2970
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 115

Notice to Mariners.—No. 61 of 1919.

Marine Department,
Wellington, N.Z., 16th September, 1919.

THE following Notices to Mariners, which have been received from the Department of Trade and Customs, Melbourne, and the Hydrographic Office, Washington, are published for general information.

GEORGE ALLPORT,
Secretary.

TASMANIA.

NORTH COAST.—MERSEY BLUFF (DEVONPORT) LIGHT.—INTENDED ALTERATION IN CHARACTER.—SIGNAL-STATION TO BE DISCONTINUED.

MARINERS and others are hereby notified that the fixed white light with red sectors on Mersey Bluff (Devonport) will be replaced by a group flashing white light with red sectors (U); and, further, that the signal-station will be discontinued, on or about 15th January, 1920.

Position.—Near extreme of Mersey Bluff. Lat. 41° 9½′ S., long. 146° 23¾′ E., on Chart No. 1695A.

Details.—The fixed white light with red sectors will be replaced by a new light having the undermentioned characteristics :—

Character—Group flashing white light with red sectors, showing four flashes in quick succession every twelve seconds, thus—flash ⅓ sec., eclipse 1 sec. ; flash ⅓ sec., eclipse 1 sec. ; flash ⅓ sec., eclipse 1 sec. ; flash ⅓ sec., eclipse 7⅓ secs.

Sectors.—Red from 86° (N. 77° E. mag.) through east to 121° (S. 68° E. mag.) ; white from 121° (S. 68° E. mag.) through south to 225° (S. 36° W. mag.) ; red from 225° (S. 36° W. mag.) to 260° (S. 71° W. mag.). Obscured elsewhere.

Visibility.—White, 16 miles ; red, 7 miles.

Power.—White, 1,500 candles ; red, 600 candles.

Remarks.—The light will be unwatched. The signal-station will be discontinued, and the lightkeepers withdrawn. The other details of the light will remain unchanged.

Note.—No further notice will be given.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

HURRICANE WARNINGS TO BE DISPLAYED AT NIGHT ON THE U.S. ATLANTIC AND GULF COASTS.

The following system of night hurricane displays will be effective on the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts on and after 1st January, 1919 :—

“Two red lanterns with a white lantern between, displayed at night, indicate the approach of a tropical hurricane or one of those extremely severe and dangerous storms which occasionally move across the Great Lakes and Atlantic coast.”

TEMPORARY ADDITIONAL LIGHT-VESSELS DISCONTINUED.

On 10th July the temporary additional light-vessels “Owl,” off Chesapeake Capes, and “Cardinal,” off New York, were discontinued.

RADIO TIME-SIGNALS.

On 30th March, 1919, at 2 a.m., 75th meridian time, clocks in the United States will be set ahead one hour in accordance with the provisions of the Daylight Saving Act.

Clocks on all naval vessels in United States territorial waters and at naval stations will be regulated accordingly.

The Greenwich mean time of watch-standing periods for radio operators and for radio broadcast schedules, except radio time-signals, will not be changed, and are not affected by the foregoing change of clock time.

The Greenwich mean time of radio time-signals broadcasts will be one hour earlier than at present from all radio stations concerned except Washington.

The Greenwich mean time of the Washington radio time-signal will remain unchanged.

RADIO COMPASS-STATIONS.

The following U.S. Naval shore radio compass-stations are now in operation for the purpose of furnishing bearings to vessels in the West Atlantic :—

Radio Compass-station. Radio Call. Position.
Gloucester, Mass NAD Lat. 42° 35′ 19″ N. Lon. 70° 41′ 08″ W.
Deer Island, Mass NAD Lat. 42° 21′ 15″ N. Lon. 70° 57′ 30″ W.
Fourth Cliff, Mass. NAD Lat. 42° 09′ 40″ N. Lon. 70° 42′ 22″ W.
Cape Cod, Mass. NAE Lat. 42° 02′ 58″ N. Lon. 70° 04′ 32″ W.
Surfside, Nantucket, Mass. NBS Lat. 41° 14′ 42″ N. Lon. 70° 05′ 56″ W.
Price’s Neck, R.I. NAF Lat. 41° 27′ 06″ N. Lon. 71° 20′ 15″ W.
Watch Hill, R.I. NAF Lat. 41° 18′ 21″ N. Lon. 71° 51′ 29″ W.
Montauk, L.I. NAH Lat. 41° 03′ 09″ N. Lon. 71° 57′ 27″ W.
Fire Island, N.Y. NAH Lat. 40° 38′ 07″ N. Lon. 73° 12′ 32″ W.
Rockaway Beach, N.Y. NAH Lat. 40° 33′ 52″ N. Lon. 73° 52′ 40″ W.

