Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

(a.) 35. With reference to notice to mariners, No. 2, issued from this office on the 9th of January, 1866, relative to a shoal with 12 feet water on it, reported by Mr. George Yeoman, master of the English barque Vigilia, and said to lie in about lat. 36° 3′ 30′′ N., long. 22° 33′ E., with Cape Matapan bearing N. E., and Ovo islet south of Cerigo E. S. :

Commander Lindesay Brine, of H.M. steam sloop Racer, reports that after five days' search in April last, with 100 fathoms, not only in the above position, but in every direction near, and around it for a space of about 4 miles, no bottom was obtained; nor was the slightest indication of discoloured, broken, or shallow water observed. From inquiries made at Cerigo, nothing was known of the shoal, and it is therefore deemed conclusive that the reported

shoal does not exist.

The position of the 8-fathom patch (marked doubtful) about S. W., distant 10 miles from Cape Matapan, having also been examined, without success, the patch has been removed from the Admiralty charts.

(aa.) 36.-The corporation of the Trinity House London, has given notice that on or about the 1st day of September, 1866, in order to mark the anchoring ground on either side of Dungeness, a portion of the light will be coloured red, which will be seen when on-or the shore side of-the bearings of S.W.b.W. W, and East, respectively.

(ab.) 36,-On the 1st day of May, 1836, a light was exhibited from a lighthouse recently erected at the Hook of Holland, on the north side of entrance to the river Maas or Meuse, passage of Brielle.

(ac.) 36.-Measured Mile in Frith of Clyde.-Notice is hereby given, that beacons to indicate the length of a nautical mile, (6,080 feet,) for testing the speed of steam vessels, have been erected on the eastern shore of the Frith of Clyde.

Each beacon consists of a single pole 45 feet high, with two arms 10 feet long, forming a broad angle 15 feet from the base, the whole being painted white.

The two northern beacons are erected near Skelmorlie pier; the outer one being close to the high water shore on the south side, and from it the inner one (in a recess of the cliff) is 83 yards distant, bearing S.E.b.E. E.

The two southern beacons stand on level ground near Skelmorlie castle; the inner one being 100 yards from the outer one, in a S.E.b.E, E. direction.

The courses parallel with the measured mile-at right angles to the line of transit of the beacons-are N.N.E.4 E. and S.S. W. W.; the shore may be approached to the distance of a third of a mile.

(b.) 37.-The government of Queensland has given notice, that a temporary light, 50 feet above the sea, has recently been established on that part of Gatcombe head north-west of the Oyster rock, entrance to Port Curtis.

Vessels entering Port Curtis at night by the North channel, should bring the light to bear about S.W.b.W. W., being careful to keep it well open of Settlement point, in order to avoid the rocks extending from that point.

(c.) 37.-A lightvessel has also been moored head and stern, in the position of the large black buoy, at the crossing place at the Upper flats in Fitzroy river. The vessel shows a red light at the mast-head, and by day and night the following tidal signals are exhibited :--

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Variation at Port Curtis, 8° 30′ East in 1866.

(d.) 38.-The vessel has one mast, carries a red ball during the day, and is moored in 6 fathoms water at the extremity of the bank, extending in a northerly direction from the peninsula of Hakodadi.

(e.) 39.-The Minister of Public Works in France has given notice, that on and after the 15th day of September, 1866, the lightvessel, which has been moored east of the Plateau de Roche-bonne-off the west coast of Francewill exhibit two fixed white lights. The vessel is painted red, with two masts surmounted by skeleton balls; and moored in 26 fathoms.

During foggy weather a bell will be sounded quickly for the space of a minute, with an interval of three minutes; but in the event of a vessel passing near the floating light, the ringing will be continued without interruption. It is contemplated to substitute for this bell, a trumpet to be sounded by compressed air, which would be heard a much greater distance.

(f.) 41.--The fixed light at Cape Race will be altered to a revolving white light, attaining its greatest brilliancy every half minute.

The revolving light at Cape Pine will be altered to a fixed white light.

