of presenting 40 or 50 feet to a vessel going the opposite way, is presenting 500 feet, and there is ten times the chance of a collision. In addition to that there are many fishing-boats which anchor in a fairway, and it was very much in their favor that this was adopted. At present the law only provides that they shall ring their bells. They have a fog-horn on board; why not let them give the fog-signal at present approved to show that they are stationary or stopped; the additional signal of a bell is to show that they are not only stationary and stopped but fast to the ground.

Captain DONNER (Germany). Mr. President, there seems to be one more reason for adopting this section, because if two ships are near together and a double signal is given to the ship which has stopped her engines, both of these ships think that they are perfectly safe and that one can not approach the other. But that is not really the case, because if one ship is at anchor the other will be swept down on her by the tide, and a collision will be inevitable. Therefore, there is a great necessity for the ship not being at anchor to know that the other ship is held fast to the ground. Therefore, I propose that this amendment be adopted.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, may I also point out just one matter to the gallant delegate from the United States which I think may possibly have escaped his notice, and that is this: Take a vessel coming up a fair-way in a place where she knows that there is anchorage on either side of the fair-way where vessels bring up, as is the case in many of our rivers; if she merely hears the ringing of a bell she will say to herself: "This vessel is in the anchorage ground. I will go by her." Vessels are sometimes obliged to drop their anchors actually in a fair-way when a fog comes on quickly, and they are unable to move. In that case the vessel should be allowed to give the warning: "You must not go up this fair-way; there is a vessel giving you a signal that she is at anchor in that fair-way, and if you proceed you will do so at your peril."

Captain RICHARD (France). Mr. President, when the committee drew up this paragraph it evidently had in mind the necessity of giving to a vessel anchored in a frequented fair-way, more than ordinarily efficient means to give notice of her presence. I willingly admit that the ordinary means are insufficient; and although I protest against this classifying of vessels at anchor, I would have no objection to the principle of the proposition, if this new provision were characterized by a proper sound-signal. This would require a perfectly distinct and entirely new signal. Certainly the committee has shown great ingenuity in drawing all the possible advantage from the sound-signals at their disposition. I think that they have even gone too far in that respect. The bell formerly indicated that the vessel was at anchor. This was a characteristic of it, in the same manner that the whistle indicated the vessel under way. This sensible arrangement has been upset.

The gallant delegate from the United States just now remarked that the signal of two long blasts, followed by a ringing of a bell, indicated the position of the vessel making those sounds only so far as the sound of the bell could be carried, and beyond that confounded it with that of the vessel not under way, stopped, but not anchored. Can not something similar be prescribed for the sailing vessel at anchor in a frequented fair-way? She makes two blasts with her fog-horn and then rings the bell. These instruments are not generally very powerful, and the said signal is not calculated to be heard at a great distance. When it is heard vessels are generally close together, and by reason of the difficulty of discovering the spot from whence the sounds of two different apparatus proceed, is it not easy to suppose that your vessel is in the presence both of a sailing vessel on a port tack, and of a vessel at anchor? If you are at a short distance from the signaling vessel you are in danger of seeing a sailing vessel looming up on the port tack and also a vessel at anchor.

I again repeat that the committee showed great ingenuity in devising so many signals by coupling sounds which for that purpose have been diverted from their original meaning. In my opinion it has resulted in sowing the seed of confusion, which should have been avoided.

I therefore propose to the Conference to make paragraph 7 undergo the same fate as paragraph 6, by suppressing it.

Captain SAMPSON (United States). Mr. President, it seems to me that, as the gallant delegate from France has stated, this rule lacks precision not only in the signal which is given, but it lacks precision with regard to the place where it applies. The learned delegate from Great Britain has stated the case of the ship which is forced to anchor in a channel in a fair-way, and he says that the ordinary signal of ringing the bell might be mistaken for a vessel anchored in the usual place, adjacent to the fair-way. A vessel has no business to anchor in a fair-way when the usual anchorage is near at hand. It seems to me that the spirit of this regulation is not quite so well defined as the others which we have adopted. The vessel would, in many cases, be in doubt whether or not she was anchored in a place which required her to make use of this signal.

