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Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, I think there will be a little rewording required here. Under Article 13, the Conference adopted the words, "a vessel has stopped her engines," and then, at my suggestion, Article 12 was reworded much in the same way. The expression in b as it stands now is, "stopped and having no way upon her." I may say at once that the majority of the committee wanted to insert these words at the time, but I thought that we were going against the opinion of the Conference. We shall be complying with the opinion of the Conference if we alter the words, "with engines stopped" and make it read, "stopped and having no way upon her." The PRESIDENT. If there be no objection, it will be so altered. Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I have one suggestion to make which I trust the committee will think is one that they can agree to and that is to use instead of the word "prolonged" the words "such long blasts." Having regard to the fact that a prolonged sounding of the whistle is a signal of distress, it is desirable that there be no doubt as to what the long blast should mean. If we should use the word "prolonged," as is suggested here, a man might be blowing his whistle for some very considerable time and it would be taken as a signal of distress. So I venture to suggest that the rule should read, "A steamvessel not at anchor, but stopped and having no way upon her, shall sound at intervals of not more than two minutes two such long blasts with an interval of about one second between them."

Admiral NAKES (Great Britain). Mr. President, I may say that the intention of the committee in altering this from two such long blasts into "two prolonged blasts" was in its connection with the short blast of one second's duration, more than in its connection with the long blast of four seconds' duration. I think the committee would be quite content to have it two long blasts, provided they are to be of four seconds' duration. The committee have provided this so that it could not be confounded with two short blasts, because there is no doubt of the fact that the custom is to make short blasts considerably longer than one second, and that custom prevails everywhere. Now, if we can bring the short blast down to one second, the duration we have already adopted, so as to be very unmistakable, then personally I see no objection to the change. But at present the short blasts are considerably longer than a second, and that is the reason why we wanted to define it very clearly as "two prolonged blasts." If it is customary to make these short blasts of two or three seconds' duration it will be a long time before they are brought down to the one second. If they do not make the blast of one second duration there will be a very confusing signal, because if a ship is giving two short blasts, indicating "I am putting my helm to starboard," and that the ship is turning to port, it will be confounded with this signal of a vessel being stopped altogether.

The PRESIDENT. Does the Chair understand that the delegate from Great Britain, who has just taken his seat, accepts the proposition of the delegate from Great Britain, who preceded him ?

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, I can scarcely accept it as chairman of the Sound-Signal Committee. If the other gentlemen accept it I am quite ready to do so. It is more, I think, a question for the Conference. We have given our reasons, and if the Conference think that the term "two such long blasts" will be distinct enough from the helm signal of two short blasts, very well.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I think we shall be able to suggest a wording which will relieve the Committee on Sound-Signals from any difficulty and from the possibility of the signals being mistaken for the starboard-helm signals, and that is by putting into this article what the Conference has already inserted at the end of Article 19: "The term short blast in this article shall mean a blast of about one second's duration." I think that will get over any possible objection which has been presented.

Captain SHACKFORD (United States). Mr. President, I trust that this word " prolonged" will be allowed to remain here. The ordinary port-helm signal blast in this country is from two to three seconds. They usually take that much time in sounding that blast. On sounding two blasts, my head is going to port, each blast occupies from two to three seconds and sometimes even longer. If this term " prolonged " should be permitted to remain the Conference, if it sees fit, might provide that a prolonged blast could be six or eight seconds to distinguish it from the other four-seconds blast.

The Conference thereupon took a recess until 2 o'clock.

AFTER RECESS.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, since the adjournment we have had an opportunity of considering the point which was raised by the delegate from the United States with regard to the great importance of avoiding any risk whatever of allowing this signal, which is now under discussion, to be confounded with the starboard helm signal; and with a view to that I have a proposition which I think will meet all the difficulties, and it is this: To make the long blasts or the prolonged blasts from four to six seconds. What I propose is this: To alter subsection a to make it read:

"A steam-ship under way shall make with her steam-whistle or other steam sound-signal, at intervals of not more than two minutes, a prolonged blast of from four to six seconds duration."

I want to follow the decision of the Conference as far as possible and yet to meet the difficulty pointed out by the delegate from France, so that if we increase the long blast or the prolonged blast to a blast of from four to six seconds duration, then in subsection b we can say: "Two such prolonged blasts, with an interval of about one second between

S. Ex. 53-51

them." Then I think we avoid the difficulty of the possibility of confounding this signal with the starboard helm signal.

The proposed amendments are as follows: Section a. A steam-vessel under way shall make on her whistle or other steam sound-signal, at intervals of not more than two minutes, a prolonged blast of from four to six seconds. Then subsection b will read: A steam-vessel not at anchor, but stopped and having no way upon her, shall sound at intervals of not more than two minutes two such prolonged blasts, with an interval of about one second between them.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, if the members of the Conference will refer to the thirty-eighth amendment under Article 12, as we originally adopted it, they will see how this article is to be worded. Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Will you kindly read the words? Mr. GOODRICH (United States). A steam-ship under way shall make with her steam whistle or other steam sound-signal, at intervals of not more than two minutes, a long blast of about four seconds' duration.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, that is the way it was originally worded, and now we propose to alter that. I will read it again: A steam-vessel under way shall make with her whistle or siren, at intervals of not more than two minutes, a prolonged blast of from four to six seconds' duration. Then section 6 will read: A steam-vessel not at anchor, etc., shall sound at intervals of not more than two minutes two such prolonged blasts with an interval of about one second between them.

