The sun., 1908-03-26

uohAhoo OF all the hlgh signs ana deep
portents. And, then. didn't we start out
from PuDta Arenas on Friday night at the
eleventh hourY Hadn't the moon Just gone
down, and who knows but that a darky
hadfailed to catch rabbit over In the grave
| yard on the beach yonder and 30 had missed
having his left hind leg in his pocket (or
whatever the details Of that superstition
are)P And 10 there was no adequate guaran-
tee from escaping death and destruction.
Certainly II was tcklish business, task
for the ignorant or the foolhardy
But, speaking seriously, what the mari
time world thinks Of this region Is revealed
best probably by the nomenclature OF the
/ various headlands, islands, bays and capes
A study Of the charts presents such names
as these; Desolation Island, Point Famine,
Famine Reach, Point Mercy Delusion Bay.
Dislocation Harbor, Useless Bay. Disap-
pointment Bay, Spider Island, Corksorew
Bay and Cormorant Island to say nothing
Of Snow Sound and Snowy Inlet. Why. the
very contemplation Of the chart was sufi-
cient 10 give landsman the shivereesl
GEOGRAPHY oF THE STRAIT.
The Strait Of Magellan is 500 miles long
and the width varies from about mile and
half In the narrowest part TO twenty-five
miles. The strait Is in the form Of letter
V with the right part curved down a little
at the top and the left part extended above
what would be the correct proportion Of a
well shaped letter. The short end reaches
out into the Atlantic and the long end into
the Pacific, The short right end ia barren
Of fine scenery, the grandeur OF the hills
being reserved for the long or western end
Down at the point OF the latter ia Cape
Froward. Coming from the eastern end
there is about fifteen miles Of rugged scenery
before you make the turn 10 the northwest
Punta Arenas or Sandy Point. as the Eng.
lish call this hustling, modern city. is about
two-thirds down the eastern side on broad
stretch Of water known as Broad Reach
Opposite is Useless Bay probably so called
because It is useless to go over there TO find
an exit from the strait
II Is desirable, almost necessary in fact,
TO make the run through the strait in day
light To do this you enter, say from the
eest as early in the morning as possible
% rs to make Punta Arenas by night Leav-
ing that port you start at night, about mid
night You have about forty-five miles
Of broad deep water with no difficulties in
navigation 10 Cape Froward, which you
reach by dsybreak After that you can 60
through the western end Of the strait by
daylight and reach the Pacific about night
fall.
The strait has half dozen lights in it,
but in time Of fog or fierce snowsqualls
these are Of little value unless by accident
you happen TO pick them up. Again the
tide races through the strait at the rate Of
never less than three miles an hour and in
some Of the narrow places it has speed
Of from five to six miles. Where the tides
Of the Atlantic and Pacific meet there are
cross currents and disturbances that catch
even the most high powered ship and swing
1t here and there, despite careful work Of
the helmsman.
Still hundreds Of steamships 60 through
safely every year and close study Of the
chart revealed only three places which
occasioned anxiety to the feet officers
sARNIENTo sHoAL
One Of the places ia Sarmiento Shoal,
that juts out into the Atlantic for miles
from Cape Virgins. the Argentine head
land, las feet high, that marks the begin
ming OF the eastern end II really is no more
dangerous to cross, for example. than the
shoals Of Nantucket. The fleet came down
10 the shoals about noon. There Is one
place where there are nine fathoms OF
water and il has a width OF only four or
five miles The point is to fix the place OF
crossing from bearings and then TO cross
it. When the exact spot was reached a
fierce black cloud came up and obscured
things With it came q strong southwest
wind that made things choppy Over the
narrow part Of the shoal the ships headed.
Once or twice. perhaps because the looks
Of the water or the lead may have given
warning. the flagship made short turns.
But in half an hour 1t was over and the feet
turned 10 the northwest, past Dungeness
light, five miles below Cape Virgins, and
marking the real entrance TO the strait,
which is now under the entire jurisdiction Of
Chile. From the mast Of the Chilean signal
station there huttered flags which said
in the language OF the international code:
Enter Chilean waters welcome dis
tinguished American seamen; pleasant
voyage
The feet voted the sentiment all right,
even il the verblage was somewhat unusual
There was a quick run up into the broad
waters of Possession Bay, close TO the
entrance Of the First Narrows, There are
two narrows on the run TO Punta Arenas
and here is where the tide runs strongest
in the strait. II the tide is against you il Ia
better 10 anchor and wait for the turn.
There is a good anchorage in the bay and
about oclock OF the afternoon Of January
81 the mudhooks we're dropped In boiling
sheet Of water that in it's actions resembled
the lower part of Chesapeake Ray in a
storm. Signals were made that the COM
manding officers need not report on the
flagship and all we're glad Of H. because the
water was almost too rough for launches
to attempt runs.
THE Two NLRRoWs AND NRw CHANNEL.
At daylight the next morning the feet
was under way again with favorable tide.
The First Narrows are ten miles long two
wide and have water forty fathoms deep,
There was no trouble in just skimming
right along. Then the ships entered an
other big bay, Philip Bay and after about
twenty-five miles Of deep water came to
the Second Narrows. twelve miles long.
This passage also has swift tide, but the
waterway ia about three miles wide and