NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Mid XIX century Nav
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2005 Nov 14, 22:19 -0500
From: Alexandre Eremenko
Date: 2005 Nov 14, 22:19 -0500
Meridian observations (with a meridian circle or teodolite) need a firm base. But what about time sights? Alex. On Mon, 14 Nov 2005, Fred Hebard wrote: > Alex, > > I would expect they wanted to do some time sights to rate the > chronometers. In addition, (although I'm less sure on this) they may > have done some transits to find absolute time. > > There's a great account of repairing cables in the late 19th century > where the fellows go ashore to rate their chronometers. I can't > recall the name nor find the book, but it was mentioned here a few > years ago. > > Fred > > On Nov 14, 2005, at 7:36 PM, Alexandre E Eremenko wrote: > > > I am reading a book by a famous Russian XiX century > > author, Goncharov, on his voyage to Japan in 1853/4. > > > > (The Russians were trying to "open" Japan for trade > > at that time, the same thing did the Americans (at exactly the same > > time). > > Japan was "closed to foreigners"; no one could land > > etc. I don't want to describe all details. > > Anyway, the Russians were negotiating with the Japanese > > authorities for a permission to land. The following episode > > in this long and complicated negotiation, which lasted several > > months, attracted my attention. The Russians asked for a > > permission to land on some rock between their ship place > > and the land. Apparently a small uninhabited island. > > The reason they clamed for this permission was the > > "Necessity to check chronometers". > > Apparently they thought that this was a good reason > > for landing on a rock). > > > > Unfortunately the author of the book was not interested > > in navigation and did not want to explain to the readers > > this point. WHY did the Russians think that this was a > > legitimate reason? > > > > Why exactly did they need land to check their chronometers? > > Or, more precisely, why did they think that "checking chronometers" > > is a legitimate reason for a landing? > > > > What was the proper procedure of "checking chronometers" they had > > in mind? > > Was this by the Lunars? > > Did they mean that a firm ground > > is needed for the Lunars? Or Jupiter satellites? to install a powerful > > telescope? > > > > (They were at ancor in the Nagasaki harbor at that time. Nagasaki > > was one of the few cities where foreigners were permitted to stay > > on ancor > > at that time). To finish this part of the story I just say that > > they were > > not permitted. The Japanese quickly built some structure on the rock, > > as an evidence that this rock was "land", rather than some "rock in > > the > > sea" > > or "uninhabited (and unclaimed?) island" where anyone can land. Before > > arriving > > to Nagasaki, the Russians signed the paper that they will not land > > without > > the permission of the authorities.) > > > > But I only wanted to discuss the CelNav part of the story. > > Why did the Russians think that "checking chronometers" was a > > legitimate > > purpose of landing on a rock? > > > > Alex. > > > > P.S. I am well aware that the first underwater transoceanic cable > > layings > > were made at about the same time. So the Lunars were doomed, > > already then, > > even as a > > mean > > of checking chronometers:-( >