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Re: Transcription of Worsley's Log
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Mar 18, 15:11 -0700
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2009 Mar 18, 15:11 -0700
Well, what positions were on record for Elephant Island at that time? Presumably Worsley was well aware that positions in this region could only be trusted to the nearest five or ten nautical miles. That's good enough for their purposes. Here are some quotations from an old guide book to the southern ocean (google a phrase to find it): First, the position of the cape: "Cape Belsham, north point of Elephant Island 60d 57' S 54d 56' W." Second, from the same source, some general comments on sources of positions (it is not at all uncommon in the 19th and early 20th centuries to find that the positions from Cook's voyage are still considered the best available): "7. South Georgia.-Adventure Bay, near the N.W. end of Georgia, and South of Cape North, is given as described by Captain Weddell. The other points are given from Captain Cook's Second Voyage, January, 1775. 8. Sandwich Lands.-The Candlemas Isles, Cape Montague, and Southern Thule, arc given in the Table from Captain Cook's Second Voyage, January and February, 1775; but Captain Biscoe states that the longitudes are about 50' to the West, which we are apprehensive, requires confirmation. 9. South Shetlands.-The position of these islands are generally unsatisfactory, with the exception of Deception Island, the station of Captain Foster's pendulum experiment*. A chart, published by the Hydrographic Office, exhibits them much to the eastward, in some cases nearly to the amount of 2�. In these high latitudes it is without doubt, a difficult task to fix meridional distances, or absolute positions, with that degree of accuracy that can be attained in lower latitudes and less rigorous climates. In the absence of more certain authorities, we have repeated the positions as given in the former edition." (printed c.1885, the "former edition" was from the 1850s) -FER --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---