Plimsoll was the originator of the famous "Plimsoll mark,"
and this is what caused him to be called the sailors' friend. Many
years ago it was the custom of unprincipled ship-owners to send their
vessels to sea very much overloaded; this was done to save the expense
of a double voyage, for in those days there were few steam merchantmen,
and sailing-vessels oftentimes took months for their voyages. The
Plimsoll mark is painted on the vessel to indicate how much cargo she
should carry. When a vessel has her full cargo the Plimsoll mark is at
the water-line; laws were passed making it illegal to load vessels so
deeply as to sink this mark below the surface of the water, and in
consequence sailors' lives are not risked in overloaded vessels.
* * * * *
Some very interesting questions have arisen in reference to the
difference of time between Manila and New York. The difference between
Manila and New York is about eleven hours; when it is five in the
morning in Manila, it is four in the afternoon with us. In order to
change Manila time to our time we must deduct about eleven hours. This
is all very simple so far as hours are concerned; but when we try to
find out what day it is we run against a more complicated matter, for
there is a certain place, or rather a certain mysterious line, which the
great nations have agreed upon as the international date line. This date
line is supposed to be the 180th meridian longitude reckoning from
Greenwich; but this meridian is not actually followed, for in the case
of the Philippine Islands it takes a long sweep, and passes to the west
of them, and, in consequence, there is a difference of nearly a whole
day between Manila and Hong-Kong, although the actual difference of time
is but about half an hour.
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