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National Geographic : 1904 Apr
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THE SAILING SHIP AND THE PANAMA CANAL American trade. On this voyage the vessel took her departure from Oues sant March 5, 1903, and crossed the line March 18, thirteen days out, es tablishing a record never before equaled by a sailing ship. The parallel of 500 S. in the Atlantic was attained April io, and in the Pacific April 21, eleven days being thus spent in weathering that most tempestuous of regions, Cape Horn. From noon of April 23 to noon of April 24 the vessel laid down 368 miles to her credit, this being the best day's run throughout the voyage. The anchor was dropped in the harbor of Iquique May I, fifty-seven days from point of departure to destination. Prime among the factors which are to exercise an influence over the rela tive use of sail and steam in navigation is the question of the cost of fuel, and the proportion of the steamer's carry ing capacity, which must be devoted to its transportation. Given ports of de parture and destination not too remote from each other, and coal cheap at both ends of the line, the sailing ship has but little chance of survival. In longer voyages, say those of 6,000 miles and upward, the space which must be al lotted to fuel in the case of the steamer becomes considerable, and may cut down the cargo-carrying capacity to such a degree as to seriously interfere with the profits of the voyage. Coaling stations remedy this evil to some extent ; but at these coal is always expensive, rising at some points to as much as $15 per ton, while their frequent use, furthermore, is liable to unduly protract the voyage in point of both distance and time. In the event of the successful application of low-grade petroleum for use as fuel at sea, many of these difficulties will of course disappear. TIME SAVED BY A KNOWLEDGE OF THE METEOROLOGY OF THE SEA. A factor by no means generally rec ognized, but of vast importance to profitable navigation by sail, is the better knowledge which we are gradu ally acquiring of the meteorology and physical geography of the sea. The era of record passages is closed, and sailing ships are no longer urged to their utmost speed in the hope of outstripping a rival, even at the sacrifice of cost and safety. As a consequence, the study of the winds and currents of the sea has not the vital interest which it possessed in the days of Maury, when the relative performance of the Sea Witch, the Dread nought, the Invincible, the Oriental, and other like fancifully named craft was a matter of international discussion. The investigation has, however, gone ear nestly forward, and the sailing ship has reaped the benefit in the shape of greater security, quicker passages, and larger profits. First among the national in stitutions interested in this work is the Deutsche Seewarte, having its central office in Hamburg, Germany, and a single instance will serve to show the practical value of the results which have been accomplished in this direction. The exportation of saltpeter from the nitrate ports along the west coast of South America to Europe is handled exclusively by German sailing ships, and the best sailing route from the English Channel to the coast of Chile and return has since the inception of this trade been made the subject of special investigation by the Seewarte. As a result of this study the time of passage has steadily diminished. Dur ing the early 70's, the epoch at which the trade first became active, the voyage from the Lizard to Valparaiso occupied over ioo days. Careful discussion of the material meanwhile accumulated, lead ing not so much to change in the route as to more intelligent handling of the ves sel by the shipmaster under given me teorological conditions, has succeeded in reducing this time materially, the suc cessive steps of the improvement being as follows: 169
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