Amador ledger., 1909-10-22
MARINERS COMPASS.
Little Known of the Real Origin OF
the Instrument.
ITS USE BY THE CHINESE.

This Woncertul People Knew OF the
Magnetic Needle Long Before the
Christian Era-The Claims Of Gioa,
the Pilot, and the Credit Due Him.
Much interest must forever attach to
the discovery of that valuable instru-
ment The mariners compass. and yet
there are few subjects concerning
which less is known. For Il period the
honor Of the invention was asclibed To
Gioia Il pilot, born at Pasitano n
small village situated near Amalh,
about the end of the thirteenth cen
tury His claims. however, have been
disputed
Much learning and labor have been
bestowed upon the subject of the dis
coyery. 1t has been maintained by one
class that even the phoenicians were
the inventors. by another that the
Greeks and Romans had knowledge
of it. Such notions. however have
been completely refuted.
One passage, nevertheless. Of Il re-
markable character occurs in the works
of Cardinal de Witty, bishop of Ptole
mnis. in Syria. He went to Palestine
during the fourth crusade, about the
year 1904. He returned afterward to
Europe and subsequently back to the
Holy Land. where he wrote his work
entitled "Historia Orientalis," as near
~ as can he determined. between the
years 1915 and 1920. In chapter 81
of that work he has this singular pas
sage:
The iron needle. after contact with
the loadStone. constantly turns TO the
north star. which. at the axis af the
ornament. remains immovable while
the others revolve. and hence 1T is es-
sentially necessary TO those nesvigat-
ing on the ocean"
These words are as explicit us they
are extraordinary They state - fact
and announce Il use. The thing tbere-
fore, which essentially constitutes the
compass must have been knowp long
before the birth of Gioia. La addition
to this fact. there is another equally
fatal to his claim aS the original dis
coverer
IL 10 uON SCbNICh bNJ OhNi q N2ONON
that the Chinese were acquainted with
the compass long before the Europe
ans. 1t is certain that there are allu-
sions to the magnetic needle in the
traditionary period of Chinese history.
about 1000 years before Christ, and
still more credible account of it is
found in the reign of Chingwang of the
Chow dynasty, before Christ 1114.
All this. however. may he granted
without in the least impairing the just
claims of Gioa to the gratitude of man
kind The truth appears to be that
the position of Gioia in relation to the
compass was precisc.y that of Watt In
relation to the steam engine-the ele-
ment existed; he augmented its utility.
The compass used by the mariners
in the Mediterranean during the
twelfth and thirteenth centuries was
n very uncertain and unsatisfactory
apDaratus. 1t consisted only of mag
netic needle fioating in n vase or basin
by means of two straws on bit OF
cork supporting it on the surface or
the water.
The compass used by the ArabianS
in the thirteenth century was an in
strumcnt of exactly the same desrrip-
tjon. Now, the Inconvenience and in
efficiency of such an apparatus are OBJ
vious. The agitation of the ocean and
the tossing of the vessel might render
it useless in n moment.
But Gioia placed the magneti2ed
needle on ii pivot. which permits it 10
turn TO all sides with facility. After
ward it was attached to IL card divided
into thrty-twO points. called rose de
vents. and then the box containing II
was suspended in such IL manner that
however the vessel might be tossed
it would always remain horizontal
Electrical Engineer.