Milford chronicle., 1895-05-17


The Signals Displayed by SHIPS at Night
aud what They Mean.
A railroad train cannot turn to the
right or left at win, for it is bound by the
iron tracks to go TO the way they lead, and
the trains coming toward it are grided IN
another set Of tracks to pass SAFELY by.
Therefore the engineer may rush his train
along over the guiding tracks through the
brightness of day or tho darkness of night.
with no fear save for the most unforeseen
and infrequent accidents. On the sea
however, ship can 60 whichever way she
is turned and other ships may meet her
coming from any direction. The broad
ocean, then may be looked upon as COW
cred with an enormous network Of tracks
crossing one another in all directions.
where a ship may be switched from one
track to another at viii. In the daytime
ships can be seen from each other, and DO
turned aside TO pass in safety; for not only
can they be seen, but the direction In
which they are going Is known. Stil,
even in the daytime certain rules must 30
followed to insure perfect safety How
then, do ships pursuing 50 many intersect-
ing tracks, pass the others safely in spite
of the darkness Of the nightq
Imagine yourself on the bridge Of a big
ship It is really bridge you know, high
above the deck, extending from side to
side near the bow and projecting a little /
beyond the sides so that from each end a /
man can SEQ straight ahead without rig /
ging or masts to interfere. It is night and 4
very dark Even the ship is only a long /
dark shadow under your feet Over the /
sky may be pail Of cloud, and you peer
away into the darkness, but cannot even
tell where sea and sky come together. All
Is inky blaekness above and below Spread
ing outward from the bow Of the ship is
foaming, pbosphoresoent wave, which tells
how rapidly she is rushing onward over
the unseen waters and into the dangers Of
the impenetrable gloom. In the middle of
the bridge stands man holding a wheel
and gazing at a compass lit up by little
lamp. With that wheel he turns the rud-
der to keep the ship steadily pointed in the
same direction by the compass. That di-
rection is her track Other ships may be
on that track; other ships may be crossing
that track in the darkness. How are they
to be avoided2
On each side Of the bridge stands man I
peering continually into the gloom ahead
while back and forth, almost incessantly
paces a fourth man, an officer, who like
the others is continually gazing ahead or
CHANGING at the compass He IS the officer q
"a INV MN VII nm AI1Aa AllN AH1lluIlsA- Q
bility Of avoiding all other vessels which U
may cross his vessels track or be approach d
Ing her upon it. Upon his quickness and k
Judgment depends the safety of the ship. T
In the daytime he has seen one, two OF :,
perhaps dozen ships around him during !
4 single hour, and he well knows that just 4
IS many may be around him during any y
lour Of the night. How, then, is he to
know where they are and how to keep out
# their way?
Their lights viii tell
When you face toward the ships bow
he side at your right hand is called the &
tarboard side, and the side at your left &
and is called the port side. On her star
oard side ship carries at night green 8
Ight and it is so shut in by two sides of a Z
OK that it cannot be seen from tho port z
ide or from behind. On her port side she
arries a red light, and it is so shut in that E
cannot be seen from the starboard side y
Z from behind. If the ship is a steam q
nip, she carries big white light at her e
'remasthead, but if she is a SAILING vessel ,
le does not This%h1te masthead light
Id ne seen from all round except from &
ehind.
So long, then as the officer Of the deck
es no lights he feels sure that there are
D vessels near him and PAGES his watch
security. Ensign John NJ Ellicott in
Z Nicholas.