The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-22
BELLS IN THE SEA
How Ocean Liners Will Be Able to Hear Their
 Way.
FOG SIGNALS UNDER WATER
The Apparatus By Which the Sounds Can Be Picked Up Miles
 Away.

TO those who go down 10 tRe sea in ships probably no discovery in recent times has been of more importance or tends more to save life than that of the possibility of signalling from ship to ship and from ship to shore by sound. writes Sidney F. Walker in the London Mail. It literally, when fully developed, will enable steamers to 'lear" their way under al. conditions of weather and particularly in fog just ns we'll as they now see the..' way on clear rights by the aid of the lights that each ship carries and those dis i'ibuted round the coast of every civ ils,i co1ntry
 The whole apparatus hinges upcn the fact that water is a good ccnduc- tor of sound he readiest example of this of which the writer is aware Is to be found usually at mineral baths. There is nearly always pumping go- ing on in connection with the baths, but under ordinary conditions the pump ls flDl Htdiu w 1tlt liHul tSSlIRs for instance, to enter the bath one can very rarely hear the pump, but immediately one is in the bath if one places ones head under water the pump is almost painfully evident, and an engineer could easily count the strokes had he watch at hand.
 For signalling purposes bell is em- | ,,1 t,,,, T t,t, the water and inclosed in chamber the hammer being worked by com pressed air operated from the surface The sound of the strokes on the bell is transmitted to distance of several miles and can be heard by suitable ap- paratus. The hearing apparatus con sists of a microphone. modification of that we use every time we speak to the telephone. inclosed in chamber inside the ship and connected with the bridge by wires in the usual way The microphone chamber Is filled with g , special liquid which the inventors have found to answer the purpose best, and there are, as at present arranged, one chamber and one microphone on each  house on the bridge are pair of tele. ! phone receivers. similar to those w put to our ears when we talk through the telephone on shore, and switch enabling the receivers to be connected to either of the two mcrophones.
 Several of the lighthouses on tn, coast of America and some, the writel halipNec nn fkof pF hn Yrtt o dom are fitted with bells as described F above, which are rung at certain inter , vals. each lighthouse having a differ ent number of beats. SO that any par q ticular lighthouse is distinguished b' it's bell, just as in clear weather if i i. distinguished by the arrangement Q . its lights. An approaching ship can tel within very close approximation. A . mathematicians would say. how it lie with regard to the lighthouse. becaus a the bell will be heard loudest in tha :, microphone on the side of the shin n, which the lighthouse is. and the office of the watch can steer accordingly. |; All ships carry red light at nigh on the left hand. or port. side and
 green light on the right hand. or star
 board side, while all steamers carr in addition white light showing oi
 both sides. Neither of the lights ca
 be seen astern or for some distanc
 toward the bows, the limit being wha sailors call two points abaft the bean
 a little astern of her middle point. &
 that when approaching a ship iron astern no lights are visible to the an
 preaching ship, hut her full lights ar visible from the ship approached
 When two ships are approachin
 each other from opposite direction end on. each shin will see the other
 two or three lights and can essil
 steer to keep out of each others wa,
 There is simple rule for this. and in
 Cidentally it may be mentioned ths
 the danger is least in this case. provid
 ed that both ships are properly hand
 led The danger of collision arises prir
 cipally from ships crossing each othe
 and for this also there are simple rule
 governed by what is called the ru'
 of the road. Leaving out the uuestio
 Of sailing ships for the moment. il
 ship which has the other. the crossir
 ship, on her own right hand (sta
 noardl side has to keep out of the wa
 and it does so hy turning slightly
 the right. or to cardboard. presentir
 her left side to the other ship.
 Whenever ship has to give way
 another the color Of the light cf il
 other ship is on the same side as tn
 to which the helm must he move
 Thus when a red light is seen on t
 right hand tstarboard) side the hel - is put to port. the side of the liz