Sigllalling

Sigllalling is the means of conveying from a distance information to the eye or ear of intelligence that cannot otherwise be made known. Among the contrivances made use of are flags, boards, lights, guns, bells, steam-whistles, etc. In the navy signalling is especially required, and has of late been largely adopted in military operations. Signalling at sea has been much simplified by the introduction, by Marryat and later experimentalists, of a system of codification, whereby at present a limited set of signals is made to do duty for some fourteen thousand words and phrases. Naval signals generally employ a few simple flags and a few colours, the later tendency being to employ only black and white to avoid possible confusion of colours. Collapsible cones also are largely employed, as are, too, the electric light by night and the heliograph by day. Signalling by hand-flag has been much used and developed of late. Most of the signalling by hand-flag, or by light, carried on by the use of the Morse alphabet, long and short waves of the flag, or long and short flashes of light, taking the place of dots and dashes. As this is employed often in telegraphy also, a knowledge of the alphabet is useful to every one. This alphabet is as follows :-

MORSE ALPHABET.
. = E
. . = I
. . . = S
. . . . = H
- = T
-- = M
--- = O
. - = A
. - - = W
. - - - = J
- . = N
- - . = G
- . . = D
- . . . = B
- . - = K
- - . - = Q
- . - . = C
- . . - = X
- . - - = Y
- - . . = Z
. . - = U
. . . - = V
. . - . = F
. - . . = L
. - - . = P
. - . = R

FIGURES.
. - - - - = 1
. . - - - = 2
. . . - - = 3
. . . . - = 4
. . . . . = 5
- . . . . = 6
- - . . . = 7
- - - . . = 8
- - - - . = 9
- - - - - = 0

Railway signalling is accomp1ished chiefly by the use of semaphores, coloured lights, and detonators, and occasionally by means of flags.