Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-10
SIGNALING AT SEA.

Sound Issuinc from Fog Gives No Trust.
worthy Indication OF Its Source.
The danger of changing course in fog,
after hearing the warning signal Of on ap-
preaching vessel, cannot be overestimated.
Owing to the fact that the direction OF the
sound is not always evidence of the bearing
of its source, one is quite as likely to run
into danger as away from it, The rules re-
quire that at such times every ship shall go
at moderate rate Of speed. This, however,
is not sufficiently explicit. Results quite as
serious are likely to occur if the great iron
ships of the present day collide while going
ct moderate as well as at high rate Of
speed, and this fact induces too many ship
masters to rush through fog, believing that
in reducing the time in the dangerous zone
they reduce the number of possible encoun-
tiers. This is valid argument while the
Interpretation az to what constitutes q mod
crate rate of speed is left to the individual
conviction or convenience of the shipmaster
This matter can only be treated conclusively
by international agreement The difficulty
in solving the problem will not be in franz
ing rules for action but in finding apparatus
which will indicate early enough the direc-
ton and course Of an approaching ship.
As already pointed out, sound issuing from
q fog gives no trustworthy indication of the
direction of its source. The writer remem-
bers two cases in his own experience near
Newport, when the sound from the fog horn
at Beaver Tail seemed to come from several
directions, each 10 or Is degs apart, and
there Is a well known case where a trans
atlantic steamer, bound TO New York, going
direct but slow, and sounding her whistle,
finally picked up a pilot who declared that
be had heard the blast for half an hour, and
chat the steamer had been sailing around
him in circle. The subject of sound sig
nails has received much attention from scien-
lists, who have long pointed out the diff
Guilty of determining direction by means Of
the ear alone, and the courts have recog-
nized this fact in passing upon questions
arising out of the errors of mariners due to
deceptive addition. In the suit growing out
of the collision between the Edam and Lee
panto, where the latter had made mistake
of 45 degs. in the direction Of the former
and sunk her in consequence, the court
held" that an error of five points (56 IA degl
in locating a vessel by the sound Of her
whistle in a fog is not necessarily fault
under the proved alterations in the course of
sound"
1t is very evident that the present instru-
ment used for warning, the steam whistle, is
inadequate. Even if it indicated direction
and were so manipulated as to signal the
course it is not sufficiently powerful to be
heard far enough to give time to vancouver.
Some device must be found which will con-
vey the warning to a greater distance, so as
to enable a ship moving at the rate of a rail-
road train to overcome her momentum and
be ready for the emergency. Some Of our
most successful inventors are turning their
attention to this subject, and it looks as
though the question of communication: be-
tween ships was about to be settled satisfac-
torily. The knowledge of the course of
neighboring vessel will eliminate a very
troublesome element, but if the question Of
the direction of the danger remains undeter-
mined the traveller and the shipper will still
have many risks to run.-Lieut. George l.
Dyer in The Epoch.