The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-11-09

Commercial Code of Signals, which is now
used by the Royal Navy US we'll as by the
Mercantile Marine. The Board of Trade
determines what shall be the official num-
Der Of each ship, but the Commercial Code
determines how to express this number by
letters and flags. The Talavera of Liver
owners, or may change ports but she will
always, as long as she remains on the Regis
ter Of British Shipping, be the Talavera
she will always have the 5000, and this
number will always be represented by the
flag signal X |. N The Clara of Glou-
cester, as another instance, whether she
changes owners and ports or not will con-
tnue to be the Clara, with the number
12,345, and the signal L B XIV.
| Every signal flag represents lettor, and tho
sonted by an eqnrl numbor Of flags. Showing not
more than four flags at time, there are nearly
$4,000 different FORMULATING or ways il which
they may be arranged Schoolboys will under.
stand this whom they bear in mind their famous
problem about the persons who sat down to diu-
ner in different order every day aud lock piokers
VIII understand 1t when they count up the mil
lions OF ways in which pnzzle-luok may bo ad-
justed. five were to add the groups Of five flags
more than million The anthoritie" To"i have De
agreed that 30 900 will be enough for all practical
purposes and there can actually be noarly $4,000
different and distinct signals mHde by meaus Of
eighteen flags, never more than four Fl ,gs hosted
at time. The flags OF three different shapes:
square sE about feet by tue burkee,
| aud the pendant, triangular strip, Is foet long
by s at the broadcast end. They differ still more
in Ssa and red al red
two vertical stripes OF blue and yellow, blue
GROSS on a white ground, white square spot on d
blue ground, a blue square spot on a white
o. and I'm
white cross on blue ground, vertical stripes of
red, white and blue, and so on. Each Il tg has al.
dant or elongated trisnguIar flag, with red sput
On white ground, always means G; but what
means, the Code or vpeabulsry determines.
The committee appointed by the Board of Trade
'epnrted that any good code of signals should
afurd ready means OF making known to siguaI
stations, or when ships pass each other ut eea,
progress and where ,bouts may DO correctly re-.
p 'rted ; OF communicating at tho wants and
wishes of masters or captains and of extending
the meaus OF intercourse to tho vessels OF all c,l -
tries, by tho establishment OF international
code Of signals" Accordingly, the SO 900 possible
'nbinatious above adv. rtod to arc made availa-
bio for large budget or sea gossip. There bciug
eighteen 1ags, there may he eighteen signals uf
one .g each, and it is arranged that these shall
-,gmfS snch useful little words as "Y.s"tNo" I"
&o. Tho groups of two flags each amount to Two
or three hundred varieties, and furnish many Gig
nalsuseful on shipboard such, for instance as at
trntinn demaud Signals, of which '.Sbuw your
ensign" and "Pay attention" are tx 4mples sig.
ua!s 10 denote tue poiuts OF The compass and zig.
n.ls OF distress OIL ehiphosrd. such as "On Ore"
flags each furnish varieties amuuutiug 10 some
thuusands in number. First onnies series rsIa- |
ting to many Of the troubles incident to shipping
ab,ndonment If shp snip aground caps ztng,
collision, dismasting, rpringing leak, waterloo.
Bing, 60. then q series reaing to news news
papers, letters, dispatches, mais aud the like |
next a series Of questions and Information con.
cerDing crew, captain and passengers then anoth-
er sllng TO ships place, ships reckoning nau-
rieal Instruments observations and the like; then
series of short phrases bearing relation to |
ships 6ttings, PROVISIONS, eugtnes, and builers |
aud l.stty, another cnncerniug anchorage, sound
shs t oa1ya Seaoons pl0:sse
ting to the cunning u ship to harbor-nii these |
expressed by hoisting three h.gs, varying in |
groups OF four flags are. however, the most im. |
portaut OF tho wIlnle, seeing that they anlount 10
somelling Xix 10000 il, numb-r. Here it Is that
we fiud the uffolal numbers Of ships symb Iizsd-i
signs hy which w may identify every ship IN III
British EmLlrt, whether bei"ngIug u tile RI, ul |
Navy or tn the M-rchaut Service. These. aa ".
her ;and after th''y are at-hrd, there ars m .n,
thousand un appropriated groupings Of fur q ,ps,
sli.s and their enp os m"nt. There arc ,h-
names OF pla ces, Islands, Sea- headlands &c oil
aver the world there is Il very extensive yucabu-
larry OF wnr Z, phrases aua eeuteuces us, fui in
syIia bios available. in the construction or words
not III the oablulary. Aud thus It 10 that some
M
sibie combination of tho flags, il groups Of one,
tw,, thr. 9. "r four each.
But IL may be asked, h,w do the sailors can.
ta'ns aud sigualnirn kn.~ the exact meaning .,f
every combustion Of fags7 Can they conimit |
~ 100 zig uals and com lriatiUns to nt-m ry2 A.
suredly not. Ia assist th-m, u O.m :n.rciai Ode
ut Signals has been pr, pared, in au orxvo volume
Every 'g, according tu it's Shape, color aud pat
'er", represen's Il particular letter every grnuu
nf such 'Rs represents particular group uf lot.
TIRE and every group at ietrers has y particular
meaning In relation tu chips aud maritime affai T. |
THUS, III refereuce 10 q bhIp's stores, B l., I'll.
names OF three Particular IL .Es disposed IN y ar-
t t'cuar way, always deuote ''Lea = sud KBQ,
sugar" In latUn to other maIt.rs N N |
1t denott 20 fire :" while N P deIn,r-s sire
gn'ns rapi ily - Whereas @ gives tne information
hrr Gould he eXtlugulsh6u with imn,e ..aty AZ.
Let us suppos tn II twu ship, meet ut sra 0 |
hoists up fur hags cpnspic,uu- pusi ion on
me OF the nj. sis he Il tgs boIng arrauge.i III II
" rticulrow, o read dowuwards. Til. signal,nau
IN tho other ship notioas that the Jpsrm ,st
vice which Represents tn" letter NJ, and that the
o. her thr,o repr. sent W d aud Il respectively
He hut gets nt tho firt that tho rlip's sign Al is
W D Il; aud hy rsferrIug to tho Code.b nuk hr
fluids thls 10 correspond with the lumber 20 202
the Official number OF the ship Lamplighter
lumber that beiong- to NO other snip whatever.
Az tar as u SEA telescope render the flags ds.
tinct, far does this power ext. nd Of sscortai-
my ships mamie, and at the Same time her pprt
and tonnage, AID other items alsJ entered In the
Register. The ship Lsmplighter in a similar way
as'-rtaHs the name OF the other ship aud hen
'he, proceed with their gossip. each telling the
"ther wEonCe she came aud whittier she IL going,
and giving aud Receiving INFORMATION useful to
b'th. There il, Of oUurse, good deal Of hauling
dawn f,f H. kf,t