Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-30
A WAY TO sUBDUE FoGS.
Danger May Be Avoided by the Use OK New
systems Of Signals A Great Steam Whistle
New York Mail and Impress


systems Of Signals A Great Steam Whistle
New York Mail and Express
One by one the obstacles placed by ma.
ture in the path of the progress of man
kind have been removed. Extreme cold
is conquered by fires and warm clothing.
The ocean is now a highway for all the
world. Even the lightning had been har
messed and its vital principle made use
full for humanity. But there are condi-
tons of atmosphere, disturbance which
arc fraught with the greatest danger to
enterprises OF modern civilization. From
their baleful effects thousands of lives
have been lost, and man is still powerless
to cope with them. The hardy mariner
fears not the toughest gale that can blow,
but breads the fog. Before il he is pow
erless. 1t means for him in many cases,
loss of life or anxious hours in the gloom,
At any moment, out of the impenetrable
mist, a huge mass may come crashing up
on him. Those who cross the broad
ocean ferry know how many hairbreath
escapes occur which are never recorded.
Marine underwriters can furnish incred-
ible long lists of vessels which from year
to year are lost in fogs Surrounded as
New York is by water, it is particularly
susceptible TO annoyance from this source.
The American metropolis has never de-
yeloped the pea soap" fogs OF London,
and all good citizens deyotely hope 1t never
may. visitor TO New York may see
hansoms and tailor-made gowns and other
English innovations, but he will not see
a London fog. Neither will he believe in
its density until he docs see IT. Never
theless New York gets up some very fair
fogs, if the expression may be used
Those who patronize the many ferries
readily learn the diseomforts of fog.
Tho fogs OF New York are of several
kinds In tho winter, when the floating
ice on the water is melting, there Is apt
TO arise dense white fog, which usually
appears before dawn aud remains all
day. Then there is the intermittent fog,
which will suddenly come on and as sud
denly vanish. The most common sort of
fog appear early in the morning and lifts
before noon. A fog will occasionally
come on without warning late in the af-
tenoon. Tho rivers and bay are crowded
with craft of all kinds, which are quito
unex pectedly in disagreeable predict
ment. No more Trustworthy class of
men exists than the hard worked pilots
Of New York, and accidents Ero remark
ably rare,
Attempts have been made in France and
England to penetrate fogs by means of
lights Of intense character, such rs those
Of aluminium and electricity; but that
these could not avail is evident when one
considers the everyday fact that mile
Of cloud or, in other words, of fog, shuts
out the image of the sun. RecouFses must
therefore. be had 10 sound. And for this
purpose bells, gongs, whistles, and trum-
pets have been adopted by the lighthouse
board Of tho United States. Although r
powerful sound may be produced by q
cannon, the shortncss of its continuance
and the blending of the echo with the
original impulse render it Objectionable
Bells, even of large size give too feeble a
sound TO be distinguished across the break
ers at a sufficient distance or in opposition
to the wind. They are only used when q
signal is required TO gho werG,ng OF dan
ger at a short distance. They are rung
ty weight wound up at intervals, the
descent OF which is regulated by the vibra-
tion of a pendulum with clock escape
ment. Automatic instruments are in
disfavor on account OF th0r liability to
get out of order when most needed. I'm
interrupted action is Absolutely necessary.
Gongs, although they seem to produce
a powerful sound when near the ear, give
too feeble an impulse TO be heard at a
distance.
The mechanisms which have been found
TO produce sounds of the greatest pene-
trating power are those which depend up
on the principle of resonance, such rs the
organ-pipe, the trumpet, and the whistle,
in which the air itself becomes the sound
ing body as well as the medium Of con
duction of the sound. The locomotive
whistle is the simplest Of the more power
full of the fog signals employed by the
United States lighthouse board. The
whistles employed are from eight to twelve
inches in diameter, and the pressure Of
steam fifty to seyenty-fve pounds to the
square inch. The next powerful instru.
ment is the reed or DabOll trumpet, actust-
cd by air condensed in reservoir by
means of an Ericsson hOt-air engine. In
tins instrument tho trumpet itself is the
resembling cavity, and the reed by its
vibration, produces the requisite motion
Of the air. II is the most economical of
power, giving the greatest amount OF
SOUND WIN gwen expenditure OF Iucl
The most powerful Of all instruments yet
employed is the siren trumpet, The part
Of this which gives the impulse to the air
producing the sound .is a fiat drum or
hollow cylinder, with short axis one head
OF which is perforated with an orifice
admitting the steam from pipe connect
ed with a locomotive boiler. The other
head Of the drum il perforated with eight
holes, befor. which, ana almost in contact
with this head, il a revolving disk, also
perforated with eight holes. Az each
revolution Of the dick eight holes are al
ternately opened and shut, allowing egre.s
to as many impulses OF steam, which. in
turn, produce a VIOLENT agitation OF the
air, giving rise to most powerful sound,
reinforced by the resonance Of trumpet
Of suitable length The soupd from this
instrument can be distinctly heard in still
air at q distance Of from ten TO fifteen
miles, even during the existence Of a
dense fog.
local candidate in tao lsst slsetioR,
who had to set ism sp for tbs boys very
FREQUENTLY. BayF, "a prklIe Office 10 a psb