The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-31


aancino in and out among flotilia oil steam
launches. rowboats and scows as cleNeriy
as a LADY IN a crowded ballroom
"Say. captain." sang out an officer lean
inc over the rail of the cruiser Cincinnati'
.aren't YOU afraid to come into the navy
yard like that
Afraid" retortec the tugboat skipper
IN soornful tones I'VE aren't afraid oil
ANYTHING I'm this business. Give me doze'l
old tupboat men. and III come in and talS
your blessed navy yard. battleships and slE
"Ry the Lord " said the officer 10 hilseii
SOFTLY. looking at the old shellhack nerce
weather-beat face. Il believe hed oe
capable of it at Il pinch
This anecdote is illustrative OF the 1iame
of mind of the typical tugboatman' l'nere
ia no peril too great. no chance 700 RISKY
for these daredevils of coast ana port
of New York, Chicago, Boston balti more
PHILADELPHIA, San Francisco, New Orleans
and a score of other American harbors"
Poet and novelist never tire OF resount-
ing the dangers to which the deep'water
sailor is exposed. But he leads save ana
placid life compared TO that of the tugboat-
man who picks up living by plying to and
fro among the crowded shipping of busy
port. ,..
Daily, almost hourly, the tuGb oatman
faces such pers as come tothe dee P-water
sailor only once in voyage or once IN year
He knows this very well, and has a lofty
contempt for them that go down to the
sea in ships and do their business OH great
waters
steamers cap'ns?" said the skipper of
a tugboat the other day Don't talk TO
me about EN-, They're as timid as girls
There's nothing | like better than hltching
my boat ongside Of tramp and just
soaring the life out Of the old man on the
bridge"
How you manage that'' he was
asked.
The captain spat comprehensively.
why, we just creep up in the dark until
we're right under his bows, and then let
Oft an almighty big toot with the slren.
Course, they haven't seen us. They never
do see anything on them blessed steamers
Our foot jest about scares the old lnaIi out
of his wits.
when he gets over the shock We. ma
a bargain to bring him up the river and
hitch 'longside. Course we come ~; pref J
fast Times money in our b. meas
He soon gets scared + death -nainF
In and out among cozer II 1hips whe "a %
been used TO hur ads cf piles .' en
water all aIo,Ir a. He lands # long
as he can, II he hoilers do n to us:
"'Sar . ,ou better 60 bit slower''
az ..o, grim, ard of course, jest
.f my r. aos' % shove her along
q. iasto,. We .e her full tn on the
wh IT I'll thu. old man on me bridge is
tr.nhlgr Ike q jelly: and then we jest stop
nor ;. inbred feet of and land her 'longside
~ II she was glass. You bet we teach
those merchant shippers that We know
our business,
Standing by the side of Capt. Peet, AZ
he steered the tugboat Baltic through
New Yorks crowded harbor, gave this
reporter an insight into the daily perils CT
the business
No sooner had the Baltic got clear Of
her wharf than another tugboat bore down
on her starboard side and a big ferryboat
threatened to ram her on the port. 1t
seemed impossible to escape collision
with one or both of them. but Capt. Peet
gave a little twist to the wheel and the
Baltic glided out Of danger, missing the
stern of the fcrryboat by few feet
wasn't that pretty near thing3" the
landlubbor asked
The captain looked surprised.
-We shouldn't call that near" he said.
eff you want adventure you've chosen
the wrong time The river is empty today.
A child could navigate it."
Empty II seemed TO the uninstrlcted
eye of landsman simply chock full of
putting tugboats, unwieldy ferry boats
and ocean tramps. all getting in one an
others way and threa ening to run one
another down
The tugboat passed within few feet
of a big passenger steamer which was
coming down the river as if she were a
torpedo boat The skipper noticed his
visitors concern.
collisions are very rare" he said, com
fortingly A man gets so used to the
business that he steers rather by instina than
reason. He lodges other boats without think
ing about it Just as you would avoid bump
ing into people on a crowded sidewalk, A
yard saves a collision over and over again,
but we don't get ratified. miss is as
good as n mile,
Our only worry is when some brass
bound captain Of a nickel plated yacht
comes careering up the river. Ten to one
he knows nothing about it and he's Just
like man irving to learn how to ride a
bicycle in crowded street.
"He falls over everything and gets in
everybody's way. Yes. those yacht cap
tans put the fear of death into us some
times"
Talk to any old tugboat man and no will
spin you yarns that would make the lit
erary fortunes of half dozen Clark Rus
sells. Every one of them has his stories of
storms and collision and fire to tell.
Il remember" said one, "ten years ago
we were beating about off Sandy Hook,
twenty miles ont at sea. 1t was a terrible
night-dark and foggy with high sea run
ming
II had just stepped out of the galley after
supper and happened TO look up. There
was the stem of a big liner towering right
over US. Next moment she struck us amid
snDs and Gun us clean in halves.
There was hardly a second for thought
but | knew in n flash that if l jumped to
port of her the sea would wash me into her
propeller So | jumped to starboard, and
as her hull flashed past me- caught a rope
,.ansing IN the water, and they drew me
aboard.
Curious thing was, not one of our crew
was drowned except my pet dog, that !
l.. ANI.g,f