A New York newspaper has been making some experiments in signalling ships
at night, which, if as successful as it is claimed to be, will be of the
greatest service to sailors for all time to come.
Ships have a regular way of talking to one another, by means of flags
arranged in certain ways.
This form of signalling is comprehended by all sailors. It is a universal
language, and no matter from what country or in what seas ships may be
sailing, the language of the flags makes it possible for them to be
understood.
There has been one difficulty with the flag-signals, and that has been
that they were useless at night. When it became too dark for the flags to
be seen, sailors had no other means of communication.
The New York paper claims to have overcome this difficulty.
In saying that ships have no means of communicating with each other, it
must not be forgotten that they can use lights and send certain messages
with them. But the flag system enables them to say exactly what they wish
to, while through the lights they can only show where they are, and call
for help in case of accident.
The invention of the searchlight set men thinking, and at last the idea
struck one man that if the searchlight were turned on the flags, it ought
to be perfectly possible to see them in the darkest night.
A few nights ago two tugs went down to Sandy Hook to try if the experiment
would work. To their great delight they found it did answer perfectly.
The tugs were stationed about a mile and a half apart, and could read with
ease the messages waved across the water.
More experiments will be made, and if on further trial the method is found
to be practical, a great advance will have been made in navigation.
From Amsterdam, another report comes of a method that has been invented,
to enable ships to speak directly with the shore at a distance of five
miles.
This invention is in the nature of a powerful foghorn. It is, however,
made somewhat like a musical instrument, so that different tones can be
produced by it; and the idea is to have these tones arranged into a
signalling code, after the fashion of the flag-signals, so that a
conversation can be kept up in a similar way to that done with flags.
G.H.R.