Evening journal., 1914-01-19
BETTER LIGHT
FOR MARINERS
Suggestion Of Second Light
ship for Bay Goes to
Washington

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Jan. 19.--
Suggestions made by captains of mer-
chant ships coming into this port to
make navigation in the Delaware
River and Bay safer and simpler. and
which were forwarded to the Chief
photographer in Washington by
Lieutenant Commander George B.
Landenberger, in charge of the
photographic Office in this city, may
result in an additional lightship be-
ing placed at Frying Pan Shoals,
in the Delaware Bay.
The first suggestion made by the
photographic officer was that Fry
ing Pan shoads Lightship No. "a
should be placed in the position nov
occupied by Frying Pan Shoals Gas
and Bell Buoy No. pa "FP," and that
the Frying Pan Shoals Gas Buoy No
"a should be moved to the position
now occupied by the lightship.
Captains have told Lieutenant Com
mander Landenberger that vessels
going up and down the coast natur-
ally make for the lightship instead
of the gas and bell buoy, and especi-
ally was this the case in heavy
weather or fog. They maintain that
the gas and bell buoy is likely to be
out of position or extinguished and
that in case the ship was coming in
side her course and making for the
light vessel. she would be in danger
Gus position and probably go aground
oh IfoI, ful.
inside. But, if the light vessel was
stationed where the gas buoy now is.
in case the ship missed its course and
went inside it would have quite an
area of safe ground between the
lightship and the shoals.
This was referred by the CHIEF
photographer to the Bureau Of
Lighthouses. who replied that Con-
gress had authorized the vessel TO
remain in the same position, but that
it was understood that steps had
been taken for the introduction of q
bill in Congress authorizing an ad
ditional lightship to mark the outer
end of Frying Pan Shoals. In the
meantime the Lighthouse Bureau Is
considering the replasing of the pres
ent Frying Pan Shoals gas and bell
buoy with a gas and whistling buoy
with a submarine bell attachment.
Other suggestions made by Lieu
tenant Commander Landerberger
we're:
That the two fixed red lights on
Fenwick Island light vessel No. 81,
be changed from red to some other
color which would make the light
visible at a greater distance; or that
the characteristics of the lightship be
changed to make the light visible at
a greater distance.
Captains maintain that they can
make out Fenwick Island gas buoy
No. 4, "F. S." before they make out
the lightvessel, and as the gas and
whistling buoy is apt to be out of
order, they contend that should they
miss these safety marks they would
run into dangerous position. Some
captains have said they have not
seen the red light until after they
have passed the lightship, while
others say they have seen the deck
lights and galley lights of the ship
before they could distinguish the red
light
1t was also suggested that the char
acteristics of Five Fathom Bank light
vessel No. 79 be changed and that
the two fixed lights now carried be
made oscillating lights. Captains CONF
plain that when the lightship is
picked up, it cannot be identified as
such Immediately. Frequently it is
mistaken for a sail or steam vessel.