Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-01-05
NAVAL SIGNALS.
COURSE OF INSTRUCTION At
THE TRAINING SCHOOL.
Different systems Of Eisetsiea, SIG.
mailing In Use on Board Wae sh,ps.
Work Of the Sionai Glass.

At the training station ut New
port, X. l., where boys are fitted for
a seafaring life. a dozen Of the most
advanced boys are taken apart and
put in what is called the signal class.
When in this class they are excused
from all routine drill, and their time
taken up almost entirely with signal
drills.
There are at present about six sig
nal codes which the apprentices have
to learn. The first and most used
o; these is the Myer code, commonly
known as the Wig.wag. The letters
are formed in this code by waving
the flag across the body from right
TO left To the right represents the
number one, the left two. downward
in front Of the body three.
The alphabet is made up Of COM
binations OF the figures and g For
instance, A Is %, h 2l12, Cts
q l. and so on. BY waving the flag
twice to the left the letter a is made.
Dropping the flag in front OF the body
once signifies lend Of word" twice,
"end Of sentence, three times, lend
of message.
With this code messages can be
exchanged between ships two miles
apart.
In the International Code the let.
tiers are designated by flags Of differ
ent colors or combinations OF colors.
which are run up to the yardarm or
masthead. representing one word at
time. This mode of signalling Is
necessarily very slow. but this code
Is the connecting link between all
the ships of the world and mes.
sage sent with this code is rs readily
interpreted in Nagisaki or Hong
Kong as it is at the station at San.
dy Hook.
But little need be said OF the Navy
Code IL is on the same principle as
the International and is the private
code OF the service. The book which
holds the key to the Navy Code is
kept constantly in the Captains
cabin. 1t is made with covers OF lead,
and when an American ship Is cap.
tured the first duty OF the signal
ofiiceris to throw the signal book
overheard.
1t has been only in the last two
years that improvements have been
inade In the night signal systems Of
the navy. The code in use during
the late war Is employed still on
some OF the older ships. That code
consisted ola set OF rockets or Ro.
man candles, which when fired In the
air, gave out combinations Of colored
flame and formed the message. This
manner OF signalling was very i'm.
perfect. No messages could be sent
with 1t, except very short ones. such
us Danger and Breakers ahead. !"
That code was employed principally
in making known the names OF ships
as they entered or left port. With
the advent OF our new navy 1t was
thought necessary to have new
night signal code. Several wcre pro.
posed, found to be imperfect and re.
jected until the Ardois code was
tried.
This consists OF series OF electric
lamps which arc suspended from the
masthead. The lamps are ten In
number, five red and five white.
They are arranged alternately. The
wires which carry the current for
lamps run to n keyboard, not unlike
the keyboard Of typewriter. which
is placed In the chart house or In
some place where the operator can
have an unobstructed view Of the
surroundings. The person signalling,
by pressing the kew Mt the letter 4,
could cause red, white and n red
signal light to fash for an instant In
the lamps. This would be r peated
on the ship to which the signal was
sent, Tho person sending the mes
sage then makes next letter and goe,
on with the message, waiting after
each word to have the word repeated.
That system has been supplied to
all Of our modern cruisers. The
navies OF Great Britain and France
have already adopted this code.
There Is, OF course, n difference in
the alphabets OF the different navies,
but the principle Is the same.
Another code which Is be ing tested
in the navy Is the system OF search
light signals. These signals are made
by flashing the light upon the sky al
intervals OF five and ten seconds A
fve.second fash standing for the
figure one and a ten-second flash fol
two. The arrangement Of the al pha'
bet In this code Is exactly the same
as In the Myer code. The fash light
code has never been put to any prac'
ticai use as yot, but the officers OF
the new ships are experimenting
whit and in time II Is supposed that
ships at sea will be able to commune
cate at distance OF thirty miles on
the darkest night.
The boys who do this signalling on
the ships are prepared for it by a
long and careful course OF study ut
che training station ut Newport.
They are taken in the navy between
the ages OF l3 and IL, at the various
receiving ships on the Atlantic
coast. After getting an outfit Of
clothing they are sent on to New
port to the training station, where
their instruction begins
The boys are divided into compan-
ies Of eighteen. called gun crews
After weeks drill crew of tho
brightest boys is selected, to be
known as the signal class. They are
then turned over to a quart"r-mas
ter, whose duty it Is to INSTRUCT
them is all branches Of signalling.
Their first instruction is in Tho
Myer code or Wig-wag. Each on'
receives a card with the gnal letters