commences: "In fog, mist, falling snow, or during heavy rain-storms, whether by day or night, the signals described in this article shall be used as follows." That is to say, it must be in a fog or in thick weather. Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, the intention of the committee is this: Under Article 19 the signal has been made compulsory, provided a vessel does a certain action, provided she starboards, or ports, or goes full speed astern; but while Article 19 has been made compulsory, it is not to be allowed except when the other vessel is in sight. The committee want to go beyond that. They will not allow the starboard or the port signal to be made to a vessel which is not in sight, but they see no reason why the signal "I am going full speed astern" should not be made whether the other vessel is in sight or not. You have already, under Article 12, told the vessel to stop her engines. Whether that will include that she will stop altogether will depend upon the captain. Suppose the captain goes full speed astern instead of merely stopping his way; why should he not indicate that action to the other vessel which is not in sight? You have already given him another signal: "You may feel your way past me with caution and I will stop by." So that it is all dove-tailed together.

Under Article 19 you have made it compulsory to give the signals for the port and the starboard tack. I think they can only be made when the vessel is in sight; but yet this third signal, I am going full speed astern, may be made. While I am speaking about this there is one alteration which has been made. I am not quite clear whether we had a discussion about it or not; but I think we did. I think that it came up in the Conference, that the term "I am" was not definite and we have altered it to "my engines" are going full speed astern. We have kept the three short blasts which have been in use for ages.

Captain MALMBERG (Sweden). Mr. President, I am still of the opinion that section e ought not to come into the regulations, because if a steamer, according to the first paragraph in this article, stops her engines and then goes astern, section b covers her situation as being stopped-no I am mistaken in that. However, I should not like to introduce into rules like these a manœuvre to be made by a steamer not having the other vessel in sight, as the issue of such a manœuvre may, in a fog, bring about a collision. The safest way in a fog is to lay the ship dead still and ascertain the position of the vessels in your vicinity. I still think that this subdivision e ought not to come into the article.

Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, I entirely agree with the last gentleman who has spoken. I think that some signal as provided in Article 19, to indicate that a vessel is going full speed astern, is very needful when two ships meet in a fog and approach each other to a point where they become visible. I think that signal would be a good one; but that case would be covered by Article 19. If the vessels are not in sight of each other it seems to me that no useful information can be conveyed by indicating that the ship is going full speed astern. That may be the direction to avoid a collision or it may be the direction to produce a collision.

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question? The Secretary will please read section e again for the information of the Conference.

Section e is as follows:

"(e) A steam-vessel, when her engines are going full speed astern, shall sound on her whistle three short blasts."

The question was put to the Conference upon section e of Article 12, and the Chair being unable to decide, the yeas and nays were called for. The yea-and-nay vote is as follows:

The PRESIDENT. Five have voted in the affirmative and fifteen in the

negative, so the paragraph is lost.

The next subject for consideration will be paragraph f. The Secretary will please read it.

Paragraph f is as follows:

“(f) A vessel, if a steam-vessel, at anchor in a fair-way at sea, shall, at intervals of not more than two minutes, sound two prolonged blasts with her whistle or siren, followed by ringing her bell; or, if a sailing vessel, two blasts with her fog-horn, followed by ringing her bell."

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I move to strike out the words "at sea." I think it is very important that vessels in a fog should know that there is anything in a fair-way, whether it is at sea or in narrow waters. I think that as our object is to make these rules applicable to all waters, we ought to leave out the words "at sea." I must confess that I think the reasons given for this signal on the part of the committee are very valuable and forcible. They point out the principle upon which the signal is chosen, and I must confess that their reasons lead me to think that it is not likely to be easily mistaken.

Captain MENSING (Germany). Mr. President, I can not see my way exactly to adopt the last amendment proposed. We have already, under Article 14, a rule which provides that a steam-ship and a sailing ship when not under way shall at intervals of not more than two minutes ring a bell. Now, we have got another rule saying that a vessel, if a steam-vessel, at anchor in a fair-way at sea, shall at intervals of not more than two minutes sound two prolonged blasts with her whistle or siren followed by ringing her bell. I don't know where the difference is. I do not understand the expression "a fair-way at sea," and I would like to have it changed to "open sea," so as to read, "at anchor in the open sea." I think that a distinction ought to be made, and that if a steam-ship is met anywhere where a person would not expect her to be at anchor, but where she is at anchor, that she should make a different signal from one that is anchored in a fair-way. Of course, one generally has in his eye those things which are happening in the home waters. For instance, there are at the mouths of the German rivers flats extending far out into the sea, where there are from 10 to 12 fathoms of water, perhaps 20 fathoms. It may be that a man-of-war in trying to make one of these ports drops her anchor. I think it would be an excellent thing to provide a signal for her. I do not see why upon going into fair-ways a steam-ship lying at anchor should make a different signal from a sailing vessel. I would like to propose that it should read " at anchor in the open sea."

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I think we could probably get over that difficulty by taking both the proposals "at anchor in a fair-way" or "at sea." I think it is much more important for a vessel, when she chooses to come to anchor in a fair-way in the mouth of a harbor, where she would be more dangerous, to give notice that she is there, than if she were at anchor in the open sea. But if it is necessary to give a signal at anchor in the open sea, we will get over that by putting in the words "or at sea.”

