b. That, if attended to, they apply as effectually to those cases as any rules can; and—

c. That they are as simple as they can be.

13. Of course the reader will at once agree that if any rules had to be made for passing ships they should be as follows, viz:

a. Port, if necessary, to a red light ahead, or nearly ahead, or anywhere on your port side.

b. Starboard, if necessary, to a green light ahead, or nearly ahead, or anywhere on your starboard side.

14. But then it has not been thought necessary to put these rules into a legislative enactment, because passing ships do not cross the path of each other, and therefore while they are passing ships they cannot come into collision.

15. And besides, it must be patent to the merest tyro that if A, in Diagram 2, were to port with B 1, 2, or 3, going in the direction indicated by the arrow marked (X,) she must inevitably run to collision and probably to destruction.

16. The following words should be impressed on the mind of every sailor, viz:

So long as you keep a green light opposed to a green light, or a red light opposed to a red light, no collision can happen between passing ships.

STEAMSHIPS MEETING.

17. The existing rule (Article 13) provides that if two steamships are meeting end on, or nearly end on, so as to involve risk of collision, the helms of both shall be put to port so that each may pass on the port side of the other. See Diagram 1.

18. There would be only one other way to provide for the difficulty, and to prevent collision between ships meeting; and that would be to provide that each shall pass on the starboard side of the other. This would certainly be different from the present rule, but it would be neither more simple nor more effectual. Where is, then, the objection to the existing rule?

19. There is none. As regards ships meeting "end on" no alteration is required.

on

20. But those who want alteration say that the words "nearly end "should be omitted from this rule.

Why?

21. If two ships are meeting (each approaching the other) "end on," that is to say, if both are running towards each other from opposite, ends of one straight line, they must meet each other full in the face like

two railway trains meeting on one line of rails. But, to prevent this, each is to port. If they are both meeting nearly end on, i. e., nearly on the same straight line, but just off it, why should they not port also?

22. But because two steamships meeting are both required by the rule to port, it does not follow that a steamship is to port whenever she sees any light ahead or nearly ahead, i. e., nearly "end on" with her own keel.

23. The rule applies only when two ships are meeting each other, and not when a light is end on with a ship.

24. Some decisions in the Admiralty Court have led to the conclusion that a light is to be considered as being ahead or nearly ahead (a) if it is seen ahead; or (b) if it is seen anywhere from one to two points on either bow; and there is an impression amongst seafaring men that if a light is seen nearly ahead, the ship showing that light is to be treated as meeting the ship seeing it end on or nearly end on. But this impression cannot be in accordance with the real state of the case.

25. Take as an instance the vessel A, Diagram 2, seeing the green light B', B2, or B3, ahead or nearly ahead. It will be seen on reference to the Diagram that the steamer showing either of these green lights cannot be meeting A at all; and that, therefore, the ships A and B cannot be meeting end on or nearly end on. B 1, 2, 3, may be going in any of the directions indicated by the arrows, and in any of those directions she must be diverging from the path of A.

26. Now, if the helm of A is ported, instead of avoiding a collision she will court it by running directly across the path of B 1, 2, or 3, as denoted by the direction of some of the arrows. If the helm of A is ported, the ships immediately become crossing ships, and the position of security which is maintained as long as A and B keep their courses, and show to each other their green lights only, is immediately converted into the position of the greatest danger. This is not the intention of the framers of the rules, whatever may be the deductions from some of the legal decisions.

27. Seamen are to be found who port at every light seen ahead, or nearly ahead; but if they port when they should not, for example, with a green light, say two points on their starboard bow, and say they do it because the light is nearly ahead or nearly end on with them, that is no fault of the rule, and has no reference to the rule, for the rule does not apply in a case where there is no risk of collision, and there is no risk of collision, as has already been admitted, if a green light is seen ahead or anywhere on the starboard side.

28. The light, it is true, (as will be seen on reference to Diagram 2,) may be end on, or nearly end on, to A; but the ship A and the ship

carrying the light B 1, 2, or 3, cannot be nearly end on with each other, and cannot be meeting. This is the whole point. People who port in such a case overlook the fact, pointed out above, that by the rule of the road it is not a light end on, or nearly end on, that justifies them in porting; and they also forget that not only the ship carrying the light must be end on, but that the ship carrying it as well as the ship seeing it (that is to say, both ships) must be meeting each other end on or nearly end on.

29. It would be admitted on all hands that the officer in command of C (Diagram 3) who would put his helm a-starboard if he saw a steamer's red light D on his port bow (1, 2, 3), or nearly ahead on the port side, would be doing wrong. There can be no doubt of it. But the rule of the road would not be in fault.

30. If, then, it is wrong for the officer in command of a ship to starboard when he sees a red light in such a position on his port side, is it, as a rule, not equally wrong to port if he sees a green light in such a position on his starboard side?

31. There can be no doubt that it is equally wrong. It would be a grave error to do so, but it would not have the remotest connection with the rule of the road; for the rule does not apply to such a case. The officer in command of the ship, and not the rule, must be blamed in such a case if a collision happens.

