The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-07
NEW SAILING RULES.
MARITIME POWERS AGREE UPON REG
ULATlONS FOR THE HIGH SEAS.


ternationaI Marine Conference of 1889.
Changes Are an Improvement.
Recently the new rules of the road
formulated by the great maritime pow
ers went into operation on all the high
seas. The regulations, which will have
the force Of law for the mariner, are
substantially those prescribed by the
international Washington marine con-
ference of 1889, but in the Z 1a years
since that bodyaclosed its deliberations
its recommendations have been sub
jected to the fires of criticism, and not
without ultimately undergoing some
notifications.
The original regulation respecting
the screening Of side lights, against
which there was great outcry by ship
masters and shipowners, does not figure
in the new rules as finally revised, and
screens are hereafter, as heretofore, to
be fixed so as to prevent the red and
green lights from being visible across
the bow of the ship. The helm signals
proposed at Washington are retained
and incorporated in the new regula-
tions. While there has been not "A little
debate over some of the signals it can
not be assumed in advance of their trial
that they will prove unsatisfactory, as
their critics have predicted. AT any
rate, the new law for preventing colli-
siops at sea is confessedly in many inn
portant respects an improvement upon
the old 1t is more precise and moro
comprehensive, and upon the whole the
| best, perhaps, that could have been OBJ
| tanned under the circumstances and con-
ditions of their adoption.
The adoption of the new international
rules, even if they shall be found to re-
quire serious revision, is certainly one
| step in advance. 1t can hardly fail to
have happy effect in reminding sea-
men of their responsibilities, in defining
more clearly than has ever before been
done the precautions which must be
scrupulously observed to prevent disas-
ter and in enforcing more accurate and
scientific methods of safeguarding life
| and property at sea- Those who d. bust
ness in deep waters will feel a new Sc
curity and, with q diminution Of ma
rine risks, q new impulse will be given
to the merchant shipping of the world.
It is true that most collisions occur
| from carelessness or inattention, and
no rules, however good, will make
| officers careful and vigilant. But the
| fact that the new rules will require
more mental effort and watchfulness
than the old required may be an advan-
tage and not, as some have alleged, q
| hardship.
| It should be noted we'll by all seamen
that the new rules are applicable not
only on the open ocean, but also in all
| waters connected herewith navigable
by seagoing vessels" But the latter
statement does not hold in waters where
local rules are in force.
There are some new fog signals with
which seamen will have to familiarize
themselves and the proper use of which
| will both tax and educate their power
| of attention.
One Of these innovations requires two
| prolonged blasts for steam vessels when
under way, but stopped and having no
! way upon her." Another innovation re-
quires long blast, followed by two
short blasts, for vessels towed and tow
| ing vessels not under command, vessels
| not able to maneuver as required by
| these rules and vessels at work on tele-
| graph cable. While the latter rule may
| be open to some ambiguity of construc-
ton, the net result of article 10 Tin
| which it is embodied) can hardly fail
! i'm practice to reduce the number of col
| lisions considerably.
The spirit and tenor of the new rules,
while not sufficiently definite and strong
| upon the matter of the speed Of vessels
| in fog, require more caution Oh the part
of navigators than the old rules did.
( The former prescribe moderate speed"
in thick or falling weather, leaving to
the CAPTAIN of the ship to decide what
is moderate speed. Doubtless, it would
seem, the time will come (and probably
soon Gomez when something more than
this india rubber rule will be demanded
| in the interest of the millions of steam
ship passengers crossing the ocean.
There may be weighty objections to pre-
scribing 10 or IL miles as the maximum
speed of steamers in thick weather, but
experience has apparently shown that
there are still weightier objections to
allowing underlined speed.
But whatever defects remain in the
new rules must for the present be borne
with, and seamen of every flag should
aim to make the best Of them, looking
for the time when any errors which ex-
perience may show to exist in them will
be remedied by international agree
ment. New York Herald.
| Homo From the Field.