The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1918-03-16
United States Swept Bare of In.
Struments Used to Guide
Ships.
OLD CAPTAINS TO RESCUE
out OF Closets and Attics Are DUO
Sextants That Have Not Been Used
TOR Years-Navisators' Aid Co.
lumbus Did Not Have.

ase VI the instrument most used
navigating ships at sea, the sextant,
In few weeks after the Unite
States became a party to the gro,
struggle. the market was swept bar
oi what might be termed the fioatin
supply OF these important Instrument
SINCE then, importations from Enl
4Aau. Canada and France have ease
he American market somewhat. bu
mere is still a sufficient shortage t
noid the price far above what 1t fol-
merly was.
III the early months Of this cOun
erys participation In the war. whel
the United States shipping board wa
establishing the chain Of navigation
SCHOOLS at which It Is training Off
GERS Tor the new merchant marine
'here was such scarcity Of these
necessary instrumentS-whic are
USED daily In the schools to teach
Shethods of determining q ships posi-.
.loh at sea-that an appeal was made
Tor the loan of Instruments.
Inc result was striking. Out of the
Siosets and attics of former captains
MONIES, particularly In New England,
sextants appeared that had not seen
the light in some cases, since the DAVIS
or the clipper-ship era, when the Unit
ed States was supreme on the sea.
Many of these instruments had been
on long voyages to the mysterious
East; others had been in the whale
fishery to the far North; few had
Deen carried among the Cannibal
islands Of the South Pacific. others
among the pirates Of the China seas.
lie had not been thought, when these
instruments were slowed away by
careful hands, years ago, that they
would ever again serve the merchant
marine. Today many Of them are be-
ing used by young men who will quail
1fy as officers on the new and greater
merchant marine, while others, which
nave been presented TO the shipping
board, are actually making voyages
again, this time among the pirates of
the submarine zone.
A seRtant, unlike watch or any |
instrument with constantly moving |
parts, Is very slow to wear out. There
Is not much difference In the sextant |
OF today and the original sextants pro-
duced in England when the instru-
ment was first perfected by John
Hadley, back in 1871.
First Was an Octant.
Hadley called his instrument at Hrst
an octant. because it represented in
It's scale of degrees but an eighth part
Of the circle, that Is, As degrees. Later
Instruments were termed quadrants,
rs they represented quarter of q cir
lie, 80 degrees. The sextant, or sixth
If circle, 60 degrees, was found to
'e most practical, and in time came
INTO general use. The practical dis
lnction between these three instfh-
nents Is slight however.
The first Sextant was not an iilven-
Ion, as might be supposed, but an
daptation Of ancient Instruments
sed by astronomers from time imme- I
lOrial to determine the suns eleva-
ION. or latitude. The oldest of these
ncient instruments was the astrolabe.
disk of copper or brass, cut to the
Ill circle Of 300 degrees. This was q
tied with plumb line, and on its g
ice bar pivOte4 on the center, and e
aving at one end pin. One man I
eld up the disk by the line, another y
GIFTED the sun over the pin I'm the end s.
I
le shadow cast by the pin fell on 9
e scale Of degrees marked on the W
SIX.
IL thus took three men to make an
which was usually faulty, al
nile the use Of such an instrument al
a moving ship was almost an i'm st
'ssihillty. So
Another ancient observing instru- m
ent was the croSs-staff. This consist
OF bar of wholesome OF them
ere seven feet long-fltted with
ding upright bar, or cross. The
lg bar was held toward the sun, and
observer was posted at one end. M
lie shorter bar was then moved back
forth until the observer saw the W
over Its upper tip and the horl- n
at the same time under its lower W
}. Inc angle thus determined was 81
lrked on scale on the long bar.
A grave objection to this instru.
mt was that the observer was E.a
liged TO look at the sun and the III
rizon at the same time. III
Columbus used both Instruments on E
voyage to the new world but ap- 81
'ently neither helped him much in
ermining the position of his ships,
ich ne could only guess at until he
de landfall in the West Indies. I'll
Hadiey lnvents instrument. N
onn Hadley conceived the idea of
ploying the principle of the cross I'D
Il In an instrument that would en- ~
e the observer to see both the ssls
ana the horizon when looking at w
latter. This he accomplished by
angling Il series Of mirrors In such emit
'ay that the observer by the move shit
It OF an crm. or lever, alta ,hed to one