Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-08-31
SHIP SIGNALING AT SEA.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE COMING
CONFERENCE At WASHINGTON.

Ths Art Of Cowmsn,cstiss Detwsss ves-
sells on the Ocean Has Been Broughs
Down % . Very Fine Point. ard II win
Ne SIN Further Improved.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Aug. 20. 9.-"Practically II
is entirely safe 10 go 10 sea In a first class
steamship Of today" said Ensign Blow,
Of the United States photographic office,
the other day. Excepting for one thing.
The danger Of fire Is substantially done
away with, for the appliances arc 80 per-
feet that with n large crew there Is no
difficulty In subduing any conhagration
that may start The ships that are built
nowadays will outlive any storm, even a
hurricane, and there Is no danger Of
ship built with compartments sinking
from any ordinary leak. Tho one peril
which is not yet avoided Is that Of col
lision. Nothing that has yet been con-
trived enables the most careful navigator
to rest free from anxiety on that point"
This utterance is one that Is echoed by
any and all sea captains who will talk
on the subject. They declare that nothing
remains TO make sea going practically as
safe as any land travel excepting TO do
away with the danger of collision, and il
is therefore comforting to know that
practical steps have been taken toward
solving this important problem. Some
time ago tho president Of the United
States issued q circular letter TO all the
maritime nations OF the world, inviting
them TO send delegates 10 convention to
be held In Washington for the purpose Of
considering this very question. England
ut first refused. and for some time hung
back, and, as matter OF course, no
conference that should bo held without
her cooperation would be Of any great
Importance. At length, howe yer, the
English government reconsidercd the
question and appointed her delegates.
Nearly all the other nations followed her
example, and the conference Is to be held
in the coming fall.
That IL is much needed no ono who Ia
at all conversant with maritime matters
will question for moment. The mum.
Der of vessels actually sunk by collision
IN the world runs not far from 200 each
year, and statistics show that even this
large number is increasing from year to
year.
The conference will discuss many ques
tions bearing on The subject OF safety at
sea, but, as Is suggested above. their
main work will bo directed to tho use of
signals for the purpose Of avoiding col
lisions, that being universally conceded
TO bc the principal danger now cncoun-
tered by the mariner. They are expected,
therefore, TO adopt a uniform system OF
marine signals or other means Of plainly
indicating tho direction in which vessels
are moving In fog, mist, falling snow
and thick weather, and Mt night. TO
their treatment Of this subject will be at
tracted the most pnblin .att-".;o'.
A-a matter Of course, in order To avoid
bringing his own vessel into collision with
another. the master must know where
that other is, and at the satue time inform
tho master Of the other vessel Of his own
whereabonts. In the case Of derelicts
this is manifestly impossible, and con
sequontly th" dcrelict inspires more
terror than aay other source Of peril at
sea. II presents the only danger which
cannot be foreseen, against which no
precaution is adequate. So long as there
are ships It Is likely that this peril will
remain. There seems TO be no reason,
however, why system OF communica-
ton cannot be devised which win enable
commanders to inform one another Of
their whereabouts even In fog or on tho
darkest nights. Everybody knows that
there is system now in use among all
seamen by which Il is intended thai ithis
shall be done. Not everybody k,fws,
though, that this system Is radically dc
fcctive and in some cases very inefficient
Manifestly tho only way ~ communicate
mt sea is by signals to tho eye or to tho
ear. Experiments are constantly being
made in the hope OF developing the posi-.
bility Of telegraphing through the water,
and II has been claimed that messages
have been sent and received in this way
No practically valuable results have vet
been attained in this direction, however,
though it would he foolish in this day to
deny the probability of electricity being
the ultimate solution of the whole ques.
ton.
For the present the only possible reli.
ance Is on the perception of the eve and
ear, and this Is reached in a few WAYS
only. Flags and similar contrivances,
such as balls hung like flags, lights,
whistles or horns or sirens, guns and
bells are tho only means in use outside
Of the system of motions known as "wig.
wag."
Wigwag is a set of motions to be made
by man in sight, but out Of hearing of
another man, by which words can be
conveyed. The sender stands in as con.
spicuous place rs possible and holds
in one hand, or in each hand, some OBJ
ject like flag, a cap, n stick, anything
he can get, which the eye will readily
follow. Swinging this in certain WAYS
he can talk in the Morse alphabet by dots
and dashes, while the movements are in.
dicated by certain attitudes arbitrarily
settled and agreed upon. This system is
officially recognized 10y the army and
navy of the United States and England,
and is in use also in the merchant ser.
vice Of both countries. Ii is simple and
eflicacious when circumstances allow of
the two men seeing each other. In the
dark or in fog, of course, it is useless,
though at night and under favorable cir,
cumstances communication may be had
with lanterns under this system.
Lights, also useless or nearly so in a
fog, are the main reliance of the mariner
in trying 10 locate the vessel he may en-
counter at night. International law fixes
the manner in which vessels shall carry
these lights, and penalty of 5000 is
fixed by act of congress for any viola.
ton of the regulations. These rules pre-
scribe that all ocean going steamers and
steamers carrying sail shall carry at the
foremast head bright white light Of
such character as to DO visible on a
dark night, with a clear atmosphere, at
a distance OF at least five miles, and SO