been consulted to fix a
date for bringing the regulations into force, and earnestly requests
this Government to consent to a temporary postponement of the
enforcement of said regulations; and

Whereas it is desirable that the "Revised international regulations for
preventing collisions at sea" shall be put into force simultaneously by
the maritime powers: Therefore,

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled_, That said act of
August 19, 1890, take effect not on March 1, 1895, but at a subsequent
time, to be fixed by the President by proclamation issued for that
purpose.

And whereas the President did, in virtue of the authority vested in him
by the said act of February 23, 1895, issue a proclamation on the 25th
day of February, 1895,[42] giving notice that the said act of August 19,
1890, as amended by the act of May 28, 1894, would not go into force on
March 1, 1895, the date fixed in his said proclamation of July 13,
1894,[43] but on such future date as might be designated in a
proclamation of the President to be issued for that purpose; and

Whereas an act of Congress entitled "An act to amend an act approved
August 19, 1890, entitled 'An act to adopt regulations for preventing
collisions at sea,'" was approved June 10, 1896, the said act being in
the following words:

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled_, That article 15 of
the act approved August 19, 1890, entitled "An act to adopt regulations
for preventing collisions at sea," be amended to read as follows:

"ART. 15. All signals prescribed by this article for vessels under way
shall be given--

"First. By 'steam vessels,' on the whistle or siren.

"Second. By 'sailing vessels' and 'vessels towed,' on the fog horn.

"The words 'prolonged blast' used in this article shall mean a blast of
from four to six seconds' duration.

"A steam vessel shall be provided with an efficient whistle or siren,
sounded by steam or some substitute for steam, so placed that the sound
may not be intercepted by any obstruction, and with an efficient fog
horn to be sounded by mechanical means, and also with an efficient bell.
(In all cases where the rules require a bell to be used a drum may be
substituted on board Turkish vessels or a gong where such articles are
used on boa