New-York tribune., 1906-06-24

h94sh Hss she hs sass Of 6s st"sn lsqd
"and l tell you l don't half like
the job. You can't tell how many
kinds of fever these South Ameri-
ships bring up with them. But Captain
if you want to some fun Just
watch the bridge after we've tied up. I'll have
to 60 up there finally; but III lust lust worry S them
will motion go up and take charge. Then the
pilot if he thinks the Captain amt lookn, he'll be
noddin' his head at me- and neither of them lettn
the other that he's afraid. Their knees'll get
to shakin, and they be gettin nervous and hdgety
every minute as we get in sight of the pier; Dock
fever we call it. You can't altogether blame the
Captains of the ships but you'd think these Sandy
Hook pilots would know how to dock ship by this
time. But don't you think it! They want the tow
boat man up there, and We've got to go or the COM
pany will lose the business
As Captain Jimmy predicted, both the pilot and
Captain of the ship evinced every sign of nervous
ness, until with reluctant shake OF his head, cap
tain Jimmy consented to go up.
I" But it doesn't seem fair to make you take all the
responsibility when it S not part OF the contract,
protested as he about to climb the ladder over
the ships side.
oh, l don't mind that It's the fevers that
worry me. You're liable to get two or three kinds
of them on these ships And Captain Jimmy
for the bridge land | think held his breath till he
arrived there), to the obvious relief OF her officers
and the pilot.
Dock fever is wel-nigh universal complaint
among the pilots and ocean-golng Captains nor IS
it to be wondered at The complete indifference OF
the towboat is the difficult thing for those who
have any understanding of the conditions to realize,
for every pier both sides of both rivers has its
idiosyncrasies of current and eddes, on the
rising and falling tides. And they are never the
from day to day. Variations in velocity
and direction of the wind, alterations the
imperceptble but constant changes in the bed of
the rivers and in the formation of the banks
all go to make this problem a new one upon each
occasion.
But the towboat know these rivers better
than they know their children, and glance at the
water, look at the swrling tide against the pier
head, is all they need to estimate the force and
direction of the and eddieS that
be reckoned with the chief factor in the task.
From Yonkers to the Battery; up the East River
through Hell Gate into the sound; to Bayonne
and Staten Island; from the Erie Basin back through
the Buttermilk Channel on the Brooklyn side; every
square foot of the waterways, every pier, every nook
and Granny of every landing place all is as fa.nil-
lar them the New York streets to the oldest
Cabby.
The Captain, mate, engineer, two tiremen,
deck hand and cook comprise the usual crew
of a towboat. Every has his special duties, of
course but also, every man is expected to do any
work required of him. it makes difference in what
department it may be The cook, for example,
takes his trick the wheel when it is necessary the
hremen handle the hawsers in emergency; the mate
may be easing up bowline; the deck khand taking
up slack the after-btts and the engineer making
fast the backing lines amidships while fireman,
off watch perhaps answers the bells from the pilot
house There is no waiting for else to do