New-York tribune., 1921-05-08
BY F. A. COLLINS

He great liner inward bound was
slowly feeling its way through the
A thick fog off the Long Island shore
Back in the cabins the passengers were
making merry over the last dinner at sea. On
the bridge meanwhile group of officers
watched the ships course with anxious atten-
ton. The weather was unusually thick and
no observations had been taken for many
hours. Lookouts had been posted in the crows
nest and at the extreme PROV and the ships
speed was reduced.
Somewhere fifty miles or so ahead lay the
entrance TO New York Harbor, difficult tar
get to hit in such weather. Every precaution
known to navigation has been taken to guard
the harbor entrance with powerful beacons
bells and fog horns. The most powerful beacon
In the world at Atlantic Highlands is visible
on clear nights for forty miles at sea. But in
such fog lights are practically useless, and
the effective radius Of bells and fog horns is
very slight
Many ships have blundered ashore In this
gator make even trifiing mistake in his cal
culattons and turn his ship northward too soon
and he will quickly find himself piled up on
the Fire Island shore Even great liners have
made this mistake.
q In the group in the wheelhouss meanwhile
one officer stood hour after hour with radio
telephone receiver to his ears, his eyes fixed
on the clock. Following long silence he sud-
denly signaled without speaking and redoubled
HIS attention. The radio had picked up a
curious signal in the Morse code. There was
series Of dashes repeated steadily for twenty
five seconds. Then followed silence of
twenty-five seconds and again the dashes and
the silence.
"Fire Island at lasts" announced the Of
fcer
The attention of the group was instantly re-
faxed. It was the work of only few mo-
ments to grasp wheel fixed to vertical rod
above the compass and turn the mechanism
delicately back and forth When it was ad-
Z lusted the officer glanced at the compass and
announced the reading, giving it to the frac-
aon OF degree The mysterious dashes had
Indicated that the Fire Island Lightship and
no other was signaling, and the new wireless
compass had enabled the liner to get her bear
ings IN the fog with absolute accuracy.
The radio watch meanwhile vwaa continued.
few minutes later the radio signal was
picked up from the station at Sea Girt, N.
!. The wireless compass was again ad-
lossed and the reading taken. A little later
similar message was received from the Am
orose Lightship, the third radio station, or
agnsaouse, which now guards the entrance to
New York Harbor. The three readings were
plotted and the intersection OF che lines gave
ths ships exact position.
by following these directions q vessel can
steer It's course straight for the harbor in the
thickest weather.
New York Harbor is the first in the world
70 De regularly equipped with radio lighthouses.
aince May system of warning signals has
oeen flashed far out to sea from three such
seanons The radio is effective, of course,
over much greater radius than the most
powerful light and is independent of weather
se sondfions. Vessels approaching New York
asreox IN the thickest of weather win now be
s0ie TO pick up shore signals while many miles