The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
WHEN RECKONING is LOST.
THE SEA CAPTAIN THEN SPENDS
UNPLEASANT HOURS.
Result in Wrecks-ObscFvatio
Dead Reckoning and Soundings.

Result in Wrecks-ObscrvatfOn
Dead Reckoning and sOundings.
From the Philadelphia Times.
1t is often asked If sea captains do not
sometimes get lost, and not know where
on the great ocean their ship is. 1 recall
a case where our "Old Man." was lost
within 100 miles of his home port, and an
old deep water captain. too, who had
guided his ship to nearly all the large
seaports of the world, and has been
around the world And this happened
Just after fine run from Frisco, when
for 100 days not a glimpse of land had
been seen, to prove his position on the
trackless waste. He had shaped his
course to pass between two of the
Azores, Flores and Fayal. and after rush
ing forward through dark and stormy
night, daylight broke to show us the two
islands, one on either bow
To make such an accurate landfall af-
ter being at seat nearly 3lA months. made
it seem all the more strange to see this
old master mariner lost on the mill
pond" as deep-water sailors sometimes
call the North Atlantic.
our ship was the big clipper II,
homeward bound from Antwerp. Phlla-
of the Delaware were the landfall we ex-
pected to make. We were running for
Five Fathom bank lightship off Cape
MAY. and, after hunting for it all day in a
mist or rain, the old man hove to at s
D. m. Then, going with his mate to the
chart. which was spread out on the cabin
table. he ran over his figures once more,
and finally / heard him sum the matter
up as follows:
"The observations say she is here"
(pointing to a spot on the chart, "the
dead reckoning says she's there" ((point-
ing to another spoO, while the soundings
do not indicate either place. and d If
know where she is:
the fact that the American coast between
Sandy Hook and Hatteras was somewhere
beyond that western horizon, he was
lost and was utterly unable to shape a
course for the breakwater
This was on the night of Aug. is. We
had left Antwerp on the glorious fourth,
and were eleven days beating down the
English channel When once out clear
of the land we hoped for more favorable
weather but day after day light head
winds and Gains delayed US. aug. round
land. and after a very narrow escape from
being sunk by an iceberg, we ran further
south to keep clear Of such cold and I'M
Here is where the trouble began. had
been keeping the ships run by dead reck-
oning for the mate, and up to this time
ali had gone well. In running south TO
clear the banks, we had run into the gulf
stream and although I asked the mate
several times about allowing for the drift
Of the current and he said not to do so.
No current was allowed for in my day
work and the result was a difference OF
al least forty miles in the longitude, my
figures giving our position that much
further west than the captains chronom-
eter called for
This difference continued for several days
and puzzled the mate, although men,
toned again that no current had been al
lowed for Finally after being told for
the third time that my figures did not
agree with the captains observations,
decided 10 work 1t out on my own hook.
Taking down the mates chart, which |
had the use Of l clearly saw that the
ships track had been well in the center of
the gulf stream. The flow was found to
be east by north, and judging the rate
from figures given at regular distances,
figured up the days work, and when COM
pared with the captains. the result Of his