The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-01-09
The Life of u Pilot,

0 and river pilots is composed of ahou
:. ninety active, sturdy, weather-beatel
o danger-daring mon, whose ages rang
G between twenty Ave and seventy-fY
d years, and some OF whom have oontinu
,. ousiy pursued their useful. even indis
Il pensable, calling for nearly half con
b tury. The writer Is fresh from q socia
chat with one Of the oldest, best-lknown
: and most experienced Of these hard,
men, who conduct vessels from tin,
open sea through the dangerous shoal
4 and wrecking spots Of the Delaware ba,
aud river, to their docks along the rive
I. front OF the city of philadelphia. Th
namo of this old pilot is Lester d
Schellinger. and for over forty years h.
has been engaged III plotting vessels III
; ; and down the Delaware river and bay
and bis father did tho same thing be-
fore him. For the past twenty years
!. however, he has alternated plotting with
being Captain Of City Ice Boats. Cap.
tam Schellinger resides at No. 12C
Queen street, and it WIS there tho wri
tor received from him the information
embodied in this article.
Captain Schellinger was asked:-
"What is the course of trimming ia
quality mau to become regular
pilot?"
"What We call pilot boys" was the
RESPONSE, "have to serve n regular up-
premiership Of six years to some old.
experienced pilot. That is, they have
to ALMOST live on pilot-boats, and alo
studying and observing ali the time.
Ihen they are required to make thirty
two trips up and down tho rlvor aud
bay in square-rigged vessels before their
tlme IL out. After going through this
the pIot"boy il taken before u commit
tee OF the Port Wardens and board of
piiot-examiners, and il he is found to be
bright and capable he obtains what We
oall 'twelvc-foot branch aud he
keeps that for eighteen months. He is
then examined again and if found com.
petent he gets 'hrst-claSs branch, and
Is full pilot. Most of tho pilot-boys
are sons of old pilots, and they have
generally natural aptitude for the
business"
How are pilots liccnsel?"
| 'Ihe Pennsylvania pilots and Della
ware pilots arc now working IN oppusi-
lon to each other to some extent. For
over 100 years all the Delaware bay
pilots obtained thoir licenses from tho
State of Pennsylvania, hut the last
Pennsy lvania Legislature cut dowu the
rates about 40 per cent, and then the
Delaware pilots had law passed giving
them the old rates. When pilot COOS
down stream he gets S3 90 per foot
| (water dlsplaoenont). The highost ratio
| up from tho sea is $t.16 per foot and
t!.sss a4t,.ssa !7'l--nnn--fnnL- and pninU
Winter pliotage used to be $40 extra,
| but that is taken away now, although
the Delaware pilots get tho old winter
rates yet. Pennsylvania pilots must
work by Pennsylvania law"
GLOW about pilot boats?"
"Thcre arc four pilot-boats owned by
Pennsylvania pilots. Two of them cost
! over $lS, 000 each and the other two
$8, 200 each. There are two Delaware
boats, making six III ell. Whom pilot
boat goes out she has u regular Drew of
six men, and six pilots are allowed to no
OH her to hunt JOS The t1rst pilot on
| the list gets the arst job, ahd the others
follow III rotation. Sonnet mes in fair
weather these boats go as fur as sixty
miles QUITO sea looking for incoming
foreign vessels, but as general rule
they cruise about tho Five Fathom
Lightshlp. They remain on the watch
day and night and il all kinds OF
weather.. When vessel takes On board
a plot ne has full charge, and his pay
is according to the draft of water of the
vessel. That ID, if the vessel draws 18
feet the pilot gets 81. 16 per foot f,oln
II feet up, and onu-third Of what he
receives goes to the pilot-boat for her
support. When pilot takes q vessel
out to sea he pays $500 FOR what is
called the tnke.of boat to bring him
bhnk tn port again, If the vessel is ~,
feet boat, and lie pays 800 up to 20
feet 1t costs considerable money to
keep these pilot-boats in first. class con<f
| ditlon, and they must be kept in
splendid order for the service they have
| to PEI iform."
Aliuding to the knowledge possessed
| by Delaware bay pilots and tho oare
and skill they have 10 exercise in brmR-
ing vessel safely into port from tho
sea, Captain Sohellinger remarkod:---
"a regulnr pilot must be perfectly
familiar with Delaware bay and river
| from the Capes to tho CITY. BY day or
| night and In all kinds OF weather he
must be able to thread his way safely
through the water and with as much
confidence as you would go along the
| street on the way to your home. phe
pilot must have minute knowledge of
every shoal, every channel, light
houses and lights Of all kinds, sound
ings, bearings, etc., in tho bay and
river, and he must go to speak be able
to see the bottom as his vessel ploughs
through tho watcr, He must be able to
perfectly work quars.rIgged vessel,
and must have complete knowledge OF
everything connected with the tides.
"Describe generally the pllotage Of
vessel from the open sea outside the
Capes to the port OF Philadelphia"
"When pilot-Doat while cruising
sights vessel signalling for q pilot.
her skiff is lowered, and the pilot
whose turn it il is rowed to the vessel,
and when once on board he takes. com
mand. It is sometimes hazardous work
TO get from the pilot-bcat to tho vessel
to be pi otcd, for you must remember
the pilot is bounu to answer tho sum
mons Tor his assistance, no matter
whether it be day or night timo, or
whether the sea Ii rough or calm. the
only thing that would prevent q pilot
from taking the sma.l boat anu going to
tho vessel that needed him, would be
the almost certainty that the boat could