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DOUDLE lEAST HEAD LIGHTS.
With a view to mininising so far as
possible the danger of accident at sea
Messrs. Williaim Howard Smith and
Sons Proprietary, Limited, have de
termined that in future all their steam
ers shall carry a second masthead
light, a safeguard which has already
been freely adopted by the mail com
panies. The idea is that a. vessel
should exhibit two masthead lights, in
such a manner that they will appear
as leading lights, and thus assist the
"side" lights, which are often obscur
ed by the brilliancy of the electric
lights in deck cabins, etc. The extra
light is to be shown froem the second
mast of the vessel, but at a greater
height than that on the first nmast.
The moment that a steamer so equip
ped appears in sight the observer can
tell by time angle of the two lights
which way she is proceeding. At pre
sent a steamer's single nmasthead light
can be picked up at a distance of eight
or ten miles, but her sidelights are not
as a rule, distinguishable beyond a
limit of three miles. None of the in
tercolonial traders have yet adopted
the second ligiht, and the steamer Gabo
will have the distinetion of marklng
the innovation among coasters in these
waters.
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