The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-08-28
STEERING BY A STAR.
Sailors Can Keep the Course Better
This WAY than by Compass.

Adn Keep the NOur0e better
This WAY than by a Compass.
In st. Nicholas there is an article on
Steering Without Compass" by
Gustav Kobbe. The author says:
That sailors prefer not to steer by
compass must have struck YOU as one
curious fact. Here is another 4
steersman can keep his ship better ON
her course at night, if it be clear, than
durin@ the day. Look ahead, get a
star, and steady her head by it SO
says the 4 B of the ocean to the sail
or who has not yet won his degree
For to the helmSman the stars are like
the pillar of fire in Scripture They are
the hands on the dial of the night. They
twinkle "goOd-evening" to poor Jack
as he sits up aloft or stands at the
helm. and wink good mOrning' and
''gOOd-by' to him with daylight. 1t is
obvious that the to- or off move
ment of a vessel can be more quickly
detected by small, bright object like
a star dead ahead than by the monot-
onouS sweep Of the horizon, or by peer
ing into the compassion. The same
ancient mariner who told me about
measuring the length of the off and in
shore legs by the life of candles, told
me that once. when the oil in the bin
nacle-lampS gave out and he was steer
ing by "A star, he occasionally struck
a match and looked at the compass ito
see if the star had moved any" He
was a genuine ''SeacoOk,' this ancient
mariner, being steward of the vessel
on which / was sailing: and he would
bob up out of the cooks galley amid
ships like seal bobbing up through a
hole i'll the ice and proceed to spin
yarns.
When the lookout sings out, Land
ho.' and has replied to the officers
"Where away" Il star over the rock
or other danger may be noted and
brought down in line with the point on
the compass, and its proper bearing
obtained.
The stars" said a ea-captain to me,
move apparently from east to west,
so that when we find our first star will
no longer do. we select another. This
is the case with all but the north or
pole star, which is in line with two
certain stars in the Great Bear or Dip
der. and the orbit is so small that it is
a good guide for all night; and we can
even detect errors of the compass by
it."
The north star is, of course, as true
as or even truer than. the most accur-
ate compass. TO the other things
that sailors steer by. the compass is,
however. what steam is to electricity.
To produce an electric light you require
a dynamo: to run the dynamo YOU need
steam. You may feei the wind on your
moist brow or hand but the direction
from which it blows you can-eXcept
in case of the regular trade winds. or
unless YOU are up in Sea-lore-tell only
from the compass Then by sailing
close TO the wind You can keep on that
course without looking ut the compass.
But the sailors naturally have large
accumulation of weather lore; and in
addition to the trades" there are, ex-
cept in case Of violent storms. certain
rag,llaritieS in the winds in certain
parts of the ocean. and certain other
recurring signs which the helmsman
can utilize. and which often enable him
10 dispense with the compass altogeth-
or. For instance, if in standing south
to round the Horn. YOU see the Ma
gellanic Clouds bright patches in the
Milky Way directly above the ship.
change your course for the Straits of
Magellan