The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-07-01
STEERING, BY A STAR.
Sailors Can Keep the Course Better
This Way Than by q Compass.

Sailors Can Keep the Course Better
This Way Than by a Comps 50.
That sailors prefer not to steer by
compass must have struck you as one
curious fact. Here is another: A
steersman can keep bis ship better on
her course at night, if it be clear, than
during the day. Look ahead, get star
and steady her head by it," So says the
A. B. of the ocean to the sailor 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
Ito" or "of' movement of vessel can
be more quickly detected by small,
bright object like star dead ahead
than by, the monotonous sweep of the
horizon, or by peering into the COM
pass box. 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 pinnacle lamps gave
out and he was steering by star, he
occasionally struck a match and looked
at the compass ito see if the star had
moved any," He was a genuine "sea-
cook" this ancient mariner, being stew
ard Of the vessel on which I was sail
ing; and he would bob up out of the
cook galley ;amidships like a seal bob
bling up through a hole in the ice, and
proceed to spin yarns. *
When the lookout sings out: '"Land,
ho!" and has replied to the officers
"Where away?" star over the rock or
other danger may be noted and brought.
down in line with the point on the COM
pass and it's proper bearing obtained.
'"The stars" said sea 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 polar
star, which is in line with two certain
stars in the Great Bear or Dipper, and
the orbit is so small that it is good
guide for all night; and we can even de-
tect errors of the compass by it."
AS AOA III oIdA' ID VI SOuASC dS u uC
as, or even truer than, the most accu-
rate 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
dynamo; to run the dynamo you need
steam. You may feel 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 un-
less you are up in sea lore-ten only
from the compass. Then by sailing
close to the wind you can keep on that
course without looking at the COM
pass. But the sailors naturally have a
large accumulation of weather lore, and
in addition in the trades" there are,
except in case of violent storms, certain
Irregularities in the winds in certain
parts of the ocean, and certain other re-
curing signs, which the helmsman can
utilize, and which often enable him to
dispense with the compass altogether.
For instance, if in standing south to
round the Horn, you see the Magellan
ic Clouds" bright patches in the Milky
Way directly above the ship, change
your course for the Straits Of Magellan.
st. Nicholas. - = = :.