NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Sperm whale buoyancy.
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2007 Mar 22, 19:50 -0000
From: George Huxtable
Date: 2007 Mar 22, 19:50 -0000
To follow Robert Eno's mention, and mine, of "Whales and Men, by R B Robertson, I can't resist quoting a delicious passage, referring to the various types of home-brewed liquor to be found on the whalers' land-base at Leith harbour, South Georgia. "The best variety, ot at least the one most to my taste, was that made from raisins and laced, to increase its strength, with compass fluid. (The few old-fashined magnetic compasses on the small craft attached to the island consume, the Norwegian bosun told me, around fifty gallons of pure alcohol per year, and the two thermometers at the meteorological station are almost equally thirsty)." Similar problems with alcohol based compasses are the main reason why nowadays, they are filled instead with a most-unpalatable oil. George. contact George Huxtable at george@huxtable.u-net.com or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222) or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---