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THE MARINE RECORD. A TRUSCOTT BOAT SIMPLE, SAFE, lighting. RELIABLE, SPEEDY. It may be possible to build better and _ safer boats. but it hasn’t been done yet. We send a completely illustrated catalogue and price list free, which tells you all about boats and WHY TRUSCOTT BOATS EXCEL. Truscott Boat Mfg. Co., ST. JOSEPH, MICH. Pintsch Gas Lighted Buoys. Adopted by the English, German, French, Russian, Italian and United States Light-House Departments for channel and harbor Over 1,000 gas buoys and gas beacons in service. Burn Continuously from 80 to 365 days and nights without attention, and can be seen a distance of six miles. . . THE SAFETY CAR HEATING AND LIGHTING CO 160 Broadway, New York City. FEBRUARY 20, Controlled by BOTH CANAL ROUTES FEASIBLE. Mr. William H.. Burr, a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission publishes an interesting article on the canal project in the February number of Scribner’s, in which, after a careful, unprejudiced consideration of the, Nica- ragua and the Panama routes, he concludes that both are entirely practicable and feasible. His conclusions are as follows: ; : “Neither route has any material commercial advantage over the other as to time, although the distance between our Atlantic (including Gulf) and Pacific ports is less by the Nicaragua route. ‘he Panama route is about one-fourth the length of that in Nicaragua; it has less locks, less cle. vation of summit-level, and far less curvature, all contrib- uting to correspondingly decreased risks peculiar to the passage through a canal. ‘The estimated annual cost of operation and maintenance of the Panama route 1s but six- tenths that for the Nicaracua route. The harbor features may be made adequate for all the needs of a canal by either route, wit. such little preponderance of advantage as may exist in favor of the Panama crossing. The Commission estimated ten years for the completion of the Panama canal and eight years for the Nicaragua waterway, but the writer believes that these relations should be exchanged, or at least that the time of completion for the Panama route should not be estimated greater than for the’ Nica- ragua. ‘Ihe water supply is practically unlimited. on both routes, but the controlling or regulating works, being auto- matic, are much simpler or more easily operated,and main- tained on the Panama route. The Nicaragua route is practically uninhabited. and consequently practically no sickness exists there. On the Panama. route on-the con- trary, there is a considerable population extending along the entire line, atnong which yellow fever and other trop- ical diseases are properly always found. Initial sanitary works of much larger magnitude would be required on the Panama route than on the Nicaragua, although probably as rigorous sanitary measures would be required during the construction of the canal on one route as on the other. The railroad on the Panama ‘route and other facilities offered by a considerable existing population render the be- ginning of work and the housing and organization of the requisite labor force less difficult and more prompt than on the Nicaragua route. The relative seismic conditions of the two routes cannot be quantitatively. stated with ac- curacy, but in neither case-are they of sufficient gravity to cause anxiety as to the effects upon complete canal struc- tures.” a NORTH MAGNETIC POLE. Norway. will send out an expedition next summer, under the command of Prof. Amundsen, for the purpose of relocating the north magnetic pole. The headquarters of the expedition will be Boothia Felix, the most northern point of the North American mainland, directly north of the extreme western side of Hudson Bay’ The expedition expects to be gone three years, and will make as thorough a study as possible of all the magnetic phenomena: observable in the neighborhood of the mag- netic pole. ES It is to the advantage of the enterprise which Prof. Amundson will lead that the instruments for observing magnetic phenomena have been increased in number and greatly improved in quality since Ross determined the po- sition of the north magnetic pole in 1831, just seventy years ago. Everybody at this day is supposed to know that the mag- netic needle does not point to the geographical pole, but to a center of magnetic influence that is at least 1,200 miles south of it and far west of the North Pole; nor does it point steadily in the same direction,.but is subject to daily variations and also, at present, to a very slow and de- creasing variation toward the west. This constant varia- “jon long ago gave rise to. the theory that the magnetic Hs es the earth move along a path of greater or less Cepente a5 ee 3 ' Sade : ar When Schwatka and Gilder were in King William Land, just west of Boothia Felix, in 1879, their magnetic ob- servations seemed to show that the north magnetic pole had moved more than two degrees of longitude. west of its position as fixed by Ross in 1831. The long period over which Prof. Amundson is to extend his observations is likely to enable the party to determine the present direction and rate of motion of the variation in position of the north magnetic nole.. In a word, a mag- netic survey of the area containing it is to be made and the practical result is likely to increase our knowledge of terrestrial magnetism and of the laws that govern the movements of the magnetic needle. ——— 2 oe THE MOON AND THE WEATHER, A belief that the moon has a potent influence on weath- er changes is well nigh universal. ‘The moon’s appearance goes through: such marked changes each month that it would be very natural to attribute weather changes to these. In this way undoubtedly such sayings as these have arisen: “The weather won’t change until the moon changes.” “If the moon lies so water cannot run out, we shall have a drought.” “A wet mcon is one upon which a huntsman can hang his horn,” etc. Diligent inquiry at one time as to the popular belief regarding this ques- tion brought out the view, more persistent than any other, that more rain will occur at the new than the full moon. Singularly enough, in Connecticut on Long Island sound there does seem to be such a law, but it does not hold in the interior of the