SIGNALING
1755 SIGNAL SERVICE, UNITED STATES
the safe-conduct he had granted to Hus, and so allowing him to be burned by his enemies. His succession to the throne of Bohemia after his brother's death was opposed by the Hussites, and he only secured it after making concessions a year before his death, which took place on Dec. 9,
1437-
Sig'naling, any means of sending intelligence to a distance by sight or sound. The earliest signals in war were by means of torches and beacon-lights. Ships depend upon a system of flags, varying in arrangement, color and shape. What is known as The International Code of Signals, prepared in 1857, has been adopted by nearly all nations. It uses 18 flags, with which 78,000 different signals can be given, using no more than four flags at a time. The flags are blue, red, yellow or white, and square or long and pointed, called pennants. When a square flag is uppermost, it is a danger-signal. Some of the flags are used as letters, and so spell out words. At night, red, green and white lights are used instead of the colored flags, and ships in danger fire cannon and send off rockets. In fog, mist and snow-storms vessels at anchor ring a bell; a steamer moving blows its whistle; sailing-vessels use a horn, all at least once in every two minutes. The signals and their meaning are published in the signal-book, and copies are made in the different languages of the nations using the system.
Sig'nal-Ser'vice, United States. There are three authorized systems of signaling: those of the army, of the navy and of the weather-bureau.
In the army the value of a thorough system was readily seen. In 1860 an appropriation was made to introduce field-signaling under the charge of an officer with the rank of major. In 1863 the signal-corps was placed entirely in the care of a chief with the rank of colonel. In 1870 a meteorological division was added, and in 1891 this was transferred from the war to the agricultural department. There is a school of instruction in military signaling at Fort Riley, Kansas, where, in a course of six months,
sorts of apparatus, consisting of flags, the heliograph, the field-telegraph and telephone trains, used by day; and torches, lanterns, rockets, bombs and search-lights, used by night. The code used in visual signaling is based upon the Morse system of dots and dashes.
In the navv the General Signal-Book and the Fleet Drill-Book contain the code of day and night signals, so that, in order to send a certain message, it is necessary only to hoist flags representing the number of that message in the proper volume. At
Information Signal Easterly winds, Westerly winds,,
NE. winds;
SE. winds)
NW. winds
SW. winds
[At night, red and wktte lanterns replace
night, in place of flags, red and green fireballs are shot into the air to serve the same purpose. For long-distance signaling electric lights are used, and it is even possible to signal a ship below the horizon by casting searchlights upon the clouds.
The weather-bureau has perfected a system of signals by which it can publish the weather-forecasts. Throughout the country are stationed agents who observe the indications of the weather and telegraph forecasts to thousands of towns and cities which then display the appropriate flag, chosen singly or in combination from among the preceding. Temperature is forecasted by placing a black flag above the weather-flag for higher, and below the weather-flag for lower, temperature. The approach of a cold wave is announced by displaying the above flag.
Along the seacoasts and on the Great Lakes the following flags signify the approach of dangerous winds:
When storms of exceptional violence are feared, the news is spread through the aid of rockets, whistles and other signals. The reports of the weather-bureau are given wide publicity, chiefly in the pages of the daily newspapers^.
White Flap with black square in center
Cold Wave
White Flag, Blue Flag,
White and Blue . Flag
Clear or fair Weather
Rain or Snow.
WHITE
Local Rains
are given thorough knowledge of all the codes and the practical use of the various
[Temperature I signal
.Black Triangular - F'ajJ
When displayed in connect! un with the. Stojm Signal.
When displayed in connection with, the Storm Signal*
Storm Signal.
