The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-10-05
SIGNALING AT SEA.
How Modern Mariners Manage to
Exchange Messages.
The BIS of Bunting Displayed From tho
MasJheads of Vessels Convey tho
snme Meaning to All Nation-
alities-The Lookout Man.

Telegraph operator William de la
Notte, stationed at the Sandy Hook
station of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company, was watching for in
coming vessels on bright Monday
morning some few weeks ago. His
eyrie at the top of the eighty foot
tower, supplied with the necessary
paraphernalia for observation, such as
telescopes, night glasses, rockets and
flash lights, was cool and comfortable.
Below him was the sea, ruffied by a
smart breeze from the southwest. Out
of the haze beyond emerged full
rugged ship, with every inch of canvas
spread On seeing the ship de la
Motto took up his telescope. AS he
turned the glass on the ship he gave a
low whistle of astonishment He left
the glass for a moment, took up book,
the leaves of which he turned over
rapidly. On finding the information
he desired he closed the volume, threw
it on a chair, and, with his telescope in
one hand, sent a message ticking over
the telegraph wires to this city. This
duty over he once more took up his
survey of the vessel. The cause of his
excitement was the sighting of three
small flags fluttering from the vessels
mainmast. They were flying from the
same halyard, one above the other.
The upper one was a blue pennant,
with a white ball in the center; the
second square flag, half yellow and
blue, the colors running horizontally,
and the third red flag, with yellow
cross. They formed an ominous signal.
According to the international code of
signals the sentence represented by
those three pieces of colored bunting
was: "Mutiny on board" The tele-
gram sent to this city by de la Motto
was to the effect that the ship - had
passed the Hook flying the signal of
mutiny. On its receipt the police de-
partment was informed of the message.
and shortly afterward Captain Smith,
attached to the police boat Patrol, had
his steamers nose pointed down the
bay to meet the incoming vessel.
The system of signaling at sea is one
which remains mystery to the greater
majority of landsmen. The average
citizen reads in his newspaper that the
steamer So-and-So was sighted by an
other steamer and reported sickness
aboard, but did not want assistance.
He dismisses all thought of the article
from his mind. or if he gives it second
thought he concludes that these two
vessels passed near enough to each
other for their commanders to hold n
conversation with one another. AS a
matter of fact the vessels may have
been ten miles apart at the time of
meeting. their conversation being car
ried on by means of the code signals.
There are but eighteen flags used
by seamen for their talks with one
another at long range. They represent
exception OF the and vowels 'x" and
"z." A combination of these letters form
the various sentences found in the code.
and by this means shippers can ex-
change information with comparative
little difficulty. Another advantage is
that the commander of an English ves-
sci speaking no other language than
his own, can hold conversation with
the captain of a Russian, Danish,
French or Norwegian vessel. The code
is an international one. and the system
is used by all maritime nations.
The first flag composing this mari
time alphabet is red burgee. 1t rep
resents the letter b. The letter G is
represented by white pennant with a
red ball in the center; ID, by white
ball in the center of a blue pennant A
red pennant with white ball represents
the letter F. and yellow and blue PEN
nant the letter e. The remaining let
ters are shown by means OF square
flags. H, is white and red flag, colors
running horizontally with the white
nearest the halyard; j, II blue, white
and blue flag; X, u yellow and blue; l., a
yellow flag with blue cross and blue
band running diagonally from corner
to corner; M, a blue flag with white
lines forming an X; N, alternate blue
and white squares, somewhat after the
deslgn of a checkerboard; p. a white
flag with blue square in the center; Q,
a yellow flag; X, red flag with yellow
cross; S, white with blue square in CEN
ter; Il, red, white and blue bands, with
red nearest the mast; V, white flag
with red X; and w, blue, with white
square in tho center. in the middle OF
which is another square of red. The
different combinations of these letters
make ineligible the two thousand or
more sentences in the code.
The flags displayed by the ship on
board OF which there was mutiny
were the letters X X. Reference to
the above will show what flags were
hoisted. Not long ago Danish
steamer entered this port. Some time
before shs was abreast of the Hook the