NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Compass variation ca. 1800
From: Ken Muldrew
Date: 2004 Jun 17, 14:56 -0600
From: Ken Muldrew
Date: 2004 Jun 17, 14:56 -0600
Last month I posted some information on David Thompson's navigational technique. I had a recollection that George Huxtable had inquired as to whether Thompson recorded any measurements of the variation of the compass in his notes although upon browsing through the archives I couldn't find any such question. But just in case anyone is interested in such matters, I came upon an entry in one of Peter Fidler's notebooks last night and copied it out. Fidler was a contemporary of Thompson who learned navigation from Philip Turnor, as did Thompson. The following excerpt is from his journal describing a journey along the Eastern face of the Rocky Mountains in 1792/93. He was the first European to visit these lands and when he met some Kootenay Indians, it was the first time these Indians had ever seen a European. All in all, it is a remarkable journal, although very few people seem to comment on the navigational aspects.February 27th. 1793. Wednesday - D M Alt sun LL 59?..38'..0" + 10 ..0 ----------- Thermometer +39 lat^d. 51?..55'..53" 59 ..48 ..0 Set the Watch back 10' and also the regulator 1/6? D Alt sun LL at 3#1/2 AM 32?..53'..0" Sun bore S 33?1/2 W 26 ..0 - - - - - 34 1/2 Ther^m. +45 6 ..0 - - - - - 35 ----------- ---------- 32 ..28 ..20 S 34. 20 W - Variation 18?..2' Easterly + 10 .. 0 ------------ 32 ..38 ..20 Ken Muldrew.
