Evening star., 1902-09-02
BOXING THE COMPASS.
The Test Between Sailor and Land
lubber.

From the Dallas News.
Boys who live in seaport towns are some
times asked to box the compass" II they
can do it quickly and accurately they are
fine sailors and may grow up to be the cap
tain of a four-master. If they miss point
or can only do 1t slowly they are landlub-
bers and will never see blue water. To box
the compass means to name all the points
in order just fast as you can speak.
This is the way an old down east skipper
will rattle 1t off: North, nor by east, nor
noreast, nor east by north, northeast.
nor'east by east, east-nor' east, east by
north, east east by south, eastsou'e east
sou'east by east, sou'east sou-east by
south, sou-sou-east, sou by east, SOUTH
SOU by west, sou-sou'west, souwest by
south, SOU west, sou'west by west, west
sou'west, west by south, west, west by
north, west-nor' west, nor'-west by west,
nor west, norWest by north, nor'-nor west,
nor by west, north.
Can you do it?
If needle is orawn a few times over the
ends of a horseshoe magnet it becomes
magnetzed. Push such magnetized
needle through a small cork. Place the
cork in a bowl of water, taking pains to
see that the cork, when 1t floats on the
! water will carry the needle in horizontal
position, or ION an even Keel" Another
way is to cut about three inches from a
| hollow straw (such as is used to suck
lemonade), and to push the needle inside
the straw. The straw Will float and carry
the needle. Now, observe what happens.
| The floating needle will slowly swing round
till 1t points north and south. The straw
| will behave in the same way. Push 1t in
any other direction and the moment 1T is
| free 1t swings back again.
| At the opticians you can buy small
pocket compass. This is more convenient
! than the floating needle, and will give US all
| the points of the compass and enable US to
| decide at any time which is north. This
| would be very handy If We were caught
] in a fog when boating or were lost in the
| woods while camping. On some railroads
! in Switzerland the trains travel through
| circular tunnels, entering a mountain al
| one place, travelling up spiral tunnel ano
! coming out much higher up the mountain.
| Travellers passing through the spiral tun-
| nels sometimes amuse themselves by watch
| ing a compass. They cannot tell IN the
| dark which way the train is going, but the
| needle of the compass, always pointing to
| the north, will appear 20 swing complete
| ly round 1t is the train that turns round
| and not the needle.
| We do not know who first observed the
fact that floating magretized needle will
| point to the north. Nor do we know pre-.
| cisely when or where some unknown In
| ventor used this idea to make a compass
| All we know is that the Chinese made ani
| used con1passes more than 2,OOO years age
| When men began. perhaps 10000 year!
| ago, to sail upon the water, they useC
marks upon the shore to guide them or
| their way. Long years after they observed
that certain star Kept at ali times th'
| same place in the sky, and they used thi.
| pole star as guide in steering their ships
| Today a steamship starting down the Hud
son river for Europe is guided by the pilot
and he uses the buoys, beacons and othel
guide marks to steer the ship down the bay
Off Sandy Hook he gives up the ship to tn
captain, who instructs the helmsman Il
steer northeast by east, east by north, o.
| whatever course he selects, and the helms
man, watching the compass, keeps the shiI
, headed in that direction.