Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1893-02-16
STRAITS OF LIE MARE.
A Little known Geographical Rival to tho
Straits of MuEcliun.

Straits OF ilaEciiun.
First Mate ThornGikc, of the Brit
ish ship Mashona, had little talk
with a reporter yesterday, and in the
course Of the conversation inciden-
tally referred to the fact that he was
on tho Me1ionetlshire when that
vessel made the quickest passage OH
record to San Francisco from the
United Kingdom. The trip was made
four years ago, and the time was
ninety-six days.
And now" said Mate Thorndike,
Il am going to ask you a question.
How many schoolmarrs in Califor-
mia know for fact that there are
two ways of coming to San Francisco
from New York or Europe by way
of South America without rounding
the Horn1 Ask them. | would al
most wager everything l possess on
the proposition that without prepar,.-
ton they would tell you that the
only way to avoid the Horn is by go
ing through the Straits of Magellan.
"Now am not teaching gcogra-
ply, but every sailor knows of tho
Straits of LIE Marie, but how many
presumably we'll informed people in
San Francisco, or in London for that
matter, know that there is another
short cut through the South A.neri-
can continent?
THE Mcl'ionethshire did not come
through the Straits Of Lie Marie when
she made her ninety-six Gays pas
sage, but sailing ships have passed
through those straits, and if all the
conditions were favorable the trip
might be thus shortened nearly seven
days. so that theoretically modern
sailing ship might reach this port III
eighty days or even less. Eut sail
ing ships very rarely indeed come
through these straits. Time is not
80 much nn object rs it was in tho
DAYS of tho tifties. and in addition
the vessel that undertook it would
forfeit her insurance. No insured
sailing vessel ever comes through the
Straits of LIE Maire. I have sailed
through those straits once, and would
not care to do it again.
Tho Straits of Magellan and the
Straits of Le Marie represent two al
ternatives as against rounding tho
Horn. Neither of them is at any
time beset or blocked by ice. The
ice foes travel from west to cast
around the Horn, many degrees to
the south Of the Straits of LIE Marie,
which lie between the southern end
of Terra del Fuego and Staten island.
By going through the Straits of Le
Marie a ship can save 1000 miles.
but you will readily understand that,
as the northern summer is the ant
arctic winter, no vessel would ever
attempt the passage i'll June, July or
August.
The Magellan passage is only pos
sible for steamboats, anyhow. Tho
reason is that a sailing vessel must
find an anchorage on the way
through, and there are five OF these
uUcuOlUSGS. oNtI A1oAAS Va sAA>oS S>~~~
be made, because the current is very
strong, especially at full moon, and
because there is no wind. On the
average the Magellan straits are not
more than four miles wide in the
thirty miles Of their length, and
often the width is only one mile.
1.-THE Straits of LIE Marie are five
degrees farther south. They are
about thirty miles through and as
many miles across. but the trouble is
that when you get to the Pacific side
there is current dead against you,
and northwest gales setting you dead
on a rockbourd coast.
Just take up good map OF the
south of South America and have a
talk with all old seaman, said Mate
Thorndike as he bade the reporter
goodby. 1T is a part of the world
that is going to become interesting
very soon, and the events of the last
two years are going to lead up to
others that may make knowledge
of the crosscuts Of the southern con-
tinent very interesting to statesmen
before very ,ong."-San Francisco