' For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle ?" UNTIL the year 1873, vast as were the interests at stake, there was no recognised system of night signals to be shown by vessels in distress when in need of aid.

Loss of lives and of valuable property was an almost daily occurrence through ships being wrecked, or foundering, or coming into collision with each other; yet the maritime authorities of this and other countries and the owners of shipping were contented with the vague and simple cry of alarm in the shape of a mere light, a flare, a burning tar-barrel; or, in a com- paratively few of the larger class of ships, that of a rocket or a signal gun; and doubtless many and many a vessel, large and small, was lost for want of. some re- cognised signal which should denote that life or property, or both, were endangered.

Other maritime nations appear to have left the initiative to be taken by this country, as recognised chief of maritime nations, whilst we, with our habitual im- mobility, seem to have waited until some great catastrophe, or series of catastrophes, should awaken us from our lethargy and occasion some serious effort to reduce in amount the loss of lives and ships at sea.

At last such a catastrophe occurred on the 22nd January, 1873, when the English emigrant ship Northfleet was run into during the night, whilst at anchor off Dungeness, fcy the Spanish steamer Mu- rillo, and shortly after foundered; nearly 400 of those on board her being drowned on the occasion, although she was sur- rounded by other ships, and the rockets which she discharged as signals of distress were seen by the coastguard and Life- boatmen on shore, but were unheeded; it being a common custom for homeward bound ships to discharge rockets as signals for pilots, or as feux de joie on their safe return from distant lauds.

Before the expiration of the year a formula of " Signals of Distress " was in- cluded in the new " Merchant Shipping Act of 1873," and which came into opera- tion on the 1st November of that year.

Those signals have now an international character, having been adopted by most other countries. We printed a copy of them in the 90th Number of this Journal (the November Number of 1873). We now, however, introduce them to our readers again, the better to exemplify our present remarks.

In our 78th Number (November 1870), in an article on " Night Danger-Signals," in which we urged the importance of establishing some universal system of " Signals of Distress," we pointed out the great advantage that would accrue if in any such system a clearly defined distinc- tion were to be made between signals representing danger to life and those sig- nifying danger to property only.

Thus, for want of such distinction, a steam tug or hovelling boat might proceed to a wrecked vessel on an outlying bank, in reply to signals of distress, to find on arrival at the scene of the disaster that she was fast breaking up, with her crew clinging or lashed to her rigging, and a heavy broken sea all around, into which neither tug nor hovelling boat could be safely taken, and there being no time then to return to the shore, many miles distant, to bring out the Life-boat to save the ill- fated crew.

Or again, as repeatedly happens every year, a signal of distress is seen from the shore, proceeding either from a vessel on an outlying bank, or from one which has been in collision with another vessel, or from one of the light-ships which are moored near the most dangerous banks; the Life-boatmen know not if lives are at stake, but dare not run the risk of their being lost for want of their aid, and reach the spot whence the signals have proceeded only to find that their own services are declined, and to be told that they may send off a steam tug to tow them into port. In this manner very large sums, amounting in some years to hundreds of pounds, are unnecessarily expended from the funds of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

In the article above referred to, we sug- gested that a simple and unmistakable distinction, such as we have indicated, could be readily found by adaptation of the two coloured lights, red and green, already in use on board all ships to enable other vessels to ascertain their position and the direction of their course. We proposed that red, as the blood colour, should be universally made to signify danger to life, whether in the shape of a simple red light, shown from a lantern, or of a rocket bursting with a red star, or of any other description of firework, as a night signal; and a red flag by day; whilst green should represent danger to property only.

The want of some such distinction con- tinues to be felt, and although it has not been adopted by the Board of Trade, we still think that no simpler or more efficacious system could be devised.

On examination of the present inter- national system inaugurated by the Eng- lish Board of Trade, as shown on the next page, it will be observed that no attempt is made, by any mark of distinc- tion whatever, to show whether aid is required to save life or property; it is merely an inarticulate cry of distress; but distinct and separate signals by night and day are defined to be shown when the services of a pilot are needed.

