APPENDIX. 259 



den, and on a long voyage like this, tlie company — principally for 

 the consideration of economy in coal — do not drive their ships as 

 is done on the Atlantic. Besides, the Alaska is one of the old 

 side- wheel pattern of ships, and not very fast, although quite 

 steady and comfortable. Twice the monotony of our voyage has 

 been broken by an alarm of fire, which, however, turned out to be 

 only a false alarm for the purpose of exercising the officers and 

 crew in the fire-drill, which appears to be very perfect and efficient. 

 Yesterday, in four minutes from the giving of the alarm, the hose 

 was uncoiled, run aft, and six streams from the steam-pumps 

 were pouring over the side in a way so vigorous that it must, 

 have proved very effective in case they were directed on a fire. 

 The crew are also occasionally exercised at boat-drill, so as to per- 

 fect them in getting out and lowering the boats in case of need. 

 A few evenings ago, just before retiring for the night, we had a 

 beautiful view of a lunar-bow or "moon-rainbow," the largest 

 and most distinct that I ever saw. On Sundays, regular service 

 is held night and morning, usually celebrated in the morning by 

 one of our American missionaries, and in the evening by two 

 English missionaries who are destined for Japan. The chief 

 amusements for week-days are sea-quoits, otherwise kiiown as 

 " bull," and reading and music. Altogether we manage to wear 

 away the time as pleasantly as could be expected. Thus far we 

 have had the usual variety of weather, clear or cloudy, dry or wet, 

 smooth or rough, but old voyagers on the Pacific say that, taken al- 

 together, the weather has been very good. On the 16th we reached 

 the 180th meridian of longitude, and " the event of the voyage " 

 took place, namely, losing a day. I had often heard of this, but 

 never fully realized it until I had passed through the operation my- 

 self. It is briefly this — that in going round the world westward 

 you constantly gain in time four minutes to the degree or parallel 

 of longitude ; consequently, when you arrive at the ISOtli parallel 

 and are half-way round, from Greenwich, you have gained twelve 

 hours, and, for the sake of convenience in navigation, this is called 

 a day, in order to prevent twelve o'clock at night from being 

 twelve o'clock in the daytime. 



The pccasion of crossing the line is generally signalized by 

 some kind of ceremonies, and in our case an oil-barrel painted to 



