Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-11
FLASHES FROM WASHINGTON.
Lessons from the Wreck of the City
of Austfn-A SuBken Hulk ON the
Florida COast-EmOry Speer I'm a
Snarl-Raum Handling Him With
out Gloves.

WASHINGTON. June 10-EverY day devel-
ops additional proof that 1t Is necessary
that pilots Of steam vessels and engineers
OF railroads should be most carefully ex-
amined for color blindness by experts. The
latest case bearing on this subject that has
been brought to the attention of the
authorities here is that of the pilot Of the
City of Austin. who, through mistaking the
color Of the buoys In the channel, lost the
vessel In the harbor of Fernaudina on the
Gath of last April. Owing to the fortunate
mil2ness of the weather, no lives were lost,
but the estimated loss Of the vessel and
cargo is $500, 900.
The City of Austin being registered YES
sci, was not required to carry a pilot licens-
ed by the United States steamboat inspec-
tors, SO she had one licensed by the State of
Florida, which has not vet followed the ex-
ample of the United States Steamboat Ser
vice OF examining the vision OF pilots and
refusing licenses to those found color blind.
After the loss of said vessel the State
Pilot Commissioners of Florida requested
Messrs. Jones and Headman, United States
0-cdulbOdb Inspectors Ab savannah, TO GX
anime her pilot for color blindness, which
they did, and found that at the short
distance of six feet he could not distinguish
one color from another The doctors at
st. MarY's, Ca, where this examination
occurred, agreed In attributing the pilots
defective vision to the excessive use of to-
bacco.
Had the local authorities availed them
selves OF Treasury circular of June IL, 1879
rendering the services of the Marine Hos
pitsl surgeons as examiners, for which no
examination fee is required, this accident
most likely would not have occurred.
The Coast SURVEY has issued the follow
ing notice to mariners:
Lieutenant E. B. Thomas, U. s. n, AS
sistant Coast and Geodetic Survey, com
manding steamer A. D. Bache, reports un-
der date OF May 2lst, ultimO, that, during
the survey Of the coast south of Cape Ca
naveral, Florida, he discovered the mast OF
sunken vessel rising about four feet out
OF water. Mast appears black from seaward
and gre en- from shore.
"The wreck lies In nine fathoms of water,
and has six fathoms on it. Angles taken
plot 1t in latitude 28:03:43 N. and longitude
SO:3l:1O w, one and one-half miles from
shore. 1t is reported to be the wreck of
Spanish bark"
Representative Emory Speer has gotten
himself into q war with Commissioner
Raum. 1t grows primarily out of charges
filed by Speer against Clark, Collector at
Atlanta. Raum aud Clark are banded to-
gether by ties of mutual interest and ''con-
veniencem Speer is doing his best to have
Clark turned out. The scene between the
two before Secretary Window, in which
falsehood on both sides was implied, made
the mutual dislike the greater. The
fight has just now taken the shape
OF correspondence. Raum to-day has
written a very spicy letter to Windom in
regard to Speer. He sets forth that all the
Ourrages or rather disturbances In Speer's
district In the last three years have been
caused alone by the bad public sentiment
for which Speer and those who desired to
profit politically by catering to the wishes
Of the moonshiners are alone responsible.
Raum takes off the gloves In this letter and
goes for Speer in no gentle way. Applica-
tion for copy of his letter was to-day re-
fused your correspondent by the Treasury
Department. The general tenor il, how
ever, outlined in the above lines. Now let
Speer write something about Rsum and
keep the thing lively during the dull sum.
mer months. He certainly owes that much
to the many newspaper friends he has
made since he first appeared In public life.