WIXrJ'JR VOYAGE TlfROUGH STRAITS OF MAGELLAX i:]3 



dark-looking headland, while to tlie south, dindy visildo in the 

 gray of the morning, Avas Magellan's Land of Fire — a low, in- 

 dented coast just rising altove the distant horizon. Tlie straits 

 are 16 miles wide at this point. Following the usual rule of tlie 

 mariner in these parts, we had prei)ared l)eforehand our tahjes 

 for tides, sunrise, and sunset, the light yards and topgallant masts 

 were struck, all stunsails and hoonis sent on deck, and every- 

 thing made snug aloft for steaming against the strong westerlv 

 winds we expected to encounter. But our apprehensions of had 

 weather proved groundless. The southwester had died out, and 

 the day broke calm and comparatively^ clear. The sun shone 

 out of a leaden-hued sky with just warmth enough to ])q pleas- 

 ant, and, woigliing our anchor, with a favoral)le flood-tide we 

 were soon i)assing the land at the rate of 13 knots an liour, 

 tliougli the engineer would have gone wild if anyone had sug- 

 gested to him the possibility of the Xdrnu/dUftctftt engines driv- 

 ing her over 8 knots. The rise and fall of the tide in this jiart 

 of the strait is very great. It is no less than 43 feet, and a sin- 

 gular circumstance attends the changes of the tidal stream. The 

 flood, which runs with great velocity to the westward, rom- 

 mences about three hours before it is low water l)y the beach, 

 and so here we were rapidly going west Avith the flood-tide while 

 apparently the water was everywhere ebbing b}' the shore. An- 

 other feature in the tides east of Cape Froward is that the time 

 of high water grows later as the ship proceeds to the westward, 

 so that it is possible in a fast steamer, starting from Cape Virgins 

 with a favorable flood, to reach the Chilean settlement at Sandy 

 Point (110 miles) in a daylight run m June, whicli corri'sponds 

 to our December. 



As we pass Cape Possession the wind draws in fresh gusts 

 from the northward and westward, and we set the fore-and-aft 

 sails, whicli increases the vessel's speed to 14 knots. \\'e rap- 

 idly approach the first narrows, for the low, cliflf like shores on 

 each side are now plainly visible, and all hands are on deck to 

 witness the terrific tide race we have heard so much about. By 

 10 o'clock we are fairly in the narrow jiass, which is a perfectly 

 straight " reach" of perpendicular wall-like shove, 9 miles long 

 by 2 miles broad, with very deep water, precipitous l)each at low 

 tide, and a straight, rapid current of 8 knots an hour. We are 

 fairly flying along the land, and by noon have made over GO 

 nautical miles since we started. We are clear of the narrows, 

 dimly visible astern, and skirting the southern shore of Philip 



