The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1904-01-02
PATHS OF THE OCEAN
ORIGIN or THE LANES 7'RAVERSFD
BY ATLANTIC LINERS.

The Serthngn ana Southern Routes
to ana !rom Europe, aS Indicated
by Leu cn-nt M.GTs minimizing
the Danger OF Collisions.
In reports Of the arrival Of an ocean
liner the statement sometimes appears
that she came by the southern route
TO 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 to think of as the track.
less sea" seems somewhat pGradO5ical,
but e you consult the charts in the Of
fee Of steamship manager or Ia the
United s,aIes hydrograph Office instead
o. the ordinary map you will md mat
there are four well defined highways
across the north Atlantic rs clearly
marked to the nayigator's perception
az is a time worn turnpike on land To
The eyes Of Tie pedestrian.
It is over these great ocean thorough
fsres tia, the Atlantic fliers. Win their
tens of thousands If passengers and
their hundreds OF thousands OF tons 81
freight, pass on their voyages between
America aud Europe They are closely
adL9fed TO by all fast ste"m vessels
ana Just MS 'aFeiuliF aFoided ny SdII
ing ships ANA by the fishermen who ply
thels trade OK the Grand banks. Inc
situation 81 d small craft on the liners
route would Ne coAipaIa Die - '""L %
man driving "a l-ht runaboAt along a
railway track cleared FOR the ids, '.ia'
tied, fUr these main Travelled llnas have
been SGT aside by custom ana agree
meme Tor tine Au3n,ic's Lightning eN'
presses Nobody is delayed al s.Ciags
OF confined 90 special tracks. however,
for the .p,l of the ocean Is left 10 tie
ordinary mariner.
II is only few years since the tracks
upon wGica the great liners SHAH run
have been SO clearly defined, LIVER STAGE
the commerce Of the north Atlantic AS
sumrd Important proportions sailing
masters have followed in a general
way the great circle that curves north
weird from The west coast VI En-and
and ireland until It reaches about 46
degrees uorth latitude in midscean,
then bears sOuthwesiw1rd past the
coast IF Newfoundland ard Cape Race.
Early experience proved that this was
the shortc3. and so, of course. the
quickest route between Europe and
such ports as Boston, New York and
pbilodelphia.
While steam navigators kept fairly
near this course il was natural
enough that they should vary from it
somewhat according TO the theories or
individual captains. With the multipli.
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 Atli4ptic nj
the same time in one direction or the
other all keeping to the same general
course Irrespective of the direction i'll
which they were travelling, Ii was OBJ
vions that the possibility of two OF
them coming together in thick weather
was too great to be contemplated pleas
antly.
So Lieutenant Maury of the United
States navy made the suggestion that
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 SEr"'
to the adoption Of any route tat IN
VOWED a loss of time In making the
ocean passage.
The most important provision sug
pe'tcd ~ Lieutenant Marry was that
vess1ls going in opposite directions
should observe the rules Of the road by
passing one another on the pert side,
To carry out this plan he proposed that
west bound vessels should keep about
one degree to the norihward Of those
east bo,nd Thus the greatest danger
from the following Of indlscriminate
routes that of collision between fast
ships would be avoided While II Is
lrSir1hlp i'm point OF time for ships 10