country, and a test on-the Pacific caast showed, if atything, exactly the opposite. At London, where observations have been made for more than a cen- tury, a careful computation for the whole period has shown no effect. If we reflect that the moon is dead and does not have any air even upon it, that it always shows the same face to the earth, that its changes are simply due to changes in its position as respects the earth and sun, and that its varying -appearagces are all borrowed, we see how absurd is the notion that the moon does influence our weather. There is, however, another argument that appears quite valid at first sight. If the moon can raise a tide of 60 feet in the ocean, why may it not raise a tremendous tide in the extremely tenuous air, 800 times lighter than water, or a tide of about 48,c00 feet, and, if so, it seems easy to see that such a commotion would affect our weather enor- mously. The tide of 60 feet (the highest in the world) is exper- ienced only in the bay of Fundy and is due to the configur- ation of the Atlantic coast. In the open Pacific the tide is only a little over a foot. Most careful observations of a lunar atmospheric tide have been made at St. Helena, in midocean, and have shown a tide a little more than 0.001 inch. Since ordinary weather changes affect the pressure 1,coo times as much, we see how extremely insignificant the moon’s total effect must be. There is a common saying, “The full moon has power to drive away clouds,’ and some computations seem to bear out this idea. If any one will look to the east as the rising full moon shines through the clouds, he will often see the clouds disappear. ‘There is a natural explanation for this, however, and in nowise dependent upon the moon. A long series of observations has shown a diurnal range of cloudiness with a minimum point, or time of least clouds from 6 to 9 p. m., hence we see that as the full moon rises and advances in the sky during this period there will often appear a diminution of clouds. Lord Rosse turned his big reflecting telescope (so big that a tall man walking erect in it could carry a snread umbrella) toward the moon and found that, if anything, the earth received just a little chilling from the full moon. More recently the bolometer, an instrument which can measure less than one millionth of a degree of temperature change, has shown that the earth receives a tinv bit of heat from the full moon. ‘The evidence is cumulative and overwhelming that no weather ehanges can be ascribed to the moon.—Professor H. A, Hazen in Popular Science. eee A TREASURY DECISION. PREVENTION OF TUBERCULOSIS AMONG MERCHANT SEAMEN. ; TREASURY DEPARTMENT, — Orrice of Supervisinc Surcfon-GenErAL M. H. $., — Wasurncton, D. C., Feb. 11, 1902. ‘To commissioned officers and acting assistant surgeons, - -U. S. Marine-Hospital Service: In order to aid in the prevention of the spread of tub culosis among seamen of the merchant marine, the followi rules will be observed whenever practicable: : Whenever a seaman suffering with tubercle of the <) applies for treatment at a relief station of the Service, tl medical officer or acting assistant surgeon in charge there| shall notify the master or accredited agent of the vessel ¢ which said seaman sailed immediatly preceding his applic tion for relief, and, if said vesel is in port, shall, with ti consent and aid of the master, owner, or agent of the vess’ disinfect the forecastle or other apartment previously occ| pied by the aforesaid seaman. The method of disinfection shall be as follows: Te 1. ‘Thorough mechanical cleansing of floors, walls, at bunks with hot water and concentrated lye. 2. Wetting floors, walls, and bunks with either of following solutions: | Solution 1—Carbolic acid, 1 pa water, 100 parts. Solution 2—Corrosive sublimate, 1 par hydrochloric acid, 2 parts; water, 1,000 parts. ine Forecastles should be painted or whitewashed after disi) fection, when practicable. Masters, owners, and agents of vessels should be i formed of the importance of compliance with the provisici of this circular. : A report should be rendered to the Bureau of every fom castle disinfected under the provisions of this circular, soon as the disinfection shall have been effected. You are directed to acknowledge the receipt of this ¢ cular. Water WYMAN. Supervising Surgeon-General M. H. $. Approved: 1. M. SHaw, Secretary of the Treasury. —_——— $a OO Collision—Tugs and Tows Passing at Drawbridge—F ure of ‘Tow to Obey Signal from Tug.—The tug Myst - towing a raft down stream in the St. Louis river at Dululi, approached the draw of a bridge, while the tug Indusijt was approaching from the other side, towing the steam Peerless. There were two channels throuch the draw, ai the tugs agreed by signal that the Mystic should pa) through the south channel and the Industry the north chai nel. It was necessary for the Mystic to push her r south of the channel, where it would float under the bridg. and in doing so she backed into the north channel to obte headway, intending to immediately go forward again, and! be out of the way before the Industry, which was about 7 feet distant, should reach the draw, which she in fact wa The master of the Industry, seeing the maneuver, signaltl the Peerless to back, which she did: but, when the My 22 began to move ahead, he signaled the Peerless to stop ba ing, which signal she did not obey, but kept backing u the tug had towed her nearly 500 feet beyond the drav when her bow came in collision with a barge, which wi being towed down to the draw by a third tug, and she sunk. ‘The testimony tended to show that her contint\, backing while the tug was goine forward threw her bow i one side of the course of the tug, and that otherwise the o> lision would not have occurred. Held, that the action ~ J Mystic could not be considered the proximate cause of collision, which must be attributed solely to the fault of Peerless in failing to obey the signal of her tug to stt backing. Lake Michigan & L. S. Transp. Co. vs. Unit Towing & Wrecking Co. et al., 112 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 155. ———— DO ODO SO The steamer John Rugee has been sold to the Geot? Hall Co., Ogdensburg, N. Y., for $50,000. ‘The steamet of 1,216 tons and was built in Milwaukee in 1888,