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rhe Common Language in Which Sailors Talk to Each Other at Sea. How Bussians or Turks May Warn Americans or Mexicans of Danger. _] Secrets and Mysteries of the International Signal Code Made Clear to All. Every nation send'* a large portion of its subjects to sea, and these vessels have constant occasion to talk to each other. An outward-bound ship being met by a homeward-bound vessel wishes to be reported upon the arrival of the latter. The commander of a naval fleet has no aid-de-camp to ride in a saddle from frig-ate to frigate, ¦ and he must depend on his flag code to secure co-operation and obedience. A vessel in distress needs aid from another vessel, or from the shore station, and gets it by the j simple code which we set forth in this article. SPEECH AT SEA 1 is as necessary as telegraphy on land, and civilization for centuries has sought to per-fect a system of sea signals. The history * of this effort proves how largely men have I devised plans to meet the necessities whose realty is evidenced by the many systems which have been tried in turn. The (English) Admiralty Code was promulgated in 1808, Lynn's in 18^0, Squires' in 1820, another Admiralty in 182G, Phillips' in 1880, I Rohdhe's in 1S3G, Baper's in 1828, Walker's ¦i*r 1841, Roger's American Code in 1854, I Reynold's French Code in 1855, Marryatt's in 1854, and several other systems, all of which show a real need. The United States has 27,000 vessels at sea, England has twice as many, while a look at the flags which are universally floating in port on Sunday show how many men earn their bread in all nations at sea. The code we propose to describe was devised by the English Board of Trade, a body which is supreme in all ENGLISH SEA-GOING AFFAIRS. The considerations that led to its adoption by the B oard of Trade are expressed in its report to the Lords of the Privy Council for Traae Sept. 24, 1856: 1. The code ought to be comprehensive and clear, and rot expensive. . It ought to provide for not less than 20,000 distinct signals, and should, besides, be capable of designating not less than 50,000 ships, with power of extension. 3. It should express the nature of the sgual by the combination of the signs employed, and the more important signals should be expressed by the more simple combinations. 4. A signal should not consist of more than four fags atone hoist. 5. Signals should be made complete in one hoist, in one place. 6. Signals should have the same meaning where-ever shown. 7. The signal boot should be so arranged in classes as to admit of the subject being readily referred to, and provision should be made for future additions. 8. The code should be so framed as to be capable of adaptation for international communication. This quotation accurately describes the gode which is in use by vessels of the United i i tea, Fiance, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Sweden u: I Norway, Bavaria, Greece, Switzerland, Portu- Denmark, England, Austria, Prussia. Russia, and other nations. If a vessel of any nation were to approach the Chicago taar- tife-saving station in the harbor could talk all day with it. If the captain of a Russian vessel should come to anchor in the basin, Captain St. Peter, of the life-saving station, could say anything he wished, if tiie Russian knew not ii word of English and Captain St. Peter knew no Russian. THE SECRET IS SIMPLE ENOUGH. Color and form are the same to all eyes the world over, and the hoist of two or three or of four flags of prescribed form have a universal meaning to whatever eye beholds them. A code may have as many different flags, and as many iii a hoist, as the nations agree upon. In this international code Ave describe it was agreed to have nineteen flags, and to limit the hoist to four at a time. There maybe less, but never more, than four. The number in a hoist serves to designate the nature of the message. Two alone mean danger or emergen cy. Three at a hoist have another nature, d by the -¦ nape of the uppermost flag. Hoists of four designate other subjects, us we shall presently explain. Eighteen flags, with nevermore than four shown at a time, arc capable of exhibiting 78,642 separate messages, a given flag never being used more than once in the same message. The signal book prescribes about 70,-000 messages, room being left for extension to the larger number we name. The flags are as follows in form. It is impossible to print them here in white, blue, yellow, and red, as they appear in actual use. A description as to colors appears below the engravings. First is the "code pennant." When a vessel wishes to open communication with shore or another vessel she sets her national flag with the following flag beneath it. This is the signal that - THE VESSEL, PROPOSES TO TALK by means of the International Signal Code. Above is the National flag of the: vessel, and beneath it this CODE PENNANT. F —means, '% want immediate assistance^" H V means, "I have a damaged rudder; I cannot steer." J B means, "Accident; 1 want a surgeon." .ID means, "Yon are standing into danger." N M means, . "1 am on tire." N S means, "I have sprung aleak." A life-saving crew can show two flags from its station-staff, and advise a stranded vessel, as— N "Look out for a line" ("I am about to shoot over vour vessel," as The Intkb Ocean described last week.) Or, M. T. " Lookout will jbeke,»toa toe beach, all a;gb.t." Ur M. Y., "l.iehts or flres will be kept at the best place for coining- on shore." P. N. is "I want a. steam tug'." P. C. is "1 want immediate assistance; mutiny." L. H. is "Keep; in the center of the