The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-11
Lieutenant and Commodore,

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! Lieutenant and Commodore
Obedience to superior orders ceases
to be a duty the moment those orders
endanger life and general safety
Pressing cases like the following may
| occur where q subaltern is aware OF
something unknown to his officer, and
must act before he has time to explain
The Army and Navy 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
Potomac, commanded by Com. John
Downs, was crossing its waters on a
cruise around the world.
Reuben r. Pinkham was her third
lieutenant, a thorough sailor born in
a northern whaling port, he had made
several voyages to the North Pacific
as a whaler, and was comparatively
familiar with that region, where the
other officers were strangers. He and
Com. Downes have both been long
dead.
The day was drawing to close
Pinkham had the watch, and the Com
modore was walking the deck. The
wind which before was fresh. had in
creased to gale; topgallant sails were
handed, topsails reefed and spanker
brailed up; when all at once Pinkham
gave the order
''Nan the weather head braces
weather main brace-Weather main
top sail brace-lee cross jack braces"
''What is that for, Mr.. Pinkham!'
asked the Commodore.
':We shall have the wind out here in
a moment, sir, said Pinkham, stretch.
ing his arm out and pointing to the
leeward.
With that the Commodore ran over
to the lee rail. and looked anxiously
out in the direction Indicated. Pres
emily he returned and said
II see no signs Of it, Mr.. Pinkham :;
let the men leave the Braces
With that 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 perempt.
DRY tone,-
s'Let the men leave the braces, sir -
Again the crew dropped the ropes
from their hands, when Pinkham,
shaking his trumpet at them exclaim-
ed,-
''Don't any of you dare to let go of
those ropes!''
At that moment the wind did not die
away, but stopped, and the sails flap
ped against the masts. Raising his
trumpet to his lips, Pinkham shouted,
''Haul taut! Haul off all - and the
ponderous yards swung to a reversed
direction.
They had hardly done so, when the
wind came from the opposite direc-
ton, and struck the ship like sledge-
hammer. She bent before it, but
shaking the spray from her bows dash
ed forward unframed.
Commodore Downes said not a word,
but rushed into his cabin and pres
emily the orderly came up to Mr..
Pinkham and said that the Commodore
wished him to send to the first lieu
tenant to relieve him for a few min.
utes, as he wished to see him in the
cabin.
Entering the cabin, Pinkham found
the Commodore seated by table.
''Mr. Pinkham," he exclaimed, Il
consider myself indebted to you for
my own life and for the lives of all on
board the ship. Had you not hauled
the yards just when you did, the ship
would have gone down stern foremost.
But tell you frankly that, had the
wind not come out as you predicted, I
would have put you under arrest in
two minutes
Soon. 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 sud-
den changes of wind. I saw undoubt-
ed indications of such a change then.
and knew that I had no time for ex-
planati0n.'
The Niagara Falls Gazette: ''Some
strangers, actuated by curiosity,
threw goose into the river from the
bridge leading from the main land to
Bath Island a few days ago to test if it
could survive trip over the American
fall. The goose made the voyage in
safety, and was subsequently secured
uninjured, by a ferryman below the
cataract.