ROUTES. 
269 
The Flying Fish beat : she made the passage in 92 days and 4 
hours from port to anchor ; the Gilpin in 93 days and 20 hours 
from port to pilot ;* the Wild Pigeon had 118. The Trade Wind 
followed, with 102 days, having taken fire, and burned for eight 
hours on the way. 
The result of this race may be taken as an illustration as to 
how well navigators are now brought to understand the winds and 
the currents of the sea. 
581. Here are three ships sailing on different days, bound over 
a trackless waste of ocean for some fifteen thousand miles or more, 
and depending alone on the fickle winds of heaven, as they are 
called, to waft them along ; yet, like travelers on the land, bound 
upon the same journey, they pass and repass, fall in with and 
recognize each other by the way ; and what, perhaps, is still more 
remarkable, is the fact that these ships should each, throughout 
that great distance, and under the wonderful vicissitudes of cli- 
mates, winds, and currents which they encountered, have been so 
skillfully navigated, that, in looking back at their management, 
now that what is past is before me, I do not find a single occa- 
sion, except the one already mentioned, on which they could have 
been better handled. 
There is another circumstance which is worthy of notice in this 
connection, as illustrative of the accuracy of the knowledge which 
these investigations afford concerning the force, set, and direction 
both of winds and currents, and it is this : 
582. I had computed the detour which these vessels would have 
to make, on account of adverse winds, between New York and 
their place of crossing the equator. The whole distance, includ- 
ing detour to be sailed to reach this crossing at that season of the 
year, was, according to calculation, 4115 miles. The "Gilpin" 
and the " Hazard" only kept an account of the distance actually 
sailed ; the former reaching the equator after sailing 4099 miles, 
the latter, 4077 ; thus accomplishing that part of the voyage by 
sailing, the one within thirty-eight, the other within sixteen miles 
of the detour which calculation showed they would be compelled 
to make on account of head-winds. With his way blazed through 
the forest, the most experienced backwoodsman would have to 
make a detour greater than this on account of floods in the rivers. 
* The abstract log of the Gilpin is silent after the pilot came on board. 
