194 A Twenty-Fifth Memoir on the Law of Storms. [No. 2. 



own as to position and the question now became what was best to 

 be done ? 



4. The ship's true position at this time has first to be considered, 

 and, taking into account — 



a. The Northerly set shewn by the bearings and soundings since 

 point Baragui was sighted. 



b. The heave of the S. Westerly sea. 



c. The storm current setting him to the N. West. 



d. The storm wave setting him to the N. East. 



e. The inset of the flood tide to the Sitang and other mouths of 

 the Delta whenever it made — taking all these considerations into 

 account, then, I think Captain Boon could not have estimated him- 

 self as having done more than held his own as to latitude, though 

 he had deepened his water by a few miles of Eastering carrying 

 him off the bank. So that, at most, point Baragui was still bear- 

 ing W. N. W. or W. b. N, of him. The extreme of the flat more 

 Southerly of course. 



5. Theoretically, and as a scientific landsman might suppose, 

 it is true that now (at midnight) with the S. E. hurricane Captain 

 Boon might have wore round and bringing the S. E. gale on his 

 port quarter have dashed past to the Northward of the Cyclone 

 centre, trusting to bring the wind, as he no doubt would quickly 

 have done, to E. S. E., East, and E. N. E., and N. East, and thus 

 enabling him to clear the flat by steaming close round the centre on 

 its N. Western quadrant. 



6. But there were many dangers in doing this, such as — 



a. Would the vessel steer well enough in a quartering gale with 

 her encumbered decks and the confused sea of a Cyclone ? I should 

 doubt it of any paddle-wheel steamer, especially of the old build, 

 unless with the wind nearly right aft, and, in any case, with the 

 frightful seas of a Cyclone, when so near the centre there is con- 

 stantly an imminent risk of broaching to. 



b. She could not start with the gale at S. East on any thing 

 nearer the wind than a W. S. W. course and I doubt if she would 

 have done that? With the influences of which we have spoken in 

 para. 4, a West course made good would be the utmost that any 

 sailor would calculate upon with the wind at S. East at such a time. 



