5
Tuesday May 10th
A thick haze settled on the horizon and eclipsed the
sun an hour or more before his setting yesterday, Still
the barometer kindly promised "fair weather" for the
morrow. The instrument yet speaks an unvaried
language, but the ship is surrounded by a thick
fog ample to protect from our search any ^vessel^ ship
or more dangerous iceberg that may be in our
path, We have thus far averaged ten and a
half miles since leaving New York and before
night we shall begin to cross the Southernmost
part of the bank, of New Foundland. The
engineer has a beautiful ^instrument^ which con-
nected with the mainshaft accurately registers
the revolutions of the wheels. It consists of the
dial with operatives for the ten movements 0. 1. 2
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 0 The first revolution displaces 0 and
substitutes 4 The second displaces brings 1 unto its place
on the right hand – the second displaces it and substitutes
2, and so on until the reckoning amounts to 100,000,
when the machine resumes its scoring ^ counting ^ . It has registered
already 50,000 revolutions.
The sea is calm as a river, but no sign
of life in view. neither fish nor bird No bird hovers
over or fish breaks up ^through^ its placid surface