The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-09

sometimes when he has skllfully avoided an
Verse current lettering sloop, or long tow,
crosses mis- bow and causes him to lose all the
advantage he had gained. The narrowness OF
the East river, and the const nifty increasing
trafic through II, make such INTERRUPTIONS
much more frequent there than In the North
river. Sailing vessels always have the right OF
way and ferry boats must wait FOR them. lows
ferry boats themselves, and whichever gives
the first warning whistle may go TO the right In
passing.
AN ANCIENT MARINER.
The oldest pilot now on the East river ie
Long JOhn," sometimes called John Balls r.
He rs seven feet tall, and handling the wheel OF
ferry boat and peering through fogs and
storms for nfty years OF his life has made him
somewhat stoop-sh ouldered. But his gray eve
is very bright, and hts iron gray hair and beard
and the strong lines In hts bronzed face make
him look tougher than many younger nan.
Now he has charge Of the boats OF the Union
Ferry Company on their way to and from the
repair yards, and he Il very much trusted by his
employers. He has the reputation oil being able
I tell more pilots yarns tnan any other man on
the river, but his honest and straight forward
way Of talking convinces one that he speaks tue
truth.
long ago az / can remember" lie said, and
have been on most every ferry on tne river. ~
things was tfty years ago. Ihen was on the
Cuharine ferry. me boats we're eighty OF
the centre, Ike a horse DO The pilot stood
at the rear of the upper deck aud steered with
an iron tilier. Folks used to think then that the
ferry boats were wonderful things, and just US
perfect as they could be made. remember
whether thought ferry boats would ever be
steered with wheels. said thought II posi-.
BILE that improvements might 20 50 Tar as that
some time, out he laughed and said he didn't
"B t folks idea. were considerably mixed in
those days. When terry boat He'd the Full
ton, 100 feet long. was launched, recollect they
SAID she could never be used IN the East river
because size was too bug altogether"
suppose good pilots are plentiful, Mr.. Bal
serl"
clutching a ny that tad lighted on his nose {;
not exactly. 10y no me ms. There amt more
than one or two men olt Of twenty III try that
maSe good pilots. good PHO. mas got to have
agood many strong points about him.
QUALIFICATIONS OF PILOT.
~ He's got to have mighty GOOD judem Z,
which Is "a scarcer .hing than YOU think for, be
cause tiot has got To make up his mind about
| hundreds Of doubtful moves every dav. IL he
| don't know whats best to do In minute he IN y
run down a small boat or get smashed into Uv "A
sound steamer. Then he mustn't he nervous and
get excited easily II he amt steady as a rock
In a tight place he amt Ut to he trusted at the
wheel I've seen ferry b at, crowded with folks
so thick that you couun't wedge another In be-
tween them out to the very bows, crossing IN a
fog a good deal thicker than the folks, ana liable
to run into something any minute without tue
greatest caution being used. Now you pat n
circumstances, and wbat would he DOR why.
moren likely when he heard the big whistles
| growing all around him In tue fog. anu saw tue
yard arm oil a snip suddenly spe iring at him out
! Of the gloom, he'd drop The boat out of her
| course and nave collision In less than mint tV
Then good pilot has to he a stem man, aud
! have Ideas OF MS own. He don't want to take
| any advice, but 20 ahead on his own respons'-
bih-y. | never took any advice, but alw avs
| studied verifying out for myself. And now
there's one point mat piot has got TO have
any way. or ne can't no WAYS succeed, aud tuat 4
good nature. If he's passiOna man he mad
better 40 out of the business at onoe. for he's
sure to get into trouble II he don't. You don 1
begin to know nov trying boat load Of passen.
gers sometimes are to a pilot. Some telers VIII
stand and ~ ear al MN, and call him a 70 .
non hR rad ~ al AM
lows until bis blood oiles II he .,int careful aud
then ne loses contlo of himself and. Of course,
, Of the wheel When be Is going into slip, N q
counter current that no power under heaven
could prevent catches tue boat and tnrows her
To one side, some folk VIII say, IN the most Az
gravating wAv, here, that man run right IN "
the dock seen htm do It.
WHERE GOOD NATURE is TALENT
"Such folks are foolish, or they wouldn't talk
angry Passengers Is a bigger fool than any o
them. lie has got to keep his mouth shut anc
tend to his business, aud swallow the insul =, OI
laugh at them for II he gets into quarrel. bs
loses his self-respect aud MS nerve, aud tnat' :,
tue end Of hiLn for business.
