279. Coast Guard cutters patrolling the 

 anchorage grounds of the large harbors of the 

 United States fly at their jackstaff a flag of 

 white upon which is imposed a blue anchor. 



280. The service flag of the Coast and Geo- 

 detic Survey consists of a blue field upon 

 which is imposed a disc of white, bearing 

 within its circumference a triangle of red. 



281. The Superintendent of the Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey has a flag with a blue field 

 bearing a white triangle on the half next to 

 the staff. This triangle, which is equilateral, 

 proclaims the great work of fundamental sur- 

 veying in United States waters, which is the 

 chief activity of this bureau. 



282. The 30th Congress, August 7, 1848, au- 

 thorized "That all such licensed yachts shall 

 use a signal of the form, size, and colors pre- 

 scribed by the Secretary of the Navy, and the 

 owners thereof shall at all times permit the 

 naval architects in the employ of the United 

 States to examine and copy the models of said 

 yachts." 



283-284. The commission pennants of the 

 Coast and Geodetic Survey are here shown. 

 They are flown at the main mast while the 

 vessels are in commission. 



285. The Secretary of Labor has a flag upon 

 which are the four stars that the President and 

 other members of his official family have on 

 their flags, together with the seal of the De- 

 partment of Labor. This includes an escutch- 

 eon surmounted by a spread eagle, and bearing 

 on its field the plow and other devices which 

 proclaim the dignity of labor. 



286. Vessels of the U. S. Immigration Serv- 

 ice display a pennant whose field is of white, 

 bordered with blue and lettered with red. It 

 is of a swallow-tailed, triangular design (or 

 burgee) and bears, in addition to the lettering, 

 the seal of the department to which it belongs. 



287. Vessels belonging to the U. S. Postal 

 Service fly a red, swallow-tailed, triangular 

 pennant (or burgee), bordered with blue, bear- 

 ing the American spread eagle and inscribed 

 with the words "United States Mail." 



288. The United States power-boat squad- 

 rons carry a flag like the yacht ensign, except 

 that it wears perpendicular blue stripes where 

 the yacht ensign has horizontal red ones, and 

 has a red canton where the yacht ensign has 

 one of blue. 



289-3OO. U. S. WEATHER FORECAST EEAGS AND 

 STORM WARNINGS 



289. white flag, indicates clear or fair weathe'r. 



290. blue flag, indicates rain or snow. 



291. white and blue flag (parallel bars of 

 white and blue), indicates that local rains or 

 showers will occur, and that the rainfall will 

 not be general. 



292 always refers to temperature; when 

 placed above (289,290,291) it indicates warmer 

 weather ; when placed below it indicates colder 

 weather; when not displayed, the indications 

 are that the temperature will remain stationary, 

 or that the change in temperature will not vary 

 more than four degrees from the temperature 

 of the same hour of the preceding day from 

 March to October, inclusive, and not more than 

 six degrees for the remaining months of the 

 year. 



293, white flag, with black square in center, 

 indicates the approach of a sudden and decided 

 fall in temperature. When 293 is displayed. 

 292 is always omitted. 



When displayed on poles the flags should be 

 arranged to read downward ; when displayed 

 from horizontal supports a small streamer 

 should be attached to indicate the point from 

 which the flags are to be read. 



In the United States the system of weather 

 signals is very complete, information of the 

 approach of storms being received from vari- 

 ous stations in the United States, and even 

 throughout the West Indies. These warnings 

 are published at the various seaports by the 

 display of flags by day and by lanterns at 

 night ; also by bulletins and reports furnished 

 to newspapers. Every effort is made by the 

 Weather Bureau of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture to give these warnings as 

 early as possible at all points where they may 

 be of service to mariners and others. 



Storm warnings are displayed by the United 

 States Weather Bureau at 142 stations on the 

 Atlantic and Gulf coasts and at 46 stations on 

 the Pacific coast. 



(294) Small-craft warnings. — A red pennant 

 indicates that moderately strong winds are ex- 

 pected. 



(295, 296, 298, 299) Storm warnings. — A red 

 flag, with a black center, indicates that a storm 

 of marked violence is expected. 



The pennants displayed with the flags indi- 

 cate the direction of the wind: Red, easterly; 

 white, westerly. The pennant above the flag 

 indicates that the wind is expected to blow 

 from the northerly quadrants ; below, from 

 southerly quadrants. 



(297) By night a red light indicates easterly 

 winds, and a white light below a red light west- 

 erly winds. 



(300) Hurricane zvarnings. — Two red flags, 

 with black centers, displayed one above the 

 other, indicate the expected approach of a 

 tropical hurricane, or one of those extremely 

 severe and dangerous storms which occasion- 

 ally move across the Lakes and northern At- 

 lantic coast. 



Small-craft and hurricane warnings are not 

 displayed at night. 



321 



