Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-01-17
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OCEAN GREYHOUND.

Just as the government of the city Of
New York is divided among the Mayor,
aldermen, and boards and commission
ers OF various departments, so the ad-
ministration of giant steamship is
| divided into specialties. The Mayor is
| the chief officer of the city. The cap
tain is the chief officer of the ship. He
| Is more than that. From the time she
! leaves port until she enters port he is
master Of the life and liberty of every
person aboard the ship, as we'll as Of
all property in it, He is an autocrat.
! OF course, he must administer his au-
| thority wisely. Unwise autOcrats don't
| last long, whether ahOst or ashore.
The head of each department is re-
| spOnsible for all that goes on in il.
! The chief engineer directs everything
| connected with the engines. The chief
! steward has full control of all that has
! to do with the comfort OF the passen-
! gers and crew. Each of these chiefs
makes a written report at noon every
day Thus the captain is kept in
! formed of everything pertaining to the
ships welfare.
! Every one of the senior officers Of
/ the ship is a duly qualified master, ca
| pable of taking her around the world if
need be- The day is divided into
watches" or tours of duty, Of four
| hours each. One junior officer is on
the bridge with each senior officer on
| duty. The senior officer directs the
| ships course. He never leaves the
! bridge while he is on watch. Should
| he do so he would be dismissed at 0nce>
There is no excuse possible 1t would
be just as if he had died suddenly. His
| friends would all feel sorry, but nothing
/ could be done TO help him. Two sea-
| men are always on watch in the bow OF
| the ship, and two more in the foretop.
! Twice as many are on the lookout in
! thick weather. Observations are taken
/ every two hours In the good old sail
| ing ship days the captain was content
/ TO take the sun" at noon every day.
/ If the sky was cloudy for day or two
| it really didn't matter much, for he
could jog along on dead reckoning.
! But on an ocean greyhound. rushing
| over the course between New York
and Europe at the rate of more than
twenty miles an hour it is highly i'm
/ portant that the ships position be
known all the time. Fog may come
! down at any moment observations
may not be obtainable for ten or twelve
hours. The position Of more than one
| hundred stars are known. BY observ-
| ing any one of these the ships where
abouts can be obtained in a few min
/ utes. OF course, the road becomes
more or less familiar to a man who
crosses the ocean along the same route
/ year after year Yet this familiarity
/ never breeds contempt or any careless
/ ness. No man knows all the influences
| that affects the currents of the ocean.
! You may find the current in one place
| the same forty times in succession; on
! the forty-tirst trip it may be entirely
| changed. Sometimes the big storm
that has er-ded four or five hours before
/ the ship passes a certain place may
/ have given the surface current a strong
| set in one direction. There is no
means Of telling when these influences
may have been at work save by taking
T the ships position frequently.-Har
/ pers Round Table.