The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-06-10

meath my room, would have kept me
awake. Bracing myself in my bunk,
TO prevent being pitched out by the heavy
lurching OF the ship tried to read by the
aid OF my incandescent lamp twhat a
blessing 1t was on board(, but must have
fallen into an easy kind or dOze- at
any rate. towards eight bells (midnighO, 1
was startled by most fearful shock It
was as II a mountain OF water had fallen
upon our decks; the dragging propeller
ceased ts noisy revolutions, and the ST.
lcnce that followed was appalling by con-
trast the ship seemed 10 stand sull.
and trembled like n living thing. as II,
unable longer 10 keep up the fearful race
before those pursuing waters, she yielded,
at last. TO their fury. Then followed an
ominOus swish, as the weight OF the Inn
mense sea on deck forced its way through
tn closed matches. and poured below.
Above. we could family hear the voices
OF the officer Of the watch, the executive.
and the captain, "a they vainly tried 10
make their orders heard above the roar OF
the gale. All this occurred In a very Few
moments yet before / could realize the
situation. and Get on my feet. the water
had nearly reached 10 my knees in my
room. We who were below knew al once
what had happened. The ship hai
preached to"-that Is. the sea had struck
her on the quarter with such violence as
20 swing her around, and then fallen win
all its force upon her deck. IL was
most serious predicament 10 be placed H.
for. IL we could not relieve her at once
of the enormous weight OF water ana get
her off again before the Wlnd, ere an
other sea should strike her. or she was
caught fun aback. she would 80 uoWh
stern foremost, and the Wondeitul pen,
nant that we meant 10 nave gispidyeu
so proudly IN home waters would become
the DlaythinC of the creatures VINO us
ported themselves at the bottom OF me
Pacific and our epitaph, after long
series Of COniectures in the newspaper
would have been summed up concisely IN
the words "EOundcrcd at sea.
Not knowing IL We were not indeed sink
ing at the time. and feeling trait we
were penncd up below two or three Of
us struggled along the length OF the
berth de,k and climbed up the hatch
under the topgallant forecastln. which,
being urder cover was left open. AS we
gained the deck an appalling sight pre-
scented Itself The whole afterpart Of the
strip seemed submerged. and the strug-
Cling forms Of the men could be seen
washed about as II ey eTdeavored 10
force open the gun ports TO free the
deck Of water Some at times were COM
pletely covered for the moment as the
Ship rolled Everything movable, as hal
Hard racks, division tubs, ETC., foated
hither and thither, adding to the conf l.
sion and danger as well. Finally the
gun ports We're forced open, and tho
1ater. as II anxious TO rcjoin the res
Of its element. quickly passed out on
either side. At the same time. by the
skilful handling Of the helm and work
gathered Roadway again. and once more
the noisy propeller resumed its old-time
clsmor astern-but it was music 10 our
ears Through all the connection Of our
dangerous plight the discipline was per
feet: not n sound indicative Of fear was
heard and every member Of the crew
worked silently and manfully 10 save
aha ship and We'll they might. for IL
was life or death for us ALL Some hours
afterward when we were all gathered
I'm the wardroom (all save the doctor
We couldn't induce him 10 come below
for three days. / remarked 20 my RELIEF
''Wen. old salt. you did manage 10 get
her across the line. though it was NIP
and tuck between YOU and navy Jones
for awhile" yes" he replied. norcha-
lantly. but we're on our own side OF
the world now. Here's 10 . pcnn2nt SAN
She can work no mischief here"
well. but you haven't told us yet why
Won repeated the 10Th over again. ana
called it the 30th." remarked one OF
my bright boy listeners.
quite true, ! have not; Iet me see il
| can explain It to YOU" | answered.
OF course. you will realize that We did
not live any longer than the rest or
the world who quietly stayed at home.
The fact IS there is no real gain or
loss Of a day in going east or west around
the world; the present moment here IS
equally the present moment At 1okOnoina,
though the clock there marks II IA hours
later than New York. Time all over the
movement Of the sun. and in his daily
march he crosses the meridian or Hoko-
hama Il IA hours before he reaches ours
So that when IL is exactly noon, January
LIST. at New York. it IS 2 o'clock in the
morning. January I'd. at Yokohama
As we proceed TO the eastward in going
around the world. we are adVaTclnB 10
meet the sun, and actually shortening
our day by an amount depending upon
the gain We have made in longitude. II
We could gain Is degrees in day, we
would gain one whole hour IN time, IN
3GO degrees completely around the WORLD
we gain twentyfOur hours or an entire
dav. on the other hand. If we proceed
I'm the opposite direction-that IS, TO the
westward-we are going in the same
direction as the sun, and we lcnEthen
our day by an amount depending on the
gain we have made in longitude 10 the
westward ~ we have made u degrees.
we have heightened our d3y by one
hour.
IN other words" said a scholarly lis
tener. you borrow from the coming,
and add 10 the parting day; captain
Lecky gives a good practical Illustration,
as follows: If two men. A ana j., start
out at the same instant on journey
around the world the first going east.
and the other west, and neither made any
alteration In their date from the time OF
setting out TIL their return together on
the same day. this Is what would happen. |
4 would believe he had arrived, say on |
Sunday but i would persist in calling II |
Friday. there would be difference Of |
two whole days In their reckoning, but |
no one would seriously believe, on that |
account that A had lived forty-eiSht |
hours longer than y. The actual day Of |
the week would. Of course, be Saturday. |
and the actual time occupied by each on |
the Journey would be precisely the same
Let us return now, 70 our ship. our |
course around the world to the eastward |
led MS from New York. across the At
lantic. through the Mediterranean. tho |
Suez Canal. down the Red sea, across |
tho Indian Ocean. through the straits OF
Nalacca. M the China Sea and Pacific !
ocean to Yokohama. japan. by which |
time we had gained about two hundred |
and thirteen, and one half degrees Of
longitude. or fourteen and one-quarter
hours of time from New York. or IS
longitude is reckoned from mat point,
nine end one-Quarter hours from Green
wich on the night Of the storm. We had
reached the 1e1th meridian. twelve hours
east Of Greenwich. and here let us leave
The old ship in her dire distress. ~ r-id-
NIGHT of the 10Th. and take an instantan-
cons aerial flight around the world 20 the
westward As we reach Greenwich. We
ind that 70 IS exactly twelve o'clock, mid
law AS we speed over London, fash
Ocratic St Georges, Hanover Square,
n the latest legal hour Of the day in
england "hieh-nOon" The joyous
trains Of the organ are not in harmony
With our thoughts as we remember those
100 sesrnen battling with the waves for
heir lives away Of there at the Anti
,odes Darling across the Atlantic. We
lee the great bridge the ferries and the
1avated roads thrOnged with men and
yornen on their way to their daily tasks
g the ehril whistles proclaim " O'Clock
.tni away acrOce the American CONT