Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-11
PLANS FOR SAFETY
OF OCEAN TRAVEL
Guarding Against the Icebergs
in Tack of Atlantic
Navigation.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
i ON PERlLS OF THE SEA.
Suggestions sof Patrol and Other
aids tos Be- Submitted to Inter.
national Convention.


81
Establishment of a permanent inter
national ice patrol in the Atlantic. a, re-
quirement that ocean travelling vessels
shall be compelled to keep in the estab-
hshed steamer lanes ard the develop
ment of meteorological warning services
are among the important recommends
tons contained in the report of Secre-
tary Redfeld's committee, on aids and
periis of navigation. These ,recommenda-
tons will be carried to the International
conference Oh Safety at sea by the
American delegation, along with the
recommendations of various other COM
| rnsttees on other matters pertaining to
| sea travel. =,
The committees recommendations are
as follows:
Al ocean-going. steamers. equipped
with electricity shall carry a search
tight so placed as to iliumine all points
Of the horizon; as far as practicable and
OF sufficient power to distinguish a ships
twenty-four-foot boat at n distance Of
not less than one nautical mile on a clear
dark night.
All ligh. vessels on. important outside
stations shall be equipped with submarine
bells. Ali ocean-gotng vessels shall be
provided with means for, detecting sub
marine bell signals.
Modifles Rules Of Road.
The committee recommends that the
international rules Of the roaA be niodi
fled so that carrying of range lights shall
be obligatory instead of optional. as at
present, and that all vessels shall also
carry fixed stern light The interna-
tional rules shall also be amended to pro-
vide that every vessel navigated in the
vicinity OF icebergs or ice foes during
darkness should go at moderate speed,
having careful regard to circumstances
and conditions. and the use ,of rockets
showing red should be restricted to dis
tress signals at night.
The application OF radiotelegraphy to
the collection of weather reports from
oceanic areas gives promise of securing
to naxlgators a greater measure OF SAFE
ty from the perils Of the sea than has
hitherto been possible Such a service
necessarily would be international in
character, the expense of which should be
shared Jointly by the nations most di-
rectly concerned. The committee recon-
mends, in the interests of. the future de.
velopment of acknowledgements serv-
ices. that the existing meteorological
| service of each administration adopt as
part of its program the organization of
rodia. service for the edatta waters
pertaining to that administrative,
Meteorological Observations.
The committee recommends that meteor
oloeical observations be made at Green
witch noon whenever vessel during the
preceding four hours has experienced a
barometer reading below 80 inches aid
falling continuously or has discovered
other symptoms Of approaching storm
That class Of meteorological information
which transcends all others as regards its
value to shipping is the storm or hurrf-
cane warning, particularly the latter 1t
should not be difficult matter to uiti-
mately provide a system Of warnings for
these destructive storms which shall be
little, il any, inferior to the system of
warnings for storms which pass over the
land. The committee considers this warn
ing service az promising more beneficial
results than the project of distributing
warnings to vessels in nlidocean, and.
!. therefore, emphasizes the Importance Of
concentrating ali means at the command
of meteorological services on the develop
ment Of an efficient warning service for
coastal and stubtropical waters.
The United States Naval Observatory
has developed time service by radio
which has proved OF great value TO ship
ping, and the committee recommends
consideration of the desirability of re-
auesting all governments to establish
like service. Il
For many years the important steam
ship lines trayersing the North Atlantic
ocean between New York. Philadelphia,
Boston and the ports OF Europe have
agreed among themselves that their ves-'
sells should hold TO certain prescribed
lanes This plan should be broadened
by making the steamship lanes obliga-
tory to steamships. Governments should
pass legislation requiring the steam
ships under their respective flags to ad-
here strictly to steamship lanes pre-
scribed by them. These lanes should be
agreed upon in the International confer
ence.
international Ice Patrol.
The committee recommends that an
interna tional ice patrol be established
| and that the annual responsibility and
expense Of maintaining this patrol be
assumed by each OF the several mari
time nations in turn, the patrol to be
| conducted in accordance with general
| plan to be formulated and agreed to by
| the several maritime nations concerned
| at the international conference.
| The ice patrol shall begin April i of
each year and continue until the Ice no
longer constitutes menace to naviga-
| ton in the zone Of the transatlantic
| steamship lanes. At all times during the
| continuance OF the patrol there must be
at least one vessel present I'm the iceberg
region. The patrol vessels will determine
the southerly, easterly and westerly limits
OF the Ice. and keep In touch with these
ilcIus DIS llley move SoutHNdIu, oIuCi
that radio MESSAGES may be sent out
daily giving the whereabouts of the ice.
particularly ice in the vicinity of the
regular transatlantic lanes.
The committee recommends that an en-
deavor be made to reach an agreement
with the several maritime nations inter-
sstered In the transatlantic trade, as fol-
lows: The United States to continue the
destruction or removal of derelicts in the
north Atlantic west Of a line drawn from
Cape Sable to latitude 34' longitude 7O0,
and thence to the Bahamas. and other
maritime nations to maintain a suitable
vessel or vessels for the purpose OF de-
stroying or removing derelicts east of
said line.
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