Daily Republican., 1881-08-26
WAR AMONG THE PILOTS.
WHAT Is BACK OF The ARRESY
Of DELAWARE PILOT,
An EadeavOF to Renaer In0pera-
tive One Of the Most Important
sections Of the New Pilst-
age Act.

PHILADELPHIA. Aug. 26 - The
Record of to-day, says that she arrest of
Captain Hollinger, Of the tug Argo-
naut, for the plotting of the British
ship from the Breakwater without Ii
cense, grows out OF an effort on part of
the pilots to break down vial section
in the new pilotage law of Pennsylva-
MIA. Section 3, provides tha5 when a
vessel has passed inside of a straight
line drawn from Cape May Light to
Cape HenIopen without having been
spoken by pilot she shall be exempt
from taking ii pilot on the inward voy-
age, and no penalty shall attach to any
one connected with the vessel for n
glecting or refusing to take "a pilot un-
der such circumstances.
The question is v neither the recent
act repealed the one Of 1916, which pro-
vdes that if any person Shall under
take to pilot any vessel which exceeds
sevety-tive tons registered in the Bay or
River Delaware, or Shall in any man
ner exercise Ur attempt to exercise the
profession of pilot without license
duly granted by the Port Warlens of
the port of Philadelphia, the person so
offending shall be liable on conviction,
to fine not exceeding 500 and an i'm
prisonment Of not less than one month
or more than year. Section 3 is the
one against which the pilots have de-
cIareu war. They contend that, while
by it captain has vivid right to pilot
his own vessel up the river, he has no
power 10 delegate that duty to any per-
son who is not licensed to act as a pilot.
This they say he does if he employs a
tugboat to bring his vessel ny to port.
Hence, should this view of the case be
upheld by the Courts, every sailing
vessel, even if it has crossed the line
prescribed in the act, will be compelled
to take pilot as well as engage the
services of a tugboat, and consequently
one of the most important features of
the act will be entirely rendered Of no
effect.
The magistrate before WHOM Ho,llnger
was taken has decided to send the case
to Court Treasurer +. A. Churchman
of the TOwboat Owners Association,
when asked what steps INSTRUMENTATION
contemplated in the premises, said that
the individual captains would refuse to
tow up vessel unless a pilot was on
board. ''We are" he said, "between
two fires; the exact law of this State is
called into question, while under Della
ware statutes we are aInenable to severe
penalties if we usurp the functions OF
one OF the pilots licensed by that State,
50 that we should be in danger of being
hauled'up in one State or the other Our
captains cannot attogu to take this risk
and so they will keep on the safe side.
II u captain halls a tug the first question
asked will be Have you a pilot" and
if the answer is in the negative he will
have to get one before a bargalA is
struck. The pilots have it In their
power to do us good or harm, as tho
case may be, and so it is for our best
interests to keep on the right sile Vt
them and get their best influences i'll
our favor"
The Knot Of pilots who were gathered
in the office on South Delaware avenue
were in good spirits over the Magls-
trate's decision. One of the number,
whose sentiments re-echoed by his as
sociates, said that they proposed to
haul up every tugboat captain who
transgressed what in their opinion was
the plain spirit of the law. The ship
ping men, he added, had been trying
for two years to beat the pilots in one
way and another but they had gone
as far as they could 60 in that direc-
ton.
"Yes,' put in pilot who was sitting
near "but they ought to have hauled
up this man in Delaware. "Pll var
rant you he would not have gotten
away 50 easily as he may over here. If
we catch any more ofthem at the same
game we will get them under the Della
ware law or let them so. This is the
third time within a few weeks that
Hollinper has done tho same thing.
Now let him repeat it he will soon
find What will be done with him..
The bail required of Captain Holm
ger by Magistrate List was 5000, and
security was promptly entered.