LIST OF LIGHTHOUSES, LIGHTVESSELS, AND LIGHTED BEACONS,—
Discontinued or destroyed on the Southern coast, but which
have been re-established by the Lighthouse Board up to the 1st
May, 1866:-

Treasury Department, Office of the Lighthouse Board,
Washington, May 2nd, 1866.

Sir, I have the honour to state that at the beginning of the rebellion, January 1st, 1861, there were in operation on the Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts of the United States, 367 lighthouses, lightvessels, and lighted beacons. Of this number 177 were within the limits of the seceding States, and by the 1st of June following were all either ex

tinguished with more or less damage to buildings and apparatus, or were totally destroyed. The only exceptions were the light stations on the Eastern shore of Virginia at Fort Monroe, and Alexandria, Va., and at Carysport Reef, Dry Bank, Land Key, Key West, and Dry Tortugas in Florida.

By act of Congress, approved July 2nd, 1864, the sum of 100,000 dollars was appropriated "to enable the Lighthouse Board to re-establish lights and other aids to navigation which have been discontinued or destroyed on the Southern coast."

The board having thus placed at its disposal a special fund, though small in comparison with the work to be accomplished, did what it could to carry into effect the wishes of Congress. The object of this paper is to show how this has been done.

As rapidly as our armed forces advanced in "repossessing the forts, arsenals, and other public property of the United States," the lighthouse establishment kept pace. Whenever the military authorities could give assurance that the work would be protected, it was begun and pushed forward as rapidly as possible.

The failure to appropriate for the lighthouse service at the second session of the Thirty-eighth Congress, somewhat retarded the work, but the following list shows the great progress made up to the 1st May, 1866:

To the Editor of the Nautical Magazine.

In Virginia-Cape Henry lighthouse; Craney Island lighthouse; Naval Hospital lighthouse; White Shoals lighthouse; Point of Shoals lighthouse; Deepwater Shoals lighthouse; Jordan's Point lighthouse; Back River lighthouse; New Point Comfort lighthouse; Wolf Trap lightvessel; Stingray Point lighthouse; Upper Cedar Point lightvessel; Lower Cedar Point lightvessel; Smith's Point lightvessel.

In North Carolina-Cape Hatteras lighthouse; Cape Hatteras beacon; Ocracoke lighthouse; N. W. Point Royal Shoal lighthouse; Long Shoal lightvessel; Roanoke Marshes lighthouse; Croatan, lighthouse; Wade's Point lighthouse; Cape Lookout lighthouse; Federal Point lighthouse; Frying Pan Shoals lightvessel; Cape Fear lighthouse, Oak Island lighthouse; Price's Creek lighthouse; Orton's Point lighthouse; Campbells's Island lighthouse.

South Carolina-Rattlesnake Shoals lightvessel; Sulivan's Island lighthouse; Fort Sumter lighthouse; Castle Pinckney lighthouse; Battery Beacon lighthouse; Martin's Industry lightvessel.

Georgia-Tybee beacon; Cockspur Island beacon; Oyster Beds beacon; Fig Island lighthouse; The Bay, Savannah; Amelia Island beacon.

Florida-St. John's river beacon; Jupiter Inlet lighthouse (not quite ready;) Cape Florida lighthouse; Pensacola lighthouse and bea

cons.

Alabama-Sand Island lighthouse and beacons; Mobile lighthouse. Mississippi-Round Island lighthouse; Ship Island lighthouse; Merrill's Shell Bank lighthouse; St. Joseph's Island lighthouse.

Louisiana-West Rigolets lighthouse; Port Pontchartrain lighthouse; New Canal lighthouse; Chandeleur lighthouse; Pass l'Outre lighthouse; South Pass lighthouse; Southwest Pass lighthouse; Head of Passes lighthouse; Barataria Bay lighthouse; Timballier lighthouse; Ship Shoal lighthouse; S. W. Reef lighthouse; Shell Keys lighthouse.

Texas-Sabine Pass lighthouse; Bolivar Point lighthouse; Padre Island lighthouse; Point Isabel lighthouse.

Sixty-nine stations.