STEAMSHIPS CROSSING.

32. In the following observations about crossing ships, it is assumed, for the sake of argument, that the speed of each ship is equal or nearly equal. 33. Steamships crossing so as to involve risk of collision always show to each other a different colored light; green to red, and red to green. Unless, therefore, a steamer sees another steamer's green light on her own port side, or another steamer's red light on her own starboard side, there is no danger so far as steamers crossing are concerned.

34. If a steamer E (Diagram 4) see another steamer's red light, F, G, H, or I, anywhere on her own starboard side, the steamer E must know that she may be crossing the path of the steamer carrying the light F, G, H, or I; and if a steamer K (Diagram 5) see a steamer's green light, L, M, N, or O, anywhere on her own port side, the steamer K must know that she may be crossing the path of the steamer carrying the light L, M, N, or O.

35. The light F, G, H, or I, may be on a steam vessel going in any of the directions indicated by the arrows, or in any intermediate direction. If E and F, or E and G, or E and H, or E and I, are botli making to one point (crossing), something must be done by the vessel

seeing the red light, or by the vessel seeing the green light, or by both, to prevent collision. One of them must give way. The law meets the case by requiring that "the ship which has the other on her own starboard side shall keep out of the way of the other."

36. The rule is then

a. If E (Diagram 4) see a red light anywhere on her own starboard side, say at F, G, H, or I, she (E) will know that she and the ship carrying the red light F, G, H, or I, may be crossing. She (E) must keep out of the way of the ship that carries that red light, and let her pass, because, in the words of the rule, the red light is on E's "own starboard side."

b. If K (Diagram 5) see a green light on her own port side, L, M, N, or O, the ship carrying that green light may be crossing K's path; and L, M, N, or O, having K on her own starboard side, must get out of K's way.

37. E and K must also, of course, take any necessary precautions as well, and not come in collision with the other vessel if they can help it.

38. But some persons have suggested that the law should be altered and made to say how, in every conceivable case, one crossing vessel shall get out of the way of the other; and those persons find fault because this information is not provided in the existing rules.

39. It has been further suggested that the ship (E, Diagram 4) that is to get out of the way of the other should always be required to starboard, or always be required to port. The answer to this is, that she can starboard under the existing rules, if it is proper to do so, and if starboarding will take her out of the way of the other vessel; but that in some cases she will get in the way, and be wrong if she does not port. If E, who is to keep out of the way of I, were to starboard when I is going in the direction indicated by the arrow I 1, then she, E, would cross the course of I. In the same way, if E were to starboard with the other ships going in the direction of H 1 or G 1, &c., she would probably run them down.

40. On the other hand, E would probably come into collision if she were to port, if the vessel carrying the red light were going in the direction of G 2 or F 2 or F 1.

41. The way for E to avoid collision with 13 is for E to go on straight or to port. To avoid collision with H 3, it is sufficient for E to go ahead straight; and with G 2, certainly not to port. To avoid collision with F 1, E must stop, starboard, and reverse if necessary.

42. The elements of uncertainty are—

(a.) That the lights F, G, H, and I present the same appearance to E whether the head of vessel is in the direction indicated by the arrows 0 or 1 or 2 or 3 or 4; and, therefore

b. That E can never know, although she may estimate, the direction of the head of F, G, H, or I.

c. That E can never know the distance of F, G, H, or I. If the lights are unusually dim they will appear to be further off than they really are. If they are unusually bright, or the atmosphere is clear, they will appear to be nearer than they really are.

d. E can never know, although she may estimate, the speed of F, G, H, or I.

43. In short, the elements of direction, distance, and speed, all unknown, and therefore uncertain to E, must be allowed for by E in determining the course she is to take.

44. It is clear that the action in each case must depend upon the necessities of the case, and that the legislature cannot make a rule to say that E shall always go one way or always do one thing. It must be left to the officer in command to do the best under the circumstances of each case; to recollect that his green light opposed to the red light of another vessel is the one position of danger; and, above all, to observe due caution.

WHITE MASTHEAD LIGHT.

45. The masthead or "white" light is not mentioned in the aforegoing remarks. It is, of course, implied throughout that the white light is visible as well as the colored lights.

46. It must be borne in mind that the Regulations require this bright white light to be carried at the masthead of all steamships under weigh, as well as by vessels at anchor.

It must also be borne in mind that the Regulations require the white masthead steamer's light to be of such size and description as to be seen for five miles in a clear atmosphere, and that the colored side lights are required to show for two miles only.

It follows, therefore, that the white light being carried at the masthead is visible above the horizon sooner than the colored lights which are carried on the sides of the ship, far below the white light, and that, consequently, a white light seen alone may probably not be the white light of a vessel at anchor, but the masthead white light of a steamer in motion, hull down.

It is the duty of the seaman to assume that any light he sees is in the position, or is of the character, likely to be most dangerous to him. It is, therefore, his duty on first seeing a white light alone, not to assume that it is the light of a vessel at anchor, but to act as if it were the masthead light of a steamer in motion, and to keep a good lookout.