Milford chronicle., 1915-04-16
Continued from last week.. .

The next requirement on the list fol
the second-class degree is signalling. A
secOnd-class Scout is required to know
the alphabet and conventional signs in
either the Semaphore or international
Morse code. This does not mean simpl,
the ability to send them in alphabetical
order, hut means being able to read
them as they are sent to YOU in anv
oider at all. OF course a second class
Scout is not expected to receive mes
sages with any great speed, but he must
read with accuracy. And right Dere
let it be said that accuracy should
always come first in signalling. II is no
advantage to get off message at a high
rate of speed and have the fellow at the
other end not able to read it. Practice
with accuracy as the first aim in view
and gradually work up to the high
speeds.
There are two systems of signalling in
general use, or rather two codes: the
senaphore, and the international or
continental Morse. The 6rst indicates a
letter by one position of the flag or flags
or of the arms of the semaphore
machine, while the Morse is a dot and
dash sy stem The dots and dashes NAV
be signailed in a number of different
ways, the most common method used bv
Scouts being the wigwag, wave to the
right indicating dot and a wave to the
lett dash A Scout should know the
advantages and disadvantages of both
systems, and when to use them.
The semaphore is much more rapid
than the wigwag, and should be used 70
all short distances where rapid signalling
is essential, At longer distances, unless
the semaphore machine is used, there is
difficulty in reading the letters In these
cases it is advisable to use the wigwag.
We will take up the semaphore system
first. The semaphore flags should be
made of orange cloth, eighteen inches
square with square scarlet center nine !
inches on a side, or should be scarlet |
with an orange center. They should be |
mounted on light staffs about two feet
in length. Care should be taken in |
using them to hold the staffs so as to |
form a prolongation of the arms. To |
call up the other station, extend both |
flags in the R position and wave them
up and down between the R and L |
position. This chop chop" signal is |
known as attention - After calling |
attention for short time. signal the
call letter of the station called. Repeat
this until answered The answer is
made by signalling attention, 4" followed
BY the call letter of the station called.
Bo h stations then make interval" b,
the flags downward in front OF
the body (iust above the knees). The
sender then signals his message.
The proper order of sending a mes
sage will be taken up in another lesson
after we have finished both the sem
iphore and Morse codes Should tn
sender make an error, he signals "atten.
ton" followed by interval, 4" and ther
repeats the word in which the error
Should the receiver be unabl,
to read the message. he breaks in b,
attention." at which tn,
sender stops sending. If the receiver
wishes the last word repeated he signals
R. " followed BY one interval or b,
A. " To have the last sentence re
peated he signals n, - followed by tvs,
intervals, while r. followed b,
-hree intervals" means to repeat til,
asst message. Should he wish the mes
'age repeated after the last word that h,
vas able to receive. he signals "R -
by interval, and then til,
asst word that he got down. Should th,