| Show FLAG LANGUAGE INTERESSttNCf CODES OF SIG rTTrc NALS USED AT SEAT < 0 The International Semaphore and LongDistance Systems Now Employed Em-ployed Nineteen flags and 22 forms of signals have been so arranged through mans ingenuity that they tell the tale of prosperity or distress to their sister vessels In transit and by this international interna-tional system ships that pass In the night may speak through silent lips to one another Ships that go out to sea always bear away somebodys friends whose lips have felt the parting salute and whose hearts carry the last tender love message These vessels plow through smooth or angry waters as the fates in their erratic moods may decree and as vessel meets vessel on the great marine highway the working work-ing of the signal code is an operation of deep interest to all travelers Upon the red flame of the night rocket or the dull boom of the day gun often hangs the fate of hundreds of human lives and as long ago as 1857 a ingenious in-genious person devised a flag language which he styled the Commercial Code This system was adopted by seafaring men belonging to Great Britain Brit-ain Ru sa Austria France Germany America Sweden Denmark Holland Greece Italy Brazil Spain and Portugal Por-tugal This code which is embodied in the Commercial Code was much the i same a the international system or the present period In this lastnamed system there are IS flags divided Into one burgee four penants and 13 square flags These IS flags represent the IS consonant letters o the alphabet and constitute the cyphers of the cde In addition to the international there is also a code pennant which is made to do service as a code signal while it also serves as the codes answering signal The drawings that follow designate des-ignate the significations of the respective respect-ive flags The ensuing description gives an idea of the color and general makeup of the 19 flags and the letters of the alphabet al-phabet that they represent Burgee B Red swallow tail Pennants C White with red spots DBlue with white spot G Yellow blue in two vertical stripes Square flags H Whitered in two vertical stripes Bluewhiteblue in three horizontal stripes K Yellow blue in two vertical stripes L Blue I and yellow in four alternate checks M Blue with white diagonal cross N Blue and white In 16 alternate I checks PBlue with white centers Q Yellow quarantine RRed with yellow right cross S White with blue center Redwhiteblue In three vertical stripes V White with red diagonal cross Bluewhitered in diagnal cros three borders Code pennantCode signalRed and white in five vertical stripes This code is also utilized as an answering I signal There are often times that ships pass ing in opposite directions find themselves them-selves many miles apart with a savage sea running between them and for the accommidation of such distances there is a special code made by the setting of certain signals which r known as distance signals drawings of which follow i i r tus A FWS ox urvnl1 < HT Bir it INT G tat r0r Of PIISO AOi w j r01 AT OCCe TAVIl0 lr 1 SOME Lu BpTOiCEeais 4 Referring again to the International signals which the various vessels carry as they stagger about over the I drunken sea i is of deep Interest to know something about their mute language I lan-guage The waving tongues of these flags speak as If from the briny throat of Xeptune and some of the messages I that they send from vessel to sister vessel are these H B Want Immediate assistance I I H DNo assistance can be rendered i H FWe are coming to your assistance I as-sistance H JBoat or lifeboat cannot come j H KBoat in distress H 1Do not attempt to land your own boats I H M Man overboard I H Damaged mast cannot sail H Damaged rudder cahnot steer H Machinery disabled J BAccident want a surgeon j DYou are standing into danger FYOU are in a dangerous posi tlon ton p Heavy weather coming look sharp K D Stand by 5 i K Channel < has altered do not try f K Dangerous without a pilot i t J L SPut out to sea at once get an offing L V Shift your berth your berth is unsafe sible M L Quit the vessel as fast as pos X CIn distress want assistance N UI must abandon the vessel N FDo not abandon meN me-N GI am unmanageable N HI am on fire N PFire gains rapidly take people offN N SI have sprung a leak X TLeak gaining rapidly N VI am Inking P C Want assistance mutiny P D Want Immediate assistance P F Want boat or boats Immedi atelv P H Want food starving P J Want coal immediately P Kant an anchor