120 M. W. C. HEPWORTH. 



CURRENT OBSERVATIONS on the CANADIAN- 

 AUSTRALIAN ROUTE. 



By Capt. M. W. Campbell Hepworth, f.e. Met. Soc, f.r.a.s. 

 R.M.S. Aorangi. 



(Communicated by Mr. H. C. Russell, b.a., c.m.g., f.r.s.) 



[Bead before the Royal Society of N. 8. Wales, July 6, 1898.'] 



As a material assistance towards the successful navigation of the 

 Pacific Ocean when making the passage between Australia and 

 British Columbia on the steam-route between these two Colonies, 

 I obtained sometime ago a number of current observations recorded 

 in the log books of past voyages of the steamer Warrimoo dating 

 from the 18th of June 1893 to the 1st of December 1897, and 

 through the kindness of Captain Hay, the present commander of 

 the Warrimoo, then commanding the Miowera, similar data from 

 log books of the latter steamer dating from April the 9th 1896 to 

 June the 3rd 1897, were supplied to me. These observations, 

 together with a number which have been made by myself during 

 twenty months on the Pacific in the steamers Warrimoo and 

 Aorangi were found to furnish so much information as to the 

 movements of the sea surface on the diagonal cut across the 

 Pacific which is taken by the steamers of the Canadian Australian 

 line, that I ventured to hope the results of my investigations 

 might be of interest to this Society. In all sixty-two passages 

 have been dealt with, and the currents experienced have been 

 drafted on track charts for the month or months during which 

 the passage is made. In this work I have had the valuable 

 assistance of Mr. H. Reader, second officer, and Mr. F. Bayldon, 

 third officer, of the Aorangi who have taken a keen interest in 

 the work and devoted to it a considerable portion of their time 

 during their watches below at sea. 



The direction of the currents — which are given true on all these 

 charts — are shewn by arrows with ends barbed in the direction 