There yet remain ninety-eight stations to be relighted, but many of them are only of slight importance to present commerce. The rule observed by the board, since the suppression of the rebellion, is to relight the stations in the order of their importance, as commerce seemed to demand.

By act of Congress approved April 7th, 1866, another appropriation of 100,000 dollars, to continue these operations, was made, and the bill now before Congress contains an estimate of £200,000, for the same object, for the fiscal year commencing July 1st, 1866.

With this amount of money the board hopes to be able to restore every one of the lights now unlighted. The high prices of materials and labour may interfere, and it will then become necessary to ask for a further appropriation.

Of course the amounts stated will not serve to restore each of the light stations to its original condition, and the board has not attempted this, but simply to put up such structures as would admit of the exhibition of lights of the same power and characteristics as formerly.

For instance, to restore the first-order light at Sand Island to the condition in which it was before the war, would have required at least 80,000 dollars, which would have absorbed four-fifths of the amount appropriated. The board consequently approved a cheaper and less enduring tower at a small proportion of the 80,000 dollars, but still sufficient for a first-order apparatus for a few years.

In other words, the board has endeavoured to make the money appropriated go as far as possible.

Very respectfully,

W. H. SHUBRICK, Chairman. Hon Hugh McCulloch, Secretary of the Treasury.

BALLASTING BOATS.

Some months ago there occurred a lamentable boat accident in the River Thames, when no less than ten promising youths, cadets on board the training-ship, Worcester, were drowned. The boat was under sail at the time, and was said to be a "good and safe boat," but she had no ballast.

We do not allude to this melancholy accident with a wish to impute blame to any person in charge of the cadets on board the boat in

question, or to awaken any sad recollections. Judging, however, from the evidence then given at the coroner's inquest it would appear that, whilst the palpable cause of this accident was the want of ballast in the boat, most mistaken notions, even amongst practical seaman, exist on the subject; and that from such mistaken views future accidents may be expected to occur.

At the inquest three witnesses stated that they did not approve of carrying ballast in boats. One of these witnesses was the captain of the ship, another was her boatswain, and the third was a Greenwich waterman. They were all, therefore practical, men. The captain, indeed, went so far as to say that "many lives had been lost by placing ballast in boats." As, on the other hand, we are persuaded that many more lives had been lost by the upsetting of boats under sail, owing to their having no ballast to counteract the pressure of the wind on their sails, or to their being insufficiently ballasted, it may be useful to devote some consideration to the subject.

The causes of upsetting may be thus plainly described. Boats, in common with other floating bodies, have a central axis, or centre of motion, round which they have a tendency to revolve. This centre will be higher or lower with reference to the general mass of the body or structure, according to its shape and to the distribution of weight within it; whilst the stability or resistance to upsetting will be great or little according to the relative positions of this central axis and the centre of weight called the centre of gravity. Thus the lower the centre of gravity is below the central axis the greater is the stability. When the two exactly correspond, there is no stability, but a tendency to revolve round a common central axis; and when the centre of gravity is carried above the central axis what is called in mechanics an unstable equilibrium is produced, or, in plain English, the body is top heavy, and must upset. The first of these axioms may be illus trated by the common use of metal keels, or of ballast stowed in the lowest part within a vessel or a boat. The second, by an empty cask which has no stability, but a tendency to revolve round the common centre; whilst the third has been too often fatally illustrated by persons climbing the masts of small boats, and thus upsetting them.

It follows, therefore, that the addition of any weight placed in a boat or other vessel, as ballast, must add to her stability, and thereby make her less likely to upset. But, no doubt, all this would be admitted by the three witnesses above referred to, and their disapproval of ballast in boats must have arisen solely from the fact of its causing a boat to sink after upsetting, instead of still floating, although entirely immersed; and their choice therefore must have been, of what they thought a lesser danger in preference to a greater. If, however, we can make it clear that, by the selection of a suitable material for ballast, both dangers may be avoided, we shall render a service-and this can be readily done.

Now it so bappens that a most mistaken notion regarding ballast very commonly exists, many persons supposing it to be necessary that it should be composed of lead, iron, stone, or some other substance

« AnteriorContinuar »