348
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

worst part of a cyclone is the heavy cross sea which
accompanies it. In the late cyclone it was this tre-
mendous sea, which is reported never to have been
equalled in the Bay, which did such damage. It is
accounted for by the long-continued gales from the
S.W. This danger would be avoided by not putting
to sea until the weather improved. From (7) the
following would appear to be a safe rule:-Ships
coming up the Bay in the months of May and June with
fresh south-westerly gales, accompanied by torrents of
rain and a falling barometer, should not press north-
wards until the weather improves and the barometer rises
steadily.

46. I wish to draw particular attention to the
    following modern development of the laws of cyclonic
    storms. Disregard of this law may lead, and has led,
    to many losses at sea. "The direction of the wind,
    specially at a distance, is far from being at right
    angies to the bearing of the centre. The wind does
    not revolve round the vortex in circles, but along in-
    curving spirals, differing two, three, or more points
    from the tangential circular direction." For example,
    a ship running up the Bay with a S.W. gale, squalls,
    torrents of rain, a barometer falling rapidly, and
    appearance of a cyclone, has no right to con-
    clude that the centre bears N. W., and that therefore
    a N. or N.N.E. course is a safe one. The centre, if at
    a distance, may bear N. or N.N.E., and a northerly
    course may run the ship into it, particularly as it
    may be then almost stationary. "The safest course
    seems to be to lie to and watch the barometer and wind
    till the bearing of the centre be known with some
    certainty." It must be borne in mind that before
    any vortex is formed, gales blow towards and round
    a considerable belt of low pressure. The following
    rule is I think a safe one when within the influence
    of a vortex. To find the bearing of the centre, stand
    with your face to the wind, and measure round to your
    right hand side about ten points. In the southern
    hemisphere the ten points should be measured round
    to the left.

47. The Meteorological Reporter in Calcutta, with
    daily telegraphic reports of the state of the weather
    at Akyab, Chittagong, Saugor Island, and Cuttack
    (False Point would, I think, be a better station than
    Cuttack), will always, I think, be able to give ample
    warning of the probable formation of a cyclone in the
    north of the Bay, and in most cases some warning of
    the approach of storms from more southern latitudes.
    The telegraphic stations do not, however, extend far
    enough south to afford certain information of the
    generation of storms about the Andaman Islands.
    There the cyclones of the greatest violence, and those
    which travel furthest inland, are generally formed.
    Telegraphic communication with meteorological
    observatories at the Alguada Reef and Port Blair
    would, I think, enable him to give warning of the
    formation of the latter.

48. The experience of the late cyclone, I think,
    suggests that more use might be made of the infor-
    mation of the state of the weather from the meteoro-
    logical stations, as regards warning the shipping at
    Saugor Island of the probable formation of a cyclone,

more particularly when generated in the north of
the Bay. According to experience, these storms
seldom travel far inland (there are some exceptions,
for example, the great storm of June 3rd and 5th,
1839), but they may cause great disasters to ships
outward bound.

49. I think it would be practicable to make
    arrangements for the exhibition of warning signals
    at Saugor Lighthouse, from which they might be
    signalled to some of the light-ships, if considered
    necessary. The signals would be hoisted by orders
    from the Meteorological Reporter at Calcutta, by
    telegraphic communication with Saugor Lighthouse.

(1.) A cautionary signal, suppose a signal cone in
the daytime, to indicate that bad weather is probable.
It might then be left optional with masters and pilots
whether they would put to sea or not.

(2.) A warning signal, a double cone in the day-
time, to indicate that a cyclonic vortex is probably in
course of formation in the Bay. It might then be
made imperative on masters and pilots not to put to
sea.

(3.) A storm signal, a drum in the daytime, to
indicate that a vortex has been formed, and is prob-
ably approaching.

During the night coloured lights to correspond to
these signals should be hoisted.

50. I do not know anything, however, about the
    safety of anchorage at Saugor Island. It is a ques-
    tion for those who are qualified to give an opinion, to
    consider whether it would, in all cases, be safer to
    ride out the storm at Saugor, or put to sea at once,
    if there was time, especially in the case of the more
    violent storms which come up from the Andaman
    Islands, and whether it is expedient to fetter the
    discretion of masters and pilots at all in the matter.
    The signals, however, might be hoisted in any case.
    The ships that put to sea before the late cyclone, and
    which were lost in it, would have been probably
    saved had they remained at Saugor; but I cannot
    say that such would always be the case.

51. Signals corresponding to those which I have
    recommended for Saugor Island lighthouse might
    also be hoisted, under similar circumstances, for the
    shipping in Calcutta. At all events, before the next
    cyclone period comes round, it would be well to
    arrange for night signals for the shipping, to corre-
    spond to the signals adopted by the Meteorological
    Committee (No. 296, from the Secretary to the
    Meteorological Committee to the Junior Secretary to
    the Government of Bengal, Fort William, the 18th
    December, 1867). There is at present, as I under-
    stand, only one night signal, and it corresponds to
    the drum, which is the storm signal, indicating that a
    cyclone is imminent, while the warning signal, the
    double cone, does not indicate the actual approach of
    a storm, but only that the state of the weather is
    such that there may be a storm. There seems to be
    a good deal of misconception about the meanings of
    these signals.

15th August, 1872.

W. G. WILLSON.

Printed under the authority of the New Zealand Government, by GEORGE DIDSBURY, Government Printer, Wellington.