ire Episcopal Academy, and in 1848 was ap- pointed rector of Saint Thomas's Church, New Haven, which, during his ministry, became one of the first churches in the State. He spent much of liis time in historical research, and made valuable contributions to the ecclesiastical history of Connecticut. His writings include: The History of the Episcopal Church in Con- necticut from the Settlement of the Colony to the Death of Bishop Brownell in ISGo (New York, 1865) ; Life and Correspondence of Samuel Johnson, D.D., Missionary of the Church of England in Connecticut, and First President of King's College, New York (1874); Life and Times of William Samuel Johnson, LL.D., First Senator in Congress from Connecticut, and President of Columbia College, 'Neio York (Bos- ton, 1876) ; Life and Correspondence of the Rt. Rev. Samiiel Seabury, D.D., First Bishop of Conneciieut, and of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (1881).
BEARDSLEY, Samuel (1790-1860). An
American jurist, born in Hoosic, N. Y. He filled
several minor State positions, and was United
States district attorney from 1823 to 1830. Af-
terwards he was a member of Congress (1831-
36, and 1843-45) ; Attorney-General of the State
(1837-38) ; became a judge of the State Supreme
Court in 1844, and succeeded Judge Bronson as
its chief justice in 1847.
BEARDS'TOWN. A city in Cass County, Ill., about 45 miles northwest of Springfield, on the Illinois River, and on the Chicago, Bvirlington and Quincy, and the Baltimore and Ohio Southwestern railroads (Map: Illinois, B 3). The Saint Louis Division of the Burlington Route has its machine, car, .and repair shops here, and there are extensive cooperage-works,
and manufactures of flour, lumber, window-
screens, beer, etc. Ice-packing and the fishing
industry also are of considerable importance.
Among the more prominent features of interest
are a fine park, a great railroad bridge, and a
steel wagon-bridge, built in 1808 at a cost of
$35,000. Settled in 1832, Beardstown was in-
corporated as a city under a general law of
1806. Its charter of that date provides for a
mayor, elected biennially, and a city council.
The water-works are owned and operated by the
municipalitv. Population, in 1890, 422(3; in
1000. 4827.'
BEAR-FLAG WAR. See California, His-
TOitY ; and Fremont, J. C.
BEAR'ING. In navigation and surveying,
the direction of an object with respect to the
position of some other, or to the direction of an
assumed point or line. As observed from a ship
objects are said to bear ahead, astern, abeam
when they are directly ahead, directly astern,
or at right angles to the ship's keel line ( i.e.
90 degrees from ahead or astern). An object
which bears midway between .ahead and astern
is said to hear on the port (or starboard] bow
or broad off the port (or starboard) bow; if its
bearing is midway between abeam and astern
it bears on the port (or starboard) quarter, or
broad off the port (or starboard) quarter. In
termediate bearings are expressed in points (32
in the whole circle, each 11 14 degrees) thus:
ll'/i degrees from astern is one point on the
port (or starboard) quarter; the same amount
from abeam is one point forward (or abaft) the
port (or starboard) beam; similarly, 11% de-
grees from ahead is one point on the port (or
starboard) bow. In like fashion, the bearings
may be one, two, or three points on bow ; or
quarter; or forward, or abaft, the beam. Four
points from bow, stern, or beam is either broad
off the bow or broad off the quarter. A ship
is said to be abreast an object when it bears
abeam ; it is abreast another sliip when the two
are side by side .and moving in the same direc-
tion. When an object lies across a certain
direction it is said to be athwart it; as, a ship
is lying athwart the hawse of another when she
or her chain lies in a direction at right angles
to that in which the other is swinging; any
object extending across the ship lies athwartship.
On board sailing vessels objects on the side
from which the wind is blowing are said to be
to windward; if forward of the beam (one or
more points) on the tveather bow or forward of
the weather beam; similarly when abaft the
beam. If on the side of the ship away from the
wind the object is said to be to leeward, on the
lee bow, etc. Bearings taken without regard to
the vessel, but with respect to absolute terres-
trial direction, are either compass, magnetic, or
true.
Bearing, Compass. The angle between the compass needle and the direction of the object observed. See Compass.
Bearing, Magnetic. The angle between the magnetic meridian and the direction of the ob- ject observed. See Compass.
Bearing, 1'^ue. The angle between the geo- graphical meridian and the direction of the object observed. All bearings are measured in points (11% degrees each) or degrees. The designation of true and magnetic bearings, either in points or degrees, is the same as for compass- bearings, but the record of the bearing is fol- lowed by p. c. (i.e. per compass) for compass bearings; by mag. (i.e. magnetic) for magnetic bearings ; and by true for true bearings ; for examples, N. by'E. (p. c), N. 16" W. (p. c), N. by E. (mag.), S. S. W. (true). See Compass.
In practical mechanics, bearing is the name given to the surfaces of contact between a moving-piece, such as a shaft or a connecting-rod and its support. For reciprocating motion the surfaces of the bearings must be perfectly rectilinear in the line of the motion. Such bearings are usually called slides, and examples are found in the crosshead guides of a locomotive, and also in most other forms of steam-engines. For rotary motion the bearing-surfaces must be surfaces of revolution; examples of such bearings are found in the hangers for mill-shafting, in the pivots of turntables, etc. The bearing-surface of the support is often made of special metal to reduce friction. For similar purposes the rotating-surface is often constructed to run on steel balls, or cylindrical or conical rollers held by the support. The bearings of a bicycle are familiar examples of ball-bearings, and both roller and ball bearings are used for motor-vehicle wheels. Some bearings are used in screw-jacks, many machine tools, elevators, etc., in which the moving part is threaded like a screw and the support is threaded like a nut. Such bearings allow rotary motion and reciprocating motion at the same time. The thrust-bearings of large steamship
