New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-26
An INTERIM TIOAAL MARINE CONGRESS.
The Senate has passed the bill authorizing

An INTERIM TIOAAL MARINE CONGRESS-.
The Senate has passed the bill authorizing
and rcmcsting the President to call n confer
cncc of all maritime nations to consider inter
national measures to scculc greater safety to
life and property at sea. The House OF Repre-
sentatiyes should follow its example as soon as
possible for the less delay there is in this mat
ter the better. The date suggested IN the bill
for the conference is October |, though the
President is free Of course, TO alter this and the
interval will be none too great to secure the CO.
operation Of all the great maritime Powers.
The bill authorizes the President 10 appoint
FIVE Commissioners to represent the United
States, and makes sufficient appropriation
to defray the expenses of the conference.
The need of such 4 congress has been felt for
a long time, and IL Is now to be called at the
earnest request of nearly every Chamber Of
Commerce, Board of Trade and Maritime Ex-
change in the country. the pioneer in the move
ment being the Maritime Association of this
port. The subject is one of universal import
ancc, and it is eminently fitting that the United
States, whose interest in the safety Of life and
property at sea is so vast, should take the lead
in asking the attention Of the civilized world to
It. The fact is that in matters relating to sig
nails and methods for making known the
relative positions Of ships at night and during
fogs, we are still to a great extent working
under rules which were framed in the early
days Of the ocean steamship, and which we have
now Outgrown entirely. The international
code of signals was adopted more than thirty
wears ago. and is so slow that the swift ships
Of to-day have scarcely time to exchange mes
sages before they are far apart. Blunders are
frequent owing partly to lack of simplicity
in the signals. Here is one very important re-
form, and the addition to the code Of many
names which have come into frequent use since
il was adopted is another.
But the subject of chief importance, perhaps,
is the adoption of simple and yet unmistakablc
signals for determining the position of vessels
at night and during fogs. This has more than
a commercial interest and Importance. 1t con-
Germs every person who takes a vacation run to
Europe or who ever has friend or relative
on the water. The ocean is growing so crowded
that the present system Of signalling in fogs
and thick weather especially involves moro
and more danger every year; or perhaps 1T
would be more correct to say the lack OF a
system, for the only signal now prescribed is
the long blast of the foghorn at intervals Of
not more than two minutes. This is n poor
and Inadequate method. 1t gives no hint of
the way the ship is headed and snch is the
speed Of the steamers of the present day that
a long interval of space can be covered between
two blasts if the wind is in such direction
that the sound is lost by one of the ships Even
If it is heard there is no way Of guessing which
way she is steering. II is fact of considerable
interest that the action Of the conference re-
garding fog signals is anXiously awaited on our
great lakes, where fogs are so common, and
also where ocean steamers are running the raplt
increase of commerce making the danger Of col
hsions continually greater. Some Of the most
earnest Endorsements of the plan Of a conference
have come from commercial organizations in
the lake cities.
There are many other questions Of grave
importance which such body can deal with
the removal Of floating wrecks at sea, which
constitute grave source of danger; the proper
notification of changes in the position or signs
Of seacoast lights the establishment Of branch
photographic Offices in all the great ports, such
as our Government has established, to serve as
centres of marine information; the diSSemina-
ton of knowledge regarding our life-saving
service, so that foreigners may understand its
methods, and not lose their lives through igno-
rance as has sometimes happened; also, the
urging upon foreign countries the adoption of
our system Of lifesaving service, undoubtedly
the best in existence. There is abundance OF
work for such conference to do. and in the
interest OF humanity all Governments, includ-
ing our own, should cooperate to bring it to-
gcther as soon as possible.
TIE TRIMMING OF AUDIEYCES.