New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-08
Short account Of The Dcpepmcn Ingenious DcO BY Means Of Which
Measures Are Nou Conveyed al Sea BY Day and Night

Of signalling IN the seventeenth and earl,
eighteenth centuries France had segsral
s.mapborc lines across her territory The
semaphores being placed on the most con.
gpicuous elevations. \ message could b.
sent from Marsoiles 20 Paris quite rapidly.
II the weather was favorable. Some % ny
readers may recall how the Count Of Monte
Crsto visited semaphOrc station and bribed
the operator 70 send false message % Paris
TIL. was before the electric telegraph va,
invented. All steamships and many sailing
vessels are now equipped with wireless
telegraph apparatus. This ls used ir ire
navy for signalling ~ ans time by Oh,
or da, n can reach 20 distance utterly b.
yond the widest Imagination Of even Jules
Verne. and yet in his Twenty thousand
LEAGUES Under the Soa' he described sub.
marine with great cleycrnes, twenty yesri
before submarines were invented.
Night signals
A. r.gbt the principal method OF r1mmg.
nication is by the so-called "blinser.' This
is an electric light up on 4 vessel mas,
the wire leading 20 the light passing through
switch like telegraph operator. toy oy
which tho current can be turned on or Of,
thus causing the light to fash or blink"
as 10 is called. The regular Morse code IS
used a short Hash being "a dot, longer one
a dash. By this means message can hc sent
with great speed. Zach war ve-se. oa, her
call signal Zoo each system OF signalling but
other vessels pay no attention 20 what - ,ent
10 a particular ship; men on our "ar.1irs
are too busy. a. rule, 20 be curious. laere
are other signalling methods, such 20 ne
vessels whistle and its searchugr'- The
latter being used sometimes even lay
,iyht. but those above described ave the
ost common Probably many nro cad
this and have seen the American fleet in
the North River. OF Riverside Drive,
have noticed all 'ha. ! have described and
been puzzled over the meaning - The
flags and flashing lights. Signal Tags
are used u great deal to-day. for no s6ip has
left or entered this port for a long time with
out undergoing some sort Of super sion,
formerly 10 help enforce our neutrality. now
20 prevent any interference with us in var
And every ship must give hec name and an
swcr any signal from the guardships on duty
There are certain flag flown on Warsnirs
which. while In the nature o. signals, refer
specifically 20 tho status Of that particular
ship Thus. 20 mention but one, yellow
flag with "a black disk the letter - means,
among other things. when flown al ne
main. that the vessel Is on special dispatch
duty and must not be interfered with Fur
thermorc, a red pennant indicates thar the
crew is at meals. \ blue flag with "a white
vertical cross means that the ships boats are
TO return to the ship And finally for / have
not space, nor would it be Of sufficient in.
terest to continue a white pernant With
blue cross is the church flag. tho only
flag ever hosted above tho national ensign.
OF the many other fag- flown Oh warshp'
Tribune readers know those Of thc Pres.
cent and of the Secretary Of The Navy, a.
well as those o. the several ranks Of al.
mirals. from many Illustrations which have
appeared from time 20 time, even II theg
have not seen the flags themselves.