New-York tribune., 1876-07-22
grc Tragedy or THE MoH1WK.

After the verdict Of Che cOrOnc,S jury comes
the long, sad, private memory, and public IN
difference and iolgctiUlncsS. We nave become
terribly accustomed to real tragedy, 80 thLt 1t
affects us, unless 1t toucbc. rs nearly, hardly
more or longer than the closing scene at
the thcater. 40 incident was wanting TO i'll
tensify the darkness OF the catastrophe on
Thursday. The victims were young, wealthy.
and when suddenly called from earth were in
the pursuit of innocent pleasure; or they were
the servants OF Tie yacht, accustomed to a
sense of security in the performance OF their
duties. Death came, too, very suddenly, ana
did its work very swiftly. From the shore
the ewes of friends witnessed the p"iil whch
so strangely overwhelmed the Wcll-hnOwn
bark aud its precious freight OF human lives;
while the story of the dreadful death was
speedily carried to many circle, which grew
pale at the doleiul narrative These distress
ing events, calamitics 10y sea and shOsc, come
often, bus each one has the lorce Of an un-
preccdcnted misery, and startlcs us as much
as if it had 10 miserable predecessors.
\ lesson of such an incident l. that OF orr
dependence upon others. The public-spi!ltcd
gentleman who built the Mohawk, sparing
neither pains nor money to make her safe as
well rs luxurious was nevertheless obliged to
trust his life nHd the lives Of his dear ones,
whenever he indulged in tEe qualification Of
his taste, to some practical mariner. The
general opinion seems to be that Rowland,
lhe sailing master of the Mohawk, was
grossly incompetent, and that the sinking
would have been avoided had he Obcycd the
orders of his employ,r, and lifted the anchor
before hosting sail-a blundcr which he is said
to have committed on a previous occasion.
No account of the sinking which we have seen
suggests anything but sheer mismanagement
of the vessel. She was certainly at the mo-
ment exclusively i'll charge Of Rowland, and
the lives Of twenty persons were dependent
upon his skill and presence Of mind. 1t is not
often that amy man is placed under "A greater
weight of responsibility. Censure of tins I'M
fortunate person will not restore the lives so
suddenly destroyed; but the lesson of the
drowning is plain enough. There are services
which man who is untitled may undc'1fc
without putting human existence in pc3ll; but
sailing yacht Is not one OF them.
And the lesson is that OF the real Insecurity
Of life everywhere. Mo alsts teach this hH-
man experience confirms II; every newspaper
which we read demonstrated it. Yet we 20 ON
living as if life were the most certain thing III
the world. We travel by rail and by steam
boat; we trust ourselves in hundred posi-
tions, every one of which has already again
and again proved fatal 10 somebody; and yet we
do 80 without any haunting apprehension. The
company upon the Mohawk seemed 10 he
really as safe rs if upon land. The chances
Of such an accident were as one 10 a million,
vet the flaw came and the skill which should
have prevented its dire consequences
was wanting. 1t is not strange that
whole nations of men have believed the race
To be under the doom of an incomprehcnsiblc
and inevitable fatality. 1t is not strange
that we seek safety in prayer from "sudden
"death; :" but it is strange, loving life as we do
usually above all things, that man should be
80 careless, and should 30 i'll guard that which
lac esteems his richest treasure This reckless