Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-02-25
THE MARINERS GUIDE
The Most Valued Possession of the
sea Captain.
The Making of ChrOnOmeters Re-
nned Art That liz Followed by
Ai Few-Expenstve In
struments.

New .-orl., as the leading seaport of
portan. industry on which depends in
a larsl measure the safety OF thou
sands " o-u..l travellers, says the
nilaue4pu44 ledger This is The man
1.ac,uI4H., and particularly the rating,
OF mar.ne chrOnOmeterS. Nearly
every smpmaster, upon entering New
\ orA aIter an ocean voyage, obtains
from L..u O,t5tOmhOuSe a permit to land
IS cArOuometer, so that it may be
rated according to standard time.
Ihls raung may be lihened to the
daily comparison which the man with
the fine watch makes with his jew
elers timepiece.
in the case of a chronometer the ad-
jus.e4 eeJs a careful record of it's
var4auUn, and this record goes with
the clocn when it is returned to the
ship. The importance to a captain on
knowing whether his chrOnOmeter is
running fast or slow cannot be over
e3Jlma.ed, for, although it may vary
only five seconds a month, each Sec
Jnu uldhGS IL UlllcltulC Vi I'LL ulilCs
in ships course, and a mistake OF
such a short distance, if not corrected
might result in wreck and the loss
OK many lives. Knowing the exact
variation of his chrOnOmeter, the cap
tain is, therefore, able to make the
necessary allowance for it when he
aScertains the latitude and longitude
Of the vessel after taking his sight, or,
in other words, after determining the
angular position of the sun through
the use of the sextant.
Many of the large ocean liners carry
three chrOnometers, the ordinary yes
sci one and the deep-water ships
sometimes two or three, but the life
OF an ocean timepiece, If well taken
care of, is 100 years and more, and
accordingly the maker has TO meet nc
great demand. AS matter Of fact
a ChrOnometer really goes out of serv-
ice only when it sinks with a vessel
A shipmaster, when about to abandon
his command at sea, invariably thinks
of four things that should be saved
his logbOok, sextant, compass and
chronometer. With these and fair
supply of provisions he feels GER
tain sense Of security when he risks
his life in an open boat. A derelict
with chronOmeter on board is Indeed
a rarity. And when one reads OF a
captain who has been unable to save
his chrOnOmeter the story is in
dubitable proof that the summons to
leave the vessel was so urgent DIS
not to admit moments delay. Leave
the ships cat il you will, but save the
chronometer might well be taken as
an ocean maxim
Though carefully nursed, the chrO-
nOmeter meets with many adventures.
1t may go through fire, shipwreck and
other perils of the sea, but rarely does
the regular, distinct ticking ever stop
forever If captain dies or his YES
sci is condemned it finds another own
er or another berth and this 1t shifts
about from ship to ship, changing
hands continually and travelling at odd
times all the seven seas.
The manufacturing OF marine chro-
nometers in this country is confined
to four firms, three OF which are To-
Gated in New York, and probably the
whole output for year amounts to
200 or even fewer. AS with other artl-
cles, the price of chronOmeters varies
according to quality and workmanship.
The cheapest cost about $500 each,
while the United States government,
which naturally buys the best, pays
sometimes as much as 1878.
The movements Of chronometers are
usually imported blank" from Eng
land-that is, only the plates and |
wheels are brought over. The manu-
facturer here provides the balance, |
springs, pivots, jewels and other
parts needed to complete the whole,
together with the brass-bound box In
which the clock is placed. Being set
in gimbals within the box. the
chronometer will remain In horizon
tai position when the vessel rolls or
pitches. and by this means the poiss OF
the balance Ia not disturbed.
1t takes about three months TO man
ufacture a chronometer and another
ers declare that the dmepiece should |
not be sent to sea for two years after
completion, as the delicate mechanism
must be tested In various ways to obtain
a perfect regulation This adjustment,
as the regulation is called. is something
that requires the utmost skill and really
is the most important feature of the
makers art Sudden changes of temper
ature, humidity and electric currents
will affect the speed, balance and hair
spring, and therefore all the running
parts must be so compensated and regu-
lated that whatever contingency may
arise there will still be the steadiness
which allows no capricious variations
Old-fashioned chronOmeters were built
to run eight days without winding, but