Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-09-05
FRRATiC FOG SIGNALS.
Sirens ON the Coast of Maine sur
rounded by ~ silent Belt.

rounded by silent Belt.
A new difficulty has arisen for mari
| ners through the discovery that fog sig
! mails travel an errstic course, Certain
! steam foghorns on this coast can be heard
at distance of fifteen miles when, YES
sells close up to he signal stations cannot
4 hear a sound
/ Addition, which is he science OF sound,
! is now being carefully invested by the
/ Zig ut house board, and the photographic
office publishes a chart from time to time
] giving the direction of certain sound
signals and the places where they can
+ best be heard.
1t appears from these publications that
every steam siren on the coast has eccen-
tricities. These would seem to be caused
by peculisrities of situation in regard to
headlands and islands; but the direction
OF the wind, air currents and the density
OF fogs have much to do with he sub
ject.
Even the whistle OF ship at sea Is
unreliable. In the dense iogs off the
Banks OF New foundlsnd you may hear
family low, ominous " histle, and the
next minute it may seem to be close
aboard Blu, this may happen, 1t Is now
known, W hen the two vessels are drawing
turt her and further apart, the whistles
getting louder for time, until they sud
denly cease. On the other hand, steam
er sounding her whistle regularly may be
close at hand before a sound is heard.
The wreck OF the steamer Rhode Island"
during the fog on Bonnet Point, K. l.,
first cflled attention to this subject.
Investigation showed that the Beaver
Tail Point fog signal, two miles away,
WAS in full operation at the time, yet It
was not heKrd on board the steamer.
Stiil more emarka bic WAS / he ground
ing OF the ''Galstea,h in dead calm and
dense fog, on Little Gull Islsnd, in the
Sound, when only one-eighth OF n mile
from u fog signal, which WAS not heard,
though III fuII operation at the time.
" hen the officers OF the light house
boad invest gated this case ii was found
that the siren had been heard fifteen
miles away at the time the "Galatea'
almost ran into 1t.
Gen. Duane, OF the United States army,
III report to the lighthouse board,
states that on the coast Of Maine steam
fog signals have been frequently heard
twenty mile. away, and again not heard
At Il distance OF two miles. The whistle
OF Cape Eliza bet h was heard AT Portland,
nine miles away TO windwsrd, during a
heavy northeast snowstorm. the wind
blowing gale at the time.
The greatest difficulty observed he
says. arises from the fact that the signal
appears TO be surrounded by a belt vary
ing In radius from one to one and half
miles, from " hich the sound appears TO
be entirely absent This action is com
mon to all ear signals, and has been OBJ
served at all atoms. even one on a rock
twenty miles from the mainland, with no
surrounding objects to defect the sound.
Still more interesting in this connec-
ton are the experiments made by Col.
Blunt, OF the United states army. in the
vicinity Of Whitehead fog signal on the
coast Of Iaine. Col. Blunt has made q
diagram showing the apparent aberra-
tions OF thi, fog signal. The sound APP
pears TO ricochet like round shot from
The water and, leaping into the upper air
currents, TO pas. over ships two miles
from he station. only 10 strike the water
again ans! he heard fifteen miles distant.
The chart issued by the photographic
Office has his 10 say on the subject:
w hen approaching from windward,
fog signals are likely to be heard earliest
from II oft from leeward, on deck. Do
not ~, ,slIr ti,st You are out OF hearing
distance II the signal Is not heard; nor
that il is al IA great distance because it
is FAINT NOR near because 1t is plainly
heard; nor that given point OF the
course Is reached because the signal Is
or j. not heard with the same intensity
rs on some former occasion; nor that the
signal has ceased sounding because it is
not heard within easy earshot; nor that
the alterations from sudibiiity are the
same in different fog signals.
.'Do not expect to hear the signals so
Well " hen the upper and lower air cur
rents are moving in opposite directions;
or when wind and tide are contrary; or
during electrical disturbances; or when
the sound must come over an island or
a point OF land. When a bluff exists be-
hind the signal, be prepared for irregular
intervals in addition, such as would fol-
low We're he sound to ricochet as a can
non ball; thus you might hear il at two,
four, six, eight, etc. miles, and lose il
at one, three, five, seven, etc, miles, or
at any other combination Of distances,
regular ,r irrrpu{ar
These cautionary remarks by the by
geographic Office conclude with the sage
advice, when expected signals are not
made, TO keep the lead going freely and
proceed carefully"