INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION SAFETY OF LIFE AT SEA. 301 



time the obligation of every master who receives a wireless call to come to the assistance of 

 a vessel in distress. The wireless call reaches equally in all directions from the sending sta- 

 tion, and accordingly all ships within a radius of 100 miles or more receive the call of dis- 

 tress, which must be immediately answered in accord with the London Radiotelegraphic 

 Convention. These replies enable the master of the vessel in distress to learn the agencies 

 to which he may look for assistance, and Article V7 of the convention enables him, if he 

 wishes, to select from the vessels which answer the individual vessel or vessels which will 

 be most serviceable to him. If this right is not exercised, of course all vessels are bound to 

 bring aid, unless special circumstances justify some other course. The London conference 

 also recommended, though it did not require, that the number of coast stations able to send 

 weather messages to vessels at sea should be increased ; that an international weather service 

 should be established and that all sail and steam vessels in the foreign trade should be 

 equipped with apparatus to hear time and weather signals, even if not required to carry 

 sending wireless apparatus (recommendations 13 and 14, after protocol). 



One and two years, respectively, are allowed by Article 38 for the installation of the 

 apparatus and for the training and recruiting of the operators on the several classes of ships 

 subject to radiotelegraph requirements. The conference, however, urged all Governments 

 (recommendation 15) to reduce this time as much as possible. The experience of the United 

 States in the enforcement of its laws concerning radio communication has demonstrated that 

 reasonable time must be allowed to procure the apparatus and to educate the operators. 



Chapter VI. 

 LIFE-SAVING APPLIANCES AND FIRE PROTECTION. 



LIFEBOATS. 



The convention recognizes that the length of the vessel is the principal factor in deter- 

 mining the number of lifeboats which may be carried (formerly the number of lifeboats was 

 fixed by regulation according to the tonnage of the vessel). The length of the vessel fixes, 

 of course, the number of sets of davits which may be set up and used simultaneously. (Art. 

 47.) Davits, of course, cannot be placed in the bows or near the stern. (Art. XLIV.) 

 Article XLI then provides that each set of davits shall have a lifeboat of the first class at- 

 tached to it. If these lifeboats attached to davits do not suffice for all on board, then more 

 lifeboats must be provided (Art. XLII) at least up to a minimum fixed by Article XLIII. 

 Article XLIII gives a table, showing for vessels of all lengths from 100 feet to 1,030 feet 

 the minimum number of sets of davits and the minimum number of cubic feet in the accom- 

 panying number of lifeboats required. The table gives these requirements at intervals of from 

 15 to 35 feet in lengths, but the following at intervals of 100 feet will illustrate: 



