Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-04-19
SAFEGUARDS AT SEA.
STRANGE DEVICES TO MARK DANGER.
Gus SPOTS ON THE COAST.
Minute Guns, Whistling Buoys, Bell Boats,
Fog Whistles and Sirens-Storm Horns
Blown by Naturalization Of
Sound Waves
Philadelphia Times.l

Ai6hbeu every I6dT- llOse dangers To naVt-
CATION that can be removed, such as s,lnken
rocks, are being rapidly taken away and
buoys are placed wherever they will aid
navigation IN the event of vessels entering
or leaving port. The government has paid
a great deal Of attention to the establishing
OF fog signals, the principal of which are
sirens, trumpets, steam whistles, bell boats,
bell-buoys, whistling- -buoys, bells struck by
machinery, cannons fired by powder or gum
cotton and gongs. Gongs are used on light
ships, in harbors channels and rivers where
q long range Is unnecessary.
FIRING MINUTE GUNS.
The 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 it is impracticable to mount large
pieces of apparatus. A charge of the ex-
plosive is enclosed in the head of a rocket,
which, when shot into the air, explOd the
cotton and sheds the sound in all direc hona
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
ish ships are allowed to substitute the gun,
as the use Of bells is forbidden the Moham-
medans.
One of the most important inventions to
mariners has been the whistling buoy,
which is now placed in shoal waters in which
a light ship would not live, as on the shoals
of Cape Hatteras 1t 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, .welve
feet across at its widest part and floating
twelve feet out Of water. Inside the bulb
is tube thirty three inches across, extend
ing from the top, where the locomo i've
whistle is placed, down to a depth of thirty
two feet into the lower depths free from
wave motion. There are thirty -four Of
these buoys now in use on our coast, tho
smallest weighing 1000 pounds and the
largest l., 900 pounds; they cost from 81, 100
to 81 600 each. Although they are Of great
use to mariners, hundreds of petitions have
been received by the government from
dwellers along the coast, asking for their
removal on account Of the extremely
mournful shrek they emit Some of them
can be heard at distance of fifteen miles.
BELL BUOYS AND BELL BOATR.
The bell buoy superseded the bell boat,
which was clumsy contrivance, liable to
upset in heavy weather, costly to tuild and
difficult to keep in repair. The bell now
used is mounted on the bottom section Of an
iron buoy, which is decked over and fitted
with an iron framework which supports Q
800 pound bell On a grooved iron plate,
made fast to the frame close under he bell,
is laid a cannon ball, which rolls frc';i side
side, striking the sides of the bell as tho
buoy is tossed by the waves Thebel buoy ID
cod bar rt rixy and L..
water Is not very rough. Tho. cost about
81, 900 each.
The steam fog whistle, which is used at
many light stations, is the ordinary instru-
m It used on locomotives and steamboats,
The machinery is very simple. An auto
matte arrangement turns on and shuts of
the steam, which is obtained from an oryiin-
ary station engine. They have been heard
at distances varying from three to tws.ty-
five miles
The siren is huge trumpet with wide
mouth and narrow throat, and Is sounded
by driving steam or compressed air through
, disk. A revolving plate back Of the disk,
twelve radial slits, is rotated
2, 400 times a minute, and in this manner
q, 500 vibrations are produced, which,
taken up by the trumpet, produce an in
tense beam of sound, which can bs heard
from twenty to thirty miles Its density
and penetration makes it dominant above
all other sounds In 1883 there were thirty
six steam fog signals in United States
waters, the establishing of which cost $780,
Duo and their maintenance $lOO 900 year.
HORNS BLOWN BY NATURE.
In various parts of the world sound sig
nails have been put into operation by taking
Of natural orifices In cliffs
through which the waves drive volumes Of
air with great force. Over an orifics dis
on one Of the Farallon group Of is
ands, of the harbor Of San Francisco, in
1859, was built a chimney surmountsd by .
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
his natural horn can be heard from ten to
fifteen miles away.
In approaching q channel from seaward .
,hipmaster can always rely upon finding red
buoys with even numbers, which Indicate
,is course. These buoys must be left ON the
'tarbosrd side on passing. On the
port side Of the channel black buoyB
with odd numbers ere found, which indicate
hat they must be left on the port side.
Over rocks or othsr Instructions in q chan
,el buoys painted with red and black hcri-
sontal stripes are placed. These can b
passed on either side Buoys painted with
white and black perpendicular stripes must
DO passed close to avoid danger. Perchss
with balls and cages, when placed on buoya
Indicate q turning point, the color and num-
oer showing on which side THY must b
,assed- Different channels in the same bay
liver or harbor arc marked by different de-
'criptions of buoys
ACTION OF SOUND WAVES.
1t has been found by careful experiment.
hat owing to the conformation Of the coast
certain fog signals, such as steam whistles or
irens, will frequently be heard say at dis,
ance of six miles, while closer in, say three
niles, the sound would be entirely lost By
ome authorities this phenomenon is sup
,osed to be caused by the rebounding Of the
waves Of sound upon striking the surface Of
he water. The experiments thus far made
lave been conducted with the assistance Of
! delicate instrument showing the intensity
4 sound waves. The light lists Of the United
States coast, given to marinern, contain &C.
,urate descriptions of each light given the
height Of the towers, colors and character Of
he light and the distance it can be seen In
lautical miles. Lights close to each other
how different color or else one would show
steady and the other an intermittent light
The lights used are fixed white, fixed red,
white or red revolving and white Or red
iashing; the intermittent lights arc further
7aried by the periods Of their revolutions or
lashes.
No Jokes in Germany.
George Elliott
Apropos Of jokes We noticed that during
he whole seven months of our stay in Ger.
many we never heard one witticism or even