The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-11-30
LINERS LOST AT SEA.
A CAPTAln'S STORY or WHO is OF
TENEST TO BLAME.

ocean Steamer Goes Down, Her
Commander is seldom to he Found
Among Those Who ~ ere saved.
There's another side to this cues.
ton of tho criminal carclessness Of the
commander which We hear so much
talk about whenever liner is lost, "
said The captain of n hiR ocean steam
ship che other day ITS net the cap
tain who is really to blame i'll ono case
out of ten even when he is running his
ship at full speed through fog. It's
the public that s To blame and I'll tell
you how il is.
ITO begin with, everybody knows of
tho rivalry between tho different lines.
Everybody knows what II difference
there Is, i'll the estimation of tho public,
between tho rival boats of tho same
grade which start mt the same time and
come i'll 81 hours apart. The man who
has travelled by the boat that comes in
last is going to say to himself that next
time he will 60 on tho So.and so, which
must be IL better boat, for didn't she
como in day ahead of the one ho came
on?
The captain of boat No. | il hero
for the time being, and tho company he
works for smiles on him. Tint he has
run all the way Mt full speed through
heavy seas and fogs and has taken all
kinds of risks he knows, but no doesn t
say anything about that, and tho com
pany doesn't, either. They have beaten
the other line, and that is enough.
1.-The captain of boat No. ., which
came i'll day behind tho other, knows
just what is i'll store for him before he
reports Mt the office of his company
This is about what he hears:
"'Why, how is this, Mr. Blank?
You came i'll 81 hours behind tho So
and-so. What was tho matter anyhow
We'll, You see, says tho captain,
we had storms part of the way, and
when we got to tho banks we struck
fog 80 thick you couldn't SEQ your hand
before your face, and we had to run Mt
half speed all day
'Ahem = ono of the owners will
say. 'Aheml It's n bad thing, Mr.
Blank, for us to he beaten 81 hours by
the So-and so.
Captain Blank says no more, but
feels that he has been reproved, aud no
remembers it on the next trip Tho sea
may bo running mountains high and
tho fog may ba 20 thick you can't SEQ
the funnel from tho bridge, but no Ia
bound to got i'll on time this trip, and
he does. The owners of tho limo smile
on him. So he knows what no is re-
quired to do and goes on making record
trips.
at is tho public, you see, which tho
company has got to please il it il to OK
list, and tho captain has to please tho
company. Some day no does this once
too often. He oollides with another ship
in fog, maybe or runs ON the rocks.
Perhaps the natural love of lifo or the
thought Of helpless family keeps him
from deliberately going To tho bottom
with tho ship, but he knows that his
career il at an end.
Tho board sits on tho case, and If
there Is any evidence to show that tho
accident was duo to tho carelessnoss Of
the commander in running at full speed
in thick weather, or whatever the case
may be. he is roprimanded and his GER
tificato suspended for some months at
least. When at last he gets tho cortin-
cate back, it has holo punched in it,
Now let ua suppose that ho has been
faithful servant of tho company for u
good while, and thoy like him and do
eide TO transfer him to another ship and
give him chance for existence. This
new ship has to be insured, of course
before she goes to sea. Tho underwriters
mako their examination and i'll the
course of their inquiries there comes up
the question as to who il tho captain of
tho ship.
When they hear the name, they will
probably say Why, let NJ seel Isn't
he tho man who sunk tho So-and so?
Yes? Oh, we can : tako any risks on
chip commanded by Captain Blank
Put another commander in his place
and it will DO all right
"Tho company il therefore obliged to
dismiss Captain Blank Then no starts
out to find another situation. His GER
tiiicate, you remember, has "a hole in it.
lie goes to SEQ tho owners of another
line. Az soon as they hear his name
they say:
ooh, yes. Didn't you command
the So and SOP
Yes, ! commanded that boat
Humphl Very sorry, captain, but
we haven t anything just now II we
should have anything, we will let you
know.
'This scene is repeated ut ono steam
ship Office after another ON both sides
Of the water.
Tho captain leaned his elbows on the
table "Do you wonder. ho said after
pause, that generally when IA liner
is lost ut sea her commander ism 3 among
the saved? But mark my words, " no add
cd, rising, Sin almost every disaster.
when the cry Of negligence il loudest
It's the public That's to blame and not
the captain, who only docs what he Is
Obliged to do New York Sun