Longitudinal wires kept early carrier aircraft from falling overboard

Why did early Royal Navy carriers use longitudinal deck wires before transverse arresting gear?

The wires caught aircraft that began tipping after an uneven landing and helped stop them falling over the deck edge, a particular danger during night recovery.

Early Royal Navy carriers carried wires running along the flight deck rather than across it. Their immediate purpose was not to stop an aircraft quickly but to catch it as an uneven touchdown began to tip the machine toward the deck edge. Poor depth perception made that danger especially relevant during night recovery. A carrier guard destroyer completed the safety system by recovering aircrew when prevention failed.