Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-09-22
PATHS Of THE OCEAN
ORIGIN OF THE LANES TRAvERSeC
~ ATLANTIC LINERS.
The Northern and Southern Routes
20 and From Europe. as Indicated
By Lieutenant Observation-Disclosures
the Danger Of Collisions.

~ Lieutenant
the Danger Of Collisions.
In reports CT the arrival of an ocean
liner the statement sometimes appears
that she came by the southern route"
10 avoid ice or that she made her first
trip Of the season by the northern
lane" To the ordinary reader the idea
Of lanes or pathways on what we have
been taught t. think of as the track
less sea- seems somewhat paradOxical,
but if you consult the charts in the Of
ace Of a steamship manager or in the
United States photographic office instead
Of the ordinary map you will find that
there are four we'll defined highways
ACROSS the north Atlantic as clearly
marked to the navigator's perception
% ia q time worn turnpike on land to
the eyes of the pedestrian.
1t is Over these great ocean thorough
fares that the Atlantic f1iers, with their
tens of thousands Of passengers and
their hundreds Of thousands of tons OF
freight, pass on their voyages between
America and Europe. They are closely
adhered to by all fast steam vessels
and just as carefully avoided by sail
ing ships and by the fishermen who ply
their trade off the Grand banks. The
situation of a small craft on the liners
route would be comparable to that OF
a man driving a light runabout along a
railway track cleared for the fast linn
tied, for these main travelled lines have
been set aside by custom and agree
ment for the Atlantic's lightning eX-
presses. Nobody is delayed at sidinSs
or confined to special tracks. however,
for the rest of the ocean is left to the
ordinary mariner.
1t is only a few years since the tracks
upon which the great liners shall u
have been SO clearly defined. Ever since
the commerce of the north Atlantic as
sumed important proportions sailing
masters have followed in a general
way the great circle that curves north
ward from the west coast of England
and Ireland until it reaches about 40
degrees north latitude in midocean,
then bears southweStward past the
coast of Newfoundland and Cape Race.
Early experience proved that this was
the shortest and so. of course. the
quickest route between Europe and
such ports as Boston, New York n
Philadelphia.
While steam n%avigatOrs kept fairly
near this course it was natural
enough that they should vary from 1t
somewhat according to the theories OF
individual captains. With the multiple
cation of steamships and the rapid in
crease in speed the very fact that all
the larger and swifter vessels kept to
one particular part of the ocean greatly
increased the danger of collision be-
tween them. When forty or fifty swift
steamers were crossing the Atlantic at
the same time in one direction or the
other. all keeping to the same general
course irrespective Of the direction in
which they We're travelling, 1t was OBJ
vious that the possibility of two OF
them coming together in thick weather
was too great to be contemplated pleas
antly.
80 Lltuttllinl Nhduls VI tht AhAtNN
States navy made the suggestion thai
all fast steamships should traverse GER
tain fixed routes. which he indicated
paths following the great circle pretty
closely, for it was natural that the
steamship companies would not agree
to the adoption Of any route that in
volved q loss Of time in making thu
ocean passage.
The most important provision sug
gested by Lieutenant Maury was tina
vessels going in opposite direction
should observe the rules Of the road b!
passing one another on the port side
To carry out this plan he proposed tina
west bound vessels should keep abOu
one degree to the northward Of h o
east bound. Thus the greatest DANCE
from the following of ndiscriminat
routes-that of collision between fas
ships-would be avoided. While it
desirable in point Of time for ships I
steer their course far to the north, tn
presence of ice and fog in the high lat
itudes makes it impracticable for then
to do so during fully half the year. AC
cordingly, Lieutenant Maury provides
for two great highways. II for sum
mer, the other for winter, n abou
three degrees to the northward of tn
other and each with west bound an
east bound tracks.
The rivalry between the differen
lines was so great at that time tina
each hesitated to give unconditioni
adherence to the plan. fearing tha
some other would gain an advantage
Two prominent steamship manager
however. quickly appreciated the az
vantages of Lieutenant Maury's pla
and independently of their competition
gave instructions to their captains
follow the lines laid down by hin
These w men were Clement A. Gri
com, then the head of the America
line, and Thomas II. Ismay, director
the White Star line. As these two linz
then owned the fastest and most pc
feet ships on the Atlantic. the influen'