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semaphore
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semaphore flag signals Semaphore atop a tower. optical telegraph semaphore railroad signals
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semaphore flag signals
semaphore flag signals

semaphore

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Claude Chappe
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Semaphore atop a tower.
Semaphore atop a tower.

semaphore, method of visual signaling, usually by means of flags or lights. Before the invention of the telegraph, semaphore signaling from high towers was used to transmit messages between distant points. One such system was developed by Claude Chappe in France in 1794, employing a set of arms that pivoted on a post; the arms were mounted on towers spaced 5 to 10 miles (8 to 16 km) apart. Messages were read by telescopic sightings. Modern semaphores included movable arms or rows of lights simulating arms, displayed from towers and used to signal railroad trains. Semaphore signaling between ships, now largely abandoned, was accomplished by persons who held a small flag in each hand and, with arms extended, moved them to different angles to indicate letters of the alphabet or numbers.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Richard Pallardy.