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, it is a mistake to suppose that in a fog a vessel which is in a fair-way, in a channel, or in a line of route, can, with safety, put her helm to starboard or port and cross the channel or the course of navigation, thus exhibiting her whole broadside. She must anchor where she is, and if the soundings tell her that there is shallow water in-shore, she can not go towards the shore. She must keep her course straight on, as she was going before, or she must let go her anchor. She can not safely present her broadside to the general line of navigation or go towards the shore.

Captain SHACKFORD (United States). Mr. President, I would like to ask how, after a vessel has been two or three days in a fog, it is possible to tell whether she is in a fair-way or not. She may be in a fair-way and she may not.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, after all, it seems to me that the more we discuss this question the more apparent it becomes that we are making a mistake in providing these two signals. I speak only with a landsman's knowledge and not with a sailor's knowledge of the circumstances of the case. I am not entirely clear that the rule as we have adopted it is fixed to cover all cases; but I am growing more strong in the belief that one signal, either the signal in the old rule or the signal in the proposed rule, should be adopted for a vessel at anchor under all circumstances, whether in a fair-way or elsewhere. I am very strongly impressed with the remark of my colleague a moment since that a vessel is not able to tell always whether she is in a fair-way or not. The very case cited by the learned delegate from Great Britain is an indication that it is not always certain where the vessel is or what her duty is. It seems to me that there should be one signal for a vessel at anchor under all circumstances. We certainly avoid the multiplicity of the signals by that arrangement. We avoid the possibility of the sailor mistaking the signal which he ought to give. If the signal which we have already adopted, in the judgment of sailors, is not sufficient, then change it for the one in the rule presented by the committee; but it seems to me that you had better have one signal for vessels at anchor. Mr. CARTER (Hawaii.) Mr. President, may I point out to the learned delegate from the United States that we have one signal for vessels at anchor under all conditions. Now it has been clearly shown that there are conditions which require a signal to show that a vessel is anchored under unusual conditions, anchored in a place where she is not expected to be anchored. I move to substitute for this subsection f, an addition to subsection d, as follows: "When a vessel is at anchor in a fair-way or other exposed position."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, let us see what will be the practical result. What does the approaching vessel want to know? Whether she is in a fair-way at sea or on soundings, or in a fairway in a river or in a strait? She simply wants to know that a vessel is at anchor there. Now, tell her that. Tell her by one signal. Why do you want two signals? You multiply the danger of misunderstanding the signals by having a number of them. All that she wants to know, it seems to me, is that there is a vessel ahead of her at anchor. Whether she is at anchor in a fair-way, the approaching ship can tell. The man who is on the approaching vessel knows whether he is in a fairway at sea or in a river, and it is not necessary that the anchored vessel should add to that stock of knowledge a fact which he already knows.

Mr. CARTER (Hawaii). Mr. President, may I point out to the learned delegate from the United States that it seems to me there is some difference here. A vessel is anchored on usual anchorage ground, in a fog; the approaching vessel will come at a slow speed, and of course will get near enough to hear the bell before there is any danger of a collision. Now, if a vessel is at anchor off the mouth of a river or in a fairway, she should be allowed to give a signal which will notify the approaching vessel long before the bell can notify her. That will lead the other vessel, naturally, to approach more slowly until she comes near enough to hear the bell signal.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, the difficulty with that is, that my learned friend, the delegate from Hawaii, supposes that the vessel which is at sea disobeys the rule which we enact. Now, do not forget this: You are directing a vessel in the open sea in a fog to do precisely the same thing that you are directing a vessel on the coast or in a crowded way to do; that is, to go at a moderate speed and to proceed with caution when she hears a signal. This is a duty which you impose upon her in a crowded fair-way and you do not impose any other duty in a crowded fair-way than you impose when the vessel is upon the broad sea. Now all that vessel wants to know, it seems to me, is that there is an object ahead of her and that it is stationary. Just as you put up the white light to indicate in a clear night that there is danger ahead, so you could have a signal to indicate to an approaching vessel that there is a stationary object ahead.

