The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1893-04-19
MARINE NEWS.
.REPoRTING INCOMING AND OUT.
GOING VESSELS AT NEW YORK.
Inside Workings of the Observatories
Down the Big Harbor-How the
Ships Signals Are Read-The
Observer as a Lite Saver.
THE Western Union Telegraph
w Company makes $1,000

of the most profitable branches OF the
ser rice. There is station on the bluff
of the Highlands of Nayesink, coast Of
New Jersey, from which stretches wire
that taps stations at Sandy Hook and
the Quarantine grounds on St,.en Isl
and on its winding way to this city.
Those three stations report all the YES.
sells that enter and leave port by way Of
Sandy Hook. The stations are called
marine observatories. Those OF Sandy
Hook aud the Highlands of Navesink are
conducted by three men, who take turns
OF eight hours each. Their principal
duty is to sight aud signal passing craft,
but, in addition to being marine observ-
ers, they are experienced telegraphers.
First OF all they sight an incoming craft
in the east offing OF seaward toward the
east or south, and then they read the
four colored flags which she flies. These
flags are part OF the international code
of signals.
BY means Of an international agree
ment every registered ocean vessel has
a certain set of signals to indicate her
name. No two vessels belonging to the
same company have the same signals.
There are no vowels in the code. After
"reading" the flags or letters, as they
are nautically called, the observer goes
to big book containing the names aud
Signals of every ocean going craft, and
he picks out the name Of the incoming
vessel in jffy.
Then he goes to the telegraph key,
and before the incoming vessel has trav.
elcd more than few cables length the
report that the So.and-So is looming
mp" is on the Maritime Exchange and in
shipping circles generally. The opera
tors have a regular code for reporting
the vessels. Hi stands for Highlands,
G for Hook aud Rn for Quarantine.
Here's how the crude reports read: 8,
Veendam l. Ru; 9:04, City of New York
p in G; 7:io, La Bourgogne clear G;
1910 stg $ p in G.; no sig from east;
ll:03, Newport, s OF L B, Hi.
All of which interpreted means: 8
o'clock, steamer Veendam, leaving Quar-.
antine; 9:04, steamer City of New York,
passing in Sandy Hook; 7:40, steamer
La Bourgogne has cleared the bar
bound seaward; 10:40, strange steamer
passing in Hook, showed no signals,
came from the east; aud IL :03, steamer
Newport, south of Long Branch, re-
ported by the Highlands. That's how
the marine news is dished up. Flags
are used as Signals during the day, but at
nights lights are aared up, sky rockets
and roman candles arc discharged by
vessels to inform tho observers Of their
names.
, Every line has fixed night signal,
such as three white lights burned for
ward, smidships aud aft, blue aud red
forward aud aft, three reds, etc. There
are hundreds of different ways Of burn.
ing these lights aud rockets so that the
90 aver may know to what line the YES.
sci belongs. He cannot tell the name of
the vessel by them, but he generally
knows vhat ship is due in any particu-
lar line aud MS good judgment does tho
rest.
IN addition to reporting the move
mcnts OF shipping, the marine observer
has TO maintain an hourly inspection over
AL instrument which records the velocity
an d;restion OF the winds. This Is done
for the Govern nent, aud for that sew
vice he gets extra pay. Then he has
frequently to give orders to incoming
vessels. This, too, Is done by flags.
'iou are ordered to Philadelphia" or
SEQ to Charleston to load" is told by
two flags, but it requires a lot OF hard
worA to pick these signals from the code
book, hoist the flags to the peak of the
flagstaff and keep an open eye for other
vessels, and receive private telegraph
cuisines at the same time.
The disaster signals OF incoming craft
are also source Of great trouble to the
marine operator. The mere presence of
the signal flags II. b., N. NJ. or N. v.
in the rigging Of an incoming ship woul,.
mean nothing to the landsmau, but to the
marine observer they indicate dreadful
predicament, the first signal reading, 81
want immediate assistance" tho second.
81 am on fire, and the third, ..I am
sirking."
The marine observers have saved man,
4 good ship from destruction. They have
handled tho letters J. D.--"You arc
standing into danger. thousand Of times.
and with their aid have warned mariners
Who had vant..rad faS~ e. - H.. - 4 -