, 1885-04-09
SAFEGUARDS AT SEA.
STRANGE DEVICES TO MARK DANGER
Gus SPOTS ON THE COAST.
Minute GUNS. whistiinE-Buoys. Bell Boats
Fog whistles and sirens-storm Horns
Blown by Naturalization Of
sound Waves


lfhundelphtA Iincs-I
The American coast Is becoming better
lighted every year. Those dangers TO navi-
cation that can Be removed, such as sunken
rocks, are being rapidly taken away and
buoys are placed wherever they viii aid
navigation in the event of vessels entering
or leaving port Ths government has paid
4 great deal OF attention TO the establishing
OF fog signals, the principal OF which are
sirens, trumpets, steam whistles, bell boats.
bsll-buoys, whistling -buoys. bells truck by
machinery, lannon's fired by powder or gun
cotton and gongs. Gongs are used On light
ship-, in harbos, hnnnels and rivers WHORE
q long range Is unnecessary.
FIRING MINUTE GUNS
Tho minute gun at sea Is known through
out the world as the signal OF distress. Gun
cotton rockets are used In rock light houses
where IL Is impracticabls to mount large
piscas OF apparatus. A charge OF the ex-
plosive IS enclosed in the head OF a rocket,
which, when shot into tho air, oxplodes the
cotton and sheds the sound In all directions.
At every United States light station bells
are In use. many Of them operated by ma
chinery. The use OF bells Is required BY the
international code on ships OF all nations,
rung at regular intervals during fog. Turk
ISL ships are allowed TO substitute the gun,
as the use OF bells Is forbidden to the bioham-
medans. r -m"nnNn ann nn
One OF the most important inventions to
mariners has been the whistling buoy,
which is now placed in shoal waters In which
= light ship would not live, As ON the shoals
OF Caps Hattsras. It is well suited for such
angry waters, as the rougher the sea the
louder its sound. The whistling buoy con-
sists OF an iron pear-shaped bulb, twelve
feet across at its widest part and floating
twelve feet out Of water. inside the bulb
Is q tube thirty three inches across, extend
ing from the top, whers the locomotive
whistle is placed, down 70 n depth Of thirty
two feet into the lower depths free from
Yfnve motion. There are thirty -four OF
those buoys now In ,uss on our coast. the
smallest weighing 1900 pounds and the
largest is.oo0 pounds; they cost from 81, 900
20 5000 each. Although they are Of great
USE to mariners, hundreds Of petitions have
been received by the government from
jewellers along the coast, asking for their
removal on account Of the extremely
mournful shrek they emit. Some Of them
can DO heard At a distance Of fifteen miles
BELL n BELL BOATR.
The bell buoy superseded the bell boat,
which was a clumsy contrivance, liable To
upset In heavy weather, costly to build and
difficult 20 keep IN repair. The bell now
used Is mounted ON the bottom section u nn
lou buoJ9 WHICH II uoCkcu CNtA u AAAod
with an iron framework which supports II
~S0c-pound bell On \ grooved iron plate,
made fast 10 the frame close under the bell,
Is laid a cannon ball, which rolls from side
aide, striking the sides Of the bell as the
buoy q tossed by the waves. Thebell buoy IS
used In harbors, rivers and sounds whore tho
water Is not very rough They cost about
81, 900 each.
Tho steam fog whistle. which Is used at
many light stations, Is the ordinary instru-
ment used on locomotives and steamboats,.
The machinery is very simple. An auto
matte arrangement turns on and shuts of
the steam, which le Obtained from an ordin-
AIRY station engine. They nave been heard
at distances varying from three to twenty
The siren Is n huge trumpet with a wide
mouth and a narrow throat. and is sounded
by driving steam or compressed air through
n disk A rsyolxing plate back OF the disk,
containing twelve radial Sits, is rotated
400 times a minute, and in this manner
$500 vibrations are produced, which,
taken up by the trumpet, produce an In
tense beam OF sound, which can be heard
from twenty 10 thirty miles. It's density
and penetration makes It dominant above
all other sounds In 1888 there were thirty
six steam fog signals In United States
waters. tho establishing of which cost $780,
900 and their maintenance 500. 600 a year.
HORNS BLOWN BY NATURE.
In various parts OF the world sound sig
mails nave boon put into operation by taking
advantage Of natural offices In cliff.
through which the waves drive volumes OF
air with great force. Over an orifoe dis
covered on one Of the Farailon group OF is
lands, of the harbor Of San Francisco, in
1850, was built a chimney surmountod by a
locomotive whistle. The first plan was,
however, a failure, as the great violence OF
wind current blew the masonry into the air.
A modified plan having safety valves was
afterward found successful, and blasts from
this natural horn can be heard from ten to
fifteen miles away.
In approaching n channel from seaward a
shipmastsr can always rely upon finding red
buoys with even numbers, which indicate
his course. These buoys must be left ON the
starboard side ON passing. On tho
port side OF the channel black buoys
with odd numbor are found, which indicate
that they must b left on the port side.
Over rocks or other distractions In a chan
nal buoys painted with red and black hori-
zontai stripes are placed. These can bs
passed on either side. Buoys painted with
white and black perpendicular stripes must
be passed close TO avoid danger. Perches
with balls and cages when placed ON buoys.
indicate a turning point, the color and mum
bsr showing on which side they must be
passed. Different CHANNELS in the same bay
river or harbor are marked by different dc
scriptions Of buoys.
.rn@AN ~ uptrntA M "