Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-07-22
NAY AL SIGNALS.


Methods Used TO Transmit Messages From
One Vessel to Another.
In a naval battle, the success or fail
ure of a feet may depend on keeping
open communication between the diff
ferent vessels of the squadron engaged.
Owing to the fact that the surface OF
the sea would often be obscured by the
smoke of battle, the difficulty of this
is apparent, and naval experts have
been kept busy devising some method
by which the flagship can communicate
with the other vessels of a squadron at
all times and under all conditions.
The present method of communica-
tion is by the use of flags representing
numerals, which are displayed in the
rigging; by the use of the Ardois sys-
tenn of lights for night work; by the
Meyer code of wig-wag signals, and by
the use of the heliograph.
As it is of the utmost Importance
that the enemy should not read the
message, the signal books on board a
vessel are protected with the greatest
care, and are destroyed along with the
cipher code whenever it is seen that
capture is inevitable. The semaphore
signal system in use in the British
navy wes tried for a time aboard some
of our vessels, but it never became pop
ular and has been abandoned.
In signaling by the navy code the
sentence to be sent is looked up in the
code book and its corresponding num-
Der is obtained. This number is never
more than four figures, on account of
the necessity of setting the signal with
the least delay. The number having
been obtained, the quartermaster in
charge of the signal chest proceeds to
bend the flags representing the numer-
ais to the signal halyards, so as to
read from the top down. These flags
represent the numerals from l to 8 and
0, and there is triangular pennant
termed a repeater, which is used in
combination where one or more numer-
ais recur, The numbers refer to those
found in the general signal book, in
which are printed all the words,
phrases and sentences necessary to
trame an order, make an inquiry, in
dicate q geographical position or sig
nal a compass course. Answering, in
terrogatory, preparatory and geo.
graphical pennants form part Of this
code; also cornet, telegraph, danger,
dispatch and quarantine flags.
1t is often Necessary for a man-of-
war to communicate with a merchant
vessel or with come other warshlp be-
longing to a fot eign country. For this
purpose the International code is also
carried in the signal chest. These sig
nails are those in general use by all
the merchant Iavies of the world for
communication by day at sea. There
are eighteen flags and a code pennfslt
corresponding TO consc .ants of the
alphabet omittlng X and y. The code
pennant is alwt Us used with these sig
nails.
If a message Is to be sent at night,
the Ardois sys.em of night signals.
with which all our vessels carrying
an electric plant are fitted, is used.
How well the present flag and wig
wag signals will work during an en-
gagement remains to he discovered;
but If they fail attempts can still
be made to communicate by the ships
whistle, or by written messages dis
played on blacl1boards If occasion
offers.
In case of an enemy appearing on
our coasts, arraL gements have been
made to notify the nearest body of
troops or the commander of whatever
ship may be at hand. For this pur-
pose towers have been erected at in
tervals, and telegraph wires leading
from one to the other have been strung.
This, together with the telephone sys-
TEN in use by the life-saving service.
will permit of ample warming on the
approach of a hostile squadron.