The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-12


CT the New Lrie Railroad Ferry boats
Arc Locked, and the Boats Won't Steer
Jntn the Lights Are set Forward.
A passenger on the Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western ferryboat Bremen Is
authority for the statement published In
an afternoon paper yesterday that an
Erie ferryboat left her New York slip at
7:20 Friday evening without her starboard
and port lghts-green and red, respec-
lively showing forward at all, while
green light on the port side and red light
on the starboard side did show aft, where
no colored lights at all should have been
shown.
In other words, the ferryboat In question
on arriving at her New York alp had failed
20 put out her port and starboard lights,
and when she started back across the river
with her head reversed failed to light up
what then would have been her port and
starboard signals.
The passenger said that to make quite
sure that his own unprofessional eyes
did not deceive him he called the attention
of the Brenen's captain TO the queeriy
Illuminated craft and that authority fully
confirmed his own diagnosis, and added,
further. that the offending boat was the
Susquehanna.
Friday nights captains OF the Susque-
hanna and Bremen were not on duty yes
terdGy, but the captain Of the Bremen who
actually was on duty said that it was by no
means an uncommon thing 10 see boats
thus improperly lighted while they were
going about in the rivers and harbor. ] he
captain of the Susquehanna said that be
vt ff.tr
for such thing 70 have happened
why" said be. "a boat could not 20
thirty feet with her lights wrong without
the captains attention being called TO the
matter by other craft How do they do
this? Why, by four short whistles 1t IL
an understood thing among the 1900 men
Of the American Masters and Pilots Assoc
citation that this be done
Supt Charles H Van keuren Of the foat-
ing equipment department Of the Erie
Railroad said:
There il a mistake somewhere about
that statement, II says that II was the
Susquehanna OF our lire and that it was
when she left her New York slip at TO in
the evening. Now. here are the records
Look for yourself. At TIT that evening
in her New York slip and did not go out
again until the next morning. So 1t could
not have been the Susquehanra.
Nor could it have been the next boat
following the SusGuehanna. That beat
boats, the Tuxedo. Arlington and Goshen,
are equipped with device which, as will
show YOU makes II absolutely impossible
for captain to take bis boat out unless
the lights ere nronrrlv ~.
The device Supt Van Keuren mentioned
proved TO be a simple lock to the steering
wheel. 80 ARRANGED that the wheel cannot
be set free without operating an electric
current switch which turns on the port
and starboard lights. When the boat ar
rives at her dock the wheel is locked. thus
breaking the connection. and go shutting
OF the lights. Then. when the captain
goes forward 10 the other wheel house
% start on the return trip. he must unlock
his wheel, and that turns the forward lights
These three boats OF ours said Supt
Van Keuren. ARE equipped with this device
and so arc some OF the new Pennsylvania
boats. In the old boats the captain turns
the lights on and OF by an independent
switch in the pilot tors".
Now, mind you, don't eay the gentle
man did not see a boat with tho wrong
lghts A a matter OF fact ! have no doubt
he did The sight Is common enough. The
only point or records here make pretty
Plain is that he or the ca main Of the Bremen
was mis- AIKEN az 10 the identity OF the boat.
yes. mean it when say that it is COM
mon enough 70 see both ferTyboats and tugs
going with their lights wrong, or With no
lights at all II you want 10 satisfy your
curiosity as 70 how often This happens lust
listen sometime 10 the beat whistles. When
you hear four short toots-two close TO-
gefher followed by brief interval, like
a Morse signal dash and then Two more close
together. you may know that some fellow
has got his lights wrong. Wren rilot
hears that signal Re looks TO his lights 10
see IL he ia the guilty man II Is a signal
you hear often enough.
Dangerous OF oourse It's dangerous
That Ia why we are putting in these electric !
switch devices on our boats to make II i'm
possible. The best mon in the world will
forget TO swing an independent switch
once in a while no matter how ser1i-suto-
matio the movement has become With him