QUERY COLUMN.
The Discovery Of flaming
Island Recorded in 1893.
Powers Master sculpture-Magnetic Attrac-
tion-City Limits-Zoiiac Circle-Hesrts
Of Oak - Man and Wife.

TANNING ISLAND-G. +. F., Petaluma
CAL Tanning Island. in the Pacific Ocean
and north Of the equator, was discovered by
Captain Edmund Tanning in the American
ship Betsy in 179S Thenext recorded ac-
count of it was by Captain Leg0arant de
Tromelin, who went there IN the French
corvette La BayOnnaise in 1898, but perhaps
tile coral island had increased in the in
teryal, for bis description does not at all ac-
cord with that of the discn"erer. Prior TO
1855 An Englishman, Captain Henry English,
had established himself on the island with
a few white companions and about 100
natives OF HUMPHREYS Island TO trade in the
production Of cocoanut oil. They placed
themselves under British protection when
Car tain w. II. Morshead, K. n, came
there In II. NJ. S. Dido ON October 16, 1855.
The island is of coral formation of the
fiagoon type, and in shape q rude oval ga
miles long, northwest and southeast, with q
circumference Of q miles. 1t is densely
covered with cocOanut trees, and the island
is moreover very fertile. This account of
the discovery. which has gone down In his
tory and has been accepted, effectually dis
poses Of the claim advanced in behalf of
Captain William Greig, a ScOtchman, who
died In this city Ou the 2Sth OF July, 1892,
who was Familiarity known as Tho King OF
Tanning Island" and Of whom it was said
that he discovered the island some twenty
five years ago on one ofhis trading voyages
from the Sandwich Islands.
CITY LIMITs-C. A., City. Except on the
south, for the boundary line between San
Francisco and San Msteo counties is joint
one, the limits Of the city and county in
clude more than the actual land Of the pen
insula. The Farallones are part of the
city and county. The limition the west is
in the Pacific Ocean on an imaginary line.
which is an extension OF the northern town.
ship line. The northwest corner is the
meeting point Of this line with the west
erly extension OF low water line on the
northern side of the entrance TO the bay.
The line then runs easterly through Points
Bonita and CahallO in Marin County To the
southeastern point of Angel Island thence
north to Red Rock; thence southeast four
and half miles to a point three statute
miles from the natural high-water mark on
the eastern shore of the bay; thence further
southeast to point three miles from the
eastern shore to the extended line, which is
the mutual boundary on the south. Alca-
tIaz Island is In the city and county. and so
are Arch and Shag rocks and Goat Island.
Bakers Beach on the ocean side Is necessa-
rily within the city limits, and the discharge
there OF firearms is against the law.
ZoDIACAL SIGNs--E. b. H.. City. The
celestial equator is represented by circle
called the Zodiac, which is belt In the
heavens usually reckoned at Is deg. wide.
This circle is not only divided into degrees
but into signs Of 30 deg. each, called Signs
OF the Zodiac by the .ancieDts. At the time
this division was adopted each sign was
supposed to embrace the constellation after
which 1t was named. Then the sun entered
the constellation Aries at the vernal eQui-
nox ana trayersed In succession the con-
stelat0ns Aries. Taurus, Gemini Cancer,
Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio. Sagittarius,
Capricorn, AQuarlus and Pisces. But at
present, owing to the procession OF the
eQuinOxes the signs no longer correspond
to the considerations. Although the sun
now crosses the equator and enters the sign
Aries on the Goth OF March, he does not
reach the constellation Aries until nearly
month later. When the moon Is recorded
iii certain sign it means the sign and not
the constellation.
"DAY LINE"-A. l.. City. Ebay line is
not nautical term. No satisfactory expla-
nation of its use can be given In the quoted
sentence, Easter Island, off the coast of
Chile, ia situated on the Day Line" unless
it refers to something in connection
with the survey OF the island. The
Chilean Government surveyed it in
1870 and in 1886 survey was made
with additions and corrections by officers
OF the Mohican, which for that survey was
| under the command of Commander Il. f. Day,
u. 5. n. Tue island is from the meridian
OF $50 deg, so that the reference cannot be
to the circumnavgat0r's day with the al
', iteration CT the date on crossing this me-
rldian.
MAGNETIC ATTRACrIoN-A. A. B., City.
~ The north magnetic mole was located by
dip observations with reasonable accuracy
in latitude 20 deg. north, longitude % deg
west. near Prince Rupert Inlet, North
Americn. Ernm q study of marnntic obs. Z