The New York herald., 1879-07-06
COLLISIONS AT SEA.

AN AUTOMATIC FOG HORN WANTED THAT COULD
BE HEARD ABOVE ALL OTHER SOUNDS. TO BE
USED BY ALL VESSELS IN THICK WEATHER.
To THE EDITOR THE HERALb:--
The readiness which the HERALD always manifests
in bringing before the public anything bearing upon
the safety of life at must be my apology for
making suggestion which you may think worth
your while to elaborate and to indorse. The navi-
CATION of sailing craft is always attended with great
hazard by of ''lee shores" and heavy gales,
and has now become tenfold more Hazardous through
liability Of being down by the countless
steamers, the majority OF whose routes converge at
the ports of New York. Philadelphia and Boston.
and who crossing their adjacent at
every possible angle at every hour of the day
night. The collision of the City of New York
with English bark, by which five men lost their
lives, would to have been absolutely ,inavoid-
able. Lights were burning brightly board both
vessels and good lookout was kept. and the
steamer was blowing her whistle to vessels
through the dense fog-of her approach; but the
bark had no way of making her position known save
a fog norm. which is about efiicacous penny
whistle when we take in consideration the noise of
steamers machinery and the swash of the
she waows through the long swells.
Now. the suggestion that would make
is simply this--that Mr.. Edison should turn for q
moment from the contemp pation electric light
and give the world automatic fog horn which,
while costing a trlfe to operate could be produced
at so low figure that owner of q vessel would
have for carrying it, and that no board
of underwriters would insure vessel neglectng to
provide itself with Surely it would be the
merest childs play tor man thoroughly
quainted with the laws of acoustics IS to invent
photograph or telephone. to invent such in-
strument would at intervals of half minute
throw outa volume OF sound equal to that of steam
fog horn. Electricity compressed air heat all
agents which would yield at very trifiing cost all
the power required to operate such machine.
which, located the binnacle couid be set
tion by the officer OF the deck began to
thicken up As invented let the govern
ment buy the patent, and, Offering 1t free cost.
make its use compulsory.
Side lights all essential, but the
in the disaster referred to, entirely useless for
IL the steamer approached the bark obquely
las she was lying off shore under short sail,
sequently at that angle could not have her lights.
it the night had been clear the after part
of the of ured but there being
dense fog. they were absolutely useless.
Now, steamer during heavy fog where sailing
vesses-and for the matter that, other steamers
apt to be met with, should always slow down
and blow her whistle at intervals of half minute.
| and have wide awake men, with ears wide open.
tile lookout to catch the first sound. and the officer
/ OF the deck should be chock forward mot III tho
pilot house), that II the jb is set ii should
obstruct his vision by its Tapping his hearing.
and then. il all vessels had proper whistles. the
danger of collision would be reduced to minimum.
OLD SALT.
NEW BRUNSWICK y. j., July 2, 1879.