Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-07-26

Red Jackets fore royal yard didn't
have" muttered Captain Warehouse
A small shadow fell across the deck
1t was Charley, clinging with one hand
to the bridge railing and to his cap
with the other.
Go below. Charley" ordered Cap
tain Warehouse You know you amt
allowed on the bridge when the watch
is Changin'."
Il just come up to see you turn
around" pleaded his nephew.
Captain Waterhouse turned back to
the radio operator.
What made ye bring this message
youISelf?" he barked. There's a buzz
zer amt there? Can't quartermaster
fetch it?"
The radio operator pointed with an
apologize forefinger Il wanted the
exclaimed. Those letter groups are
for flag code Radio code has differ
ent ones. For instance, PHI Is flag
for stripped turbine Radio code
BEN means turbine stripped"
Flag code? How'd ye decode 1t then?
We amt got but one code book for
flags, an it belongs in the flag bin
u don't know nothing about that"
said the operator. There was a flag
COQe DOUF III lIlG IdulU
Come back to the radio shack with
me" ordered Captain Waterhouse.
Some time later Captain Waterhouse
returned and bent again over the chart.
Did you say the Philibert has had
an accident?" began Charley. I'VE
won't be goin' back to Marseilles. now,
will We? We can go on and get the
cargo in Ceuta.'
mo, we can't" growled Captain
Waterhouse. That message never come
from the Philibert. Fust off, they don't
send radio messages in flag message
code. Second, the operator come OIL
watch said he never intercepted it.
Then how did it get on board?" de-
manded Charley.
why someone jest went into the
radio shack an wrote It, At 20 minutes
to 8 there's a silent period, when We
can't send messages. an all operators
are supposed to listen for SOS. II an
sos comes in, the signal Will ring a
buZZer.
well there's no point in the OPP
orator settin' there twiddlin' his thumbs
fer 20 minutes an bein' late 10 break-
fast. He sets the buzZer signal an goes
below The relief don't come on until
g. Durin' that 20 minutes the shack
was empty someone sneaked In an
typed that message"
"WhO would CO LIlAAlS Inv 'AA~S'
protested Charley. ~
1T would be-" began Captain Water
house, someone who knew just enough
about sea matters to know that shlps
of any nationality can send messages
to each other in them groups OF letters
called International code. Eut now
this person I have in mind might come
from Persepolis or such a place, Where
he wouldn't have much sea experience.
SO he wouldn't know that the letters
for flag code are different from those
in the radio code. So he writes the
message as though it had come by
flag. but bein' we amt seen no shlps,
why then it couldn't have come by
VISUAL signals" Captain Waterhouse
paused to twirl dividers over the chaIt.
"Now git into the radio room, the
person that sent that message Wouiu
have to be someone had the run
the ship like the captains nevvy. i9r
instance. He'd have to be pretty lrie mo,
Nv with the operators to know JuSt
when the shack would be empty. wnicn
same he might have learned bsca, because
he's always In there playin' checkers
"Such q person as I have in mind
would have q powerful reason Ter Us