ATLANTIC OCEAN, HYDROGRAPHY OF. 



59 



its establishment in 1829. The charts and 

 circulars of information are sent free to mas- 

 ter? of vessels, who, in return, are generally 

 ready and glad to furnish special reports. In 

 this way it has been possible to gather trust- 

 worthy derails concerning almost every "ocean- 

 square" in the North Atlantic. Some of the 

 spares are, of course, more frequently crossed 

 by vessels than others, and the average direc- 

 tion and force of the wind in these squares 

 can be stated with reasonable certainty for 

 every month in the year. A simple and in- 

 genious system of symbols has been adopted 

 for the charts, whereby the meteorological 

 probabilities may be forecast for a given square 

 by any one who takes the trouble to look. Of 

 course, the forecasts are not absolutely certain 

 of realization, but the chances are that they 

 will not be far out of the way. The map on 

 this page is a portion of the pilot-chart for 



different prevailing winds. The lines of long 

 dashes show the course of recent storms, and 

 the short ones the drift of derelict vessels with 

 the dates when reported. 



III. The " red data " embrace the very latest 

 information that has been gleaned from all pos- 

 sible trustworthy sources ut> to the hour of go- 

 ing to press. The printed information covers 

 the land-spaces of the chart, and includes a list 

 of all recent changes of lights, buoys, beacons, 

 etc., condensed special reports of noteworthy 

 events, accounts of extraordinary storms, dan- 

 gerous obstructions, and barometric compari- 

 sons. The symbolic data, also printed in red 

 ink, show where drifting wrecks were last 

 seen, and mark the erratic courses that they 

 have followed as they have been encountered 

 from time to time by different vessels. In like 

 manner, water-spouts, drifting buoys, floating 

 logs, and everything that is dangerous to navi- 



FILOT-CHABT FOH OCTOBER, 1888. 



October, 1888. lying eastward of New York. 

 For typographical reasons the different col- 

 ors of the data are not shown, bnt some idea 

 of the completeness of the information is 

 afforded. Each of the small circles with di- 

 vergent arrows represents an ocean-square. 

 The numeral within the circle represents the 

 percentage of calms ; 7, for instance, indicates 

 that there are seven chances in one hundred 

 that calms will be encountered. The arrows 

 fly with the wind, showing its direction, and 

 they indicate the direction of the prevailing 

 winds. The small cross-bars show the average 

 force of the wind, according to Beaufort's scale 

 the standard commonly used by seamen. 

 Thus, four cross-bars indicate 4 of Beaufort's 

 scale, namely, a " whole-sail " breeze, as it is 

 called. The various lengths of the arrows in- 

 dicate the greater or lesser frequency of the 



gation, finds a place on the pilot-chart, which 

 may very probably serve as a warning to save 

 life and property. 



One of the most remarkable cases recorded 

 on the charts is that of the extraordinarily 

 named American schooner "Twenty- one 

 Friends." She was abandoned at sea, and 

 first reported as a derelict, March 24. 1885, 

 about 160 miles off the mouth of Chesapeake 

 Bay. The Gulf Stream carried her east-north- 

 east about 2.100 miles, where she was reported 

 in August. Thence she drifted easterly and 

 southeasterly, and was last reported, Dec. 5, 

 1885, in the Bay of Biscay, having drifted 

 3.525 miles in eight months and ten days. 

 During her wanderings, which were largely in 

 the most frequented part of the ocean, she was 

 reported twenty-two times, and the number of 

 vessels that passed near her without seeing 