A pilot has also got to he a sober man. He
must steer clear OF ~ni,key, and never touch u
crop OF i!-tnat Is TO say .tter ptuse. " no.
duty, drop OF something ain I hurtiul, II that,
hts way Of thinking. And. more tnan ali, good
pilot has got u feei tue respOnsiUi. ity hes un
der. thousands Of lives are Ia his hands ali Tue
time, aud rs All awful thing. always felt to
wara my passengers as though they were my
family, aud 1 had TO conduct them best
could. wouldn't mind tneif susers ana taunis
aud fault finding any more tnanii tney had beer
llttle culdren, talking about what they dOn'
understand, and thal 5 Just what lney are. 80 fd
as crtieisns pilot goes, ana he ought alwa,'
10 tire I 'eu as sucu, and never get mad aul
more than he would at us own children Tor DC
Ing cross"
DO old sailors ever become ferry pilotsy"
Not often. good seaman most always
makes the worst sort of ferry plot, aud IA tel
YOU why. IT'S because having oeen TO sea ne
thinks ne knows ali about the uues ana currents
IN the word. no ne says 10 himself, won
give Ia 70 /. ifesn water pilot ani now, ami YET
lie cont know auytniug ABOUT the cdrrent
here. and he won't learn. There was one on Tn,
river here once VINO was pr tty good, but neve
fancied his steering he didn't hold nimseii "a
III exactly the right kind VI shape. lie III naget
to get al ong some how. out lie met Win four VI
i've accidents ana got sent away, although h,
was successful enougd never 10 kiI anynOdi.
" tell you good pilot has got 70 know ever
streak OF toe the ninuts ne sees II. / have
known men to serve eight ten years ant
then not make good pilots, anu others succee,
Ia TWO years. Il depends on The man."
EXCITING SCENES.
You must have had some exciting times IL
| your HE as a pilOt, Mr.. tlserf'
| Yes SAD the veter n. I've had many
close shave, out | never was scared yet. W.
seen other ieilers scared, though was piiot oI
CaraIine boat wnen the old Gen. JAcAsoi
| OF tue Jackson ferry was sunk. r'w ner ~
down. IL Was aoout sunrise. he steaDa
knune Island struck ner rgnt IN the middle ai'
knOcked Oik DUie IN her SIDE, ana sue wen
down ike d lump Oi LEAD. aud several mikneI
and mig cart noises on their way TO he
we're crowned, but me pilot and deck uands
gnd even the engineer anu bremen, escapr d
About a hour aitcrward. "t tue turn OF tn
tlde, she rose to tue top OF the water agdlu lA'
tue gnJst u bOat, anu then sunk forever
IA Is the only ferry boat l ever remember nav
lug been sunk on Tue East river, although there
| plenty That nave mad nOIes shocked into Ia en-
AZ. so'- etiuIes passengers have Ueen killed VI
collisions.
:" Tue Snsat number OF steaiiivf-, lighters
s,.ops, md boats in bis river 10 what III ak
! feuyIng IL a good al harder. Ihats where "a
pilots Judgment has got 10 come In. Tor some
times tIey viii bother him on purpose, an
some towbOats VIII take tows good dcdi oig
ger tuAn they know how to manage aud tue
won't answer whistles or anything else. Slua
boats make good de / OF trOuDle sometime
too, for tue uien IN them get scared II tue
tutnk there's any Danger Of being run over. all
don't know what to do. l recOllect once U
Cathariae ferry, about forty years ago, Two me
Ia a small boat got IN front OF me. Was Try III
to get astern u let EN- 90 DN, out they =,
scared wuen tuere WIS no danger at an, an
overheard tney wenti but after thelr boat Ia
s4tely uIilted away, they climbed INTO II, dil
ping with water ID swearing at me. Yes, yes
tneie . exciting times enough Tor tue pllol, al
there's IA thousand tnlngs To Try his temper, an
II he geis mad he II do things ne Il never thln
OF dong IN MS sober SENSES. and therefore 1 sd
the tulus Tor hn 10 do under all circumstance
IS to be stern, and never Lose his temper. Iuel
II mes got Judgment and can tell me set OF
tide at 1lauce, ne may De H. to handle ferI
Do.t.
liz a. s.alIN