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I confess I do not understand the connection between section d of Article 12 as we adopted it the other day and subsection f of the committee's report, and I call the attention of the Conference to it. Subsection d provides that a steam-vessel or sailing vessel when at anchor shall at intervals of not more than one minute ring the bell rapidly or sound the gong for about five seconds. That is what was passed the other day. Now this is a proposition that a steam-vessel at anchor shall give an entirely different signal. The first provision covers every case of a vessel at anchor. There is difficulty in passing this amendment unless you make some other signal. Of course subsection d as originally passed is more comprehensive and embraces all cases. Is that intended? I ask for explanation, for it seems to me that we have fallen into somewhat of an error, which doubtless the committee can explain.

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, it is a very common thing for vessels, particularly in a fog, to let go their anchors and then, as we have explained before, they are in a most dangerous position, not only for themselves but for any passing vessel. We have given them a special signal. At present the law provides, practically, they can only ring the bell, although they are in a dangerous position and have got other means on board by which they can give a very much better signal. We propose to give them the most powerful signal that they have on board in addition to their bell. Now, we can not allow this signal to be used in any other place except where a vessel at anchor is an exceptional danger. The bell is quite sufficient, and perhaps more than sufficient, in a regular roadstead at sea, where we are expecting to find vessels at anchor, or in a harbor. When we go into harbor the bells are all around us, and some of them are very loud. If those vessels were also allowed to blow this prolonged blast, danger would be created instead of danger prevented. Whether our expression "in fair way at sea" is a good one I do not know. If it can be improved we shall be very happy to have it improved. But our intention is, in a navigable channel, where vessels do not usually anchor and where vessels navigating that fair-way would not expect to find a vessel at anchor, to give such vessel the very loudest sigual you can possibly give her. We have introduced the words "fair-way at sea" to prevent any vessel at anchor in a river or in a fair-way, where they are expected to anchor, from making these signals, which would be a nuisance and would be a cause of danger.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States), Mr. President, the difficulty, as I apprehend it, has not been made quite clear by the gallant delegate from Great Britain. The present regulation provides that a steam-ship or a sailing ship not under way shall at intervals of not more than two minutes ring the bell. That has been adopted by the Conference. The article reads: "A steam-vessel or a sailing vessel at anchor shall at intervals of not more than one minute ring the bell rapidly or sound the gong for about five seconds." The amendment which I have just read covers every case of a vessel at anchor, because it says a steam-vessel or a sailing vessel when at anchor. It covers every case. Now you want to limit it. You are trying to define another set of cases by the amendment proposed by the committee, that when a steam-vessel is at anchor in a fair-way at sea she shall sound an entirely different signal. If you want to adopt that principle you must change the rule as you have at present adopted it. One is comprehensive and embraces all cases, while the second embraces a separate case of a vessel at anchor in a fair-way at sea.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, the difficulty which has been pointed out by the learned delegate from the United States is perfectly correct. This, however, is purely a question of draughting. We can pass a rule for vessels at anchor and we can also pass a rule for vessels at anchor in a special place. That can be met by making a new clause in the former article and make it read as follows:

"A steam-vessel or sailing vessel when at anchor shall at intervals of not more than one minute ring the bell rapidly or sound the gong for about five seconds; but if such ships are at anchor in a fair-way, a steam-vessel, shall sound two prolonged blasts on her whistle before ringing her bell, and a sailing vessel shall give two prolonged blasts on her fog-horn before ringing the bell."

I think that the Collocation Committee will undertake to arrange that. We are very much obliged to the learned delegate from the United States for pointing this out.

Captain BISBEE (China). Mr. President, I propose the words "an exposed condition," because I have known of one of the most serious cases of collision where the vessel was out of a fair-way, but on account of the insufficiency of her bell a collision occurred and one hundred lives were lost. The words "fair-way" do not cover such a condition as that.

Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, while this additional signal may serve a good purpose, it seems to me that we are going against a principle which we adopted when we first commenced the consideration of the subject of fog-signals. We are multiplying the number of signals to be used in a fog. It seems to me that every vessel the moment she gets to soundings should follow the rule laid down by the Conference that she is to proceed at moderate speed; and consequently the danger to a vessel on soundings would be less than to a vessel stationary at sea, where it was not possible to come to anchor. Will the Conference look a little more closely at the signal which is provided here: "Two prolonged blasts with her whistle or siren, followed by ringing her bell." Now, it seems to me evident that the length of the warning given by this signal is limited by the range of the sound of her beli. Consequently the object which it is intended to secure by using the two prolonged blasts serves no purpose except to confound it with the case of a vessel which is described in subsection d. It is only when the vessel approaches one at anchor, to within the range of her sounding bell, that she becomes aware of the fact that it is a vessel at anchor and not a vessel which is lying still in the water. It seems to me that if we allow the rule to stand as it now exists, and which is re-affirmed in subsection d to Article 12, we shall have covered the case completely, and will not have multiplied the signals. We will have given all the warning of the presence of a vessel at anchor it is possible to give, so long as one of the limits of that signal is the ringing of her bell.

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, I had better explain how we came to choose this character or signal. The argument of the committee was this: On hearing a sound-signal of another vessel in a fog you have already ordered that the vessel hearing it is to stop her engines and proceed with caution. Then there is a provision that two blasts shall be: "I am stopped and have no way upon me." Now, it does not matter to me, when I am approaching a vessel, whether I hear two blasts given, coupled with the ringing of the bell, or whether I only hear the two blasts. I am proceeding with caution, and I have to proceed with caution until I get near enough to hear the bell. If I am not proceeding with caution it is of course a totally different thing; but a man must be proceeding with caution before he gets near enough to hear the bell. One of these long steamers swinging with the tide-way, instead