that the Government of Great Britain now finds it impossible until Parliament has 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 board small seagoing vessels.) A sailing vessel of 20 tons gross tonnage or upward shall be provided with a similar fog horn and bell.

  “In fog, mist, falling snow, or heavy rain storms, whether by day or
  night, the signals described in this article shall be used as follows,
  namely: 

  “(a) A steam vessel having way upon her shall sound at intervals
  of not more than two minutes a prolonged blast.