CHAP. XXL] ANGLES REQUIRED AT THE BEACONS 487 



is rigged. This side should always be used for handling the 

 beacons, the boat's davits being turned inboard or fore and 

 aft, to avoid the possibility of fouUng the flag or bamboo. 

 Hands should be stationed in readiness with " bearing-out " 

 spars should the ship get dangerousl}'" close, for, above all 

 things, the ship must not fall on top of the beacon in an 

 endeavour to get close to it. 



3. As an orderly method, the same assistant should be de- 

 tailed to make all the entries in the deck-book, being responsible 

 to the commanding officer that this is done, and invariably 

 reporting the fact whether aU the angles arranged for have been 

 obtained before the ship is out of position from the beacon. 



SECTION VII. 

 ANGLES EEQUIRED AT THE BEACONS. 



It will be seen that the essential angles required at any one 

 beacon are those between the beacons that are nearest to it, 

 and which constitute the angles of each of the adjacent, approxi- 

 mately, equilateral triangles. If the weather is clear endeav- 

 ours should also be made to observe as many of the more distant 

 beacons as is possible in the readiest manner; but, generally 

 speaking, any undue time striving for this is misspent, unless 

 the ship is at some important point, when it may be necessary 

 to make some extra effort from aloft, etc., in order to observe 

 distant lightvessels or shore objects that may prove of sub- 

 sequent value. 



The officer in charge when arranging the sextant angles 

 should make sure that their all-through connection is complete 

 and obtained in the best possible way. Should there be many 

 angles to obtain all round the horizon (such as in the centre hne 

 of beacons in Fig. III.), care in theii' preparation beforehand 

 is necessary, and a diagram should be referred to so as to ensure 

 that there are no omission?. 



Visiting all the Beacons successively in the Manner arranged. — 

 The three ships would unite about Beacon 1, when Y and Z 

 would signal their angles to X, or, if the weather is suitable, 

 time will be saved if typed copies already prepared be trans- 

 mitted by boat. 



