The Republican journal., 1884-11-20
Fog Signaling.
HOW TO ENSURE SAFETY OF WATER IRA
IN FOGGY WEATAER.


IN FOGGY WEATAER.
In view of the numerous collisions in Boston
harbor the past year. and with the object of
getting at a solution of the question of how
travel on the water may be rendered safe, even
in foggy weather. and especially harbor tran
sit, inquiry has been made Of commanders of
vessels plying in Boston harbor, or making that
port terminus OF ocean journeys, in regard to
the advisability of a change in the system of
signaling established by law of the United
States for the proper guidance of steam and
other craft in American waters A summary
of the results obtained by the investigation in
stltuted by the Boston Herald shows that steam
boat captains and commanders of ocean steam
ers who were seen by the reporter do not be-
lieve in any radical change from present meth
DDS relating TO fog or other signaling between
vessels traversing the harbOr. and that they
c0nhne their suggestions to matters of compar-
atlvely minor Importance relating thereto. As
body, they apparently are of the opinion that
the present code is quite well enough in its
way. if the regulations laid down therein are
carefully followed, and that any considerable
elaboration of the existing system would only
result IN such confusion of signaling as would
produce much more harm than good. Especi-
ally do they appear to believe that no new code
of fog signals a matter to when the major
vestiu,tinn shnnId ho ast.tI; ha W wy ,l -
tain expressed himself relative to the subject
The rules are plain enough now, and if every
one would follow them we shouldn't hear of so
many collisions and disasters as we do. If you
go to work and devise and adopt complex syS-
TEN of log signals, God knows what the result
Will be. Where now there is one collision then
perhaps there would be a Dozen" The opinion
Just quoted Is nearly the average one of those
commanders questioned by the writer relative
al in, t1,n
aIticie' anu Is Dorne out by the statements OF
MI Andre" Burnham, local government in
spector OF steam vessels, who, III the course of
an extended interview, SAID that, with slight
ihodiiications, the present system OF log slgnal-
inS "ouiu DE all rlShl. Mr. Burnham, among
other recommendations, suggested that change
III the law, requiring steamers to blow their
Wh'sties AT intervals NOT exceeding half min
uie' instead OF as now being compelled to sound
men, unless their commanders chose ditferent-
~. not oftener than once a minute, would be
beneficial, and in this suggestion he was sup
ported by several captains, one of whom went
even lurther, and sald that he believed that
Whistles IN Il dense fog should be blown as often
as once IN every 10 seconds In nearly every
case the person interviewed expresses the be-
llel mat caution and the exercise of common
sense IN the conduct of steam vessel through
a fos are OF greater consequence than the fol
lowing OF any set of rules or regulations which
could be laid down by government in the
premises.
SPECIMEN INTERVIEWS.
Cant Richard Donov.n ~ ho s,oan,ar rro
mont of Tho PnrtI.nd Ine w,s fnnnI hv tho
r4nortor in tha piInt haI H. h, ~ ~
tinn ma IN III ,on,,o,,u ~ E,,t u u '', iu,
nilnt nf tba st4.mar I.mLrd,ra = "a n. ,1 :,
R.nonr steam TIT, rl,,,n.,,. NJ t-o ,,,i y
readily rnnsentnd ~ h4 in ro,pr'l rn
the matter ,.oncerning wbirb inforn.tiem w., ~
snnght ot i'm, lId ~. ~ -, '' Ii "
nni4. in rela,ian 4ba 'ouG on ~ M ess.ne,a'
system Of Sometime in m.n nv y, nv 'tf in
american w,tar. IRA VIVA of ,ha - -,
no new no(a - nno'iaT ,iS - r tn 'ia, M
vni'ino No ~, .os,ol > ne he
snhinrl ~ staamho,, a,, ~ ~ ,ne
wnyid ohnv ne rnn,,raonpps tf' ',u p.o,t
rnda tbare von d na ,in,"l ~ Sno ~
opn,v i. ,rnv,dnd ~ tb'rain dss,t .iiier IT,,
SIyhaT.n ~, ,'rt GU I''' u''i see
cnniJ ha s,,aipd IVA ~ ,i II, ,hG