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
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4 comments:

  1. Timmy!February 12, 2013 at 4:49 PM

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

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  2. PaulineFebruary 12, 2013 at 6:57 PM

    We're special, thumbs and all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. irwinFebruary 13, 2013 at 4:04 PM

    Even though it was the 1900s, more like:

    Got any fresh spuds?

    What can u trade?

    More fresh beef than we can eat!

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  4. PaulineFebruary 14, 2013 at 8:36 AM

    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?

    ReplyDelete