Thanks for the great information guys. I actually blew on the whistle and to my surprise, it actually worked quite well; I think it was to alert the other end that a conversation was forthcoming. As kahnjar1 stated, this was in the Commander's Room, so maybe a conversation could be heard, but going to the Engine Room of a Steam Ship, even in the Control Room, I find it hard to believe that a conversation could be heard above the noise. That being said, I have since read that these tubes could be as long as 300' and that they have been in existence since the time of Admiral Nelson; maybe an old play on the tin can and string conversation.
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