The New York herald., 1875-08-20
THE MEN AT THE WHEEL.

The men who carefully and safely direct the swift
going river boats which at all hours Of the day and night
traverse rivers have become Of Importance in
social economy. They a numerous, hardy, cool
Drained set Of men, simple in their ways and though
navigating inland waters with much of the roughness
which to attaeh to the service Of the Some
of them have been navigators the painless waters
but the majority land reared and would be sorey
puzzled if they took the wheel of an steamer.
The life Of the pilot is trying by Of its constant
anxiety and necessary fears For the pilot in of
mistake there is mercy Whether he has done the
best he could or not does into the question
He must be perfect and complete guarantee against
danger This is hard, perhaps the pilot but right
in principle The theory of the ferry companies s that
the passage Is quite safe remaining on land and
they pay the pilot make certain of this If he thinks
he cannot do this then he isn't Ut TO be pilot
PILOTS ARE MADE.
But precautions are that he shall be fit to guar
his work The pilot ia generally taken from among
the deck hands If he has audabe wish TO increase
his living and become of importance in the world
he makes request that he be allowed TO practice,
which is accorded him. and then when his days work
Of eight hours he may devote many hours as
he pleases to practice This consists in studying with
friendly pilot, taking occasional lift at the
wheel observing how this object is avoided and that
breasted how signals made, and, in fact, how the
thousand dangers that threaten the pilot
Ii seems to require peculiar ability 10 be a pilot if
we may Judge Of the results Of this practice. Some men,
by constant practice become competent pilots in two
years where, the other hand, there is deck hand
who has been practising for ten years consecunvey,
and to use the phraseology Of his teacher che won't
never be no good" quick eye is the principal qualh
cation and qulck decision next The pilot who hest
tates is lost Daring and prudence should be about
mixed up equal quantities, and it is just fatal to
pilots to be too prudent as il is TO be too
daring.
TALK WITH SALT
eye see said an old pilot to the writer ''the com
pany don't like what's too slow more'n they
like a man as runs his into everything he
across scarn the passengers and making 'em feel if
there might be trouble ahead The whole thing is to
make your eye and your head and your
arm act together You've got to have your
eye in the back Of your head, just much
you have in 'front.' to look every which way at the
same time. You never know what may strike, and
they'n make as much trouble about boat being
run down as they will about schooner Our greatest
trouble is with those darned little tugboats They don't
make Of effort signal and they don't take the
roube TO answer if fellow does signal first The onv
way do is to go right ahead and not trouble with
them. Then they get out of the way. But they don't
seem obey rules regulations at all and do just
Of big boats no trouble comparatively You always
know what way a sailing vessel is going and where
! she'll fetch. The big tows great bother 10
and delay US in our course great deal In The East
River particularly about Fulton ferry, the current
strong that If tow gets IN front OF the slip as we are
! about to 90 for it lose maybe mile or so-not in
direct line, Of course but before we get
where We we're before. 1t takes long time
understand the currents on the East River because
there's half hours in the day when they're the
II takes long study 10 get them down fine That
the trouble with the ten years man told you about "
|
Each student of pilotage, when he considers himself
proficient and is so pronounced by his teacher goes be-
fore the Commissioners of Pilots in this city and under
goes a strict examination Difficult positions for boat
10 be in assumed and he is asked what he would do
under the circumstances, and he Is obliged TO
quickly he would have TO act If he at the helm
and 900 human beings were in his care. Failures to
answer such questions these fatal TO examna
tion. But besides this he is asked all the usual ques
tons concerning lights landmarks, currents tides &c
in the neGhborhood of all the ferry routes from and
the city, and in all this he be thoroughly pro
fcient else he is remanded TO undergo tuition
Again, when, having undergone all this he receives
his diploma a river pilot, at any accident
which happens him, he is again brought up and the
is Investigated II any carelessness want Of
foresight can be shown on his part the diploma or
license revoked either for period during which he
must not pilot forever This latter revoca-
ton is only carried out under peculiarly aggravatng
cumstances, such accident while the pilot ln-
| toXicated, which is considered objectionable
Young pilots are rare, though they do exist II is
generally felt preferable TO have men Of larger ex-
perience and cool headed from the frost Of age The
Nestor Of the East River potssod Baldwin, has been
the business and before that he
was seaman. His experience IS such that all the
others defer TO him, and he Is called Commodore Bald
win though the company does not recognize the rank,
and his salary no larger than that Of the others
Pilots PAY.
| The pilots In the employ Of the Union Ferry Com
pany are well paid any and better paid some
| On the Fulton ferry they receive 81 500 a year for
eight hours work per day. They 60 at five in the
! morning one day, working until twelve, making
| hours They then of until twelve O'Clock noon Of
tho next day. working until nine Mt night making nine
| hours work on stretch This is very reasonable
| amount OF work but il has been found TO be quite
enough for any one man at such an aTduous duty as
| plotting wherein all the nerves are constant
strain and the periods of rest between trips average
| only five minutes On the Wall street. Hamilton and
South ferries the salary Of the pilots is 81 300 the
difference being not because Of lesser degree Of excel
lence the business but because Of the lesser work. II
is always easy and safe guide ferryboats any Of
these ferries compared with the Fulton which
much ofener than they do and where the passage is
shorter but much more risky Some pilots indeed,
prefer the lower salary and lesser danger Of the longer
routes On the Roosevelt street ferry, which is long,
tedious and without its dangers the salary OF
the pilots IS 81 500 but on all the upper ferries Of the
East River fails below and is IN some cases as low AZ
/ 600 which is certainly too low for the toll and
| practice OF 80 difficult profession,
on THB NORTH RIVER,
On the North River the average price Of the pilots
work $40 per month. On the CCrandt street ferry
is $l15 The routine Of practice is favored here
as on the East River, and the pilots are usually taken
| from the deck hands.
| When II is considered that in one moment n Milo,
may lose his lifelong profession these salaries NAV be
called low AT any age the pilot may be thrown out Of
WoIk3 peIudls oIeNcI YET TINS Tear must be
ssluary, for il is marvellous considering the millions
| OF people who annually rivers how few are
| injured NO bonus Is ever rendered these men and
though punishment meets them when they do i'll no
commensurate reward is given when they do well Ono
Of the best known pilots on the Williamsburg limo was
speaking to the writer yesterday of the dangers Of the
craft He said that he didn't mind boats on the river
or currents, or ice or anything of that Kind but he
always felt hke resignng when there fog was
touch and 80 with Them then. There were about a.
many chances OF their knocking into something there
Of getting TO land safely
CAPTAIN BELVILLHS FUNERAL,