BOOK FOR MARINERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 17 April 1914, Page 5

BOOK FOR MARINERS

A GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION.

The Marine Department has just published a small book entitled "Modem Up-to-date Navigation: Position-finding bv the Improved Sumner Method contrasted with the New Navigation (Marcq St. Hilaire System) and the Old 'Sumner' Method, together with a few Special Star Reduction and, Azimuth by H. S. Blackborne, Principal Examiner of Masters and Mates in New Zealand, and Nautical Adviser to the Government. Published by direction of the Hon. the Minister of Marine. The book contains some nautical tables of great value for ready position-finding from observations of two stars out of the ■meridian. They also give by simple inspection the true bearing within, certain limits of a few bright stars, and the calculated reduction to the meridian up to about an hour or a little over from the meridian, enabling a navigator to determine his latitude and position-line 'from a single observation of a star, with little more" trouble than when the star is on the .meridian. The book also contains several fully worked-out examples showing the use of the tables, with some well executed diagrams illustrating the problems ; the different methods of determining the ship's position bv the "Old Sumner Method," the "Improved Sumner Method," and the "New Navigation Method" are contrasted, and the author clearly exposes some of the fallacious claims which have been made by one or two recent writers for the so-called "New Navigation," or "Marcq St. Hilaire" system of dealing with observations for position-finding. The book is sold in New Zealand at the shipping Offices and Customhouses, and by nautical-book sellers. Price, Is 6d. .