Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-08-15

Elsewhere VIII be found Atemperately written
communication deprecating . hasty prejudg-
ment In regard to the wawsset disaster. In a
contemporary, however, we notice q communica-
ton written with more passion than discretion,
in which the writer roundly rates the critics
who have censured the management of the
Wawaset, as belonging to the class of "street
corner major generals who, with the fate of the
battle decided and the position of troops defined
could point out the reason why it was lost and
won" The writer sneeringly suggests that the
Potomac Ferry company should secure at any
cost the services of these critics as officers
fer their next boat. This sort of defence
Of the steamboat company is decidedly i'll
timed and ill-advIsed. The company, and the
officers of the Wawase:, have been treated very
fairly ana leniently by the press, and every
fact going 10 their credit has been promptly
stated and accorded its full weight. They
cannot expect, however, that a disaster in
yolving the appalling loss OF life, near
shore, in the still waters of river.
can pass by an ordinary casualty
demanding no inquiry OF discussion as to the
causes, and the means of avertipg future calau,-
tiles of the same kind. There will be many
opinions and suggestions put out, some of them
crude enough, doubtless, but all serving to give
the views OF the people upon a matter in which
the whole community is directly interested.
n III ~ Will hOt uO W suCcI At tuc CIlLlCS as Oh
the class Of corner major generals who know
nothing about war. In these days, when CAP
tains run their steamers across the Atlantic at
full speed in a dense fog, and go to bed when
approaching land; when engineers let the en-
gines run themselves while they sub for the bar
Keeper; and when firemen leave their fires to
seek cool breezes, and social converse with the
deck-hands, the question may be fairly raised
whether tie biggest land-labber that walks
couldn't run a boat with approximate ability
and discretion.
The writer, while dealing with the various
offenders who have presumed to hint that there
might be something wanting in the manage
ment Of the Wawaset, takes exception to an ed
itorial in The STAR, to the effect that ..there
should have been some officer on the boat hay-
ing nerve and discretion to stand pistol in
hand, by the life boats, and see that they were
properly lowered and the helpless women first
put on Shore" He cannot see how Capt. Wood
could be in two places at once, at the boats
and at the bow, where he was giving his at
tention to the wheel-rOpes, by which means alone
the vessel was brought INTO shallow water, )" aud
he adds, "let US have no more visionary sugyes-
tons for saving human life." Now our suyges-
ton WAS not at all visionary, but was maize in
the light of the fact that in aim 1st every in
stance where there has been any
numDSr Vi nNes saved from burning
steamers, 1t has been done by reason
of the officers of the vessel s;ationing them
selves by the life-boats and either BY pre-
scented pistol or other stern means of enforcing
discipline, preventing a mob OF selfish and ex-
cited men, crew or passengers, from traupling
down women and children, and Selling the
boats, as was done on the Wawaset. Ii is not
necessary that the captain should have the gift
OF ubiquity 10 do this. He is supposed to have
mates or assistants TO share his duties and either
he or his second otficer should have been at tue
Iiie-boats 10 see that they were properly low
cred, and the women and children first put In
them And the remarkable assertion in defence
OF the captain that his whole duty in such An
emergency consisted in watching the Wheel
ropes to see that they did not take ire, raises
the damaging enquiry why these ropes were of
inhammabie material? Why were they not of
wire or iron, as is the on any weasel desery-
ing to be trusted with human life? On the
whole we think the steamboat company will do
well to present their case through advocates
having more discretion il less zeal than the
writer, who, oddly enough, signs himself "Jus-
tce."