P S Want hands Q C Repeat signal In order to provide signals by night there are various codes used including the distress gun this being fired at intervals of one minute In extreme cases barrels of tar or oil are burned upon the deck At other times shells or rockets of various colors are fired at brief intervals In addition to and used in connec ton with the international signal code one of the most notble is known as the semaphore system I consists of masts each of which is furnished with three arms there being 18 of these masts which stand respectively for the letters B C D F G H J JC LM N P tQ R S T V vHil masts are utilized for long distance signal work i after the following plan 1 The disk at the top of the mast I indicates that signals are being made by the international code and It must remain there while so signalng I I is a large black disk with white rim 2 Any arm pointing downward represents I rep-resents a pennant 3 Any arm in a horizontal position represents a bal 4 Any arm pointing upward represents repre-sents a tag When the arms are idle they are invisible in-vIsible ling parallel with the masts The ensuing table wi give an idea of what the semaphore system is like t I l fc It t f J Q I F Tl < f K t v t L t p t t 11IESthWIIOREYSTE11 J I Th following alphabetical arrangement arrange-ment reveals a portion of the language used through the international code BAsk name of ship or signal insight in-sight CYes DNo FRepeat signal or hoist it i In a more conspicuous place G Cannot distinguish your flags Come nearer or make distance signals HYou may communicate by the semaphore if you please JStop or bring to Something to communicate K Have you any telegrams or dispatcheS dis-patches for meL me-L Want a pilot Can I have one M Want a tug Can I have one NWhat is the meteorological weather forecast sight ICall attention of signal station in QVessel asks for orders by telegraph tele-graph from owner Mr at R Report me by telegraph to my owner Mr at j i SSend the following message by telegraph TSend the following folowing message by signal letters through the telegraph Sorhe of the examples of the signals used in the code may be found as follows fol-lows most Twoflag signal with burgee upper 1 Attention or demand B D meaning What ship is that 2 H B meaning Vessels that wish to be reported all well show you distinguished dis-tinguished signals most Twoflag signal with pennant upper 3 Compass G T meaning north by west b permost Twoflag signal with square flag up 4 Urgent danger or distress X V meaning Im sinking 5 Urgent danger or distress P F meaning oant boats immediately Threeflag signal 6 General D S K meaning Do you come from any port putting you in I quarantine 7 General G L C meaning When were tude your last observations for lat S General H T F meaning During the monsoon I 9 General L P H meaning Will the sounding be a safe guide gide I lOr GeneralpP Q H meaning oTel my owner ship answers remarkably well i Fourflag signals with burgee uppermost I I upper-most mfit Geographical B N C W meaning i mean-ing Moreton Bay I Fourflag signal with pennant G uppermost i up-permost 1 12 Manofwar G T V R meaning i oH M ship Sultan I uppermost Fourflag c stgnal with square flag I 13 lerchant vessel K SI T V1 meaning The steamer Baltic of Liverpool Liver-pool I poolFourflag or Fourflag F uppermost signals with pennant C D I J 1 Vocabulary D V K S meaning The steamer Is getting ready to come Ii off to you 15 Vocabulary D N R K meaning What Is the premium of insurance The codtf In its total covers many pages Those signals that are classified classi-fied as urgent run from D H to S D The importance of these signals cannot can-not be overestimated and I may be well to state that they are never disregarded dis-regarded at tea In Instances of caution cau-tion distress or danger as well as when Indicating the intended port of a vessel or when crying out for aid in the case of fire leak or disablement or In any other of the wants that overtake over-take these floating ocean palaces the mighty service of the signal code is brought Into action The general sig ge geat agT nals embrace the flag F G or rr uppermost i permost when relating to latitude longitude time wind weather fog sea i ice storm nautical books and instruments i instru-ments i A fact deserving mention Is that which relates to the symbol N C this I being the special distress signal i adopted co baodl the merchant II shipping act of 1873 while the special i pilot signal is P < |