Radio Compass-station. Radio Call. Position.
Sandy Hook, N.J. NAH Lat. 40° 28′ 12″ N. Lon. 74° 01′ 06″ W.
Mantoloking, N.J. NAH Lat. 40° 01′ 30″ N. Lon. 74° 03′ 10″ W.
Cape May, N.J. NSD Lat. 38° 56′ 41″ N. Lon. 74° 53′ 10″ W.
Cape Henlopen, Del. NSD Lat. 38° 47′ 26″ N. Lon. 75° 05′ 16″ W.
Bethany Beach, Del. NSD Lat. 38° 32′ 45″ N. Lon. 75° 03′ 20″ W.
Hog Island, Va. NCZ Lat. 37° 22′ 36″ N. Lon. 75° 42′ 37″ W.
Smith Island, Va. NCZ Lat. 37° 07′ 08″ N. Lon. 75° 53′ 42″ W.
Cape Henry, Va. NCZ Lat. 36° 55′ 16″ N. Lon. 75° 59′ 51″ W.
Cape Hatteras, N.C. NDW Lat. 35° 14′ 22″ N. Lon. 75° 31′ 42″ W.
Morris Island, S.C. NAO Lat. 32° 41′ 33″ N. Lon. 79° 53′ 15″ W.

Where two or more of the foregoing compass-stations have the same radio call it indicates that they are connected by wire telegraph to and under the control of a central control station, the radio call being the call of the central control station. When a request for bearings is made the central control station invariably answers with a bearing from each of the compass-stations under its control.

The following signals have been authorized and will be used until further notice :—

Signal. Meaning.
QTE ? What is my true bearing ?
QTE Your true bearing is degrees from Radio Compass-station.

To obtain bearings the compass-station should be called in the usual manner and the call followed by the signal “QTE ?” meaning “What is my true bearing?” When told by the compass-station to “K” (go on) the ship’s radio operator should follow the procedure outlined below,—

(a.) Transmit the ship’s radio call for 30 seconds.
(b.) Make dashes, each dash 5 seconds long, for one minute, with the ship’s radio call after each dash.
(c.) Terminate with the signal “K” (go ahead).

If satisfactory bearings are obtained, the operator at the compass-station will call the vessel in the usual manner and reply “QTE,” followed by the true bearing in degrees (0 to 359) spelled out in words, and the name of the radio compass-station from which the bearing was obtained; otherwise a repetition of the test will be requested.

The ship’s operator should acknowledge receipt of the bearings by answering the compass-station in the usual manner and repeat, in numerals, the bearings received. This procedure enables all stations concerned to check the bearings.

All U.S. Naval shore radio compass-stations keep watch and transmit on 600 meters for merchant vessels, and this wave-length should be used for calling and answering and carrying on all communication with these stations.

Attention is invited to the fact that when a single bearing is furnished there is a possibility of an error of 180 degrees, as the operator at the compass-station cannot always determine on which side of his station the vessel lies; in such cases the decision is left to the commander of the vessel.

Subject to the foregoing, bearings should be accurate within 2 degrees of an arc. When bearings from three or more compass-stations are not over 2 degrees of arc in error but do not meet at a fixed point, the geometrical center of the triangle formed by the bearings can generally be taken as the approximate position of the vessel.

The primary object of these stations is to assist in the navigation of vessels during atmosphere of low visibility. They are operated by the Navy Department and there is no charge for the service.

In order that the operation of shore radio compass-stations may be checked up it is requested that brief report be forwarded to the Director Naval Communications, Navy Department, Washington, D.C., containing the following particulars :—

1. Name of ship.
2. Name of radio compass-station.
3. Date and G.M.T. at which radio bearing was taken.
4. Bearing given by radio compass-station.
5. Estimated position of ship at above time and date by methods other than radio.
6. The probable degree of accuracy of the estimated position.
7. Weather conditions at above time.
8. Remarks, if any.
9. Signature of master or responsible navigating officer.

Town of Rotorua.—Order levying a Fire-prevention Rate, 1919–20.

WHEREAS by the Rotorua Town Act, 1907, provision is made for the management of the Town of Rotorua by the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts; and the said Department is, in respect of the said town, created a body corporate :

And whereas by section 5 of the said Act it is enacted that, for the purposes of any Act relating to local authorities, the