Captain SHACKFORD (United States). Mr. President, I should be very glad to accept that, if the change is made in section a of Article 12. Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I would suggest to the learned delegate from Great Britain, that it would be wise, for the purpose of bringing up the question, to move to reconsider section a, Article 12.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I am very much obliged to the learned delegate from the United States for pointing that out to me. I move that Article 12, section a, be reconsidered by the Confer

ence.

The PRESIDENT. It is moved by the delegate from Great Britain that section a, Article 12, be reconsidered.

Captain VAN STEYN (The Netherlands). Mr. President, I wish to state that I heartily agree with that portion of the article which pro. vides for the duration of the signal, because that would meet with the amendment proposed by the delegates from The Netherlands. We proposed that the duration of the blast should be eight seconds.

The PRESIDENT. The question is upon the motion to reconsider section a, Article 12.

The question was put to the Conference upon the question as to the reconsideration of section a, Article 12, and the question was carried. The PRESIDENT. The amendment of the delegate from Great Britain will be read.

The amendment is as follows:

"ART. 12, paragraph a. A steam-ship under way shall make with her whistle or siren, at intervals of not more than two minutes, a prolonged blast of from four to six seconds' duration."

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, I will point out that that should read "a steam-vessel" and not a steam-ship.

The PRESIDENT. The question now is upon the amendment of the delegate from Great Britain to Article 12, paragraph a.

The question was put to the Conference upon the amendment to Article 12, paragraph a, and it was adopted.

The PRESIDENT. The delegate from Great Britain now has an amendment to paragraph b, Article 12. Section b, as amended, will be read again for the information of the Conference.

Article 12, paragraph b, is as follows:

"(b) A steam-vessel not at anchor, but stopped and having no way upon her, shall sound, at intervals of not more than two minutes, two such prolonged blasts with an interval of about one second between them."

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question?

The question was put to the Conference upon the adoption of paragraph b, Article 12, and it was carried.

The PRESIDENT. The next subject for consideration is section c. Admiral NARES (Great Britain). There is no change in section c. The SECRETARY. When the Report was submitted you stated that the word "short" should be inserted before the word "blast" and "blasts."

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, we propose to deal with that at the end of the article in a general definition as we have done in Article 19, and to provide that the term "short blast" in this article shall mean a blast of about one second's duration. It is only in order to make it appear that the blast should be made as short as possible.

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, the committee, as I informed the Conference the other day, had left out that proposal. The committee has already decided that the signal for the starboard and port tack ought to be made compulsory, and therefore we have proposed that, as these signals will now be incorporated under Article 12, they should be worded so as to include the short blast and so that there will be no mistake about it. I think thatif the Secretary will read what we have proposed the Conference will understand it.

The PRESIDENT. The Secretary will please read section c.
Section c, Article 12, is as follows:

"(c) A sailing ship under way shall make with her fog-horn at intervals of not more than two minutes when on the starboard tack one short blast, when on the port tack two short blasts in succession, and when the wind is abaft the beam, three short blasts in succession."

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr. President, there is a chance of the fog-horn being mistaken for the whistle, and we have thought it better to define it as a short blast, to make it quite distinct. The foghorn may be mistaken for the fog-siren or fog-whistle of a steamer, which is the reason we propose to put in "short."

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question upon section c, which has just been read?

Captain MENSING (Germany). Mr. President, I believe that it is not necessary to insert the word "short." I have been told that there are some of these instruments, devised for use on board of sailing vessels, which are more in conformity with the siren than the fog-horn. I would like to know whether the word "fog-horn," as used here, would cover all these instruments?

Admiral NARES (Great Britain). Mr President, if it is necessary to put in the word "mechanical" we can do so. Still, the words "her fog-horn" would include a mechanical fog-horn. We report to you that the fog-horns which are coming rapidly into use will be capable of producing long sounds and short sounds. Up to the present time they have been making only short sounds, and therefore the well known signals to be used for the starboard and port tack and for running free have been short blasts. We think now, when they will be able to give long sounds, that it will be just as well for us to prevent them from doing so, and to state definitely what the signal is to be. They will be able to make long ones, but it will be better on the whole to make them short to agree with the other signals.

The PRESIDENT. The question is upon section c. The Secretary will please read it again for the information of the Conference.

Section c is as follows:

"(c) A sailing ship under way shall make with her fog-horn, at intervals of not more than two minutes when on the starboard tack, one short blast, when on the port tack two short blasts in succession, and when the wind is abaft the beam three short blasts in succession."

Captain SHACKFORD (United States.) Mr. President, I do not think this question of a short blast on a fog-horn has come up here before the Conference or before the Committee on Fog-Signals, and I would like to know if they propose to fix the short blast at only one second. It seems to me that a blast of one second is quite insufficient with a foghorn used by sailing vessels.

Mr. HALL (Great Britain). Mr. President, This is referred to in the report of the committee, on page 2, where they say, "One, two, or three sound blasts on a fog-horn are already in use by sailing vessels under way." It is not laid down what the length of these blasts should be, but by the construction of the fog-horn used in the past they are necessa rily short blasts of equal duration; we submit that they should be so regulated and termed short blasts; so that the committee has considered the matter very carefully and is only carrying out the suggestion of the Conference that these words are put in.

Captain SHACKFORD (United States). Mr. President, I think that

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