NIGHT SIGNALLING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 718, 18 January 1910, Page 6

NIGHT SIGNALLING.

■ THE MOESE, CODE • ; . view'■ of: the ,intontiojii of 'the Har 1 -' bour Board to . adopt, the Morse • system for ■ night "signalling during' the 'present: year,, it. is interesting to note. tho steps that have already beau taken in the matter. 'Mr. J! Marchbanks,, the boajd's engineer, 'says ih'.his' annual. report :—"By direction' of the Board/.-and in accordance; mth •' the recommendations ; of -the'.tukrbbdrnuster, some... slight 1 alterations were made to the night'.signalling .apparatus which was installed, last', year. At the same time"advantage ,was' taken to alter the indicating lights on'the vari'qus wharves so as to make them ..uniform with the siguid lights exhibited from,the tower. ' An .elMtric lamp,'. with , the necessary: Morse' key .Tras-'fixed above the tower at the. Queen's ' Wharf,., to enable commnnication to be maintained be:tween the riiore stream! 'the', signalmen' !have 'alk) been furnished with hand signalling lamps. A Mcrso signalling ' apparatus . lias , been placed on the • dredge Whakarire.'' At 'Beacon ' Hill an ordinary, hand ;iafiip is at present;'in use,'but a powerful•'acolyileno lamp is .being lifted'up .'for that , station.' The signalling .'from Beacon Hill, could be' rendered much'; more effective .if the eleotric ligbt wires were run to ■that station,, biit .the cost of.installation would be,- high; ,The introduction of Morse signaling'has already been of considerable ben'efit to the Harbourmaster's 'Department,' and ,to ;poirt. The '.-Wellington'Harbour - Board'. ! is, so'far.-'as lam aware,, the only board in , New .-Zealand 1 which.-'lias at,-present this system in "effective use for night signalling. / A private : telephone .wire has'been run frbm - Beacoh'- HilDto Mount ■Victoria, and.; should;be of. considerable service, .particularly in rough weathor. ' .The .harbourm'aster (Captain Johnson), ' in his report,' states that shipmasters appreciats the, board's action in' bringing the' Morse, system into-use "at; this: port,, and since its inauguration the constant use of the signals' is 'ample' evidence : of its ['convenience arid usefulness';to the' ship-' I ping,' and people in .connection with the I shipping; ' He .adds- that gi;oat credit is due to the signalmen at Beacon Hill and the Queen's Wliarf for the manner in which" they hove applied,; themselves in acquiring an accurate knowledge of this particular' systein in th'o short ..Rm'e oftui(aan,: