The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-05-24
THE PERII.s OF THE SEA.
Disasters on the River and oeeaa---A Few
TiFHN Hints. 81

Disasters on the River and oeeaa---A Few
Wfid Hints. 81
The New York Tribune says: To many
hundred homes the tidings Of tho
Schillers shipwreck bring sorrow and
mourning. Only few days ago many
Of US were bidding friends farewell as
they stepped on tho steamers deck; to-
day We ore reading the details OF their
terrible fate, wrecked, dashed ON the
rocks, drowned on tie British coast.
The very breeze that is now tanning us
with tho breath Of spring, md bringing
us the warm yapors caught in its passage
over the Atlantic waves, may have borne
the prayers and cries that assembled from
tho Retarriers Ledge over scene OF
hopeless anguish. There Is sense in
viii III this calamity was very near ms,
though three thousand miles away. II
comes home to every one who has friends
crossing or expecting to cross the At
laltic, US well as to every one who is
preparing for travel by sea. The great
fact which II brings forward in startling
prominence is simply this: with all the
safeguards Of our best steamers, an
ocean voyage is yet serious risk OF hu.
man life,
This condition seems the more re,
markabie when we compare with it tho
advance that has been made in safety Of
inland travel. In tho early history Of
railroads, accidents were OF extreme fire.
guency and the loas o. life was great.
But during long series OF years the
proportion Of fatal accidents 10 the
number OF passengers carried has been
steadily diminishing, especially on our
Northern and Eastern roads. 1t was
distinctly shown in oneo OF tho more re-
cent annual reports OF tho Massachusetts,
Z stAte railway commissioners that pas.
sengefs on o train were safer than when
walking in the streets OF Boston, since
the nlmber Of deaths from sun-stroke
alone exceeded those from all forms Of
railway accident.
In aspect to steamboats, upon our
river which are more nearly compar.
abe With ocean steamers than are rail
road lyAins, there has also been a mark
led Improvement in respect to safety,
During many years exceedingly few
calamitics involving great loss Of life
have happened TO the crowded steam
boats OF our Eastern waters, and oven
the proyerbiRl dangers Of voyage on
tho Mississippi have been much dimin-
> ished. But with regard 10 ocean nRvi.
: CATION the improvement in safety has
scarcely keep pace with oven the In
crease Of travel Tho actual n:iliior Of
shipwrecks is still great. The loss Of
LIE in the event Of EhipwTcck still
! bears large proportion to the number
! OF passengersI There Is also this note
|, worthy difference between railroad aud
! steamship accidents: in the former the
! employees Of tho road in proportion to
, their numbers, far moro frequently lose
! their lives than the passengers, while
precisely tho reverse Is true Of steam
: ship wrecks. lii an essay presented by
: Prof. VIM. A. Rogers Of the Portland
!, meeting OF the American Association, 1t
q was distinctly shown by comparison Of
I statistics, that there Ind been for many
4 years continual and very large increase
in the proportion Of shipwrecks among
!. British vessels. He concluded that this
4 uuquestionRble inGrease Of danger and
!, accident was duo to tho confidence Of
+ captains in reckoning by instruments,
i and depending too much upon their
1 chronometets. The ratio OF errors in
chronometers was shown TO be such that
q y navigator should expect from this
soiirco IN error Of moro than three and
a onO.half miles, must DO on the lookout
for ono OF eleven and ono hall miles, and
!, need not be surprised at one OF twenty.
n one miles. This is supposing he trusts
Z 10 an average thermometer. A good
a navigator told Prof. Benjamin Peirce
i during o voyage that he did not trust
i his position within sixty miles. The
. professor himself, while superintendent
4 Of the coast survey, declared as his
q own conviction, that q captain who neg
q lected to take soundingI when within
1 thirty miles OF cOast, "if lie had any
! passengers on his vessel, ought to be
hung" ri
II must DO admitted, however, that
: there have been many and great improve
ments in the science Of ocean navigation
: within tho period OF the Use Of steam.
The risk Of travel by steamships ought
/ to have proportionately diminished but
/ they have not. On tho other hand,
: great improvements have been made
: in railway inventions, aud the safety Of
passengers has boon proportionately en-,
/. HANGED. May not this great contrast be
duo to q different sort Of responsibility,
1 operating through course Of years.
/ Ifa railroad train ia wrecked, the com.
pany owning IL suffers the direct loss by
destruction Of property, aud in addition
may DO held in damages for injury and
loss Of lifo 10 passengers. II steamship
is wrecked, MI insurance company makes
q good the loss Of the vessel, AID the only
Q damage to tho owners tint accrues from
from the drowning passengers is TINT oil
! badropute. Without intending to apply
, tue remark to thosllipwreck OF tho Scllil-
Ter, since all the circumstances that de
D terminod IL arc not yet known, we may
+; safely say that when steamship compan.
> les are directly responsible in money
damages for the loss Of passengers lives
in sllipwreck, there may be fewer quick
, voyages across the Atlantic, but there
} will also be fewer calamities.