The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-29
HEROES OF THE SEA
cAFTAlss tsHo 50 poWNro DEATH
WITH THEIR SHIPS.


PIES Of .tLfving rhe Faitht when a
Move TO Escape Meant DIshoaor.
Tradition, which Is TO say the honor
code OF the deep sea fraternity. de-
erees that IN event OF mortal disaster
10 a vessel Of Whatever kind, sail or
steam. large or small, the master must
bs the last person toleaye.
From this Law, unwritten though II
be. no captain is exempt So stern Is
il. 50 inexorable and so jealousy up
held. not only by those of the sea but
by landsmen. that where escape i
impossible for passengers and crew
the commander OF a stricken shin
stands rigid on the bridge until she
sinks, carrying with her, it may be, a
score or hundreds OF human beings.
considering his sacrifice but slight in
the face OF the alternate of self pres.
eryation at price too great for any
man to pay. at the price OF worldwide
seorn, the averted faces OF those who
had formerly held him in esteem and
the pain Of those who had loved him
Us husband. father, son or brother.
Death and name written bold on
the roll Of those who have persisted
sublimely at sea is Infinitely the easier
way. Many have found it so. And not
a small element of the dignity and the
nobility which attach to the calling OF
the ocean Is due to that exalted army
Of martyrs who in the heart OF fearful
darkness. In the wreck OF elemental
fury triumphant. have kept the faith
nnfalterlngly, alone. unmatched. unaid.
'd-men who in dying have put up
.teadfast star which leads far from
:ordld things and ennobles the credit
u mankind. on
Annals Of the sea record not a few
instances OF captains who have refused
TO leave their vessels even after every
other human being has been saved.
Love Of their ships. for which many
shippers evlnce such affection as they
hestow upon wife or child, may explain
this, or pride or despair. where the
master has been at fault, orch. ever
50 many reasons may be advanced.
The captain OF a great liner not many
Years ago. whose boat had met with an
Incident which seemed likely to bring
him before court OF Inquiry. was
found dead in his cabin when the yes
sci finally made port. He brought her
in safely-and then he died. Apoplexy.
hey said at FIRST. Later came rumor
hat las never been satisfactorily ex.
planned away to the effect that this
captain died by his own hand. 1t is
not at all unlikely. He had been emf
nently successful His pride could not
bear up under his first great setback.
Another case OF the kind was that Of
The suicide Of Captain Brunswlg of the
beautiful cruising steamship Prlnzessin
Victoria Luise after he had run her ON
the rocks near Port Royal, in the West
Indies. The invariabIe comment of the
shipping world has been that the Ger
man commander did the only thing pos
sible under the circumstances. Brun.
swig would probably have lost his Ger
tificate, and since steamship companies
rs a rule prefer 10 grow" their own
captains and in addition have absolute
ly no use for skipper with a lost ship
against his name poor Brunswig's fu.
ture must have looked dark TO him in,
deed.
1t is far more pleasant to turn to the
case OF a man who, paradoxically
enough, was not a captain. but who Is
one now. II rewards in the, next world
are melted out in accordance with big,
brave things done on the waters Of q
lower creation-to the case Of Chief
oficer Paterson OF the British King
He left New York in that craft one
winter day in 1905, and on the banks
great rending waves simply beat In
her bow plates. Tons OF water flowed
In. and before the leak was discov.
cred she was listing seriously. Captain
0'Hagan led his men into the hold to
shift cargo and thus right the wal
lowing steamship.
BarrelG boxes, what not, were flying
WAAf anu u ChrC VI haGhlhGAJ hAAis
caught the captain against brace,
crushing his leg so that splintered
bones were driven out through the
skin. He was carried to a lIfeboat
made ready for launching, and Pater-
son took command. From his post on
the bridge he never moved. Lower
and lower drove the British King, and
the crew OF Belgians, verging on pan.
&c, but held by the personality and
calm assurance Of their new command.
sr, watched him like dogs ready to
obey his will. From his post the chief
omcer siEnaled the Mannheim and
the Bostonlan, which were plunging
thronel, the riotous waters to the res
cue, and he it was that Unanswered
his sinking craft so that small boats
from the succorIng vessels could come
alongside. Three boats filed with the
British Kings men were carried to
safety, and as the storm increased.
prohibiting further attempts at res
cue, the stricken vessel took her long
plunge. with Paterson on the bridge