SIGNS IN THE SUN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24449, 7 November 1940, Page 10

SIGNS IN THE SUN

ro THE EDITOR Sir,-—The folic wing article is taken from an English quarterly magazine, April-June, 1940, and may be pi; interest: — . ' “ I haVfe read a most interesting account of an address by Commander R. G. Studd, R.N.. ; on the above subject. His particular remarks on the signs of the sun, moon and, stars as predicted in St. Luke’s Gospel, indicating the! the Second Advent is near at hand, are in perfect agreement with the latest scientific information published by tne Admiralty on the Admiralty charts as well as in the Nautical Almanack mentioned by Commander Studd. "Commander Studd mentions that recently the Astronomer Royal, who always predicted years ahead Tor the Nautical Almanack the times of the high and low water of the tides in all parts of the world, has observed that tiie moon has by some means or other ■ got out of gear,’ and accordingly it has been necessary to recalculate the tide tables for future years for the first time in history. , . , , “All Nature seems to be out of joint, all over the world. Seldom, if ever, have there been such great gales at sea as during the last two or three years, on the testimony of the great ocean liner n y nues Albert Close. ’’ a deep sea chart publisher for 35 years for the deep sea fishermen, in cooperation with the Admiralty. When T bring out a new chart I always set the compasses 10 years ahead for magnetic variation, so that they do not get ou+ of dale so soon. I may explain to those not acquainted with nautical terms that Magnetic North at Greenwich is about 11 degrees to the west of True North, and that the magnetic rfeedle for over 100 years (in fact, for over 300 years, it has moved cast and west), has been moving toward True North at the rate of about five minutes annually. Since the last- war the rats has more than doubled annually, and according to the present order of things, in about another 75 years the magnetic needle of the compasses around Britain should point True North. To-day the rate of decrease is about lldeg to 12de.e annually, for the first time in history. No man can explain why: all the Admiralty can do is to register the change and alter the compasses on the charts to agree with the change. If they did not alter the compasses a navigator would be many miles out on a Jong voyage. “ In 1925 I set the compasses on my new North Sea chart 10 years ahead, for 1935, allowing for the usual five minutes • annually of decrease in variation. To everybody’s surprise this mysterious increase in speed since the last war had, by 1930, put my chart five years out, so that H was only five years in advance instead of 10 years. It really looks as if ihe increase in speed of life has extended to the very laws of Nature. ~ , . ,- Truly, as Commander Studd has told us, there are signs in the sun, moon and stars, such as there is no record of in past history." I am, etc., Maran-aiha.