The Oakes times., 1907-03-28
HEROES OF THE SEA

HEROES OF THE SEA
CAPTAINS WHO GO DOWN TO DEATH
WITH THEIR SHIPS.
working Of the Honor Code In the
Deep Sea Fraternity-Noble Exam-
PIES Of diving the Faith" when n
Move to Escape Meant Dishonor.
Tradition, which is to say the honor
code Of the deep sea fraternity. de-
crees that in event Of mortal disaster
to vessel Of whatever kind. sail or
steam, large or small, the master must
be the last person to leave.
From this law, unwritten though It
be. no captain is exempt. So stern is
It. so inexorable and SO jealousy up
held, not only by those of the sea, but
by landsmen, that where escape is
impossible for passengers and crew
the commander Of stricken ship
stands rigid on the bridge until she
sinks. carrying with her, it may be. q
score or hundreds of human beings,
considering his sacrifice but slight in
the face of the alternate of self pres
ervation at price too great for any
man to pay, at the price of worldwide
scorn, the averted faces of those who
had formerly held him in esteem and
the pain Of those who had loved him
as husband, father, son or brother.
Death and a name written bold on
the roll of those who have perished
sublimely at sea is infinitely the easier
way. Many have found it so. And not
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
unfalteringly, alone, unmatched, unaid-
.ed-men who in dying have put up
steadfast star which leads far from
sordid things and ennobles the credit
Of mankind.
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
skippers evlnce such affection as they
bestow upon wife or child, may explain
this, or pride or despair, where the
master has been at fault, or-oh, ever
SO many reasons may be advanced.
The captain of great liner not many
years ago, whose boat had met with an
accident which seemed likely to bring
him before court Of inquiry, was
found dead In his cabin when the ves-
sci finally made port. He brought her
in safely-and then he died. Apople4y.
they said at first. Later came rumor
that has never been satisfactorily ex-
planned away to the effect that this
captain died by his own hand. It is
not at all unlikely. He had been emf
nently successful. His pride could not
bear up under his first great setback. u
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 invariable 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
tiflcate, and since steamship companies
as rule prefer to "grow' their own
captains and in addition have absolute
ly no use for skipper with 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 man who, paradoxically
enough, was not a captain, but who Is
one now IL rewards in the next world
are meted out in accordance with big,
brave things done on the waters Of a
lower creation-to the case Of Chief
Officer 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
O'Hagan led his men into the hold to
shift cargo and thus right the wal
lowing steamship.
Barrels. boxes. what not, were flying
wild, and case of machinery finally
caught the captain against a brace.
crushing his leg so that splintered
bones were driven out through the
skin. He was carried to 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
ic, but held by tile personality and
calm assurance Of their new command
er, watched him like dogs ready to
obey his will. From his post the chief
officer signaled the Mannheim and
the Bostonian, which were plunging
through the riotous waters to the res.
cue, and he it was that maneuvered
hia sinking craft 40 that small bOats,