1240
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 56

Result of Poll for Proposed Loan, Kiwitea County.

Colonial Secretary’s Office,
Wellington, 27th June, 1900.

THE following notice, received from the Chairman of the Kiwitea County Council, is published in accordance with the provisions of “The Local Bodies’ Loans Act, 1886.”
J. G. WARD.

KIWITEA COUNTY COUNCIL.—LOAN OF £200, RIVER-BANK ROAD.

THE following is the result of poll on the proposal to borrow £200 for construction of the River-bank Road, in Ongo Riding of the Kiwitea County:—
Number of ratepayers on roll, 2, representing 5 votes: Votes recorded for the proposal, 5; number of ratepayers voting, 2; votes against, nil.
The number of valid votes recorded for the proposal being more than three-fifths of the total number of valid votes recorded, I hereby declare the proposal to be carried.
JAMES CORRY,
Chairman, Kiwitea County Council.
Kimbolton, 22nd June, 1900.

Notice to Mariners No. 33 of 1900.

Marine Department,
Wellington, 22nd June, 1900.

THE following Notices to Mariners, received from the Board of Trade, London, are published for general information.
WM. HALL-JONES.

SPECIAL WARNING TO MARINERS.

Compasses.—Heeling Error.

THE attention of mariners is hereby directed to the necessity of exercising a constant watchfulness in regard to the errors of their navigating-compasses, more particularly to the heeling error, the neglect of which is doubtless a common, though often unsuspected, cause of the stranding of many vessels.

Serious changes frequently take place in the character and amount of the heeling error as the ship changes her magnetic lat.—from (1) the vertical force arising from the permanent magnetism of the ship, the error from which is greatest in high lats., diminishes until the equator is reached, where it is least, and increases again in the opposite hemisphere, but still retaining the same name; (2) from vertical induction in vertical soft iron, and transverse soft iron generally (such as beams, &c.), the error from which is greatest in high lats., diminishes until the equator is reached, where it becomes nil, and increases again (but of an opposite name) as the vessel recedes from the equator in the opposite hemisphere. It is difficult, therefore, to predict with any great accuracy the change that will take place, observations at every possible opportunity being the only reliable safeguard.

In the nrm. hemisphere, in ships built with their heads from about S.E., through N., to S.W. (the usual effect of the permanent magnetism of the ship when conspiring with that of her vertical and transverse soft iron), the N. pt. of the compass-needle, assuming the compass to be on the upper deck and on the after portion of the ship as usual, will as a general rule be drawn to windward, or to the high side of the ship—the nearer the ship’s head was to N. whilst building the greater the error that may be expected—the effect being to throw the ship to windward of her supposed position when steering on nly. courses, and to leeward on sly. courses, the error decreasing as the equator is approached, and small perhaps of a contrary name in the srn. hemisphere.

In ships built with their heads from about S.E., through S., to S.W. (the usual effect of the permanent magnetism, and that of the transverse, &c., soft iron being then contrary to each other), the N. end of the compass-needle may be drawn to leeward, depending upon whether the vertical force of the permanent magnetism or that of the induced magnetism of transverse and vertical soft iron predominates, but the error would then as a general rule be small in these lats. and large in the srn. hemisphere.

It has been est. as a rule, however, that in the nrm. hemisphere (in compasses above the upper deck) in the majority of iron ships the N. pt. of the compass-needle is drawn to windward, or to the high side of the ship, the consequence being that if this is not allowed for a ship will go to windward of her supposed position on nly. courses and to leeward on sly. courses.

The heeling error is always greatest with the ship’s head at or near N. or S. by the disturbed compass, and least, or nil, with the ship’s head E. or W. It is particularly important therefore, should the vessel heel over either from the effect of the wind or the cargo, when steering in a nly. or sly. direction, that the mariner should use every precaution, and never lose an opportunity of ascertaining the errors of his compass.

The heeling error may be small or large, depending greatly upon the position of the compass — it has been known to exceed 2° for every degree of heel of the ship — and is directly proportional to the amount of heel; consequently, if the error at N. or S. for 1° of heel is known, the error for any other direction of the ship’s head and amount of heel can be found by the usual methods.

Mariners are further warned that the adjustment of compasses by magnets, soft iron, &c., which is for bringing the error within manageable limits, and for equalising the directive force of the needle, must only be considered approx. for the lat. in which the adjustment was made, and that they should lose no opportunity of verifying the error both in port and at sea, as it is usually constantly changing from numerous causes, the chief amongst which are heeling, change of lat., change of cargo, collision, after repairs, and from the ship remaining with her head in one direction for a length of time, &c.

SPECIAL WARNING TO MARINERS.

Compasses.—Local Attraction.

Mariners are warned that in some parts of the world there are depths of water sufficient for the largest ships to navigate in safety, where the bottom is sufficiently magnetic and close enough to affect their compasses, and increased vigilance should be used when approaching those countries at night or in thick weather. The following are places known to be so affected:—
Cape St. Francis, Labrador; Cossack, North Australia; New Ireland; Bougainville, Solomon Isls.; Tumbora Volcano, Sumbawa Isl., near Java; coasts of Madagascar, especially near St. Mary’s Isle; Iceland and its adjacent waters; Odessa Bay and the shoal south of it; Isle de Los, west coast of Africa. Other parts of the globe are suspected of similar disturbing effects, and all those experiencing it should, on the spot, determine its locality, and report about it, as they would any other hidden danger.

CONCISE RULES FOR REVOLVING STORMS.

1. Revolving storms are so named because the wind in these storms revolves round an area of low pressure situated in the centre. They have also local names, and are termed hurricanes in the West Indies and South Pacific Ocean; cyclones in the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea; and typhoons in the China Sea.

2. In these storms the wind always revolves the same way in the same part of the world—that is, against the movement of the hands of a watch in the northern hemisphere, and with the hands of a watch in the southern hemisphere. The wind does not revolve in circles, but has a spiral movement inwards towards the centre.

3. Revolving storms have also, as a general rule, a progressive movement. Within the tropics they usually move from east to west at first, and then curve towards the pole of the hemisphere in which the storm is generated, and afterwards move from west to east.

4. The track which the centre of the storm takes is called the path of the storm, and the portion of the storm-field on the right of the path is known as the right-hand semicircle, and that on the left as the left-hand semicircle of the storm.

5. In the right-hand semicircle, if the observer be stationary, the wind will always shift to the right, and in the left-hand semicircle to the left. This law holds good in both hemispheres.

6. If a vessel be so situated in a storm that by running before the wind the path of the advancing storm will be crossed, this is considered to be the dangerous semicircle. This will always be the right-hand semicircle in the northern hemisphere, and the left-hand in the southern.

7. These storms are most frequent in the northern hemisphere from July to November, and in the southern hemisphere from December to May. In the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea they, however, occur most frequently about the time of the change of the monsoon.

8. The area over which revolving storms have been known to extend varies in diameter from twenty miles to some hundreds of miles, and their rate of movement in the West Indies averages about 300 miles a day; in the China Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Arabian Sea, about 200 miles a day; and in the Indian Ocean from 0 to 200 miles a day, the more stationary storms occurring at the beginning and end of the hurricane season.

9. The indications of the approach of a revolving storm are (1) an unsteady barometer, or even a cessation in the diurnal range, which is constant in settled weather; (2) a heavy swell not caused by the wind then blowing; (3) an ugly, threatening appearance of the sky.

10. In order to judge what is the best way to act if there is reason to believe a storm is approaching, the seaman re-