The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-02-20
SHIPS THAT PASS OVER THE BAR
Some Interesting Facts Concerning the
Trusty Pilots Who Guide Them.

II N safe TO say that the people at
large know less of the life Of the pilot,
( IT'S dangers and vicissitudes, than Of
any other human factor IN the great
shipping world. Stories are told every
day Of those participating In the count
. less branches Of the lndusty-from
daring trips OF saIlors into unknown
seas down to the effronts Of the uncon-
sclonable "shanghaier never a
word concerning the interesting incl
dents which 40 TO make up the career
OF the pilot.
II IL true that the pilot. as the sea-
faring men are wont TO say, is essen
TALLY a "fresh-water fish, and that,
az a rule. his duties conhne him TO a
territory which seldom. II ever. takes
him out OF the sight Of land. But not
wlthstanding. his duties are hazardous
In the extreme and the life he leads Is
one that only men OF strong vitality
can withstand Duty calls him 10 the
decks OF Incoming vessels regardless OF
storm or calm and upon him deyolves
the responsibility Of bringing the ship
safely into the harbor avoiding count
less uns aen rocks. bars and other OBJ
stncles. To- strike any one Of which
might result In the loss OF the vessel.
There Rre pilots doing service over
the bar at the mouth Of the Columbia
who. were they TO relate their exper-
fences, could al a most interesting vol
ume. There are ten OF them, all told,
one Of whom has been guiding vessels
In and out of this harhor since imme-
diately after the close OF the Civil war.
His name Is Erick Johnson and he has
been almost constantly In service since
1866. Next To him In point OF service
comes NJ. -. Staples. with @. w. Wood
following close third. These three
have grown gray In the service and
probably know more sea captains by
their given names than any other indi-
viduals on the Pacific coast. Associat
ed with them on the bar are p. c.
COrdncr. A. r. Cam. ID. McVicker,
H. a. Matthews l.. 5. Staples, James
,Tatton. and c. $. Gunderson. Each
holds a license from the state and is
under bonds in the sum of $1,000 as
guarantee TO skippers that they are
safe men in whose hands to entrust
the ship In passing from the sea into
the inner harbor.
The pilots take turn about in going
outside the bar for incoming ships.
A pilot schooner. the Joseph Pulitzer.
Is stationed outside and II is arranged
80 that at least three OF the pilots
are stationed on board OF her awaiting
the arrival Of vessels from abroad.
During the busy season, enc or more
extras are added to this number. The
schooner never comes into port except
for provisions or repairs. The last per-
iod OF stay for the Pulitzer was forty
six days, and then she remained inside
only thirty-siN hours. While the state
controls and regulates all pilotage mat
ters, Il does not provide means with
which 10 keep the machinery in motion.
The Pulitzer is owned by individuals,
composed principally of the pilots.
themselves. The pilots must bear all
OF the expense of maintenance, the
state having discontinued its appropri-
ations sor this purpose for some reason
or other which people who know the
business cannot understand. Ii Is most
likely that the legislators did not know
themselves. There is an old hulk OF a
schooner which is the property of the
state laying in the boneyard, but il
is never used except during the sum
mer months when the weather is fair
and the sea quite calm.
There is another group of pilots
those who operate on the river between
this city and Portland-who, too, are
an important factor in local shipping
affairs, The steamboat pilots certainly
occupy most unenviable positions for
the task of taking large river boats up
the winding river for distance of 100
miles, being constantly mindful of the
dangerous snags and changing riffs, Is
by no means an enviable task. There
are eleven in this list, who are under
state regulations and $4,000 bonds.
They are w. A. Belts, H. Empken,
F. Il. Ferchen w. H. Patterson, A. G.
Peas II. w. Pope, d. Reed, w. II
Smith. T. Crane, and Captain Bailey.
Many of them have been on the Column
bla and willamette for several years,
and know the streams as one ordinar-
lily does an oft-trodden garden path