EARLY in the morning of 22nd August the Selsey Motor Life-boat was launched iu answer to signals from what appeared to be a vessel in distress off Bognor.

She cruised about for three hours, but could find no sign of any vessel. The; only explanation seemed to be that the supposed flares were the head- lights of a motor car close to the sea- shore.

In. February of last year a similar mistake occurred at Skegness, when a bonfire on land was reported to the Life-boat Station as a vessel on fire at sea. There have, of course, been other cases, and, as the Journal of Commerce.

pointed out in commenting on the Selsey case, the distress signal which is unmistakable has still to be invented, It also told a story of a lighthouse which flew an urgent signal, " Am being attacked by savages " (the signal is FJW, VIB), and when help was sent out it was discovered that the flags were the initials of the keeper's little son, whose birthday it was.'