New-York tribune., 1906-06-24

who's boss here or if they
don't they find out. But 49, ~ N
YOU take some of the officers -
on these linerS-WhV. J
say! most of EN- amt r. ~E4
much bigger than a ~ <A
cup of water with the II D II
first drink taken out, and = 49,
they need somethin to make k@
a show. 1t S different with us; u ,AN
were satisfied with just any ~. 4E
old kind of clothes. Well, EFV"
say! think OF us fellers wearin' Captain
MI - ii .: Hank
when one of their tugs is out of commission,
that the towing companies have to do with these
giant passenger ships. On the other hand, the
coasters, the ubiquitous trampS, cattle steamers,
South American and West Indian boats, trading
vessels from every port in the world, schooners,
barkS, and not intrequently full-rigged ship
all of these and host of others depend solely
upon the private towing companies. And between
these craft and the tugs there intimate relation
ship, large treemasonry; for to the officers and
sailors of these vessels the toWboat is the first and
last link to the shore. So 1t happens that the tugs
bring the first news of what has been going on the
while; and, outward bound, when the hawser is
let 60, parting salute rough but hearty God
speed from the little boat is the last word from the
land Even the mSanthrOpic mate became almost
humanity cordial at these times, and on occasion
when | was aboard the Unit, he relaxed sufficiently
to hail the first officer busy in the bow of the depart
DO you think the bottom'n hold in her till you
get ashore again9" he shouted.
Aye, never fear!" came the answer in unmiS-
taxable accent
Well you'd make fine Irish stew for a couple
of sharks but, God knows, maybe YOU II have luck"
His intentions Enthusiastically friendly, and
for some moments he stood watching the fast dsap-
pearing ship then he turned back to his new bow
fender, which at that time in the initial period
OF its construction, and had vet been adorned
with whiskers
But it is only after many, many trips that any,
thing like adequate knowledge of the important
part the tugs play in the commerce of the country
is realized. Almost from the moment a ship of any
pushes her bow past Liberty Island (and if she
IS a sailing craft, long before that) the services of
towboat urgently necessary. In OF accident
the long-drawn hysterica whistle of a steamer de-
mandS the IMMEDIATE assistance of a tug Are there
messages to be carried from the shore to the an
ChOrage! is there a celebrity to be al nCo1n-
ing liner? is there passenger boat to be caught by
beated traveller Is 1t an international yacht
a regatta the Sound? is there important mail
to be hurried in special orders from Consgnee?
all these and a hundred and other things
wholly outside the normal business of towing must
be and performed by the tugs. Every vessel
entering or leaving the New York rivers depends in
sOmeWay other upon these same little craft to
help her out, and always there is the dry-dock, to
which, later, all must go in the safe
keeping of the towboat Captain.
But by far the most important duty performed by
the towboas is docking the huge liners, task to be
done slowly and with infinite caution, full of dangers
for those ashore and those the ships besides the
possible loss of the enormous wealth represented by
the vessel herself and her cargo. Distances must
be calculated almost to the inch the strength OF the
tides estimated to the pound and decisions involving
the safety of hundreds made on the instant. There
few who realize that the ship IS in far more real
jeopardy when she IS coming into her dock than
she in the open Thousands of tons OF iron.
under almost imperCeptIble headWay, Is a
gigantic force which needs the most delicate handling
control it, and that
Of he