The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-29
THE CAPTAINS SIDE or 1T.
Says the Public Is Really 10 Blame
for the Loss of Some Steamships.
From the Nav York sun.

for the Loss of Some Steamships.
From the New York Sun.
There's another side to this question of
the criminal carelessness of the command
er, which we heer so much talk about
whenever liner rs lost" said the captain
of big ocean steamer the other day. IT'S
not the captain who is really TO blame In
one case ont of ten, even when ne Is run
ming his ship at full speed through a fog.
It's the public that's to blame, and I'll
tell you how IL Is.
ITO begin with everybody knows of the
rivalry between The different lines. Every
body knows what a difference there is
in the estimation of the public, between
the rival boats of the same grade which
start at the same time and come In twen-
ty-four 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 go on the So-and-So. which must be a
better boat, for didn't she come IN a day
ahead of the one he came on? The cap
tain of boat No / is a hero for the time
being, and the company he works for
smiles on him. That he has run all the
way at full speed, through heavy seas
and fogs, and has taken all kinds of risks.
he knows but he doesn't say anything
about that, and the company doesn't eth
er. They have beaten the other line, and
that Ia enough. The captain Of boat No.
2 which came in a day behind the other,
knows just what is In store for him be-
fore he reports at the office OF has com
pany This is about what he hears:
why how is this, Mr.. Blank? You
came In twenty-four hours behind the So
and-So What was the matter, anyhow
We'll, you see,' says the captain, we
had storms part of the way, and when
we got to the banks we struck fog so
thick you couldn't see your hand beiore
your face, and we had to run al half
speed all day
'Ahem! It's a bad thing, Mr. Blank for
us to be beaten twenty-four hours by the
So-and-So
.Capt. Blank says no more, but feels
that he has been reproved, and he remetn-
bered It on the next trip. The sea may
be running mountains high and the fog
be so thick you can't see the funnel from
the bridge, but he Is bound to get in on
time this trip and he does. The owners
of the line smile on him. so he knows
what he Is required to do and goes on
making record trips 1t IS the public,
you see, which the company has got to
please II Il IS to exist, and the captain
has to please the company. Some day
he docs this once too often. He eolIides
with another ship In a fog, maybe, or
runs on the rocks. Perhaps the natural
love Of life or the thought of helpless
family keeps him from deliberately going
TO the bottom with the ship, but he knows
that his career Is at an end. The board
sits on the case and II there Is any evil
dence to show that the accident was due
TO the careiessness Of the commander In
running at full speed In thick weather,
or whatever the case may be, he Is repri-
manded and his certificate suspended for
some months at least When at last he
gets the certificate back Il has a hole
punched in It,
NOW let US suppose that he has been
a faithful servant of the company for
good while, and they like him, and decide
TO transfer him to another ship and give
him a chance for existence This new snip
has to be insured, OF course, before she
goes 10 sea. The underwriters make their
examination, and In the course OF their
inquiries there comes up the question as
70 who Is the captain OF the ship. When
they hear the name they will probably say
why let us seei Yes2 on, we can't
take any risks on a ship commanded by
Capt. Blank. Put another commander In
his place and II win be all right
"The company is therefore obliged to
dismiss Capt. Blank Then he starts out
to find another situation. His certificate,
you remember, has hole IN II. He goes
to zee the owners OF another line. AS soon
as they hear his name they say:
"Oh, yes Didn't you command the So |
and-So?"
" Yes; ] commanded that boat
" 'Humphi Very sorry captain, but we.
haven't anything just now. If we should |
have anything we viii let you know.
This scene Is repeated at one steam ship f,
Office after another on both sides of the |
water"
the captain leaned his elbows on the |
table do you wonder" he said, after
a pause, that generally when a liner Is |
lost at sea her commander isn't among |
the saved? But mark my words" Re /
added rising. "in almost every disaster, |
when the cry OF negligence is loudest, it's |
the public that's to blame and not The |
captain, who only does what he is obliged |
10 do"