Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-06
MEASURES WIND,
Ingenious Beaufort Scale Cannot Be
Improved by Mariners.

Improved by Mariners.
From the New York Sun.
Only veteran navigators of the deep sea
with knowledge of British naval history
can tell you, offhand the full name of the
inventor of the Beaufort scale Of wind
force. Even these rare men Of the bound
ing main may be brought up all standing
If you should ask them what they knew
about Beaufort. Some Yankee shippers
might even inquire whether you meant
Beaufort, N. G., or Beaufort. 8. c. All
British and German steamships use the
Beaufort scale in recording the velocity OF
the wind but few, even among the literary
Germans are able to tell anything about
the origin of the scale or about Beaufort
one of the most gallant naval officers of
his time and a hero of the order of our
own Hobson. Most books that say any
thing at all about Sir Francis Beaufort
merely mention that he was the author of
Karamania: Brief Description of the
South Coast of Asia Minor and the Remains
OF antiquity. here seems to be no rea-
sonable doubt that he was the author CT
"Karamania: Brief Description of the
least six books of reference, which say
practically nothing else about the gallan.
admiral. None of these books mentions the
thing that has immortaliZed Sir Francis
He appears to have been one of the clever
est and most courageous naval officers in
the British service in the days Of sailing
craft He entered the navy in 1897, and
ton, thirtysix guns, in October, 1900, COM
manded the boats that cut out the Spanish
ship San Jose, under the guns of Fang
erole Castle. near Malaga. In this expedi-
ton he received nineteen wounds in the
head, arms and body-three sword cuts and
sixteen muSket shots.
Thus he won his promotion to the rank OF
commander. Naturally he was unfit for sea
duty for some time Most of his work
thereafter was in the line of surveying.
Incidental to the Job of finding out some
thing about Karamania he suppressed some
pirates. His work in Karamania was
brought to an end by some Turkish fanatics
who attacked his boats crew on June 70,
1872. He was badly wounded in the hip,
and was sent back to England. In 1929 he
was made photographer to the navy, and
came rear admiral on the retired list in
1865. He was singularly modest, refusing
to accept pay for any of his publications
on the ground that the material for the
work was acquired in the service of his
country
The Beaufort scale, although made for
sailing vessels, is fit for any sort Of craft.
1t was based upon the speed of good ship
and the sail she could carry. There has
been no alteration in the scale since Beau
fort invented it. In a calm represented by
o, the good ship carried all sail, then in
Guiding stun sails, now mere memory.
No. l of the scale means just steerage way
or light air. No. 2 is light breeze, one
to two knots; g. a gentle breeze, five to six
KNOTS. Thereafter, as the sea rises. the
careful skipper begins to take in sail. A
fresh breeze, No. 8, twenty knots. followed
by a strong breeze. No. 8. twenty-five to
thirty knots, causes him to reef his top
gallant sails.
AS the storm increases and rips the crests
off the pillows more canvas is doused. No
is moderate gale, or thirty-five to forty
knots; No. 8, knots, ''close reefs and
courses" says Beaufort; No TO- whole gale
sixty knots. "maintopsail and foresail close
reefed;" No. II. storm, seventy knots
storm staysails;" No. II, hurricane, or
tornado eighty to one hundred knots. mo
canvas" just bare poles. and in these days
Oil bags over bow and stern to prevent the
tall combers from breaking aboard