The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1898-10-28

Mechanism and Use of the Log, With
n Truthful Red Sea Shark Story At
tachment.
''How do you ascertain the speed of
a vessel?" is question frequently ad-
dressed to naval men, and an expIana-
tion will therefore probably be of inter
est TO many readers. There are several
methods, the cOmmonest and most an
cient being by the use of the "log."
This instrument consists of three parts
the logship, the line and the marks.
The logship is a piece Of wood about
half an inch thick and shaped like a
quadrant, with a piece of lead let in
round the circular edge to make it float
perpendicularly in the water. 1t is slung
by lines at each angle, the three lines
being joined together about two feet
from the logship. Two of the lines are
securely fixed to the ship and the other
has bone peg at the end, which, being
pushed into hole in the ship, tempo
rarily fastens it there.
From the point of juncture of the three
lines a sufficient length is measured,
generally about 100 feet, TO take the
lOgship we'll clear of the ships wash.
This is called the "stray line'' and is
marked with piece of bunting. From
the bunting is measured AZ feet 3
inches, and the line marked here with
a piece Of leather. Then another AZ feet
inches is measured 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 between 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 seconds in
an hour, 28 seconds (length of sand
glass;, $3.50 feet (number of feet in
nautical mile) length of line required
which works out to IL feet inches.
To use the log four persons are 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, sufficient
to admit of the logship being thrown
well clear of the ship. He asks, "Clear
glass, quartermaster?"
"Clear glass, sir" comes the reply,
and overheard 90 the logship and line,
the reel rapidly revolving. Presently
the MILDLY feels the piece Of bunting
passing through his hand, and he gives
the order, "Turn." The quartermaster
turns the glass and watches the sand
while one "reeler" holds the reel we'll
over his head, so as to give the line fair
play. When the sand has run out,
"Stopr" cries the quartermaster.
The midshipman grasps the line, as
sisted by the other reeler, and looks for
the nearest knot, finding a single one
close to his hand. Then the line is haul
ed in, and four knots appear, which
signify that the ship is going four and
a half knots through the water. The
jerk Of the line draws the peg from the
I0gship, which now floats on its fat
side and is easily hauled in. When a
ship is going over four knots. a II sec
Ond glass Is used, the speed being double
that shown by the knots on the line.
Another method in use is the patent
log. This is altogether mechanical and
consists Of a long cylinder with clock
work inside it and four fins on the cut
side 1t is tOwed astern of the ship by a
line made fast to a swivel in the head
of it. As it is dragged through the wa
ter the four fms make 1t revOlve, aotu-
ating the cIOckwOrk inside, which regis
tiers on a series Of dials the number Of
knots run. This log has to be hauled in
every time one wants to read it, but
there is another kind where the fan is
towed astern and the dial is a fixture
IN the ship. This is called a "CheTUb. ="
These logs are not always accurate,
and are constantly verified when near
land by cross bearings-that is, the
bearings Of two we'll ksown points are
taken, and the position so obtained is
marked on the chart, the time Of Obser-
vation being noted and the reading on
the patent log. After an interval has
elapsed the position of the ship is again
taken by cross bearings, when the
straight line joining the two places on
the chart will show the direction Of the
course steered and its length the distance
run. a comparison with the readings
by patent log will give the error of the
machine.
To finish here is a patent log yarn,
as told by an old meSsmate. Igive it in
his own words: "When in the Crocodile
IN the Red sea, just after taking the
reading one night at 5 O'Clock, the
qUartermaster reported, SHARK taken
the patent log, sirP 1 got another one