Morning journal and courier., 1880-07-20
SIGNALS AT SEA,

| Recent occurrences have made painfully ! evident the need of better systems of signals
 than those now in general use the seas,
 and the discussion of the matter by Lieuten- ant Schroeder in the United States Review is | timely and interesting. Statistics show that the number of collisions between a-going vessels has increased in ratio altogether 1 disproportionate to the expansion of ocean ! traffic Thus, off the English coast alone there were in 1852 only 57 collisions against 414 in 1867. The causes of such casualties excluding wilful negligence and professional incompetency, are chased under three heads, l namely, the defects in the present system of running hghts the shortcomings of the pres ent international fog signals, and the lack of | an international maritime penal code. The masthead and side lights now used do not show at all to a vessel approaching from be- hind on nearly the same course. To meet this difficulty it was proposed, eight years ago, in the British House of Commons, that the vessel whose regulation lights are not visible more than two points abaft each beam should show white light over the stern
 This provision was adopted, but it is only ap- piled to the naval vessels of England and France Lieutenant Schroeder considers the idea of having an extra light to show abaft the beam and astern very happy one, and worthy of Universal adoption
 Fault is also found with vessels lights at sea Ion other grounds than merely the def- ciency in point of number or the insufficiency of the area illuminated" The lights are very seldom visible as far as the law requires namely, five miles for the masthead and two miles for the others. This shortcoming is frequently remarked in the merchant marine, where cheap oil is furnished and the glasses are imperfectly cleaned. Of course, the dimness of a light not only prevents it's being seen at the prescribed distance, but often makes it difficult to distinguish the color Another bad feature in the present scheme of signal arrangements is that the lights are very apt to be screened by boats, rigging or sails. The present optional situation of the lights has bearing on this point. If placed well forward, besides being hidden by the sails, they leave the after part of the vessel ex- posed. Lieut.. Schroeder thinks that the law should be rigid in stating the exact position of the side ights-how far from the stern
  tion to the remarkable efficiency of the cleo tric apparatus used on some of the steam ships of the French Transatlantic Company, and is of the opinion that the progress made during the past few years in the manipula- tion of electricity argues well for it's applica- tion to signal work at sea. He refers like wise, in terms of much approval, to the pis- tol signals devised by Lieutenant Very, of the United States navy. The latter proposes to indicate the change of a ships course to starboard or to port by discharging from a breech-loading pistol fire balls of a green or a red color. This system is pronounced by Rear Admiral Ward of the British navy, at once simple, easy of display and inexpensive. l As regards fog signals some method of indi- l eating compass points by combinations of | sound is recommended in preference to any | scheme depending upon the state of the wind. | It appears that the code arranged for fog sig | mailing, and already introduced into | the United States naval service, is not | unlikely to be adopted as an international 1 system. Upon this plan vessels course is shown by one or more blasts of horn or whistle, the number of the sounds and the | between them constituting the ele- msnts of the telephonie alphabet.
 But the most important advance that can be made towards preventing collisions at sea seems to be the adoption of an international maritime penal code Improved systems of signalling would be of little benefit unless their use were better enforced than is that of the present systems. Vessels of all nations ! are found cruising in the various oceans with no lights at night because there is no ade- quate penalty to be feared. A report upon the negligence of ship-masters in the Medit- erranean ayers that only about twenty vessels in hundred carry position lights. The French, says the report, carry but few the English, Americans and other northern na- tions still fewer, and the Italians, Greeks snd Levantines none at all. How to prevent this negligence is very perplexing question, but it must be answered before better signals can do their work satisfactorily