Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-23
How to Use Sea Signals

Ocean liners coming to this country
from Europe are supposed to take one
road and those going to Europe from
this country another. These two roads
arr about twenty-five miles apart, the
one by which steamships come to this
country being north of the one leading
II Europe In the collision between
the Pretoria and New York the Amer
lean ship was supposed to be in the
Westbound track and the German ship
in the eastbound track. Marine ex
perts have figured it out, however,
that the Pretoria was from twenty
seven to twenty eight miles north of
her true course and the New York
about a mile south of her true course.
According to this calculation, which
we merely accept as it is given, the
Pretoria, which was on the road to
Europe, had fairly got over into the
road which the New York was fol-
lowing to New York, while the slight
scutherly departure from her own
road by the New York was likewise
i'm the direction of meeting the Pre-
toria. Assuming that both liners had
got out of their own roads at the right
time, the Pretoria moving conSidera-
bly, north and the New York slightly
south, and assuming further so thick
a fog that neither ship could be seen
from the other until they were actual
ly in contact, and assuming once more
this is the luck of the sea-that
both ships were moving directly to-
ward each other in the binding
blanket of fog, then the collision was
purely a mathematical result, and
Only an accident in the sense that
neither captain knew at the moment
lust what was ahead of his own ship.
The captain of the New York ap
pears to have brought his ship as
nearly to a standstill as it is possible
t. do and still retain enough steerage
way to keep control of a big ship,
and this precaution on his part is per-
haps all that prevented one or the
other ship from being sunk on the
spot. This precaution taken by Cap
tain Roberts, of the New York, carried
with it. too, it must be remembered,
its own special risk, namely, that it is
the ship which is nearly standing
still that usually gets knockout blow
from the striking ship.
But these two ships heard from
each other before they could or did
see each other; that is to say, each
captain had knowledge that another
ship was close at hand for a percepti-
Bile period of time before they struck
each other. How was this space OF
time employed in this instance? APP
parently the New York used this time
in coming more nearly to a stop, and
the Pretoria used it in moving for
ward. But supposing both captains
had turned sharply to starboard-to
the right-as soon as they had caught
the warning signals that two ships
were where only one could safely be
under existing conditions? A move
ment to starboard by the New York
would have brought her back to the
westbound road, from which she had
slightly strayed toward the south, and
there she would have been safe; and
movement to the starb6ard by the
Pretoria would have brought her well
forward toward the eastbound road,
from which she had widely strayed
TO the northward, and there or in that
direction she would have been safe.
OF course, this is only one instance.
II &c conceivable that two ships meet
ing in a dense fog might be brought
into. collision by each turning to star