Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-02-06

! tttA~+ioASAtoi anu oPSSas VI oSTnA iiuCiS
In the past 20 years has greatly in
creased the burden Of responsibility
that is placed upon the commanders
'of these Ships So acute has this situ-
alton become that the largest, steam
ship companies are trying to meet it
by having several captains under q
commander or commodore upon their
newest ships. =, ....,....
:. Yet marine authorities admit that
this action does not help matters
much, for the responsibility for the
vessel will finally devolve- upon the
one man. who heads the other three or
'foura"3s IN .u... Yaf- .s-t,.r}
:. Having attained the rank of cap
tain in the company's service. the
others are perhaps a little better as
efh4cerst than the usual complement Of
subordl9atses.s ssasa IT, but even this may be
/ The routine duties, Of handling and
navigating, g big steamer are always
a source OF the most curious interest
to passengers making their first trip
<t<-l.1~ =. =.
Oh the sea. ------.,r,.. .--.-,.....
On the coastwise steamers which
have their navigating bridge or pilot
house on the upper passenger deck,
the officers are often annoyed: beyond
the limit Of their patience by phssen-
gers whose curiosity leads them to
crowd about the windows of the pilot.
house and ask numberless questions.
On the larger ocean steamers this
bother Is, ayoidedi because the bridge
from which thesvsssel is controlled is
built well apart from the passenger
Accommodations. Fh2"
In the popular mind the captains
Job is to- steer the vessel from one
port to- the other SO it is, In i man
ner,' but:not In the way that the lands
man believes. Il
On, anything larger than harbor
excursion steamer the captain is sell
dom seen to touch his hand ito the.
wheel that controls the rudder. Mel
ther does his first officer or other
navigating officers. A petty officer
ranked as a "quartermasterr, is en-
gagged for that particular duty.
THESE men have practically mo 9TH
en- duties and really shave little to 4 do
with the actual navigating of the ship,
They are given a:ceftain course" to
steer, by the senior officers, who know
!, the = VESSELS. position and how .shsi
-'shoufd he headed preach her proper,
destination. BEET ~ .iDc
se This ability to find the way actoss
an ocean absolutely, devoid. of tracks
oraguidA posts Is one, Of the greatest
mysteries to, the INITIATED. Nakiration
is really, q highly complicated science.
RECURRING the use OF astronomical prin.
eiples and the higher mathematics.
- But It has been SO simplifed by the
use, of rules and formulas, and by the
/ publication Of elaborate. tables-that
masters iare, able. to find their posi-.
ton. at sea With the "sextant- or 'hog-
yoke, yas Il is familiarly. called, as ac-
,curatelyl as an, !, accomplished mathe-
maticfan could. 80 =
The sextant is an instrument , NJ
great precision. with which the nayi.
gator is able to measure the angle be-
tween the horizon and any heavenly
body, sun or stars. He. also makes
use: Of a very accurate cironometer
or clock. which keeps Greenwich
tamev ';t.llH. ...:!.,;y sr,
~ With. these two instruments and his
tables and formulas, he can get the
latitude and longitude OF his vessel at
frequent Intervals. In the hours or
days between observations the vessel
Is is nayisated by compass, and her dis
tance measured by a patent log which
records the miles travelled. Her direc-
ton and progress from the last "ob.
served position are 4: plotted on the
cnart 80 that her ofhcers can point at
=. any instant to the exact position of
NAN1e enip,i rs;.rr.i,-, AT.