New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-27

lou mus signal Vh.stl rrl..
y Hobokel ferryboat was eroD,,v ,.-
49," 'N- log '-e o'her evening. when som. a.
visible craft blew three blasts Of g5t .''e n
ahead. \ heavy sp.1sEirs at its ster- 60 uead
the engines Of the ferryboat had been rs,- '"at
the creaSinE Of its timbers told how ~. - ana
IN suddenly reFolviLg IN the opposite d,r.-..
"'eNCHea t'e vessel from keel to plothouss ,,
ou' 'i lhe FOG WIN al'H more piercing sbrin1a.-
sounded those ,hree toots Passensers mess
the windows. but they strained their g.. 90, ECU 20
wonder what kind Of boat is r,,nr,. .a-l.
DOWN stammered a frightened Newarksr q
I'D like to know myself whlspers5
BEADED Hobokenite. II were going ~ L u
Smash i would be some relief to know what's a.
ing to strike us. I would
But the bald headed mans sentence VA. 49,.
by three more blasts 0rt
Pardon my sayin' So remarked a r.s 49,.
dividual. bowling abruptly TO the two me-, -. a.
old sea dog as knows a few wet tbinv, - ~
that's a tug out there towing a railroad ByS..-
We're safe enough. She's keepln' on ba- ~
an we're goin' astern or her"
1 see. spoke up the bald headed man w., 49,,
by the toots. It's the number Of them which,,
Just then the three toots sounded On m. "a. =.
the ferryboat and not quite so loud
Both the number and the length OF TIA ,vb,..,.-
give you the clew." was the answer 'arbs -
blast was long the others short Tba. q. 81, --
as saying Got a tow Did you notice that ~. e..
blast was unusually long? Well that indicate, 49,.
the tug IS tied up to the lighter and not tovv,- q
at length OF line Three short blasts would ~.
meant something wholly different. Three ,bo-,
blasts would be like sayin': Danger IooE o.,
Stop! I've reversed my engines. Reverse vou-,
quick That's the common distress signal"
There was a lift in the fog. which revealed N.
tug tied 70 a long railroad lighter
But how did you know that the tug would Ess,
on its cOurse?' asked the Newark man.
From tho direction the blasts come from" "a
Mia fha. r-Frq,
board or right hand Accordingly II had The
right OF way. That's why We reversed our engine,
and went astern"
Among the thousands who travel on the water,
surrounding Manhattan Island extremely few m
derstand the footing which they hear incessautl-
on every side. To the all-year-r0und corrqfer "a
well as the summer excursionist from the CITY. M.
whistle speaks en- unknown language. Yet IN this
way sailors not only signal 20 each other the a.
recton Of their courses but they even gossip a6out
business and domestic affairs Each steamship
line. each tugboat company. has its own house.
toot" The private signal OF the STANDARD OIL Com
pany. for example. consists OF two long toots
Members OF tho American Association OF Master,
and Pilots have secret code OF signals In ask
ing thu question FOR example, Are you a fellow
member a captain belonging to this organization
will give long and short toot The reply
yes" consists % a long and two quick short
blasts The distress signal OF this order Is nads BY
a long and short foot repeated once.
About O'Clock almost every night a yellow tug
IN passing Red Hook Brooklyn, blows two long
and two short blasts. One day when the captain
OF tho tug had friend aboard and had given this
signal his guest asked.
whats that for-if you don't mind telling fell
low
Won't give me away
IF you say 50. III keep mum as clam"
Well. that signal is % let my wife know III 30
hons 10 dinner. II I'd been working and couldn't
core, I'd blow one long and three short"
The head OF a large towing company was telling
the other day OF hts father. who once Was captain
OF one Of the Hudson River boats
"Our family then lived al Athens about twenty
i've miles south Of Albany. on the west shore %
the Hudson" said re. and when my fathers boat
went by We knew everything was al right II no
blew long and a short blast Of the whistle. Then
mother would swing a lantern back ard forth
from an attic window. AS soon as father saw the
lgh. he whistIed again"
Whistle signals governing ire course Of vessels
are comparatively few and simple II two ferry
boats are approaching each other. for example. 50
that each is dead ahead OF the other. they ordi-
nariiy pass 10 the right OF each other One Will
blow a single Blast. and the other will answer with
one foot Should captain. however. desirs 10 pass
on tho other side he gives two toOts As soon as ne
receives two toots IN reply he turns 70 the left
CS.s-+ir,cs two serryboats DR. near 20 each
other when both are going in the s-ne direction
S1ouId one desire 70 overtake the other, ana ross
her bow she blows once X she ls 20 'lle ~
Vessel she intends TO pass and two toots " 20 ne
Left should the othe5 Terry TSy1S5 Win tour short
c-I-t blasts II II consents Il simply repeats 1ns
AI y sls sLi,s meat obquely the one which has
re 80 ~, " either by slowing up by going
oLIa93 o+ber's stern In this case each would
give one foot When a ship cannot SOP SOP So Sc
ssorb and Is IN danger Il gives three snort 'o0'S
s