Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 13, Issue 684, 21 May 1869, Page 4

Improved Compass.—We call the attention of our readers to the invention < f a newly improved compass bv Mr George J. Cawood, who, we bli«*v*, intends to make some pub ic exp-rinvnts in Christchu'ch at an early dite. The Nelson Colo list of the 3rd January, in speakiini O" this i»n portant subject, says:— On Tuesday afternoon, the 24th of December, a private meeting was held in the Nelson Hotel, for purpose of witnessing the operation of an invention which appears to be very like an important discovery, made by Mr Akereten, of the Haven road, with respect to an improved system of constructing the mariner's compass. The meeling was a numerous and intelligent one, and amongst the company were his honor the superintendent, Messrs J. Blackett, J. Sharp, J. ])obson, D Williams, Dr Squires, Dr Irvine and several captains o p now in harbor. Mr Akersten having exp'ained and illustrated the well-known eiftct of local attraction on the compass, by separately applying various articles of iron and steel outside the compass box, then proceeded to introduce into the case ceitain matters of which the improvement consists, and it was then found that the contact of iron and steel had scarcely any perceptible effect upon the needle, the deflection being of thy very slightest kind upon the application of a large steel.surlao", and scarcely noticeable when tried with iron. Another very important feature presents itself in the fact that the compass thus improved comes to a s'ate of rest in a very much shorter space of time than those of the old construction, as will be seen by the following statement j—A first quality com* pass card took timin 40seo to come to a state of rest, and during tins time the needle passed the mark 5 > times; one of second quality occupied smiii lOseo, and passed 4L times ; a common boat comp iss c.-trd took 3min 50 sec, and made 35 passages, while M r Akerateu's card made only six passages arid came to rest in lmin 55sec. All th se curds were tried on one pivot, the S.S.W. point being placed to the compass mark. A further improvement was privately exhibited yesterday. Mr Akersten has discovered tint the desired changes could be applied t • the curd itself, with the same results, so that simplicity of constiu tion is sti.i ensured, while the advantages which appear to have been attained are immense. 6ir Akersten em ploys neither iron, steel, nor nickel, in bis invention, and at present appears cer«