The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-09

 with the other.
 The first of these is an insignificant looking affair. perhaps a foot or so in diameter, which seems out of all propor- ton to the work it must accomplish Directly in front of it stands the ships compass, while back of it are massed the levers which transform the slightest mo- ton of the wheel into the force which guides the ship.
 How Vessels Are Steered.
 All the great steamers are steered nowa- days by the aid of steam or electricity. In the old days half d dozen men at times would struggle with the wheel in high seas and sailors have been killed by tho rapid revolving of the projecting spoke handles. The modern steering gear makes it possible to guide these great ships with the slightest pressure.
 The rudder, weighing many tons, is per haps five hundred feet astern, yet with a touch of the polished wheel the great 700 foot ship will swing from side to side with almost the delicacy of a compass needle. The wheel that the steersman operates merely governs the steering en- zine, which in turn moves the great rud- der
 The work of steering q great ship, even with the aid of all this machinery, Is mach more delicate than one would imagine. The larger and faster the ship the greater is the difficulty.
 It is not enough to hold the wheel in the same position to keep the ship on her course, for the wind and waves and the currents of the ocean tend constantly to knock the ship off her course The great wall of steel (for the hull may be TOO feet long and sixty feet high) offers broad target for the wind and waves. If you could watch the pinnacle, especially in bad weather, you would see the needle of the compass constantly shifting from side to side, which means that the great steel nrow is not going forward in a perfectly straight line.
 All the machinery which may be set in motion in case of danger Is centered on the bridge and so perfectly has it been arranged that the entire vessel could be controlled, if the necessity should arise by means of a series of levers and push buttons These are a Surprising variety of barometers, thermometers, thermos- tats, wind and rain gauges and other less familiar looking instruments.
 The danger of fire at sea Is anticipated by thermostat connected with frame like hotel indicator. There are ther- mometers in every part of the ship cleo trieally connected with the box which are constantly on guard
 If a fire should start in any part of the great ship the temperature would of
 
 be announced in the wheelhouse by the ringing of a bell, while a red light would flash at the same time in one of the squares of the indicator. The man at the wheel could tell at a glance the exact point of danger.
 The wheelhouse is also the telephone central of the ship, and 1t would be only the work of a moment to have men at the point of danger.
 I'll, cI,i arr nj n different compartments by many parti- tions, each carrying heavy steel doors. A series of levers will be pointed out to you in the wheel house by which these great doors may be closed in any part of the ship at an instants notice These steel compartments are so strong that in case of collision or of fire one or more of them might be filled with water and yet the rest of the ship would be un- harmed. Should a fire be discovered an entire compartment might be flooded in a few seconds.
 Unique Safety Device. There is a series of squares in another indicator corresponding to every one of these steel doors throughout the ship. In case of danger it is possible to close all of these doors at the same instant by touching a ingle lever on the bridge. And should any door fail to close a red light
  tie squares to tell just where the trouble lay.
 Still another safety device which may be watched from the bridge is the indi- cator connected with the submarine wire less system which gives warning of the approach of another ship. This invention, but lately added to the great ships, con sists of a delicate instrument con nected with wires beneath the water that the presence of a large body of iron or steel even at a considerable distance, is instantly recorded. There is besides, of course, the regular wireless for send ing and receiving signals over hundreds ot miles of water.
 The bridge is especially impressive at night when the great ship is asleep The wheel house is completely adrk except for the covered lamps in the pinnacle. From time to time the captain enters the house. asks a few questions in a quiet conversational tone, perhaps gives some order.
 The marvellous machinery which lines the walls stands silent guard. The bridge is quiet except for the curious singing note of the wind in the rigging and the sharp crack of the halyards against the masts and endlessy the deep pulsng of the engines Outside the lights at the masthead swing from side to side, mark ing off the roll of the ship in great arcs against the sky
 If you are so fortunate as to stay until midnight you will see perhaps the most curious sight of the twenty-four hours, when the ships officers changes the time. The clock which sets the time for the life of the ship is put hack about an hour if the vessel be sailing west, or an hour