The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25
TALK BY MEANS OF The TOOTS.
COM ERSATTONS or PILOTS ON
STEAM WHISTLES.


| They an Tell Mucn wore Iuan hc UoTe
Direction They Are Going ln--Private
| CODES brotherhood signals Known
All over the Land-FoE warnings.
| A harbor tug was running along by the
South Brooklyn shore not long ago When
near Red Hook the captain blew two long
| and two short blasts on the tugs whistle
| and followed this by several short toots
| -What does all that mean, Captain
asked "A passenger.
| -That'I a signal to my wife that III be
| home soon" was the reply
.We tugboat men have all sorts OF ignas'
| he continued, -and we can ia Tx to each other
by means Of the whistle. l always blow
the way | just now did when the day 3
work is over; and my wife hears 1t and gets
ready for my home coming
| There IL in every port in the United States
| O brotherhood of the American Association
| of Masters and Pilots Of Steam vessels
| This association is q secret order ana any
| one who holds an American masters license
| can become a member.
| II il very like other orders but 1t has itH
own pecularities. There are about 10000
members and by means of whistles men,
Der can tell at once whether the mast er
| or pilot of another vessel is a member OF
| tho association, and to what brotherhood
he belongs.
These signals are not supposed to be
known There is no published code, but
| each member learns il and can use 1t when
ever he thinks fit,
| A long blast followed by short one on
one vessel will ask the m ,ster Of an APP
| Il. L..t nInr NJ a
association; and il he is he will answer by
footing one long blast followed by two short
ones This will be enough introduction.
and then by means Of more footing informa-
ton ca be given that may prove Of great
| service.
There is another signal that is well known.
and whenever it is sounded it il sure to he
answered II is one long blast, one short
one, then another long one and another
short one, and 1t is the distress signal.
! The members of the brotherhood are
| bound to help another member in distress,
and that signal NAV he heard in oil parts Of
the world. There are branches OF the
! association in the Philippines, in Porto
Rico, in Alaska. and in nearly every port on
| tho COASTS and on the Great lakes:
| In addition to these private signals diff
! ferent lines Of tow boats have their own code
, OF signals and every foot Of whistle that
is heard in the hnrbor. day or night. has
some meaning. No captain will ever allow
the whistle of his tug to he blown Just for
| fun.
Three toots is always a salute, and some
times after the saluted boat has
acknowledged the compliment a short
toot will be sounded, but this is not called
for and is only at the within OF the captain.
Tugs having a string of barges in tow,
such as go from this port to Boston. or up
the Hudson River or from Norfolk to this
port or TO some eastern port, always have
sign als which are understood by those on
the barges Each barge has its number
and the captain will signal to it to get up
ar Choir. pay out more hawser. shorten
the hawser. set sail or take in sail or in fact
do anything that may be wanted for the
safe navigation Of the barge. These sig
mails are distinct from the brotherhood
signals or from the signals that are univer-
sal, and were arranged by the International
Marine Congress.
Each line of ferry boats has it's own code
OF signals Some Of these signals are Or
lered by the Government,
For instance, when a vessel is starting out
from its pier it must sound long blast on
it's whistle This is TO notify vessels passing
UP or down the river that another is starting
out of its slip. II the captain Of the ferry
boat hears no answer he knows that bis
course is clear; and as soon as his boat can
he seen from the river clear of the slip then
he goes ahead and the regular signals apply.
In a harbor like that Of the port of New
York where there is so much traffic, COL
lisions occur frequently Many times
they are unavoidable, one vessel being
crowded into another. Often they are
caused through mistaken signals
There are rules to govern the sailing Of
vessels which have been drawn up by an
intern ational congress. and with these rules
is code OF signals which captains OF steam
or sailing vessels must be familiar with; and
by constant use they become almost second
nature to the man at the wheel or the officer
who is on the bridge.
The broad rule which all captains must
observe is TO keep to the right. That Is
what it means in the landsmen's language,
but to the sailor it is 'keep to starboard
and pass another vessel on your port or
left hand"
This rule, Of course. applies chiefly when
the vessels are in narrow channels; but
when they have the whole big ocean TO travel
over, then II il not so generally observed.
the idea being then to keep clear Of any
other craft and avoid collision.
II often happens though that two ves-
sells may be approaching almost head on,
and each captain will be in doubt for a
moment just which way to turn. This
doubt. will be only no nentary, however,
for captains think and act quickly. and n
short sharp blast from one of the whistles
will sound out over the water
Ms blast in plain English will tell the
cautain or officer Of the other vessel: Fl
| am directing my course to s'arbo8rd +"
or to the right. and the man at the wheel Of
inc yessei which gave the signal will roll
his wheel over 40 that his vessels nose will
turn to he right.
As soon a. the man in charge of the other
craft hears this signal he will answer gem
orally ~ sounding sharp toot on the
whistle, and this means Your signal is
understood, ] am directing my course
10 starboard The wheel Of his vessel
s rolled over 80 that the boats nose turns