The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-09-15
WHAT THE Toors MEAN.
Language of the Steam Whistle on RiveI
and in Harbor.

If to starboard you would go,
Then one whistle you should blow;
If to port, then, sailor, you
Should at once blow whistles two;
And in danger should you be,
You must signal whistles three.
A Hoboken ferryboat was cropping its
way through the fog the other evening,
when some invisible craft blew three
blasts of a whistle dead ahead. A
heavy splashing at its stern showed
that the engines of the ferryboat had
been reversed and the creaking of its
timbers told how the propeller in sud
denly revolving in the opposite direc-
ton Wrenched the vessel from keel to
pilothouse. Again out of the fog with
still more piercing shrillness sounded
those three toots. Passengers crowded
to the windows, but they strained their
eyes i'll vain.
Wonder what kind of d boat is run
ming us DOWN." stammered a frightt n
ed Newarker.
"'ld like to know myself" whispered
a bald headed Hobokenite. eff were
going to have smash it would be some
relief to know what's going to strike
us. | would -
But the bald headed mans sentence
Ntto Sttl ollplU ny tllltG IlClt pittol
Pardon my sayin' So remarked a
red faced individual, bowling abruptly
to the two men. IN an old sea dog
as knows a few wet things. Well,
that's tug out there towing a railroad
lighter. We've safe enough She's
keepln' on her course, an we're golll'
astern of her."
81 see spoke up the bald headed
fol RI e, u
number of them which,
Just then the three toots sounded on
the left OF the ferryboat and ncS quite
so loud.
Both the number and the length of
the Whistles give you the c,eW, was
the answer. The first blast was long,
saying Got a tow Did you notice
that the first blast was unusually long?
Well, that indicates that the tug is tied
up to the lighter, and not towing it at a
length of line. Three short blasts
would have meant something wholly
different. Three short blasts would be
like sayin': Danger. Look out. stop.
I've reversed my engines. Reverse
yours quick. That's the common dis
tress signal"
w do Il III u III IllC Ivy, NiilSI ~
vealed the tug tied to long railroad
lighter.
But how did you know that the tug
would keep on its course?' asked the
Newark man.
''From the direction the blasts come
FROM" replied the mariner. "Ihe tug
signalled on our starboard, or right
hand. Accordingly, it had the right OF
Il. sod ON OF
gines and went astem.'
Among the thousands who travel on
the waters surrounding Manhattan Is
land extremely few understand the
footing whicl they hear necessarily on
every side. 70 the l-year-round Gem
muter, as we'll as the summer excur-
sionist from the city, the whistle speaks
al unknown language. Yet III tins
way sailors not only signal to each
other the direction of their courses, but
they even gossip about business and
domestic affairs. Each steamship line
each tugbcat company, has its own
house toot.' The private signal of
the Standard Oil Company, for exam
pie, consists of two long toots.
Members of the American Associa-
ton of Masters and Pilots have a sec
ret code of signals. In asking the ques-
ton, for example. Are you a fellow
member: a captain belonging to this
organization Will give a long and short
toot. The reply, "Ies,' consists of Il
long and two quick short blasts, The
distress signal Of this order is made by
long and short foot, repeated once.
About Is o'clock almost every night a
yellow tug, in passing Red Hook,
BROOKLYN, blows two long and two
short blasts. one day when the cap
tain of the tug had a friend aboard and
had given this signal, his guest asked:
whats that for-if you don't mind
telling fellow"
Wont give me away
ii you say so, III keep mum as a
clam
"Well, that signal is to let my wife
know I'll be home to dinner. If I'd
been working and couldn't come, I'd
blow one long and three short
The head of a large towing company
was telling the other day of his father,
who once was captain of one of the
Hudson River boats.
Our family then lived at Athens,
about twenty-five miles south OF AL
bany, on the west shore of the Hud-
son. said he, land when my fathers
boat went bywe knew everything was all
right # he blew long and short blast
of the whistle. Then mother would
swing a lantern back and forth from
an attic window. AS soon as father
saw the light he whistled again"
Whistle signals governing the course
of vessels are comparatively few and
simple. If two ferryboats are APP
preaching each other, for example, so
that each is dead ahead of the other.
they ordinarily pass to the right of
each other One will blow a signal
blast, and the other will answer with
one foot. should captain, however,
desire to pass on the other side he gives
two toots. AS soon as he receives two
toots in reply he turns to the left.
Oftentimes two ferry boats draw near
to each other when both are going in
the same direction. Should one desire
to overtake the other. and cross her
bow, she blows once, if she is to the
right of the vessel she intends to pass,
and two toots if to the left. Should
the other ferryboat refuse to permit its
bow to be crossed it replies with four
short, curt blasts. If it consents it
simply repeats the first signal.
When ships meet obllquely the one