channel." L. S. is 'Tut! to sea at once; get an ofling." K. T. is "Port your helm." K. V. is "Starboard your helm. THBEK l'J.A<; SKiVVI.S relate to general subjects and the thousand and one things on miscellaneous matters concerning- which ships may care to converse. The list includes also latitude and longitudt and time signals, which can only bo judged^ by consulting- rhe signal book. The rori; FLAG siunh.s with the (only one) red burgee (B) upper^ most, are geographical signals. For instance; Perry, and (I, Y, B, J is the Andrew Johnson. Tlie four flag- hoists with a .SQUAEE FLAG UPPERMOST means the name of a merchant vessel. This list includes the combinations from H. B. C. D. to W. V. T. S.. the assignment, including 53,040, being left to the government of each nation within those limits. If at sea you should discover a vessel flying our flag and showing her signal letters, you could turn to vour shipping- list and iind her name, official number, her rig and class, her tonnage, power, date of build, place of build, home port, and name of managing owner. Corresponding lists of other nationalities [ give the same points of all vessels you may meet. THE USES OF THESE signals are numberless. The code is under-,'/1/ i 7? Jx'S stood by and the tlags are kept at every life- " saying station, and on every man-of-war, revenue vessel, government light-house vessel, and' surveying craft. When they are needed, thev are very much needed. The flags are carried by the steamer Pearl, which runs from Cleveland to Mackinaw, and by a very few merchant vessels on the lakes. It would be no hardship to require every vessel on the lakes that carries passengers, and every vessel that has three or more in her crew, to have the signal-book and a set of the flags on board. Many captains and owners will smile at the suggestion, but we believe the requisition should be made. A timely message by this code may, in easily conceivable circumstances, aid in saving-many lives. Thereare forty life-saving stations oil the lakes, and with the code and flags any vessel can talk with any of these in time of danger and distress. The same code may be useful in communicating with government vessels to which our merchant marine looks in time of need. In a fleet we are quite sure that vessel -would first obtain help from a government steamer which should show enterprise enough to display a hoist indicating her need. The signal book, which is printed at the Government Printing Office, Vy ashington, is sold at cost 0f<8.60). and THE SIGNAL FLAGS, , which should be about four feet square, may be purchased at a reasonable figure. The code is simple, and is easily learned. It is an interesting study, while its uses in the salvation of life anil property is beyond estimation. Its value as a means of communication at a distance over water is somewhat like that of faee-to-face talk between those who plan or execute any kind of work. The signal book has an appendix which suggests substitutes for the flags in the way of semaphores and distance signals. The flags, however, are best. We invite 'the attention of lake captains and'owners to the subject. /*? "1 £l DESCRIPTION AS TO COLOR. i E—Burgee, red, swallow-tail. ; 0—Pennant, white, with red spot. \ T>— Pennant, blue, with white spot. ! F—Pennant, red, with white spot. i G—Pennant, yellow next to staff; rest blue. II—Square flag, white and blue. J—Square flag, two horizontal stripes of blue, with white between them. K—Square, white and blue. L—Square, four quarters, yellow and blue. M—Square, bine, with diagonal white cross. N—Square, sixteen alternate blue and white checks. P—Square, blue, with white block in center. Q—Square, yellow. R—Square, red, with yellow right cross. S—Square, with white blue block in center. T—Square, with three blue, white and blue vertical stripes. | V—Square, white, with red diagonal cross. W—Square, outer border of blue, inner border of white, and red block in. Center. As we have said, the hoists are in twos or threes and fours. If IN Twos, with the red burgee uppermost, the mesmge is an "attention" signal. For instance, you set iCode pennant, alternate vertical stripes of red and white. The party thns signalled answers by setting I his National colors with the same code pen-! nant beneath them, the latter being called when thus used, the "Answering- Pennant.'1 . Tins same pennant has a further use, since after each distinct message it is set to show tbat "Your message is seen and understood." other eighteen flags are as follows, each tuning an arbitrary designation of a consonant, but not for spelling purposes: B. C. which means, "What ship is that?" Your reply is made, as we shall explain presently. There are about seventeen of these atteation signals. Sixty-four signals made with two flags relate to COMPASS SIGNALS when a pennant is uppermost. C B means "North;" C T> means "North, half east; C F, "North by east," and so on. When the 0 pennant is uppermost the message relates to the right-hand upper quadrant of tlie compass face. When D pennant is above, the message concerns tlie sixteen points in the lower right hand quadrant. F pennant to the southwest quadrant, and & pennant to the northwest quadrant. When a square flag is above one other {in hoists of two) it means URGENCY, DISTRESS, OR DANGER. For instance— H. means Chicago; B, Q. C, L means New York; B, I), P, Q, is London, and so on. Four flag hoists with the pennant <i uppermost designates the official names of men of war. For example, if one should see in the Chicago basin a black steamer flying the American flag and showing the four flags signal with | G uppermost, thus a MT. •