Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-03-08
From the knickerbockcr.
The Arctic.
DISCIPLINE ON BOARD OF VESSELS.

Taking our accustomed ease one morning,
some weeks ago. in our barber's shop, un-
der the pleasant tensorial nanpulatons of
Mr.. Augustus Blessing, who has no superb
or in his professional line, we overheard the
following as it fell from the lips of one OF
ou- most distinguished American poets:
81 AIN of the firm opinion that if there had
been on board the Arctic,-as | contend
should be the case on every steamship that
crosscss the Atlantic--the, discipline Of a man
y- -warfjTthat dreudtoi- tatamTty, at least in
part, If not wholly, might have been avoid
cd. 1t was the lack of duttOrHire concert
between the captain and his officers and the
officers and the crew which ut the outset led
% the dep'orable event.
"Whrn the steamer 'Prnceton,' Captain
| Stockton, haG made portion of pleasure
excursion down the Potomac, you will re-
member that in firing salute with the big
gum it burst, and destroyed several precious
liv.s, among others, that Of the then Secre-
tary OF the Navy. Now, have it from the
very best at thority--that of Commodore
Stockton hmsell-thut when the gunners
had fired the piece, and witnessed its terri
bic effects, they resumed their position amid
.he carnage it had creatcd,nor did they move
from it until orJe red 10 tu SO by their COM
mander. Can it be doubted that obedience
aud disc ciplne such as this might have saved
| our unfortunate ocean steGmerF'
"Bur" interposed heurer, sis it certain
that any disci p!ine could have saved all the
passengers!"
81 don't know wha, others may think, but
for myself, have not the slightest doubt of
it,. Lel me mention I circumstance which
once occurred on Lake Champlain, and of
which | WIS myself an eyewitness:
IL was on board the Steamer Burlington
this was some twenty-five or thirty years
! ago-commanded by Captain Sherman, one
ot the most careful, the most methodica, the
most exact captains that ever trod stream
cr's deck. Everybody knows, who ever tra-
veled with him, that there never was seen
Il speck of dirt about his boat so big as pea;
That his directions were given in tone SO
( low that they were seldom heard save by
those to whom they were especially address
sed; and generally they were indicated by Il
merely subdueI tone or whistle.
! sen the occasion OF Syhch | speak, the
steamboat had approached the middle OF the
widest part of the lake, somewhere, il re-
collect rightly in the neghbc rhood of Platts-
burgh, when circle of smoke was seen to
issue from around her snhoke-pipe. The alarm
instantly arose:
! rhe boat is on iirel the boat is on fire!
81 RI shed to the saloon, where several la
dies who were of the pleasure party to whIcl
was myself attached, were assembled IN
state of great fear.
"Ladies' said, don't be alarmed; | know
Captain Sherman, and his prudence energy
and determination, 80 well, that alt hough 4
is certain that the boat has caught hire, ye
consider your lives us safe as ii you were
in your own parlors.
/ .Meantime, there was no hustle, no lout
orders, no shouting or disorder upon the deck
aud when returned to it found two lines
Of men, all OF the crew, passing JUL and re
, cevng empty buckets in return, anu in nj
teen minutes the fire, which had reached
considerable heudwuy, was entirely eXun
5 guished.
4 AN hour or two after, when all excite
ment in relation to the fire had subslded, 4
/, | met the Captain on deck, | ventured t
= ask him:
"Captain Sherman, will you tell me how
:, it was that you were enabled to preserV
/ such perfect order amons your crew, anu
put out fire go speedily WHICH had gaiRe
such .headwayp
! "oh. yes,' replied the Captain, she who
\ thing is very simple aud easily explulnedi
+. all consists in being prepared for such
n emergency, Now have rehearSea the vel
y scene which you have witnessed to-day mo
: than Gtly times with my men, on the dock
m this boat