New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-14
OCEAN DERELICTS.
Hozc They Are Reported and Their
Positions Charted as Far as Possible.

Every one knows that derelictS are dangerous 10
navigation. Only the other day the steamer Monroe
of the Old Dominion Line, while on her way 10
Norfolk from this port. lost her propeller 1t was
believed that she struck submerged wreck. one
had to be towed back to port.
On Thursday last two derelicts, large enough 10
be dangerous to navigation and directly in the pain
of vessels from Southern and West Indian ports
were reported by the British steamship Taft, which
arrived here from Cuba with cargo of fruit a
vessel apparently large and well built schooner
bottom up, passed off Cape Henlopen In the
morning In the afternoon, when about ninety miles
off Scotland Lightship, the steamer passed anotner
schooner which had been burned 10 the water
edge APPARENTLY she had been lumber laden. Her
boats were gone suggesting that her crew mad
abandoned her by this means. In white letters on
the stern were the words "New-Haven. Conn., The
name was oblterated. She had been in the water
long enough to become covered with barnacles'
Every detail of wreckage, If only mast with
lit e rigging attached, which may be passed IN the
course of voyage is reported by incoming vessels
Il may be q clew to some missing vessel fioaelns
lumber whether tied together or not and drifting
buoys are also reported To the landsman the at
tention paid to such floating debris may seem time
wasted. The seaman knows that some time 1t may
have the same sort of value that description OF
floating body. kept on the records. may nave even
after many years have passed.
Uncle Sam is a good friend to the mariner. HIS
monthly pilots chart of the North Atlantic is
counted the most trustworthy map of its KIND pup
Tshed On a sheet about two by three feet the
mariner finds every sort of information he may
wish to know about the winds. temperature, fog.
location of icebergs and derects and the courses TO
take to reach a given part OF the globe most ex-
peditiousy and safely. 1t is based on observations
and reports made by mariners for thirty years
From the thousands of blue books which have been
placed In the hands of officers and returned with
data regarding weather fog ice, derects etc., the
photographers are able to determine almost TO an
absolute certainty what the nature of the wind VIII
be in every part of the North Atlantic Ocean in any
given month how many hours out of each hundred
there will be calm how many miles the wind will
blow the direction from which the wind may be ex-
pected and the number of hours which it may be
expected blow from each direction. The tracks of
hurricanes which have been reported in the course
of the month in previous years marked down
on the map in red ink, showing their progress from
day to day. In one corner charts of the steam
ship tracks for the month. showing the normal
prevalence Of fog in each degree between the
United States and Europe. Also on the chart are
marked with red symbols. which indicate their
character the location of every derelict or
floating buoy at the last report and the course
which they have followed in their drifting from the
time they first reported The average tenn
peratures of the different parts of the North Allan
tic Ocean for the month shown a small chart
side.
Besides the monthly chart, the Hydrographic
Office publishes weekly bulletin containing the re-
ports Of all wreckage derelicts. changes OF ouoys
Just now when so many persons are crossing TO
Europe. it may be Of interest TO them to know
something Of the sort of weather they may expect
to the photographer, summer conditions prevail
throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. Along the
transatlantic routes fair. dry weather. with light
winds and smooth seas may be expected. Gales,
except in exceptional cases, will be rare. Fog VIII
be widespread and continuous, especially off the
tail of the Newfoundland Banks and southeast Of
Nantucket. There are no icebergs in the steamship
track. but they still remain along the east course
of Newfoundland and Cape Race AS 10 derelictS
only is known in the steamship track This is
the Norwegian bark Record. On May it was
ported in about IS 30 west longitude and 45 north
latitude. AS might be expected, owing to the prox-
unity of the to the coast several derects
are to be found along the coast far Florida