Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-13

site the various signal combinations, might
enter q Dutch port and signal message
to the Dutch harbor station, where the
people, though they might know not
word of French. would quickly read the
message, since their own code book. while
having the same meanings to the different
letter combinations, would be In their own
language.
Even the Japanese have adopted and
adapted this code, and almost every snip
that sails the seas of the world has signal
number in the code book, SO that she may
enter any port with her signal flying and
be Immediately recognized by the people
there regardless of the difference in Ian
guage by reference to the signal book.
OF course each separate navy of the
world has it's own peculiar set Of signals,
but when, as in the case of a great com
bined naval review, the ships and squad
rons of different nations come to act to-
with the result that the senior admiral
can give his orders and have them quickly
followed, even by people whose language
he does not speak
There are many other signals commonly
used by ships at sea and in harbor. such as
| the blasts on the whistle to indicate which
way one ship intends to- pass another, as,
| when one vessel meeting another blows one
| sharp blast, it means. Il am going to star
board" and the second vessel answers with
one blast if it is all right Then two blasts
full speed astern," which may mean much
| when collision is imminent.
| Then by night every sailing and steam
| ship under way carries red light on the
| port bow and green one on the StarbOard
| bow, and the steam vessel carries a white
| light at the fore masthead in addition, a
vessel towing; another carries two white
| lights at the masthead and disabled YES
sel~carries three.
An Array of Lights.
Then all vessels at anchor show one
white light twenty feet above the deck
l
vessels and vessels laying cables, and the
fiare-up lights from the pilot boats, and sc
many different lights and signals that the
navigator's memory must be lasting and
quick to use them all in shaping his course
| to avoid the danger of collision.
A squadron of men-of-war at sea a
night. with the usual running lights, and
beside speed lights, position lights, and thu
red and white signal lights presents 6
very startling and gay appearance, ant
one can hardly blame the Norwegian sailo
on a merchant steamer, who was aloft a
the masthead on the lookout, and, sudden
Iy seeing such a squadron loom up, sun,
out. Light, hor' Where away?" cam
from the officer on the bridge, and then
Can you make it outT' The bewilderet
lookout had never seen, SO many blazin,
lights of many colors except in the shol
windows of Shorthand. so he answered
mo, sir; 1 am not sure whether it's
dl cog store saloon
In the merchant marine there are tn
usual international signals. and. some
times, the navy signals. where the vesse
may belong to the naval reserve of coun
try. Then there are line flags to show tn
line the ship belongs to; the port flag
at the foremost, or the flag of the countr
to which she Is bound and often the off
cial mail flag of the country whose mail
carried. flying at the main mast.
In port during foggy or thick weathe
all vessels at anchor ring their bells at in
tervals of several minutes to warn an
vessels under way from running ther
; down. There Is, however, one curious eX
ception to this otherwise general rule T
the Turkish people the bell is sacred a
an implement $50 to speak, of religion, S
they have asked other countries to allo'
them to use horn instead of a bell o
their vessels. and it has been allowed
: though otherwise they follow all the un
versal rules of the road at sea.
All these Signals are to ipTevent disaste
spite of all of them, disaster does conn
and a good ship strikes on a rocky {
; | stormy shore. there are still a few sigma
to use that may bring what help is nea
| One is the discharging at intervals of lars
g | rockets, and another the, firing of tn
r minute gurs.' which have so often bee
0 used and nlisused in the. romance an
, poetry Of the sac. Il
i The signals may seem many to the '1ant
\ lubber," but the necessities that arise @
L the tickle seas under uncertain skies al
n many, and must all be met, and conquere
, If possible, ships could not-as they
t now-run from New York to Liverpool ar
n / Southampton averaging as close o
i servance to their scheduled time as Il
: travel between New York and San Fra
= | cisco.