The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-10-19
our River Pilots.

to do, they take trips to study the river du-
ing the lowest Of low water times. During
q recent excursion, we met several squads Of
these gentlemen, as travelling companions,
and can bear evidence to their courteous
conduct as gentlemen in every PARTICULAR
A weak minded kind Of public opinion seems
to regard our river pilots as a rough,
coarse, card playing and liquor-guzzling set
OF fellows, always ready for a muss, and q
pretty hard set of customers generally
Now we have a pretty extensive acquaint-
ance among these gentlemen, and ieel a
little indig nant that their general character
should be SO much misunderstood, and al.
though they do not need any defence, we feel
like retaliating a little in their behalf.
The pilots Of the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers are peculiar class of men. In their
hands are reposed the lives of the thousands
and tens of thousands of human beings who
annually traverse these streams, and the
millions of property, the fortunes Of thous-
ands, which are annually borne from North to
South and from South to North, to feed and
clothe, and build up cities, and materially
add TO the commerce of the world. No per.
sonal securities are demanded at their hands,
but to their skill and experience and honor of
action, al! these monstrous interests are com.
mitted, freely and fully and entirely. AS
we gaze at the monster steamer-a floating
palace, little world of life and property,
crowded with human beings and loaded with
riches, vomiting forth FIRE from her chimnies,
and her furnaces beneath glaring as though
the bowels of the levethian were white fire
danger within and around, and one false
move, or ignorance Of one single spot in the
great stream, probably ensuring destruction
to all, lives, boat and cargo-we contem.
plate with feelings almost of awe, that little
speck of humanity perched high above the
riches of life and property below. yet which
has all this immense responsibility centered
in it, reposing confidently upon the strong
arm, viglant eye, and wonderous skill of
that same speck Of humanity-upon the pi- |
lot.
And is it possible, the man occupying this
responsible post, with all that little world in |
his hand, to give to the seas or to give to
the earth-that he is at last, what unjnst pub
lie opinion SO often believes him, the mere
creature of passion and vice and bad habitsi
No such thing. There are such men doubt. |
less among our pilots, but they stand n,
higher among that class than they would in
any other. Their services are only used
when the labors of better men cannot be oh.
tanned, or sometimes through the Partially of
commanders, who do not feel the response.
bility of the pilots labors, from having moth
ing but their own safety at stake.
But we now speak of the pilots as body
and speaking Of them as such, after gener.
al acquaintance with them for Years. and in
innate and warm friendship with many Of
their number, we pronounce that public or
private opinion of them as false, which de-
mics their responsibility as men, or questions
their character as steady, upright and gen.
crous gentlemen. Many OF them are men Of
property-all Of their older members, if not
men OF property, are receiving such wages as
may very quickly place them in such posi-
ton. Their very duties demand of them
steadness, habits of punctuality and watch
fuIness and prompt decision, Utterly antago.
MYSTICAL to the opinion entertained of them
by many who know them not. The i'm.
mense responsibilities placed in their hands,
demands character commensurate to the DO
sition. Their lives are devoted to the river,
although their information is by no means
generally confined to their business. There
are we'll read men among them, good fnan-
ciers: and men preeminenty qualified in every
way 20 fill the position many old pilots now
occupy-commanders of our greatest steam.
ers. As men they are generous and OPEN
in their prejudices probably,
but equally warm in their partialities-im-
pliacabe enemies often, but always strong
friends. We like them, and we are proud to
say, that probably some of the warmest
friends we have on earth, are among our
river pilots.