[tz] TIme in Belize

[Brian Inglis]

On Thu 2020-11-12 14:48 -0800, Paul Eggert wrote:
 > According to Google Books (which will not give me more than barely-readable
 > snippets), page 56 of Volume 55 of the Boston Journal of Commerce and
 > Textile Industries (1899) says "At Belize, British Honduras, the clock over
 > the ??? ????? which furnishes the time for the town, is usually regulated by
 > the time kept by the ships in the harbor." This matches our guess earlier.

That article appears to have been widely quoted, without any byline or credit; 
free view of issue:

https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/cgi-bin/imageserver.pl?oid=rocklandctyjournal19000825&getpdf=true

article:

	https://news.hrvh.org/veridian/?a=d&d=rocklandctyjournal19000825.2.65&

"Rockland County Journal, 25 August 1900

     STANDARDS OF TIME.
	  ———————
THE DAY BEGINS AT SUNSET IN MO-
      HAMMEDAN COUNTRIES.
	  ———————
Any Sort of Time Is Kept In China,
  While In Africa They Keep Very
  Good Time — Some Countries Use
  Two Standards of Time.
...
At Belize, British Honduras, the clock over the courthouse, which furnishes the 
time for the town, is usually regulated by the time kept by the ships in the harbor.
..."

Old Belize around the bay to the west, the Port Authority and Coast Guard 
further north, what appears to be the old Port of Belize, the Custom House, the 
Esso terminal, and the Pier, probably delineate the historical harbour:

https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Port+of+Belize/@17.4790533,-88.2016211,1479m/data=!3m1!1e3

The Pier is probably the closest larger commercial vessels may now approach for 
fueling and unloading.

The cays offshore are areas sailors would avoid.
There is a winding harbour approach road from the east, starting south of 
Sandbore, generally south of Water Cay, through the reefs and cays due south of 
Belize City:

http://fishing-app.gpsnauticalcharts.com/i-boating-fishing-web-app/fishing-marine-charts-navigation.html?title=Belize+City+and+Approaches+boating+app#11/17.41/-88.11

This looks like one harbour and port where ships would wait offshore until the 
pilot boat came out to guide you safely in through the winding channels to a 
berth with enough draught to keep you afloat at low tide.
There is a space on the chart labelled Sugar Berth A, which could have been a 
primary reference point for navigation historically.

-- 
Take care. Thanks, Brian Inglis, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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