, 1876-10-20
Lieutenant and Commodore.

Obedlence to superior orders ceases
to be duty the moment those orders
endanger life and general safety. Press
ing cases like the following may occur
where a subaltern is aware of something
unknown to his officer, and must act be-
fore he has time to explain. The Army
ard Nary Journal tells the story
In 1888, the typhoon of the Northern
Pacific was not as we'll understood as it
is now, and that sea was little known to
our naval vessels. In that year the Po-
tomac, commanded by Com. John
Downes, was crossing its waters on a
cruise around the world.
Reuben r. Pinkham was her third
lieutenant, thorough sailor; born in a
northern whaling port, he had made
several voyages to the North Pacific as
whaler, and was comparatively famil-
lar with that region, where the other
officers were strangers. He and Com.
Downes have both been long dead.
The day was drawing to close; Pink
ham had the watch, and the Commodore
was walking the deck. The wind which
before was fresh, had increased to
gale; topgallant sails were handed, top
sails reefed and spanker brailed up;
when all at once Pinkham gave the
ORDER
"Man the weather head-braces-
weather main-brace-weather maintop-
sail -brace-lee cross-jack braces"
"What is that for, Mr.. Pinkham?"
asked the commodore.
'fWe shall have the wind out here in
a moment, SIR" said Pinkham stretch
ing his arm out and pointing to the lee
ward. '-
With that the Commodore ran over to
the lee rail, and looked anxiously out
in the direction indicated. Presently
he returned and said
''I see no signs of it, Mr.. Pinkham;
let the men leave the braces"
With that a number of the crew
dropped the ropes, and Pinkham called
out
'Keep hold of those braces, every
man of you, when they resumed their
grasp.
The Commodore's face flushed with
anger to find his directions thus disre-
garded, and he called out in pereppt-
Ory tone,-
"Let the men leave the braces, sir"
Again the crew dropped the ropes
from their hands, when Pinkham, shak-
ing his trumpet at them, exclaimed
Don't any of you dare to let go of
those ropesP'
At that moment the wind did not die
away, but stopped, and the sails tapped
against the masts. Raising his trumpet
to his lips, Pinkham shouted, "Haul
tautl Haul off alll' and the ponderous
yards swung to reversed direction.
They had hardly done so when the
wind came out from the opposite quar-
ter, and struck the ship like a sledge-
hammer. She bent before it, but shak
ing the spray from her bows dashed for
ward unharmed.
Com. Downes said not a word, but
rushed into his cabin; and presently the
orderly came up to Mr.. Pinkham and
said the commodore wished him to
send to the first lieutenant to relieve
him for few minutes, as he wished to
see him in the cabin.
Entering the cabin, Pinkham found
the Commodore seated by table.
"Mr. Pinkham," he exclaimed, 81
consider myself indebted to you for
my own life and for the lives of all on
board this ship. Had you not hauled
the yards just when you did, the ship
would have gone dcwn stern foremost.
But 1 tell you frankly that, had the
wind not come out as you predicted, I
would have put you under arrest in two
minutes"
"Com. Downes, replied Lieut.. Pink
ham, 81 did not intend any disrespect.
and should be sorry if you thought I
did, but have been in these seas be-
fore, and am familiar with these sudden
changes of wind. saw undoubtful in
dications of such change then, and
knew that had no time for explana-
item"