November 1, 1887.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



secondary, aiul tertiary eras, but of the different systems 

 included in each, they still supposed that the fauna and 

 tioi-a of one era were destro_ved before another era began, 

 those of the new era being specially created. 



At length, however, the great law of biological evolution 

 was discovered, which shows how genera, species, and 

 varieties undergo modifications fitting them for theii- sur- 

 roundings, modifications individually small but eventually 

 capable of changing [irlien necessari/'^ ) the whole character 

 of the plant or animal so developing — those races which do 

 not duly develop when change is required eventually dj'ing 

 out. 



Then science began to see that neither creation nor catas- 

 trophe is required to explain the life-histoi'y of the earth. 

 Precisely as the geologist sees in processes such as are 

 taking place now the explanation of all those features of the 

 earth, ocean and continent, mountain range and river 

 channel, hills and valleys, ravines and chasms, which in old 

 times had been explained by processes of catastrophic in- 

 tensity of action, so now the biologist recognises in all the 

 forms of vegetable and animal life, infinitely varied though 

 they are, the product of processes of biological evolution 

 such as we can see in action at this present time, though 

 possibly in the lifetime of a man, or even of a race of men, 

 they may produce scarce discernible changes. 



(To be continued.) 



COLLISIONS AT SEA. 



By Gilbert R. Faith. 



ACTION OF THE RUDDER UPON STEAM AND SAILINO 

 VESSELS. 

 ANY years ago I had occasion to make a 

 voyage from Halifax, N.S., to Bermuda. The 

 vessel was the Cunarder Merlin, and her 

 commander the '' commodore " of the Ber- 

 muda, West Indian, and Newfoundland line. 

 We left the pier about midnight, and a 

 very dirty night it was. Something very 

 like a gale from E.N.E. was blowing, with 

 fitful storms of rain. We made a good stait, however, and 

 in an hoiu- and a half had steamed past Sambro' light, some 

 twelve or fourteen miles from Halifax, and the danjrerous 

 stony-hearted group " The Sisters," with whom mariners 

 care not to have even a bowing acquaintance (no pun 

 intended), wei'e holding their storm-revels not fiir way. 

 From the time of leaving the wharf I had remained in 

 shelter from the rain under the main companion, smoking 

 and enjoying the scene, if scene could be called what was 

 dimly visible on so dark a night. Suddenly a rush of feet 

 on deck, an excited outcry, and then a tremendous crash on 

 our .starboard side. Simultaneously an immense white 

 spectral object loomed high above us, and instantly vanished 

 astern into the darkness, while down upon the stout hatch- 

 way, the half dome beneath which I stood, rattled blocks 

 and broken rigging. It was the work of a moment to 

 jump on deck, and of little more to kick off my boots, for I 

 thought from the shock that we must founder, and was 



*I emphasize this because some opponents of the doctrine of 

 evolution imagine they have fully met the arguments of the believers 

 in e\'olution, when they have shown that in some cases races have 

 remained unclianged for thousands of years. This may happen — 

 aye, and much longer periods of changelessness — where the con- 

 ditions have not changed. The Cattish has outlasted tens of thou- 

 sands of races wortliier, it might have seemed, of long continuance. 



determined to make as good a fight of it as possible. 

 A glance round showed that the starboard bulwarks had 

 been swept away from aljout amidships, and with them 

 boats and a deckhou.se, while the starboard stays of the 

 smoke-stack had disappeared, and the main and mizzen 

 shrouds and backstays swung in against the masts. Some 

 minutes passed before I was able to get a word with one of 

 the junior oflicers, when I learnt that the ship had not sus- 

 tained any serious damage, and that the injuries she had 

 received were all above board. " What was it that struck 

 us?" I asked. He replied, "A large square rigged vessel; 

 she bore down straight upon us under as much sail as she 

 could carry; the beggar carried no lights; but just as we 

 struck, I saw a fellow jump into the bows with a lantern." 

 After I had with some difliculty recovered my discarded 

 boots in the darkness, I walked aft on to the quarter-deck 

 and found the captain near the wheel. "A pretty close 

 shave that, Captain S.," I said. " Yes," he answered quietly 

 and seriously, " hut if I Jmd followed the sailimj instruc- 

 tions ive should not he here now to talk about it." It was not 

 my province to ask him to explain, but I felt that at a 

 critical moment his thorough seamanship had inspired him 

 to do something which contravened oflicia] orders for such 

 emergencies, but had saved our fives. I have since been 

 enabled to form an opinion as to what the gallant little 

 captain did do, and proceed to relate another incident, 

 which will perhaps enable the reader, if interested, to do 

 so too. 



Several years after the adventure narrated above I was 

 standing on the pier at Halifax seeing oft' some friends on 

 the Cunarder Alpha. As the steamer shot out into the 

 stream a friend who stood near me (a shipowner himself, 

 much interested in matters of navigation, and a keen 



obiserver to boot) remarked, "G , what course will that 



steamer take when her helm is put a-port?" I answered, 

 " Why, surely there can be no doubt about it : her heacl 

 will come round in the other direction." " No, it will not," 

 he said. " Her course will be very soon changed to that 

 direction ; but you will find that it is the stern of the vessel 

 which will be deflected to the left, and not the bow which 

 moves round in the direction you suppose. Now take a 

 line along that ship to the white house on the opposite 

 shore, and note the movement." I did so ; and surrendered 

 my opinion at once, for he was right. The following 

 diagrams will illustrate my observation : — No. 1 is the fine 



No. 1. 



which I was confident the ship would follow ; No. 2 suggests 

 the deflection which I actually saw. 



Now my preconceived idea of the movement of a vessel 

 when the helm is put up or down is, so far as my observa- 

 tion goes, the universal belief. If this is so, what a fruitful 

 .source of collisions 1 In the hope of eliciting a discussion 

 which may throw light upon this important matter and lead 

 to beneficial results, I have written the present article. 



