Office of the Historian

(M. 4558.)
Mr. W. Macalister to Board of Trade.

National Steamship Company, (limited,)
Drury Buildings, 21 Water Street,
Liverpool, March 23, 1875.

Sir: Referring to your letter of the 12th instant respecting fog-signals at sea, and inclosing a proposal for the consideration of the captains and officers in this company’s service, I have the pleasure of inclosing a written report by several of our captains and officers now in port, from which you will see that, for the most part, your proposal is approved of, while one portion only of the plan is condemned. I may add, that I quite agree with them in their remarks.

I am, &c.,

W. B. MACALISTER,
General Manager.

The Assistant Secretary
Marine Department, Board of Trade.

[Inclosure.]
National Steamship Company, (limited,)
Drury Buildings, 21 Water Street,
Liverpool, March 23, 1875.

Sir: We, the undersigned masters and officers in the National Steamship Company’s service, having carefully considered the communication forwarded to you for their consideration, are of opinion that the adoption of the proposed rules would be of great advantage in all weathers. They should be used in narrow waters; but we think that the signals of sailing-ships should be more often than three minutes in foggy weather, and that every sailing-ship be compelled to use one of the bellows fog-horns instead of one blown by the mouth.

We are also of opinion that the signal of four blasts of the steam-whistle (intimating “I am going full speed astern”) should not be adopted, as it might lead to confusion.

And we further recommend that signals numbered 1, 2, and 3 should be made compulsory.

  • ARCH. THOMSON,
    Master Steamship Italy.
  • JOHN THELFALL BRAGG,
    Master Steamship The Queen.
  • C. S. H. ANDREWS,
    Master Steamship Erin.
  • GEORGE ALLTREE,
    Master Steamship France.
  • WILLIAM TYSON,
    First Officer Steamship France.
  • WILLIAM HELM JACKSON,
    Second Officer Steamship Erin.
  • ALEXANDER JEFFREY,
    Second Officer Steamship France.
  • H. O. N. EDYE,
    First Officer Steamship Italy.
  • JAMES ARNOLD,
    First Officer Steamship The Queen.
  • WILLIAM ARTHUR GRIFFITHS,
    Second Officer Steamship The Queen.
  • J. W. ROGERS,
    First Officer Steamship Egypt.

W. B. Macalister, Esq.,
General Manager.