Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-12-29
pIsoBEvEp ORDERS BUT ONCE.
An Iucidcnt In the Life OF Brave Sea
Captain, Now Dead.

Captain, NOW Deau.
The Pacific Mail steamer San Juan,
which arrived from Panama yester-
day morning with her colors half
masted, brought the body of her late
commander, Capt James McRae,
whose death at sea has already been
announced, says the San Francisco
Examiner
Capt McRae was SO years OF age
at the time of his death, and forty
four OF those years were spent at "a.
He was native OF Scotland, where
he took to ships at the age Of 8, but
he had considered himself an Ameri-
can in every sense but that OF birth
since he was Is, when he made New
York his home port. Lacking early
educational advantages, his progress
was slow, but he was a hard stu1ent
OF books as we'll as navigation and he
qualified for mates position shortly
after attaining his majority. lie was
first officer on one of the Savannah
steamers out OF New York twenty
Morning Star disaster occurred off the
southern AUlanJic coast
The Star took fire while unusually
crowded with passengers, among
whom were the members of large
opera troupe. Capt McRae had the
deck when the burning steamer was
sighted, and his captain was asleep.
The boats could net contain tenth
part of the panic stricken passengers,
nd Iarsa. n
board, clinging to anything in the
the shape OF float they could lay
their hands on, when the rescue
vessel arrived. Young McRae ran so
close TO the Star that the heat could
be felt ON his steamer, and set all the
crew at work saving lives.
His captain, highly nervous cx-
citable man, came on deck in the
midst of the heroic efforts and or
dercd the steamer pulled away from
the burning craft for fear that the
boilers would explode and do him
some damage. McRae protested Wig
Orously against leaving the unfortu-
mates in the water to their fate,
but his superior was obdurate and
would not even allow some of his
willing crew to take boat on the
ground that they would be likely to
lose their own lives. McRae saw a
woman floating on bit of plank not
far. away and before anyone could put
'Out hand to stop him he had
stripped off his outer clothing and
plunged overheard. A magnificent
swimmer he had little difficulty in
yeifectlng a rescue in this instance, and
no sooner was the lady on board than
he started off again.
Twice he repeated his daring feat,
saying life each time, and then the
captain ordered him TO ,desist. Nc
Rae's reply is still famous
Captain" he said, 81 acknowl-
edge your authority. i have been at
sea for twenty years and have never
uisobeyed an order. would not now
if there were not lives at stake. AS
it is !. shall continue to go as long as
l have strength" "
Again he struck out and again he
helped an unfortunate to the side OF
the steamer. The captain would
have steamed away beyond reach of
the pending explosion had he dared,
but his passengers would have taken
command if he had attempted to do
so, and he was forced 10 stand by un-
til there was n0 possibility of ac-
complishing further work of rescue.
McRae was the hero of New York
when he reached port. and the en-
thusiastic passengers took up columns
NP in Lott irN1r ~
illness. He won his command on this,
the vessel assigned him being the old
Manhattan on the Savannah run.