The Portland daily press., 1884-02-13
HNExCUsARLE sHIpwRECKs.
An OILS Sea Captain Speaks His Mind
Concerning Certain Matters of Present
Interest.

10 the Editor or the Press:
MATANzAs, Caba, Feb. 6, 1884.
Forty-two years ago the 26th of next March
sailed from Portland on my first voyage
cound TO this island, and in those many years I
have known some strange shipwrecks. A few
years ago the steamer Atlantic sailed from
England for New York, and when to the
westward Of the Grand Banks the captain of
the steamer thought that he did not have coal
enough to last to New York, aud directed the
ship for Halifax to replenish his bunkers. On
the last night that the steamer was afioat the
captain slowed up somewhere until u O'Clock
midnight, aud than gave the second mate
orders to call him at 3 o'clock and went to hio
berth, he then judging the ship to be 36 miles
from the land and going at the rate of 70
miles per hour, Il give the evidence at the in
vestigation.) But before o'clock the ship
struck the rocks. An under officer told the
second mate that he could see breakers. The
second mate told him to mind his own BUSH
ness, ard in few minutes the ship was on the
rocks. 1t was in the dead of winter and $50
lives were lost. There were 1853 females on
board and not one of them was saved The
question was asked by seamen why the captain
did not get his sleep from to II in the eve
ming, and after that be at his post of duty as
any shipmaster should have been. The cap.
tain's certificate was taken from him for two
years.
A set OF old gfsnnies in counting room on
shore may ask man questions to see If he ia
capable of commanding ship, but no class of
men can know ANY thing about the ability of a
man to command ship BY asking him ques-
lions, any more than Fejee Islander can
know the pleasures OF New England without
being there. The shipmasier is The best Judge
OF the ability of his first officer to command a
ship and the only one that can know
The English war ship Eurydice soon after
the lost of the a Atlantic, off the Isle of
Wight when a March snow equal Came eff
the land aid caught the ship under full sail.
In moment she was brown on her beam ends
and out Of 500 people on board of her but one
and boy were saved. II the ordt + had been
given to clew NJ all sails, in one half minute,
with 900 men every. sail could have been
hauled up snug. But the commander had
passed the board.
came ont # Hampton roads under steam aud
could go where she pleased, but before she got
hslf way TO Cape HatteraS she ran ashore and
about loo lives were lost But no doubt her
| omnander had passed the board, or some
political ring, without regard to ability or
| worth.
| About the time the Huron was lost passeu-
| ger steamer from Valparaiso started out in the
| evening bound down the coast and wnen the
captain judged that he was past a certain
| point OF rocks that extended quite distance
out from the shore, he changed his course and
| went below. In q short time the steamer
| went crashing on the very rocks that he
| thought hes had passed; the sea was high and
| about 100 lives were lost
| / was in this port last Spring, and on Sab
bath morning new brig, on her first voyage,
| with full cargo of sugar on board, sailed for
some port. When The vessel got to the outer
point of the bay, she encountered a strong
head wind, and turned back. She came in
and ran on shoal III the front of the harbor.
Vessel and cargo became a total loss, with the
exception of 3 few hogeheads of sugar, that
wee taken out The brig had been here more
than thirty days, with this sboal breaking a
part of the time right under her jibboom, with
buoy on the north end of it to mark the reg u
lar ship channel, aud yet the captain said he
DID not know the shoal was there. The vessel
was not an Amerieau, but / dare say that he
had passed the board of old grannies in a
counting room ashore, and got a certificate
that he was first-class shipmaster.
Some years since was in New York making
charter for my vessel, and was asked,
Have you passed the board?'' sWhat board,
sir?" Many times have boarded the foretack
and maintack, and been on every tack that
ever ship was placed on upon the ocean, but
never went before class of men on shore for
them to tell me if was ft to command a ship.
might narrate many other careless ship
wrecks that have occurred within the last thir-
ty years, bat the hardest and most inexcusable
destruction Of life and property that ever
knew was that of the steamer Columbus, that
has just taken place off Gay Head, and that is
the expression of all men that hear speak of
the sad disaster. When we-see so many ship
wrecks, can we wonder that we have to pay
such high marine insurance as we do today?
have written this article With all due respect
andtdeference to large majority of shipmas-
ters who are men OF abb r. and good Judgment
butlwhen railroad trains are run on each 9TH
er's time, causing such obstruction of life as
often occurs, and steamships are run headlong
to destruction upon rock-bound shores and
hundreds of lives are sacrificed that few
hours may be saved In a steamers passage. it
is nighttime for the public to speak
ALVIN HALL.
Master of Brig Carrie Bertha