The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-03-07
Young Officers OF the United Statea
Merchant Marine Are Porting Over
I "Ameriean Navigator" Famed
40 Sailors Guide.


best-selling books ever produced, which
has run through hundreds of editions,
IN all civilized languages, has been SELL
ing steadily for more than hundred
years, and since the great war began
has been in greater demand than ever.
This book is known as the "Ameri-
can Practical Navigator" 1t is the
guide Of every keel that sails the Seven
Seas, and is Familiarity known to sail
ors the world over as "Bowditch," or
;'Bowditch's Epitome."
With Americas entry into the war,
the demand for. Bowditch's "Naviga-
tor became SO great that special
edition Of the book was published to
meet It, by the United States hydro
graphic. Office, Notwithstanding that
editions had been as recently issued as
In 1916, and also in 1914. For time
It was difficult to obtain copy Of the
Navigator" Since the appearance of
the 1917, edition, however, all demands
for the book can be met.
The increased demand for the book
was caused chiefly by the stimulus
kivenS the study Of navigation among
young Americans by the training serv-
ice Of the United States shipping
board, which is schooling hundreds Of
young men to serve as officers on the
chips of the new merchant marine.
T. Bowditch was called by his contem-
poraries ian intellectual prodigy" He
has since been termed 1.-THE Ocean
Pathfinder" On receipt Of the news
Of his death, in 1886, vessels in the
chief ports of the world half-masted
their flags. His book was then said by
one eulogist to be I'm practical utility
second to no work Of man ever pub
llshed." ...@-
+: or the personality Of the man who
achieved this great distinction very
little is recalled today, in spite Of the
vital influence of his work In the pres.
\ ent> Development Of his country.
He was born In the old shipping
town of Salem, Mass, in 1773. His
people were poor, and he was obliged
to leave school when but twelve, to
serve in a ship chambers shop.
There, while selling rope and marlin
spikes, the youth fell In with men from
far voyages. One was an old British
sailor, who taught the lad navigation.
: Algebra so fascinated the boy he
'could not sleep after first glance at
It."
It CHANGED that about this time a
privateer came into Salem with the
booty Of q cruise that included a
library Of philosophical works, the
property Of DR.. Richard Kirwan, an
Irish scientist, taken from freighter
captured off the fish coast. ..
( The books were sQld at auction, and md
bought by Salem citizens as the nucleus
Of "A library. Young Bowditch had &C.
t9ss to them, read them eagerly, and
copied most of them for further use.
When twenty-five, Bowditch made
his first voyage to sea, as captains
clerk on Salem ship. BE sailed nine
years in all, one voyage being on the
Astrea, the h9et American ship to visit
Manila harhor.
:. Every NAH In the Astrea's crew soon
learned they had genius among them.
Rowdftch hooked the scholar and de-
voted ri ny hours day to study. He
made every man aboard a navigator,
and It was said, each Of them could
work a lunar observation as well as
Q5r Taaac NovtOn"
When pot studying young Bowditch
paced the deck in deep thought. At
such times nobody spoke to him, know.
inx that in due course he would dash
Into his cabin to set down the results
Of bis concentration, as he rarely failed
to do.
III is related that one day the ship
was attacked by 4 .privateer, and Bow
ditch was assigned to pass powder
from the magazine. The gun crews got
no powder, and investigation showed
Bowditch seated on q powder keg,
working out . dimcult problem on his
slate.
On arriving In Brton harbor from
n voyage in 1902, Bowditch attended
., the. commencement at Harvard college.
and was surprised to find himself
named for an honorary degree as bach.
) eloor of arts, his work as an authority
on navigation having won him recogni-
ton.
Retiring from the sea in 1904 Bow
ditch became president of fire insur-
apce Company. He declined professor
ships at Harvard, the Military academy
ut West Point and the University OF
Virginia.
His life was devoted largely to per-
fecting his Navigator" and to the
translation from the French and an
notation Of, Ia Places Celestial Me-
u chailics.," ascollossal work on astrono-
my showing great erudition by the
translator, but now known only to
few astronomers.
Even 4 Stranger.
-, go ..5~-.or,o,+ fo, nfy3od moons IT.