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Lyttelton Times, Volume LXII, Issue 7411, 29 November 1884, Page 4

The loss of the Clyde has drawn attention to another subject. v, <rh*-r wreck# have done. It t# the of the ocean current® round ‘,- ;r coasts. These are supposed t*. , known, and as a matter of i.i, t ti...» are all taken into consuler.it son t seamen in steering their .., n Nevertheless, nothing is more . ommon than for bewildered skipper* •.. wonder where they are. and then re go on to wonder, in a thankful spin*, now they have escaped sbipw T>fk ;rs some unexpected place. Mr Tmwiil gave instance# at tin- meeting of the Harbour Beard the other day. the ill-fated Clyde coming hurt oa t|,V list in point of time. The Rir.guroonu supplied one three mouth* Ag in or about the same plan*. The Hawea nearly tame to gnef the oth- r day on the way to Wellington from Lyttelton, to the great astonishmer.t of her people, who. for a time, had r. idea of where they had got to. The same vessel, some months ago. w A « drifted out of her course oa . r,* of her trips to Nelson, as -b* was running southwards b*-f r- 2 heavy northerly gale. The unfortunate Lastwgham was aim a victim to a tidal current imperfectly underst»>*l. These are striking instances. H w many more there have been no oc* knows precisely; but every seaman on the coast is aware that many uo not receive that publicity which is desirable. From all of which if appear# that these ocean currents are not as familiar to »m sailors as they ought to be. The- last edition of the Now Zealand Pilot bears the date 1875. State that tim®. considerable experience of currents and tides, with the effect of winds upon them, has been gained.. Is it not time for a fresh edition, embodying these and other additions to our coastal knowledge ? And should there not be a special observation by competent pew sons of these currents, for the pr> J r;e of increasing the informs* published in the new edition ? jf#