Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-08-21
\ PILOTS LIFE
Dangers of the Man who
Guides Ships to Harbor.
Qualified Seamen who are Invested with
Great Responsibility.

Whether there be dangers in the sea.
tky or air, the periIous nature Of :. pilot,
duties makes it Imperative that he meet
it with cheerful alacrity, for the Esprit
d't corps existing in the guild is imperiou,
i'll its influence Cast among the broth
crhood the pilot must not lose, or else he
is indeed a ruined man. Except in the
matter of discipline. full command Of the
vessel is vested in the pilot His respon-
sibility is great; the general rule being
that no owner or master of a ship is an
swerablc to and other person for any
loss or damage occasioncd by the fault or
incompctency of a qualified pilot acting
in charge Of the ship when she is within
the district Of the pilot and when his
employment is compulsory; though the
presence Of pilot docs not ab,olvc a
master from the consequences OF any in
jury that may be caused by his own care
lcssncss or Ignorance. He must be ready
at call, and under all circumstances, to
face alike the winters cold, binding
slcct and the summers heat, the storm
and the sunshine; and blow high or low,
in fair weather or in foul, the pilot must
be at his station to guide safely all in
coming vessels.
And in Boston Bay this is particularly
true. Said man who has lived all his
life on Cape Cod to Il writer in the Bos-
ton Record eve have had piled up on
the shore during the past 100 days many
vessels which are a total loss. The men
who navigatcd them were saved, thanks
to the gallantry Of the life saving force,
but thousands of dollars worth Of prop
crty are buried i'll the sand. What the
further losses will be no man can tell but
we DO know that unskillful seamanship
and an imperfect knowledge Of the coast
is responsible for much of the loss But
while it is true that there has been this
large loss, hundreds of vessels have sailed
safely by and have been brought to an
chor in secure harbor | have not
heard of Il vessels going ashore that had
II pilot on board, and / do not think
here has been one"
1t is perhaps needless to say that the
pilot is a qualified seaman, thorough in all
nautical accomplishments; for he can
"hand reef and stccr,' navigate by
4 u ho L.
and dccps' Of the lead line, familiar tc
him as his own handwriting, he know
the intricacies and varying depths of the
many channels \ technical knowledge
of all rigs, too, is his, besides a sigr
manual by which he can make himscll
understood by sailors Of all nations
How relieved in mind must be the mas
ter of a Great ocean steamer, with IL
hundreds OF passengers ant Its precious
freight, after battling with the stormy
Atlantic for days, with SCARCELY a singl,
peep ut the sun. and in doubt about hi
reckoning and position, TO See away of
shore, one of these little pilots vessel
making her WAY towards him. GallantI,
she holds her course, hccling and right
ing, pitching and ascending, and as sh
moves up under the snug canvas lookin:
like a boxer stripped for the fight, ther
is seemingly a senticnt power in her ever,
motion 1t is the skill and training 0
years that puts the little craft so easil
within two cable,' length under the lc
of the steamer Now comes the crucia
test, for the pilot must board the waitin;
craft. The agile crew must grasp th
little boat from the deck, and poising
on the rail, in the very nick Of time
launch it over into the sccthing foar
alongside. In jumps the pilot and hi
two oarsmcn and soon the tiny canoe ca
be secn-now poised in midair on an al
cry wave crest and anon deep in tn
dangerous hollow, coming straight fc
the ship. One mi>>troke, the slightes
weakening Of nerve, and the hardy fc
lows would be cngulfcd in the water
chasm with no stone 10 mark their grave
1t Is with delicate care and Skill that ii
frail craft Is ranges, alongside when a roy
is thrown, by which. cra>pn. with mu.
clcs Of steel, up the side the pilot spring
hand over hand until hc ali-lts on ii
deck.