Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-24


of parts of boats There's many
vessel in this harbor has been fitted
up complete from PIothouse to the
after-btts at that place. Boilers,
engines, stacks, wheels, bells-any- ~
thing you want to buy at second
hand" Ill ~
Captain Jimmy stopped talking
long enough to pick up our steamer
through his glass off Staten Island. sSS1
" Here she comes!' he announced,
and l tell you l don't half like
the job. You can't tell how many
kinds of fever these South Amerl-
ships bring up with them. But Captain
if YOU want to fun just
watch the bridge after we've tied up III have
to go up there finally; but III Just worry them
will motion to go up and take charge. Then the
pilot, if he thinks the Captain amt lookin, he'll be
noddin his head at me- and neither of them lettin
on to the other that he's afraid. Their knees get
to shakin, and they Il be gettin nervous and fdgety
every minute we get in sight of the pier. Dock
fever, we call it. You can't altogether blame the
Hook pilots would know how to dock ship by this
time. But don't you think it! They want the tow
boat 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 evnced every sign of nervous
ness until, with reluctant shake OF his head Cap
tain Jimmy consented to go up.
But it doesn't seem fair to make you take all the
responsibility, when it not part of the contract,
protested he about to climb the ladder over
the ships side
oh l don't mind that. It's the fevers that
worry You're liable to get two or three kinds
of them 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 a well-nigh universal complaint
among the pilots and Ocean-gO1ng Captains; nor is
it to be wondered 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 eddies, on the
rising and falling tides And they are never the
same from day to day Variations in velocity
and direction of the wind, alterations in the
old piers and the construction of new ones,
imperceptible but constant changes in the bed of
the rivers and in the formation of the banks
all go to make this problem new one upon each
occasion.
But the towboat men know these rivers better
than they know their children, and glance at the
water, look at the swiring tide against the pier
head, is all they need to estimate the force and
direction of the currents and eddeS that must
be reckoned with as the chief factor in the task.
From Yonkers to the Battery; up the East River
through He'll Gate into the sound across to Bayonne
and Staten Island; from the Erie Basin back through
the Buttermilk Channel the BROOKLYN side; every
square foot of the waterways every pier every nook
and Granny of every landing place-al is fa:nil-
to them the New York streets to the oldest
Cabby.
The Captain a mate, an engineer, two fremen
one deck hand, and a 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 is necessary the
hremen handle the hawsers in emergency; the mate
may be easing up bOwlne; the deck-hand taking
up slack at the atterblttS; and the engineer making
fast the backing lines amidships; while fireman,
OFT watch perhaps, answers the bells from the pilot
house There is waiting for some one else to do
the work. questioning whose the work is. In a
word the necessity for promptness and keen sense
of mutual responsibility put premium eff
hcIency. 1t sounds rather ideal; but the fact is
that only those who willing to accept this state
OF things survive. special intelligence, quick