Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-11-29
SIEVEKING.
CHEN NGEN TAO.

CHEN NGEN TAU. BLEW
has been heretofore taken, and confined
mostly to England and America, is now in
sufficient, and well developed code for the
ships of all nations has become indispensable.
Among the members of the commission
are: Baron de Spaun, representing AUSTRIA
a man well read in international law
and experienced in maritime affairs; Fred
erick W. Verney, representing Siam, is at
tached to the Siamese legation at London;
Lieut.. Cottman, of the United States navy,
is secretary of the United States delegation;
Capt. F. s. Malmberg of Sweden, is chief of
the nautical meteorological bureau of Nor
way; Capt. P. 7. Salveson a Norwegian, is
a member of the Swedish navy; Capt. A. NJ.
Bisbee, delegate from China, is an Ameri-
can who has been in the service of the Chi
nese government for many years. The other
members of the delegation are Cinnamon,
one of whom is Commander Chen Ngen Tao,
of the Chinese navy. Then there is DR.. F.
Seveking, of Germany, and Theodore Ver-
brugghe, of Belgium, both prominent men,
bers of the commission.
The older and simpler maritime code re-
ferred, of course, especially to sailers 1t has
always been essential, where two ships meet
at sea, that there should be some rule to
guide them to prevent collisions. These rules
naturally took cognizance of the wind, and
the direction of the ships meeting. Steamers
have a universal rule to pass to the starboard.
When two steamers are about to cross each
others track, the one having the other on her
starboard must give way. When one ship is
following another, she must keep away from
the ship she follows There is an old fashioned
rule which works badly. 1t is that all steam
ers must give way to all sailing vessels Such
Ia 70 ,a lx-tb a
steamer in case of accident, and instances
may arise where it would be to the interest
of a sailer to be wrecked by steamer.
On the other hand the steamer in fog has
great advantage over a sailer, since she is
nearly always longer and heavier. 1t is well
! known that some of the captains of the ocean
| greyhounds prefer to run at full speed in a
| fog so that in case of collision the chances of
damage shall be in her favor and against the
sailer. Doubtless the commission will at
tempt to make these advantages more equal,
and it is probable that the exclusive right of
way will be taken from sailers, and the speed
of steamers in fog will be limited
Lights and fog horns must necessarily be
taken up and disposed of. The light question
is very important, and the penalty fixed for
any vessel not carrying lights at night should
be very severe There has been good deal
of inattenton in this respect by sailors who
either neglect to put lights out, or to keep
them burning, thus endangering their lives
and the lives of others. Fog horns are said
to be inefficient. Those used on saiers can
not be heard for more than half mile, and
on steamers the sound of machinery and
other causes seriously interfere with that of
their fog horns. The Chinese use a gong,
which is considered more efficient, having
three times the range of the fish horn and
ten times its life. 1t is not improbable that the
commission may adopt gongs for the world.
Then attention is required as to the position
of the lights of vessels lying in harbor or at
sea. 1t is essential that lights be carried at
the highest possible points. Those at present
in use will doubtless be continued without
change, the only innovations being from adj
ditional lights White lights can be seen
further than colored lights, and there seems
to be need for change in this respect. There
should be one brilliant headlight which is un-
obscured by rigging and can be readily seen.
In steamers the strong electric light, being
more intense than the colored light, has often
obscured them. Then pilots are not all able
to distinguish colors readily. For these rea
sons it is proposed in time to do away with
the colored side lights and replace them by
one white head light