A NEW SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING COLLISIONS AT SEA.
A New System for Preventing Collisions at Sea. By Sir Hiram S. Maxim. (Privately printed.) -It is not possible for a non- technical paper to discuss the value of Sir Hiram Maxim's inven- tion, but we can do our best to give some account of it. Sir Hiram Maxim believes that he has discovered a means by which collisions such as that of the 'Titanic' with an iceberg may be rendered impossible. The idea of his apparatus is derived from an analogy with the "sixth sense" possessed by bats. Bats can fly safely in complete darkness, and the fact that this power does not depend upon their possessing extremely sensitive eyes may be seen from a very simple experiment. If a bird is let loose in a room with a large plate-glass window, it flies straight to the window and strikes the glass-sometimes with fatal results. A bat, on the other hand, in similar circumstances, also flies towards the window, but stops before reaching the glass. For, although its eyes tell it that the way is clear, its "sixth sense," which it trusts more, tells it that there is an obstacle. This "sixth sense" is explained by Sir Hiram Maxim thus : The bat sends out vibrations by means of its wings. These waves are reflected back by any objects that they strike, and on their return strike the peculiarly sensitive ears and face of the animal. It is thus able to judge, from the strength of these reflected waves and from the time that elapses before they reach it, as to the distance and size of the obstacles to its flight. On this analogy Sir Hiram Maxim has designed an apparatus for use on ships which will send out waves of great energy. The echoes caused by them (the word "echo" may conveniently be used, though the waves will be inaudible) will, on returning to the ship, be recorded on the same sort of principle as that of the recording barometer. From the nature of this record the navi- gators of the ship will be able to deduce the size and distance from them of any possible cause of collision. This is necessarily a very rough description of Sir Hiram Maxim's system; but it is fully discussed in simple language in his pamphlet.
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