Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Literature: Great Ship's Language

Hoists of bunting broke out at yardarms, ascended to mast heads, hovered a minute or two, and came down in rainbow curves where flagship talked to flagship. A shore signal station was speaking in white flashes that dazzled you even in the strong sunshine; and between ship and ship of the same squadron minute conversations, visible only through a strong glass, were being carried ceaselessly on by the busy tossing arms of semaphores and by the small flags that a signalman, perched on the rail of a bridge like a fly, was waving to his opposite number in the next ship.

What were they all saying?

~ Filson Young (find his groundbreaking book Titanic, published in 1912, here)

Header: Lake Scene by George W. Maynard via American Gallery

4 comments:

Timmy! said...

People always seem to come up with creative methods of communication, Pauline.

Pauline said...

We're special, thumbs and all.

irwin said...

Even though it was the 1900s, more like:

Got any fresh spuds?

What can u trade?

More fresh beef than we can eat!

Pauline said...

Good point, irwin!

I saw a curious novel - YA no less - at a book fair recently in which zombies are the cause of the Titanic sinking. I wonder if they're all Irish?