Captain MENSING (Germany). Mr. President, when the gallant delegate from China spoke before, he mentioned that he thought the amendment might be necessary because he knew of a case where a ship had been in a very exposed position and could only ring her bell, which was not sufficient to prevent a collision and the loss of a hundred lives. I would like to call attention to the fact that we have already adopted the signal of a gun, by which we call the attention of an approaching vessel in all such cases. I do not think it will be necessary to have this signal, and as has been pointed out by a great many delegates, this rule is not exactly necessary for any other vessel than such as are in an exposed position. Now, if a ship in an exposed position finds that another ship is near her, she has already the right to fire a gun and so warn the other ship which is coming near. The difficulty in adopting the amendment proposed by the learned delegate from Hawaii is that if we adopt his words any steam-vessel at anchor would have to ring her bell and at the same time blow her whistle, which, I think, might lead to confusion. Although I have been in favor of this amendment before, I must declare that I see a great many difficulties which have been pointed out and which have not been set right by the gentleman who proposed it.

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, may I speak in answer to what has fallen from the learned delegate from the United States? In a fog we are to conduct our vessels with caution, and he argues as if we are both in calm waters and have merely to look after the rate of speed. This signal is specially directed to the case where we are at anchor in a tide-way, of perhaps 4 or 7 knots an hour. Whatever precautions people take, when they only hear the present signal, they do not know whether the vessel is at anchor or not. What they want to know is that the vessel is at anchor in a place where vessels do not generally anchor, and then we know the tide, and we are able to calculate. If the tide is running past this vessel at anchor at 5 knots an hour, I may, although my vessel is not moving through the water, drift into her at the rate of 5 knots an hour.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I have listened with great interest to the observations which have fallen from the various members of the Conference, and I only desire to say one or two words. The Conference has adhered to the principle adopted in its original resolution not to extend this system of signals in fog to the very great extent which was proposed by some gentlemen. We now see how very difficult it is to find one or two fresh signals. It is not a question of having thirty-two signals or forty-eight signals, but we now find ourselves at our wits' ends, almost, to find two fresh signals for use in a fog. I have listened with great attention to what has fallen from the various speakers, and I must confess that I have not heard anything as yet which has induced me to change my opinion that this is a good signal to indicate that a vessel is at anchor in a place where it would not be expected that she would be at anchor. Such information would be a great assistance to people who are navigating in a fog.

I have been considering whether I could devise some form of words which would meet the objections which have been made. I have already pointed out the case of a vessel being at anchor in a fair-way, and that a man in charge of a vessel coming up that fair-way or channel hearing the ordinary bell might at once think that the vessel was at anchor on either side of the channel, whereas that vessel might be at anchor blocking up the passage. There might be other cases, as, for instance, a steamer without steam on, or a vessel not under command, bringing herself to anchor. I think it is desirable for us to point out as specifically as we can all the cases which we desire to meet, and not merely the case which would possibly be included in the words "in a fair-way." I would suggest this: "If such a vessel is not in the ordinary anchorage ground, or is in such a position as to be in the way of vessels using the ordinary channel, then she shall give these signals." I think that would include, so far as I can see, the case of a vessel anchored in a place where it is not expected to find her. So far as I can see, I think it is very desirable that a vessel which is at anchor in such a place should give some warning of her being there beyond merely the ringing of her bell.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I have listened, as usual, with a great deal of respect and attention to the first delegate from Great Britain upon these topics, but I fail to be convinced that I am in error in the position which I have taken upon this rule. We have adopted the principle in making these rules to have them perfectly plain

S. Ex. 53-52