Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-03-07
The Ocean Pilot.

A pilot is man who has made himself
thoroughly acquainted with certain wa
ters where navigation is dangerous, and
who directs vessels in safety through
those bad places. A Ship Captain may
understand perfectly the proper course
from one continent to another and how
to handle his vessel in the open sea, but
he is not expected to know every rock
and sand-bar crouching under the treach-
erous waves, and all the twistings and
distractions of the narrow entrance into
a foreign harbor. Indeed, the naval
regulations will not permit. captains to
act, though they may think they know
the channel, since if an accident happens
when there is no pilot on board, the in
surance money will not be paid.
Pilots, then, are important men, and
they know il so wen that they charge
very high prices for their services (gen-
orally rated according to the draft of the
vesseD, and admit few young men to
their ranks to be trained.
Their method of work is very exciting.
A dozen or so together will form the
crew of trim, staunch schooner, pro-
visioned for fortnight or more, which
can outsail anything but racing yacht,
and is built to ride safely through the
highest seas.
But these fine schooners and the brave
men they carry are rarely in port.
Their time is spent far in the offing of
the harbor, cruising back and forth in
wait for incoming ships, and the New
York pilots often go two and three hun
dred miles out to sea. There are other
pilot-boats waiting, also, and the look
out at the reeling masthead must keep
the very keenest watch upon the horizon.
Suddenly he catches sight of white
speck which his practised eye tells him
is ships top-gallants, or blur upon
the sky that adyertises steamers APP
proach. The schooner head is instant
ly turned toward it, and all the canvas
is crowded on that she will bear, for
away off at the right second pilot-boat,
hull down, is also seen to be aiming at
the same prize, and trying hard to win.
The man whose turn it is to go on duty,
hurries below and packs the little valise
which holds the few things he wants to
take home, and the crews letters; if it is
steamer which is lying there with
slowly turning wheels and signals fly
ing, he shaves himself and puts on
clean white shirt; but n common sailing
vessel is not so honored.
The storm may be bowling in the full
force of winters fury, and the waves
running mountains high" as we say,
but the pilot must get aboard by some
means. 1t takes rough weather to make
it impossible for his mates to launch their
yawl and row him to where he can
Chamber up the strangers side with the
aid of friendly rope send. But often
this is out of the question. Then a
whip is rugged beyond the end of a
lee-yard arm, carrying rope drove
through snatch-block, and having II
bowline at its end. The steamer slows
her engines, or the ship heaves to, and
the pilOt-schooner, under perfect con-
troll, runs up under the Ice of the big
ship, as near as she darcs in the gale.
Then, Just at the right instant, man on
the ships yard hurls the rope, it is caught
by the schooner, the pilot slips one leg
through the bowline -nOose, and second
afterward the schooner has swept on and
he is being hoisted up to the yard-arm,
but generally not in time to save himself
good ducking in the combing of some
big roller.
Now the pilot is master-stands ahead
of the Captain even-and his orders are
absolute law. He inspects the vessel to
form his opinion of how she will behave,
and then goes to the wheel or stands
where best he can give his orders to the
steersman and to the men in the fore
chains who are hcaving the lead. lie
must never abandon his post, he must
never lose his control of the ship, or
make a mistake as to its position in re-
spect to the lee-shore, or fail to be equal
to every emergency. fit is too dark and
foggy and stormy to see, he must feel,
and if he cannot do this he must have
the faculty of going right by intuition.
To fail is to lose his reputation if not his
life. This is what is expected of apilot,
and this is what they actually do in a
| hundred cases, the full detailg Of any one
of which would make a long and thrill
ing tale of adventurous fighting for life.
Ernest LngersoH, IN Vide Quake,