The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-30

three lines a sufficient length is meas
ured, generally about one hundred feet,
to take the logship well clear of the
ships wash. This is called the STRAY
line, and is marked with a place of
bunting. From the bunting is meas
ured Al feet 3 inches, and the line
marked here with piece of leather.
Then another AZ feet inches is meas
ured off, and marked with two knots,
then another space the same length,
and marked with three knots; and so
on as far as seven knots Halfway be-
tween each batch of knots one single
knot is made. The log-line is then
ready for use.
The space between the knots is found
from the simple little rule-of-three
sum: AS 5000 seconds number Of sec
onds in an hour) 2S seconds Clength of
sandglass), $3.50 feet number of feet
in a nautical mile}; length of line re-
quired-which works out to AZ feet 3
inches.
To use the log four persons arc re-
quired; two men to hold the reel on
which the line is wound; the quarter
master, to hold the glass; and the mid
shipman of the watch, to heave the log.
The last-named puts the peg firmly in
the logship, and then gathers three or
four coils of line in his hand, suffi-
cient to admit of the logship being
thrown well clear of the ship. He asks,
Clear glass, quartermaster?" Clear
glass, sir!' comes the reply, ard over
board goes the logship and line, the
reel rapidly revolving. Presently the
MILDLY feels the piece of bunting passing
through his hand, and he gives the or
der, Turn" The quartermaster turns
the glass, and watches the sand. while
one "reeler" holds the reel well over
his head, so as to give the line fair
play. When the sand has run out
"Stop!" cries the quartermaster The
midshipman grasps the line, assisted
by the other reeler and looks for the
nearest knot, finding a single one close
to his hand. Then the line is hauled
in. and four knots appear, which sig
nifty that the ship is going four and g
half knots through the water. The jerk
Of the line draws the peg from the Log
ship, which now floats on its fat side
and is easily hauled in. When ship
is going over four knots, a fourteen.
second glass is used, the speed peins
double that shown by the knots on the
line.
Another method in use is the paten
log. This is altogether mechanical, anC
consists Of a long cylinder with clock
work inside it, and four fins on tn,
outside; it is towed astern of the shiI
by a line made fast to swivel in the
head of it. AS it is dragged through
the water the four fins make it re
volve, actuating the clockwork inside
which registers on a series of dials tn,
number of knots run This log has t.
be hauled in every time one wants t
read it. But there is another kline
where the fan is towed astern, and tn,
dial is a fixture in the ship. This i.
called a "cherub."
These logs are not always accurate
and are constantly verified when neai
land by bearings. That is, tn,
bearings of two well known points ar,
taken, and the position so obtained il
marked on-the chart, the time of OBJ
seryation being noted. and the reading
on the patent log. After an interva
has elapsed, the position of the shil
is again taken, by cross bearings, whei
the straight line joining the two places
on the chart viii show the direction
of the course steered, and its length
the distance run. A comparison witt
the readings by patent log will give thu
error of the machine.
To finish here is a patent log yarn
as told by an old messmate / give
it in his own words when in tn,
ing the reading one night at o'clock
the ouartermaster reported, Shark ia
ken the patent log, sir / got anothe
one over at once At $50 next morn
ing we stopped for half an hour. II
amuse the ladies' / tried for and caugh
a shark. On opening him ne found GU
patent log, and" he added gravely
..strange to say, it registered the same
as the one in use. The line had jamm
ed between his teeth the fan working
all the time he followed the ship. HI
had swum just 122 ITO miles"