Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-07-02
THE GREAT LAKES.
Perplexltles for inexperienced MARI
ners.


"The finest pilots in the world are
In the vessel service of the Great
Lakes" said a photographic office Of
ficial, "but in spite of the magnitude
of these lakes and the volume Of
shipping, there are the fewest pos
sible navigators in the seaman's
sense of the term. Give the average
vesselman on the lakes clear sky
and good weather generally and he
can be depended upon to steer a
course to hair; but give him the
thick fog, rain, snow and elements,
and he may know so little of his
compass as to place in danger his
vessel, cargo and crew simply through
his ignorance of navigation. Accord
ing to the reports of the hydrograph-
ic Office 217 vessels of all kinds
stranded in the Great Lakes in 1908.
Causes for this have been ascertain
ed in 15S cases, and of these 80
strandings are reported as being
avoidable had the navigators done
full duty as such.
age landsmen on the rims of the
Great Lakes to know how many
young men just off the farms of the
country are wheelsmen and nayiga-
tors of lake vessels. Some of them
in winter schooling may have gained
some knowledge of the principles of
navigation; many of them know lit
a n hni
the lake, depending upon the senses
of sight and hearing to land them
into port. In dense fog or binding
rain or snow these pilots might be
the better off if the wheelhouse were
not provided with compass. In this
Great Lakes region between the east
ern and western extremes of the
lakes there is total compass devia-
tion of is degrees from the true pole.
At the port of Chicago for example,
the compass needle points three de-
grees to the right of the north,
though at other points on the lakes
the deviation is as much as 10 de-
grees.
What the significance of such devi-
alton is may be seen when, left un-
corrected, the navigator attempts to
sail by such compass. In one COM
pass point, as considered by the navi-
gator, there are 11A degrees. Thus
at certain parts on the lakes the mag
netic compass, uncorrected, may be
almost one point out as to the true
north. One point out of this true
north on the part of the wheelsman
steering for harbor 100 miles away
will leave him 20 miles out of his
destination. Or if he shall be trying
to make the mouth of a river only
five miles away in a fog this incor-
rect compass by only one point will
This mile or 10 or 20 miles out of
his reckoning in thick weather is
promising of almost any kind of dis
aster In addition 70 this deviation
of the compass needle, the effect of
cargoes of magnetic iron ore, of
which so much is carried on the
Great Lakes, may put the compass
needle even further off. With the
needle several degrees out of the true
north, due to the influences of the
magnetic pole, the loading of a YES
sci with these ores may promise far
greater complications to the sailor.
Not infrequently the navigator who
recognizes the necessity of having his
compass corrected does so with
cargo of this ore in his hold. He ac-
cepts the correction, made with due
recognition to the cargo and it's in
fuences, after which he may shift to
a cargo of nonmagnetic matter, which
in turn puts his compass out again,
perhaps leaving him no thought of
another correction as necessary. Com
paratively few of the wrecks of last
year resulted in total loss of the
vessels, but in the delays and dry
docking of vessels for repairs the
money loss to owners was enormously
heavy.-Chicago Tribune.