The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-05-12

BE international date line is some
Thing not we'll understood and indeed no
one gave IL much attention until the war
at the philippines raised the question
whether these islands had laser or ear
lier date than we. There is a line arbi-
trarlly liked by sailors but IL has no rec
ognitlon from others. There is no inter
national date line properly speaking,
though custom has made one tortuous
aud zlgzag, dependent entirely upol the
direction whence civilization came The
best article on this subject which has
come under the observation of The Pilot
is ode 10 the International Cyclopedia,
La speaking OF the date line being estab-
lished by the direction civilization took
II states that Alaska, while Russian Am
erlca, had different date from adioinlr Q
portions OF British America and neigh
bors across the line had different DAYS of
the week. The discoveries Of the Philip
pine islands passed through the straits
OF Magellan and took the American day
with them. thus giving these islands a
day later imam the coast of ASIA or other
islands IN the nelehborhood. For in
stance sailing westward from Magellan
81 II o'clock M. Monday and arriving by
a time piece set TO Magellan time at IL
O'Clock noon OF any day, it would be mid
night by the solar day. Measured by
actual time IL hours of sunshine were
stolen and it should be u Nj instead of
II L. Nj. and OF the succeeding day. But
the naVgators took the day of the week
with them and their time at the Phil
pines measured by sun light WAS ~ bours
later tEsn their time pieces showed,
Twelve hours of darkness were converted
into II hours OF sunlight and time at the
Philippines was later than ours by one
day. These navlgators reckoning the
day by sunrise to sunset lost half day
IN time and if their arrival was Monday
noon reckoning "a hours as a day, their
arrival was Sunday II 2. Nj. reckoning
by the solar day This is The Pilots
calculation not the Internationally text.
The international says this was chang
ed IN 1874. The governor general order
ed in that year that January 1st. 1916
Immediately follow December 30, 1874,
80 that there was no December 81 for the
Philippines in 1874.
The international date line as fixed by
colonlzIng and the d rection from which
the colonlsts came as given by the Inter-
national is as follows: 1t passes through
Behrlng Straits, south of the strait il
| passes west of Clarke's or st. Lawrence
| island, then west Of Cores island, south
| westerly between the Alentian islaGds
and Asia, thence southwesterly some de.
| grees east of Cape Lopatka and the group
of kurlle islands. thence just east of the
| Japan islands, Jesse and Nippon, keep
ing west Guadalupe and Margaret
islands, but east of BONN, Loo Choo and
Patchoo islands and south east of For
mosa. 1t then passes through Bosher
channel just north of the Bosher islands
l. enters the Chinese Sea east of Honp
Kong, then passes south just west of the
Philippines but keeps east of Palanon
island. Here it reaches its most western
! point being about 1I6 degrees E. Iongl
tude. 1t then takes a southeastern
course passing through the Sooloc
islands south of MlndarIo. and north oil
Gllolo. Thence east nearly parallel will
but just north of the equator to a poin
about l65 degrees just north of Shanh
island, thence southeasterly leaving Hlgf
island, Gilbert archipelago, Toswel
island and the DePeyster group on the
| northeast, thence to a point n. E. O
| Navigator or Samoan islands to longitud,
26S west, thence it turns south keeping
east Of the Navigator, friendly, Tongr
NHsqnez, kermadec and Curtes island:
and west of the Society islands anc
Cooks or Harveys islands, thence it con
unues south bearing little to the wes
so rs to cross Chatham island. thence tt
thu south pole.