The night distress signals are— 1. A gun fired at intervals of about a minute.

2. Flames on the ship (as from a burn- ing tar barrel, oil barrel, &c.).

3. Rockets or shells of any colour or description fired one at a time at short intervals.

The Act further decrees that if any master of a vessel should exhibit any of the above signals without being really in distress, he shall be liable to pay com- pensation for any labour, risk, or loss occasioned by his doing so, which ex- penses, however, they have persistently resisted.

As far as they go, these signals may be sufficient, but they do not meet the evil of which we complain, which a distinction i of colour would do.

An experienced officer, Captain W. M.

j PENGELLEY, of H.M. late Indian Navy, i and now Dock Master at Penarth, a Port of I Cardiff, has suggested the adoption of the familiar pyrotechnic light, called a "Roman Candle/' in lieu of the rocket, as being much more easily managed in small vessels and boats, and we think there is much force in his argument.

" Roman Candles" throw up a series of fire-balls to a considerable height at short intervals between each, and, being unlike any other description of firework, would be very readily distinguishable, whilst they would undoubtedly be much easier ignited and managed than a rocket, which requires to be adjusted to its staff, and will sometimes separate from it before attaining any height in the air, by which its flight is curtailed.

In truth, rockets are practically useless on board small merchant vessels and boats.

Captain PENGELLEY proposes that the balls thrown up should be detonating; which might be an advantage when the help required was not more than one or two miles distant; but combined with the system we have suggested, the fire-balls thrown up being red and green, the latter to be used when property only was at stake, and the former when a Life-boat's aid was required, we think they would be admirably calculated to effect the de- sired object. In fact, the definition by colour might be usefully still further ex- tended ; thus green fire-balls might signify that towing help was needed; blue ones, a pilot; plain or white ones, men and boats, and red ones a Life-boat's help; whilst rockets bursting with single stars of simi- lar colours might have the same signifi- cation.

As stated above, the subject is one of vital interest, seeing that lives may at any time be lost through the wrong instead of the right description of help being sent during the night. But it is also a matter of very serious interest to the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION; and, on that account alone, we feel fully justified in returning to it, seeing that the funds of the Institution are provided by the British public and that they ought not to be unnecessarily wasted. Yet at any moment of the night, at any time of the year, for want of some such distinctive signals as we have suggested, as many as three, or even four Life-boats, in the loca- lity of outlying banks, such as the Goodwin and those on the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, may be launched in reply to a signal of distress, at an average total expense of 60Z.

On both accounts, therefore, we think the time has come for a revision of the night signals established by the Merchant Shipping Act, 1873. We acknowledge that it would be a serious evil to change any system of signals except at long in- tervals of time, just as it would be so to change the character or position of light- houses or light-ships; but, on the other hand, when an evil or an imperfection is fully established it would equally be a folly, from a mere spirit of conservatism, to perpetuate it. We therefore earnestly invite the attention of ship-companies, firms, and individual shipowners, and above all of the .Marine Department of the Board of Trade, to the subject, with a view to its serious reconsideration, and, if practicable, to a revised and improved system of night " Signals of Distress." We cannot better define the principles which we think should be kept in view in any such revision than in the following sentences which we wrote in the former article on this subject in our 89th number:— " 1st. It is indispensable that signals of distress should be few in number and readily distinguishable from all other sig- nals, especially those shown in the night; since persons having to interpret them on the land would in general have no code of signals to refer to, but would have to trust to their memories alone.

" 2ndly. They should not be of an ex- pensive or unwieldy character, or of a kind requiring skilfulness in their use, or they would not be available for all classes of vessels.

" 3rdly. It would be desirable, as far as possible, to utilise articles already on board rather than to provide new ones unavailable for any other use.".