The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-02-14
HonoInlu, T H, Feb. II, 1905.

Honolulu, T. H, Feb. II, 1905.
Editor Advertiser: Your correspond
emit is right, whose communication sign
ed Subscriber" appears nm the second
column of page 4, of the Advertiser of
the 10th instant. Far from being
fact that movements of steamers in
the Strait of Magellan are confined to
daylight, vessels anchoring at sun
down." (Advertiser, Feb. Z, 190s,) it
is rarely the ease that an anchorage
is made after passing Punta Arenas,
(Sandy Point on the west-bound trip.
There are few good anehorages for other
than small ships, either in the Strait
proper, or In the channels to the north
ward of the western end of the Strait,
generally known as Smyth s Channel,
from the name of the southernmost
stretch. Half a century ago small YES
sells were In the habit of running from
harbor to harbor, anchoring by night;
sometimes compelled to stop early in
the afternoon, because of there being
ahead, no known harbor or roadstead
which could be reached before dark.
That was during such portions of the
year as offered long nights. But during
this season; summer in the southern
hemisphere; with twilight beginning at
Cape Froward, (the southernmost point
of the continent proper,) at half-past
one in the morning, and the sun rising
three hours ateE and settling at half
past seven in the evening, while twi-
light continues until half-past ten;
even the smaller ships would not be
justified in anehoring- But a battle
ship of the size and draft of the
smallest of the sixteen under Evans
command, would look in vain for a
harbor with depth and area sufficient
for its eft draft to ride at the end
of even a short scope of cable. And
as to veering for the prevalent will
Gwaw,-there Is no room for that. Pos
sibly one bxttleship might moor in Port
Angosto, and In one or more of the
other anehOrages, (it is many years
since i have seen a detailed chart);
but multiply by sixteen, the area need
ed for one battlesbip, and find if you
can, any place between Punta Arenas
and Cape Pillar, where the fleet, (to
say nothing Of the auxiliaries,) might
anchor or moor in company
/ steamed through the Strait from
east to west as far as Cape lamar, and
thence north through Smyth's Channel
to the Gulf of Penas, in March, 1867, in
gunboat called the Resaea, about the
size of the Annapolis perhaps a trifie
larger. In those days The charts were
very imperfect We midshipmen were
stationed In tnrn On the fore topsail
yard to watch for kelp, which in those
waters Is as gOod as buoy to point
out submerged rock. If kelp was
sighted, we gave 1t wide berth. And
in spite of defective charts we felt our
way along; sometimes steering well into
a blind passage before being convinced
that there was no outlet in the direc-
ton we were steaming. Then we would
turn; steam out, and try again
A few years later, IN September,
1876, Z made the trip from the Pacific
to the Atlantic, in the light-draft
rfgate Richmond, entering the side
channels at the Gulf of Penas, and leav-
ing the Strait of Magellan at Cabo
Virgenes, (Cape Virgins.) On one &C.
casion, having left harbor early in
the forenoon, we were nearing, at about
two in the afternoon, the last known
anchorage available before dark; when
the navigator requested the captain IS
permission to stand On, and trust to
discovering an anchorage by sunset or
soon, afterward- Should no anchorage
be found where hoped for, it was his
intention to build a fire on each side
of the channel, and TO hold the ship
in position until daylight, by cross
bearings of the two fires. Permission
was given; and good anchorage was
found by soundings taken from a cut
ter pulling ahead of the ship. which
steamed slowly through the drifting