Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-10-26
For the Eastern Times.
The Arctic Affair.

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The Captain of the Inflated Arctic, it seems
to US, must be possessed of more than an or
binary share of discretion. if his head is not
completely turned by the extravagant eulo-
gies which the press is continually heaping
upon him. We certainly have no disposition
to speak dlsparagingly of the performance Of
his duty, after the collision, so far as he
seemed to have possessed the ability. There
did not appear to be any lack Of personal dar-
ing, or any hesitancy in meeting death AS
was his duty to do, morally and legally
care. But there did appear an inefficiency in
controlling the men under his command, such
as master spirit does not often exhibit. Not
only was there an entire absence of control
over the crew, but there does not appear 10
have been scarcely an attempt to maintain
subordination The only instance we recol-
lect to have seen among the various state
ments, was the threat of the Captain to kill
one of the sailors with carpenters malet if
he did not get out Of one of the boats. Wheth-
er that was udicous mode of maintaining his
ascendancy in such an emergency, and if So,
whether the circumstance is sufficient evidence
that the commander was equal to the crisis.
the public must Judge. But whatever opinion
we form of his conduct, after the collision.
there seems TO be no question but degree of
negligence was manifested, absolutely culpa-
BILE; culpable, we say, because with the ex-
ercse Of the slightest degree Of thoughtiulness
and care, the dire disaster might have been
averted, and hundreds Of precious lives might
have been preserved, and grateful thanks for
their safe arrival would never have given place
to lamentation, weeping and great mourning.
The simple precaution Of ringing a bell, or of
blowing the steam whistle, or of firing a gun,
was probably beneath the notice Of the man,
who, surviving the dreadful catastrophe, is
lonlzed at every turn,-and rightly, too, per
haps, for if he has not, like the Persian con-
queror, built to himself monumental pyramid
of human skulls, he has contributed in no
slight degree in bridging the Atantic-loith
human 60dieS
We have seen it stated in some Of the pa
Pers as an instance of praiseworthy precaution,
that since the disaster to the Arctic, the Gu
nard Company has decided to put two addi-
tlonal life boats, on board of each of their
steamers, as though it has not been an outrage
of the grossest character, to send their ships
TO sea with an insufficient number Of boats to
accommodate the ordinary number of passen-
gers and the crew. Had the Arctic been so
supplied, there would have been no occasion
for such display of criminal selfishness by
the under officers and crew discipline and
subordinaton would have been more easily
enforced, and, as consequence, the probable
ity is that every soul on board would have
been saved.
But the dreadful circumstances are irrevo-
cably fixed as they transpired, and if from this
terrible calamity man shall learn to esteem his
fellow man more than gold, and the life of
man more than much fine gold, the murderous
sacrifice will not have been made wholly in
vain. *